Chapter 25
The storm howled, ferocious and untamed. Rain hammered the rooftop like a thousand tiny fists, and the wind seemed to whip the very air into a frenzy. Subey stood there, soaked to the bone, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Every muscle in his body screamed with exhaustion from the brutal fight, but there was no stopping now. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion and grief, but it was finally clear that it had to end here.
John stood opposite him, swaying slightly. His bloodied face was barely recognizable, his eyes wild with something unhinged. The man he had once known as a friend was now something far worse—a shadow of the monster he had become. A man who had crossed every line, hurt those closest to him, and destroyed everything Subey had tried to protect.
"You still don't get it, do you?" John's voice cracked, raw with pain and anger. He spat a mixture of blood and rainwater to the side, then grinned, a chilling smile that sent a shiver down Subey's spine. "You and I... we're the same."
Subey's pulse quickened, his fists tightening at his sides. "You're wrong," he said, voice low but steady. "I'm nothing like you."
John chuckled darkly, the sound bitter and hollow. "Oh, you are. You just refuse to see it." His eyes narrowed, taking in Subey's form, as if he was trying to dissect him, to find some trace of the man who had once been his partner, his equal. "You buried the truth about Caroline, didn't you? You didn't want to face it, so you let it fester inside you, pretending it didn't happen."
The words hit Subey like a physical blow. His heart seemed to falter for a moment, memories of Caroline—her face, her voice, the laughter they'd shared—flashing before his eyes. He felt the heavy weight of her absence, the absence of any future they might have had, and his stomach twisted painfully. But there was no time to indulge in grief now.
"Shut up," Subey ground out, his teeth gritted. "You don't get to speak her name."
John's grin widened, his voice taking on an almost mocking tone. "You think you're so different? You think you can just walk away from this, leave the past behind? You can't, Subey. It's too deep inside you. All those secrets, all those lies, they've eaten away at you, just like they did to me."
Subey's hands trembled, not from fear, but from the surge of anger coursing through him. Every word John spoke felt like a dagger, twisting deeper with each syllable. But no matter how much it hurt, no matter how much he wanted to break down, to let the flood of emotion pour out, he couldn't. Caroline had trusted him, and he had failed her. But he couldn't let this man, this twisted version of the person he once knew, destroy everything else.
John swayed, taking a few unsteady steps forward, the blood on his body mixing with the rainwater, making him look like a shadow of death. "You think you're the hero of this story? You think you're the one who gets to decide who wins and who loses?" His eyes glinted dangerously. "You didn't save her, Subey. And I know you're too weak to kill me, because deep down, you're just like me. You need the pain. You need the chaos. You wouldn't know how to live without it."
Subey's chest tightened, and for a moment, he felt the weight of John's words sink in. But then, he remembered Caroline's face once more—the way she had looked at him, with trust and love—and he felt his resolve harden.
"I'm nothing like you," Subey said again, this time with more conviction. He wasn't the one who had killed her. He wasn't the one who had hurt her. He hadn't been able to save her, but that wasn't because he didn't try. That wasn't because he didn't care. He was willing to carry the burden of that failure for the rest of his life, but he wouldn't let John twist it, wouldn't let him take what little shred of his humanity was left.
"You really think you can stop me?" John spat, his face twisted in anger. "You think you can fix everything by killing me?"
Subey's heart raced. His pulse thundered in his ears. He took a step forward, fists clenched tightly. "I don't want to kill you, John," he said, his voice steady. "But I will if I have to."
John let out a cruel laugh, the sound echoing off the walls of the rooftop. "Then do it." He took another step closer, his stance defiant. "Go ahead. Prove to yourself that you're no different."
Subey's muscles tensed, the urge to act, to finish it, surging through him. His fingers dug into his palms, and for a brief moment, he almost believed John's words—that there was no escaping the darkness, that maybe they were the same.
But just before he could make a move, something in his gut stopped him. The weight of the situation, the knowledge that this wasn't just a battle of fists, that there was something far more dangerous lurking beneath the surface, made him pause. This wasn't just about them anymore. This was about everything that had been destroyed, everything that had been lost. The fight was never just about physical strength. It was about the choices they made and the paths they had chosen.
John must have seen the hesitation in his eyes, for his smile faltered. "You can't save yourself by letting me go," he sneered. "You can't walk away from this, Subey. You'll always be looking over your shoulder, haunted by your mistakes." His voice dropped to a whisper, like a poison dripping into Subey's ears. "Just like me."
Subey shook his head, forcing himself to focus. "You're wrong," he said softly, his voice steady despite the storm raging around him. "I won't let you make me into something I'm not."
The words were a release, a final break from the lie that John had been feeding him for so long. Subey wasn't the monster. He wasn't the one who had torn everything apart. And no matter what John tried to make him believe, no matter how much he twisted the truth, he wouldn't let him win.
Without warning, John lunged. His fist was a blur, but Subey saw it coming. He dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow, and spun on his heel, delivering a sharp kick to John's side. John stumbled but quickly regained his footing, a snarl on his lips.
"You're making a mistake," John hissed, pulling a knife from his belt. "You can't stop what's coming."
Subey barely had time to react as John swung the blade at him. He blocked it with his arm, feeling the sting of the steel as it grazed his skin. Pain flared, but he ignored it, focusing only on the task at hand. He grabbed John's wrist, twisting it sharply, forcing the knife out of his hand, and threw it aside.
John let out a guttural scream, his frustration growing as he fought with all his remaining strength. But Subey was faster. He had nothing left to lose. His body moved on instinct, fueled by something primal—a desire to end the nightmare that had haunted him for so long.
They grappled, slipping and sliding on the wet rooftop, the rain making every movement more difficult, more desperate. The fight was brutal, each blow landing with sickening force, the pain in Subey's body a mere echo of the emotional toll. But through it all, he knew one thing: he couldn't let John win. He couldn't let this twisted man take everything that was still good in him.
In the chaos, John found an opening and struck, landing a solid punch to Subey's chest. He staggered back, breathless, his vision swimming. For a moment, he thought he might fall, but then he steadied himself, eyes locking with John's.
"You're done," Subey said, his voice cold but steady. "It's over."
John's eyes flickered with something—regret, fear? He opened his mouth to say something, but the words never came. His foot slipped on the wet concrete, and with a sickening thud, he tumbled backward, crashing to the ground below.
Subey stood there, panting, his body aching, staring at the spot where John had fallen. The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the howling wind.
It was over.
Or at least, it should have been.
But in the back of his mind, a new fear began to settle. Because there was still one more thing Subey hadn't dealt with.
Mia.
She was still out there.
And she was far more dangerous than John could have ever been.
To Be Continued.....