I Want to Die, But I Am Immortal

"No Lily," Anderson said stopping her before she could strike again. His voice was a firm command. "We need to keep him conscious. He can't pass out."

Lily nodded in agreement a cruel smile on her face.

So that's how it is Adam thought a cold smile of his own hidden by the downward tilt of his head. You're in love with Lily. How interesting.

If I have a weakness then you have one too. A very exploitable weakness. He filed the information away. He knew he could use it to his advantage whether in this loop or the next.

Then they all started to attack him. A barrage of steel rods rained down on his body from all sides. At first he felt nothing. His Iron Skin was a formidable defense.

But as the blows continued to land in the same spot over and over again he started to feel the pain. It was a dull ache at first then a sharp stinging sensation.

His Iron Skin was beginning to fail under the relentless assault. He was surprised. He had thought it was stronger than this. Is this the limit of my Iron Skin? he wondered a flicker of concern in his otherwise calm mind.

James was also striking him his blows filled with a pent-up rage a desperate greed. But then something unexpected happened. Philips pushed everyone aside.

He swung his steel rod with a surprising ferocity a manic energy that Adam had not seen in him before. He struck Adam squarely in the face.

Adam's head snapped to the side. He felt a warm trickle of blood run from his nose.

Philips started to laugh a wild unhinged sound that echoed in the small storeroom. "I left Sophia all alone on purpose," he said his voice a manic whisper a confession of a long-held secret. "I made sure she had no friends. I created the conditions for her isolation. But you ruined everything. You took her away from me."

He swung the rod again striking Adam in the face with all his might. But this time Adam did not flinch. He just took the blow his eyes burning with anger.

Everyone in the room stared at Philips in stunned silence. They had known him as a quiet timid boy a follower not a leader. But now they were seeing a different side of him a twisted dark personality they had never known existed.

He continued to beat Adam with the steel rod his laughter a manic cackle that filled the small storeroom. James finally snapped out of his shock and grabbed him from behind trying to pull him away from Adam.

"Philips what are you doing?" he shouted.

But before he could say anything more Philips spun around and slammed the steel rod into James's stomach. James doubled over in pain a look of shocked disbelief on his face.

"Did you really think I was afraid of you?" Philips said with a creepy smile his eyes glowing with a manic light. "You fool. I enjoy killing people. You only saw me kill one. But there have been many others. And you were next on my-list."

His words and his deranged laughter sent a chill down everyone's spine. Anderson stepped forward raising his own steel rod to strike Philips. But Philips was too fast. He dodged the blow with a fluid grace and kicked Anderson in the stomach sending him sprawling to the floor.

"You're all fools," Philips said his voice a low dangerous whisper. "And the biggest fool of all is him." He pointed the bloody steel rod at Adam.

Adam had noticed something strange. When the others had hit him with the steel rods he had barely felt it. The blows had been like love taps.

But when Philips had struck him the blow had been much more powerful. It had been strong enough to make his nose bleed. He realized then that Philips had been hiding his true strength his true personality all along.

He was not the weak timid boy everyone thought he was. He was a monster in disguise.

"Are you crazy?" Lily screamed her voice filled with disgust. "Aren't you afraid of the police?"

Philips turned to her a predatory smile on his face. "Your name is on my list too," he said his eyes lingering on her body in a way that made her skin crawl. "And your time will come. But not yet. Until then I want you to keep your body in good shape."

Lily was terrified. She stumbled backwards her face pale with fear.

Anderson scrambled to his feet his face a mask of rage. "Do you think you can get away with this?" he screamed. "When my father finds out about this..."

But before he could finish his sentence Philips raised his hand and snapped his fingers. A group of men armed with guns stormed into the storeroom.

They grabbed Anderson Lily James and their friends tying their hands behind their backs with thick ropes. They then untied Adam from the chair and bound him as well.

One of the men took Lily's phone from her hand.

Adam could have fought back.

He could have easily killed them all. But he was curious.

He wanted to see what was going on. He wanted to understand this new unexpected twist in the story. So he allowed them to tie him up. He played the part of the helpless prisoner.

They were all taken to Philips's house. As they were led through the large opulent mansion Adam saw servants going about their work.

They did not even look up as the group of prisoners was marched past them. It was as if this was a normal everyday occurrence a common sight in this strange household.

They were taken down to the basement. It was a large cold room with a bare concrete floor. They were each tied to a heavy metal chair their hands and feet secured with iron shackles.