Twisted

Chapter 25: A Near Death Experience

**A little Charlie aesthetic mood board a few months post Janson**

The train whistle screamed at me. The light blinding. I saw Gally's outline in the light of the train. I couldn't hear him yelling. I sprinted. I had to make it to him. We weren't going to make it back to the ladder, the train was coming too quickly.

The train was only a few feet from Gally when I slammed into him. He had just got to his feet, when I wrapped my arms around him. His arms wrapped around me. I tackled him back to the ground. He landed flat on his back, a split second before the train whizzed past us. I felt his arms tighten around me, holding me as tight and flat as he could. My face was pressed into him. The train was only inches from my back. My hair whipped around us. Gally's hand pressed my head into him more.

The train screamed over us. I couldn't hear anything, I didn't bother trying to see, my eyes were clamped shut. My heart slammed into my chest, I'm pretty sure it also jumped up into my throat. The train flew over us.

It finally passed, it felt like we lay there frozen forever. But it finally passed and Gally sat up immediately, and into his feet, pulling me with him, pulling me with him back to the ladder and up. He finally stopped and leaned against the wall, panting hard. He rubbed his chest, like it was aching.

I stood gasping for air. Trying to wrap my head around what I actually did. Gally pushed off the wall, a fire in his eyes I hadn't seen in a very long time.

"What the actual hell Charlie?!" He yelled.

"Try that again. I think you said,Thank you you for saving me wrong." I snapped back.

He took a step forward and grabbed me pulling me into his arms, a hand buried into my hair. He held me so tight I think my rib cracked. He was still breathing hard.

"Why? Why would you do that?" He whispered.

"Because I wasn't in a Landscape and this was real, I couldn't stand and watch you die! If you die I'm going with you! I had to try! I had to! I couldn't watch you die! Not again!"

My panic spiked, and I clung tighter to him. My breathing became shallow sharp intakes.

"I couldn't...Gally I couldn't watch you die again!"

I felt tears escape my eyes and slid down my cheeks. I felt his hands holding me, one sliding up and down my back, the other in my hair, and moving desperately to my face, moving my hair out of my face, touching my face holding my face. He kissed desperately. My hands clenched his jacket in my fists. I kissed him back, we both nearly died, I held him tight. Tears still slid down my cheeks, probably ruining the black eye makeup Sophie did.

Gally slowly pulled away, placing his forehead on mine, we were both still breathing hard.

"I couldn't watch you die. Not again. It was real this time!" I whispered.

"I know...I know Charlie. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." His hand still held my face.

"Man. Squirt, you're crazy!" Magnus shook his head, he sounded impressed and full of surprise.

I pulled away from Gally only to be attacked by Sophie. She wrapped her arms around me and held me tight, I could hear her sniffing.

"I'm okay Soph. I'm okay." I whispered into her hair.

Magnus had pulled Gally into a hug, and slapped his back. Magnus and Zayn also pulled me into quick tight hugs.

"Okay. Everyone is alive...no one died. We need to keep moving..." Magnus said as he patted my back, my arms still around him.