Resurrection

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Black.

Gold.

Hot.

Cold.

Alone.

With a multitude.

Silence.

Screaming.

Numb.

P A I N.

What happened?

An angel.

A knife.

P A I N.

Life.

Death.

Somewhere... in between.

Bone.

Blood.

A heart.

P A I N.

Demon.

Wolf.

Light.

Ink.

P A I N. P A I N. P A I N. P A I N.

Numb.

Numb.

Light.

Alive.

Keep going.

P R E S S   O N.

A phantom knife carved through Henry's body, making him writhe and cry out in pain. Visions of blood splashed across his view. A twisted hand clawed through his very being, ripping him apart at the seams. He heard screams, heard laughter, heard hoarse pleas. His blood turned to boiling ice as the ink swirled through him—through him—stitching him back together at the demon's command. The lights, the voices, seeking him, calling for him, the Gold One, to set us free.

A hand ghosted over his shoulder. Henry shuddered at the touch, but the hand was warm and soft and stuttered the visions. He used the touch to lead him, a lifeline to pull himself back to the surface. Slowly but surely, the hand became more real. And slowly but surely, Henry pulled himself back to consciousness.

Henry's eyes opened. Unwillingly, but they opened. A wolf snout came into focus, and a blurred light attached to a dark body stood behind it. Henry willed his hand to move, the limb clumsily lifting. A gloved hand caught and held his wrist with a gentle, grounding assurance.

Henry clenched his eyes shut, the blinked them open again, his vision thankfully starting to clear. The wolf sitting over him let out an anxious whine. "Buddy?" Henry rasped.

The snout nodded.

"Heh. H-hey, Bud. You found me."

Buddy whined again and hugged Henry's hand to his chest, resting his other hand on Henry's chest.

Henry let out a shuddery sigh, "I'm okay, Bud. I'm alive. I'm all here."

Buddy's teeth showed with a low growl.

"Yeah, bad time for that," Henry admitted.

"You gonna- lie there- all night- Stein-, or are we gonna- get movin' with it?"

Henry turned toward the new voice, "N-... Norman?"

"That- I am! Li'l pup- whacked- some sense back- into- these old reels."

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