Tommy rose to his feet, letting the picture fall behind him, and gazed at Benjamin, who stood by the door with a fierce scowl on his face. Tommy's fear was boiling hot, his heart racing with anxiety.
'Why I gotta be the one who's all nervous and whatnot?' he thought, trying to rationalize his emotions. 'He's the one who should be scared, tellin' them lies to my face!'
But scratch that! Tommy's fear was overwhelming, suffocating him; he felt his spirit draining from his body, as if his very life force was ebbing away.
Benjamin looked like he wanted to kill and it made Tommy's legs tremble beneath him and his vision blurring at the edges as he struggled to maintain his composure.
"B... Benjamin?" Tommy called out softly, his voice barely audible, sounding like a whisper from the valley of the shadow of death.
