Parting of Echoes

II

The morgue was located on sublevel one of the building, the air cold below and the walls pure metal, but which one he could not decipher. Lights flickered, adding to the already eerie room's aura. There were eight metal tables, bodies covered by white sheets, some stained with blood while others were oddly clean. His eyes looked around the room, trying to figure out what exactly he was to do, and if he really wanted to see the deceased faces of the people this body had held close once upon a time.

Walking further down the little pathway, he felt himself drawn to one particular body, the sheet on this one covered in blood, some seeping even off the table, meaning it was a fresh body that they'd managed to obtain. Death followed him it seemed, even taking those that were his closest allies. Whispers filled his ears, apologies heard throughout the room, soft wails coming from the bodies behind him, as he quickly turned to see who was the culprit, though all he could see were the men that brought him down here, looking sorrowful.

Silence.

His hand reached out to the sheet, hesitating before pulling it down, his eyes widening in horror as he looked at the pale face of his fallen friend. This face he knew well, as even before this, they were close. Eyes he'd witnessed full of joy were now gazing into him with nothing but emptiness, face frozen in fear and pain. What was once a beautiful shade of lightly melanated skin was paler than his own ghostly skin, his hand reaching to gently rest on his friend's forehead, black wavy hair disheveled- whether because of the poor handling or incident, he could not tell. His vision blurred as he finally felt something other than confusion, as rage bubbled in his chest, breath struggling to regulate, a dull ache in his chest- was it all rage? Was it sorrow? Grief? Regret?

Tears fell as he did, woefully gripping onto the arm of who he had once considered his closest friend, no longer radiating the sunny warmth he once did. His voice was foreign to him, and at some point, he'd surely had made a joke to the man about what he sounded like, though all he could now vocalize was the anguish as he cried and yelled. Tightening his hold, he rested his forehead on the arm which he'd hit during his fits of laughter. Hands that once mockingly patted his head when he threw a fit would no longer be there to offer comfort whilst he sobbed. Shaky breaths and apologies were all he could manage, voice gone from the screaming he'd done, and he felt his head pounding, but he could not find it in himself to stop. Nothing could prepare him for this, and if this was just one, who were the others?

What felt like eternity to him turned out to be mere minutes, as he watched the men pull the cover back over his friend, as he stood a few feet away, an aching numbness crawling through his body, the claws of sorrow squeezing his heart until he felt as though he could not longer be within this realm, at least no comfortably. Why? Why him? Why not himself? His recklessness led him here, but why did it too seemingly take his brother? His partner in crime? His other half?

"Deepest condolences."the elderly man said, with a tone so caring and full of sadness, as his hand rested on the brown eyed boy's shoulder, offering a comforting squeeze.

"No condolences will ever be enough to fix what's been done."it sounded as bitter as he felt, but he made no effort to move, his limbs starting to feel as heavy as the dead weight his treasured ally had become. His aching chest would not be able to take another loss, as he had seen the names on the metal plates after he discovered the first ally.

Ichor, it's time to go.

Leaving the morgue was colder than entering it, as his arms reached up in an attempt to warm his body, though it did nothing but elicit a sharp inhale, in an attempt to keep his tears from falling once more. The elevator felt heavy, the air filled with nothing but his own festering grief and anger, but somehow, he was aware that this mood should not linger. Even in his grief- which he figured was what he felt- he knew that Lucian wouldn't want him to grieve long, for he didn't want his friend to join him so soon. All that thought process served to do was cause further ache, as he would no longer have that joyous imbecile to shine on his rainy days.