Hellfire

Night twelve

Connor hates boxes, especially this one. It's small and made of glass, so he sits cramped, looking out at the horrific sights before him. The usual heat of hell is intensified as the box traps it like a caged bird, and the thick air is even thicker and stuffier now that the only thing moving it its Connor's ragged breathing.

Below him, he sees Kevin staring up at him. Kevin looks confused, though that quickly faded and is replaced with concern and worry. He tried shouting but Connor can't hear him. All Connor can think is 'why is he standing directly under this box?'

Before he can finish his thought, the box is let off its latch and begins to fall. Kevin's scream is the only sound loud enough to pierce the thick glass walls as The box crashes down on both of them.

Connor gasps for breath. There's glass everywhere. He sits up and whimpers. He can't even see out of one eye, and he can't feel any of his limbs properly. With shaking fingers, he tries to pull out the glass shards, but to no avail.

He then notices that the ground isn't scratchy, or rocky as usual... And it's moving?! Connor looks down and sees Kevin beneath him. "Kevin!" He shouts, glass rattling in his throat, but he doesn't care.

Kevin opens his eyes and looks at Connor, breathing hard and heavy. "Sorry Con..." He wheezes.

Connor looks down at the broken man in front of him.

"You know what Kevin? It's okay." Connor said soothingly. "It's okay because if I stay away, none of this will happen to you." Connor feels his worry and fear drain away and he laughs triumphantly.

Kevin tries to talk, but can't, due to a share sticking through his neck. He can only let out a choked cry.

"If I don't care about you, then this will all stop right?" Connor says. "So I'll just, walk away." He turns on his heel.

Kevin tried to beg him to stay, to tell him that he needs him, but Connor refuses.

"Goodbye Kevin."

Connor smirks as he walks away. As he walks, he feels the glass lifting off his skin. Eventually, he feels fine, great even, and all because he stopped caring. This was the key, to stop caring. Connor grinned. He didn't need Kevin Price.

With this in mind, hell started to collapse around him, and the dream faded. Before it faded completely, something flickered red and Connor looked up to see himself for a split second, falling into him in a glass box. The only thing loud enough to puncture the thick glass was the scream that ripped through Connor's throat as the shards entered his neck.

Connor woke up with a gasp. He felt Kevin's arms wrap around him and sighed. He pressed his forehead against Kevin's and caught his breath. Then he remembered, he didn't need this, he didn't need Kevin anymore to be happy. Gently, Connor pushed Kevin back onto his own bed, and then pushed that back across the room, leaving a larger than regulation gap in between, just to be safe.

Satisfied, he got back into bed and closed his eyes. Things were looking up.

Until Kevin started screaming.

Connor's eyes shot open.

"No no no!" Kevin screamed and thrashed around. "You can't kill him you can't!"

Connor resisted the urge to go over and help. He couldn't get attached all over again.

"No no please..." Kevin's screams faded to whimpers. "I don't even know where he is anymore...." Kevin reached his arms out and cried when he couldn't sense anyone there.

Connor rolled over to face the wall away from Kevin. No, he couldn't help.
He fell asleep again, slightly more troubled than he had intended.

Kevin woke up, gasping for breath with tears stealing down his face and his breath heaving.

"Connor...?"