I Want to Die, But I Am Immortal
Chapter 52: Sophia’s Sadness

Chapter 52: Sophia’s Sadness

Sophia had volunteered to assist. She felt a deep-seated need to share the burden she felt she had placed on Adam’s shoulders, and before she could stop herself, the words had left her mouth.

However, the reality of her offer set in as they stood in the kitchen. The three white bundles on the floor caught her attention. They were bedsheet-wrapped lumps of indistinct shapes.

She was aware of their identities. Her hands began to shake, and a chilling wave of terror sent shivers up her arms. She was unable to touch them. She was unable to handle dead men’s bodies.

Adam noticed her hesitancy. He noticed the delicate trembling of her hands and the way her gaze was focused on the corpses wrapped in sheets. He did not make fun of her. He did not press her.

"I didn’t say you had to do this" he said his voice softer now. It was a surprising shift from his earlier harshness. "If you don’t want to just clear the path for me. Open the side door. Look outside. Make sure no one is there."

The relief that washed over Sophia was immediate and immense. He was giving her a different job a task she could handle. She nodded quickly a jerky motion.

"Okay" she whispered.

She practically ran out of the kitchen. She proceeded down the hallway to the side door that her mother had entered moments before. Her heart thumping, she reached for the knob.

She was sweating nervously, and her hand was slippery. She inhaled deeply and turned it slowly. The latch opened with a click. She gave the door a slight inward pull. She looked out into the small alleyway that separated her home from the next.

The deep black was turning to a hazy gray as the first rays of the morning sun touched the sky. There was nobody in the alley. Only a stray cat, which fled when it saw her, and overflowing garbage cans.

She turned to her left. Then, yes. Nothing. Nobody. Unaware that she had been holding her breath, she released it. Silently, she latched the door shut.

Adam was right behind her when she turned around. She let out a startled gasp. She was deeply unnerved by the total silence with which he had moved. And her lungs were robbed of air at the sight of him.

Somehow, he had flipped all three bodies onto his back. They formed a single, enormous, terrifying bundle that was slung over his shoulder after being bound together with a length of rope.

For a boy his size, the weight should have been insurmountable. However, there was no indication of strain as he stood there with perfect balance. In a morning full of them, it was yet another impossible feat.

Before she could speak he did.

"Anyone out there?" he asked his voice a low whisper.

Sophia shook her head quickly still too stunned to form words. She just stared at him at the grotesque load he was carrying.

"Then open the door" he commanded. "And get out of the way."

She struggled with the latch once more, more urgently this time. She yanked the door open. Adam hesitated just as he was ready to pass her.

"Wait here" he said. "If you see anyone coming towards the construction site next door you scream my name. As loud as you can. Got it?"

Sophia paused. It was terrifying to consider being left alone in the house, even for a short while. But she could see the gloomy resolve in his eyes. She was aware that he would not accept no. Slowly, she nodded.

Adam did not wait for confirmation. He went out into the alley and started running. He moved with startling speed and agility in spite of the enormous weight he was carrying.

He was a dark figure that vanished into the yellow morning, a blur of motion. In a matter of seconds, he was gone, leaving Sophia by herself in the doorway, her heart thumping her ribs.

In less than a minute, he arrived at the construction site. It was a tumultuous scene of deep trenches dug into the ground, piles of debris, and partially constructed walls.

Near the rear of the lot, far from the road, he discovered a sizable heap of gravel and dirt. He swung the bodies off his shoulder with one last grunt of effort. There were several gentle, heavy thuds as they hit the pile of debris.

He was throughout already. He had looked in their pockets for anything that would identify them before he wrapped them in the sheets. phones, wallets, and keys. He had even applied crude pressure bandages to their wounds using some of the medical supplies from their own kits.

He wished to leave as little blood as possible in their wake. The last step is now.

He discovered an abandoned shovel partially buried in the ground. He dug. He worked tirelessly and frantically. Although the ground was difficult, the work was doable thanks to his system-enhanced strength.

He carved a shallow grave out of the construction debris after digging for what seemed like an eternity. He rolled the three bodies into the hole once it was sufficiently deep. He did not stop. He ignored them. He simply began filling the grave, burying them beneath a pile of rocks and dirt.

He walked back to the house after finishing. He had left Sophia standing in the open doorway. Her face was a pale mask of fear as she stared at him. She could see her hands shaking now.

He was aware of what she was observing. Not merely a boy who had disposed of three corpses. She was witnessing the death, the violence, and the unfathomable reality that had suddenly entered her life.

She had never seen anything like this before. Her family had never before been exposed to the darkness that followed him.

Adam felt a rush of guilt. He was growing ever more accustomed to the sensation. He was aware that he was to blame. Everything. This horror had been delivered to her door by him.

Her life’s simple peace had been shattered by him. He saw the fear in her eyes and the shaking hands. He knew he needed to take action. This needed to be fixed by him. The fear he had instilled in her had to be erased.