The Torn Weft ~ COMPLET

Burn !

The first part was in place and would be effective in a few days while the vampire got organised. Now the second part was being played. At first Murmur wouldn't let them do it, arguing that Johan had completely lost his mind, was incoherent and above all dying. To which Man replied that he couldn't do any more damage if he was wrong. Finally, the six of them, together with Murmur, found themselves in front of the small medical room. Johan was on a bed, hooked up to a machine that monitored his vitals and helped him breathe. Griffin pressed his lips together. This would happen to him soon. He felt Zia's small hand slip into his and squeezed it in thanks. Misery couldn't look at the lying teenager, waves of blue sadness rippled around him. Tragedy squeezed his shoulder as he looked intently at Griffin.

— We'll find a way. For everything.

Griffin looked up, surprised. He still had their fight at the Grey Cat and the words Tragedy had thrown at him stuck in his throat. Too cruel and crude not to be the bottom of his thoughts. But he'd put it aside for everyone's sake and because Gwen had forgiven him.

Murmur sighed.

— What solution? Bring Johan back? He was consumed by the demon inside. A nasty little vermin who still resisted the exorcist. Frankly, you're wasting your time!

Man smiled as he pointed down the corridor they had come from.

— So don't stay here wasting your time with us.

Murmur gauged him, made an ungracious face and turned back.

— Don't waste any more time than you have to, I have work to do.

Once he had left, Man entered with Tragedy as well as Griffin and Misery. Zia and Agony remained at the door. The windows in the hallway were blocked by curtains. Zia pricked her hand, extracting some blood. She used it to make a seal of silence on the door.

— It wouldn't hold for long.

Agony stroked her head.

— They'll be quick.

In the room Man stood at Johan's head, Tragedy touching his shoulder. Man looked at the teenager's face, sunken and sickly, his breathing rapid despite the machine, then at Tragedy who stroked his neck with his thumb.

— We'll be there.

He nodded and motioned for Griffin to come closer.

— Touch me throughout the visit. You will see and hear what I will see and hear. Don't do anything, don't say anything and don't touch anything. Misery will hold you too. You must remain as calm as possible, it's important.

Griffin obeyed and felt Misery's hands around his hips. Man touched Johan's temples on both sides. When the fingers touched the skin simultaneously, there was the snap of an electric lightning. Man arched his back and they were sucked into Johan's mind.

It was an indescribable chaos like the images one sees of the end of the world. Scenes of memory came in stroboscopic succession, too fast to understand or even see the memory. Agonised screams mingled with hysterical laughter. No sooner had the formation of a moment been completed than it flowed in on itself. Man was looking all around him. They had to find Johan... whatever it was that represented the teenager in this chaos. He motioned for the others to move forward, avoiding touching the objects that were coming at them. Each object was linked to a memory but at the moment none of them were linked to anything and seemed to swirl endlessly in a ghostly tornado. Sometimes there was a flash of a scene. A piece of forest, his mother's smile, a bicycle, music... But also flames, a long corridor, the ripple of a crack in the Frame, a hand... yellow eyes.