Deicide

February 21 23xx; Finale

And he woke up with his hand still reaching out, towards the ceiling. He couldn't help but feel utterly disappointed. He had somehow tricked himself into thinking that that had somehow been the real Eden. He wanted to cry, he felt the knot forming in his throat, but he couldn't get any tears out.

So instead, he got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. He turned the light on and started the water, undressing quickly and stepping in. He tried to wash the feeling of Eden in his arms off of him. It hurt too much. It was like his own mind was teasing him. It hurt. He made the water hotter, so hot that every drop burned. And he used the pain to replace the warmth of Eden.

Finally, his skin was pink and raw. He turned the water off and wrapped his towel around himself, walking quickly back to Eden's room. He dressed himself in pajamas and flopped back onto the bed. He stared at the ceiling until Howlan opened the door.

"Do you feel like eating anything?"

Silas shook his head.

"Okay, what about some water?"

Silas shook his head again.

"Alright, let me know if you need anything."

Silas nodded.

Howlan shut the door, leaving Silas alone again with his thoughts.

Silas opened his eyes again to see that the sky outside was dark. He had slept through the entire day, and somehow he was still tired. He sat up and got to his feet. As soon as he stood up he almost fell back down. The world felt like it was tilting without him. He made his sluggish way to the door before stumbling to the kitchen. He grabbed a glass and filled it with water, taking a small sip. Then, a full drink. Finally, as he processed how thirsty he was, he chugged the glass before refilling it and chugging another. He filled it once more and drank about half of it, stopping to catch his breath. After finishing the rest, he set his cup down on the counter.

He made his way back to Eden's room, feeling much steadier now. A deep longing filled the pit of his stomach, and he fell back against the bed. Soon, he drifted to sleep again.

PART ONE END