DECODE - Simon Ghost Riley [Editing]

13| Aid

Sunlight warmed my tepid skin, my eyes swam in and out of focus whilst I laid in the dust beneath the twisted limbs of the barren tree. My body ached, tension finally releasing as the adrenaline wore off, fight mode no longer needed to survive. Through the branches above, the indigo sky gave way to the orange hues of a new day through wisps of clouds reminiscent of cotton candy; a second chance of life.

Ghost had driven like a madman through the city, not much of it coming to mind. At the time, my face had been pressed into Soap's stomach as he held me tightly, I suppose part of him worried I would disappear if he didn't grip me so tightly, but now I was grateful for his contact. It felt as though he was the only thing protecting me in that moment.

Back in the city—for just a harrowing, fleeting moment—I had accepted my fate.

A cruel and twisted saga finally coming to its natural, sadistic end. Part of me mourned the life I'd be leaving behind, but I knew Milk would be waiting, no matter where I ended up.

We had finally reached the destination moments ago, though it felt like a lifetime drawn out with every breath I forced into my lungs as they expanded against my cracked ribs with a bubble and a fizzle. Each action hurt, but the pain reminded me that things were real and I was alive.

Ghost had hoisted me out of Soap's lap and placed me against a tree, hidden within the thistle of a decaying thicket that lined the otherwise barren landscape, the only structure in sight being a beige blob in my open right eye, my left still sealed shut from the swelling. He'd said something about me being lucky my eye socket was fractured so that the pressure didn't build up and damage my eye permanently, but I didn't feel lucky.

Footsteps walked away from me and towards the nearby barn, the sound drowned out as my throat ached and chest tightened with grief. If Milk were still here—if he was the one to survive in my place—would any of this have even happened?

Above me, birds chirped from the tree branches they occupied. Their tiny wings rustled with the leaves they disturbed, and they were blissfully unaware of the conflicts we as humans designed, of the cruelty we sought to inflict on our own species. I watched them intently, little coloured blobs whilst my vision faded around the edges. It felt as though everything around me had started to slow down, to decay as my mind and body shut down.

Delirium flirted at the edges of my mind, muffling the sounds of those around me.

Ghost and Soap hadn't known the extent of my injuries, but I could feel every one of them as the adrenaline wore off; Broken nose, fractured eye socket, fractured rib, fucked up ankle, so many bruises and welts and scrapes to my skin, my throat burned from where I had been pinned down, and it felt as though my scalp was lumped in numerous places.

I must've looked awful to them both, though I suppose they'd be somewhat grateful I was alive.

But now, as I laid beneath the chirping birds with the dawn of a new day across my face, I wondered if this would be the last thing I saw, if my fight was finally over.

I was so tired.

This was supposed to be a place of safety, a place where Alejandro knew we'd all be safe, but I was still in fight mode despite feeling as though I was losing my consciousness. As the sun cleared the horizon, it kissed my face, peppering its affection across my skin in the way of freckles, and I was embraced by its warmth.

The footsteps returned, and a hand slid between my back and the splintered bark of the tree, warmth pooling by my spine from the contact. The touch made me flinch.

"How you holding up?" Soap asked softly.

My lips parted as I tried to speak, the sound of words a rasped whine as everything failed.