Our Foundations from Decay

Frank POV 22

I dozed off to the sound of my own voice, the story I told running loops around my head. I fought to keep my eyes open, the long-day's weight pressing down on my shoulders. Damn, I hope I don't end up being as stupid as those stooges, with all the love floating around in my mind and all. I felt myself slump down, head resting on the space beside Gerard.

"You're so pretty, you know that?" I placed my cool hands on the side of his face, moving my fingers down the slant of is jaw. I swore that Gerard's eyes fluttered, yet before I could ask if he was awake, my own body shut down from exhaustion.

"No!" I felt my stomach flip as I spun my head around, dazed and confused "Watch out!" The voice suddenly disappeared and I found myself stumbling over damp pavement, my jeans becoming ripped as I collapsed, the top layer of my knees peeling off to reveal the tender flesh underneath. I gasped in pain and clumsily grabbed the side of the pavement, pulling myself up and sticking my bloodied legs out in front of me.

"Ouch, what the fuck?!" I dabbed at the open cartilage of my knees, my own crimson skin turning a shade of deathly black before my very eyes, my body slowly becoming numb. I scrambled away as feeling started to seep from me, my own muscles betraying me as I slumped against a tree. All I could do was watch the road in front of me as rain soaked through my skin.

I yelped as a distorted voice whispered into my ear, their cold breath fanning over my face.

"I said, watch out."

I tried turning my head, yet I was infuriatingly frozen, as though leprosy had overtaken me. I bit my lip trying to stop myself form whimpering. It's just a dream. Don't freak out. It's just a dream. My eyes squeezed shut as I willed myself to wake up. I focused on the sound of the relentless rain battering down onto the street, the cool feeling of it on my injured knees soothing me. I'll be okay. I can get through this.

Suddenly, my ears perked up at the sound of footsteps thumping on the pavement, about few meters away. I shot open my eyes, watching as blacked-out figure began crossing the road. The person was indecipherable, the human-like parts of them shrouded in thick layers of fog. Their form was only illuminated by the dingy streetlight above, its slither of cold light struggling to pierce through the condensed darkness.

The figure made it to the middle of the street, slowly walking towards me. I should have felt fear, yet the person's slumped shoulders and dragged feet reminded me of something familiar. I felt as though they were coming to talk to me, coming to help me. They felt safe.

"Hey, who are you?" I called out to the person, their small steps leading them only a few meters away from me. They didn't respond, yet as the person lifted their foot to step onto the pavement, a sudden burst of sound was heard beside them. My eyes widened, and I fought against the invisible force binding me, thrashing against the tree uselessly.

It felt as though the world shook as the hunk of metal slammed into the side of them, a deafening crush being heard as the person's body became trapped under the truck, the sickening sound of pulverised muscle crawling into my ears. I cried out as the truck drove past, disappearing into the mist. All that remained of the figure was a pile of incoherent flesh, mashed into the tar like roadkill.

I tried looking away, yet my head wouldn't move. Sobs wracked through my body as my tears joined the rain, flooding the streets and washing away the blood of what was once there. Silken sheets of skin washed into the gutters, catching on the grates like rubbish.

I cried until my throat became raw, my eyes stinging as I blinked, a feeling of absolute helplessness coursing through me like a plague. As the fog drew in closer, I finally began feeling myself drift away.