★ This is the zero chapter of 404 - File Not Found ★
.oOo.
No! NO! Everything was WRONG! How did it turn out like this?
They were careful–diligent! They stuck together! They supported each other! They even roomed together...! How did it go so wrong? How...?
Tears ran down his face as he screamed behind the tape covering his mouth, the adhesive pulled his skin painfully. Struggling against the plastic ties that held his raw wrists to his back, the agent pulled and fought and forced his battered body forward.
Another muffled scream as he hobbled closer to his partner.
His ankle was shattered, the gash in his arm still bleeding, the mucus from his nose made it difficult to breathe, and the tears blurred his vision.
But he could still see him–could still recognize that strong jaw, and graceful neck. He could see him strapped to the chair, so close...and yet so far...
He had to get to him–needed to get to him. Needed him.
The dull glow from the monitor illuminated his face, an unhealthy green hue. Sunken eyes stared blankly while dry, cracked lips hung slack. His pupils didn't react to sound or movement–locked on some invisible point beyond the display.
The broken man shook his head and yelled as he reached his inert companion. He wrestled harder against his binds, wrists sore and bloodied from his fight, arms starting to numb against the pain as the cold crept in.
Nothing worked. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't free himself, nor could he save his friend. He could only collapse to the floor and rest his head against the other man's thigh...and sob.
This was the end. It was over. And they'd lost.
They'd lost good people.
They'd lost the battle.
But most importantly...they'd lost him.
His partner.
His friend.
His confidant.
His love.
He curled into the shell of a man trapped in some faraway place and wept, swaying slightly. Hoping for anything, anyone, to help them.
.oOo.
Something pressed against his leg. Something warm and...sad. Something that doesn't deserve to be sad. Something...no. Not something.
Someone.
Someone that makes him feel...something. He remembered something? Like light?
Light.
Green light.
Code.
The string of code that scrolled down the computer monitor was like light.
Like light.
A smile.
A feeling?
Feel.
Something forgotten danced on the tattered edges of his consciousness, drawing a single tear to slide down his cheek, carrying the light from the computer display with it.
.oOo.
This story will continue in the book 404 - File Not Found, November/December 2022.
★ Thank you for reading. ★
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Never Said
FanfictionA fictional series of OffGun inspired one-shots and ficlets featuring thoughts and internal monologues about love, lust, friendship, and trust. Each chapter is a short story. Includes the following alternate universes: ★ Mobster AU ★ Cafe AU ★ Merma...
