150 Bullets

019. Suffocate

You're never sure how it starts, but it ends the same each time.

Red blaring lights. A siren screeching overhead. People are frantic. Your mother is staring at the screen.

You're up on the catwalk above the tank. It's a walk you've done a million times. All you have to do is push the button, enter in the codes. But this time is different. The ground shakes, the building is sliced into ribbons around you. Your mother is half on the screen. The other half has been thrown across the room.

And then there's the water.

Fluid. Whatever they want to call it. It's not water, but what else could it be? You can't remember the name. You just know the feel of it on your skin as you fall off the walkway and crash into it, the brush against the smooth Plant as it unfolds, the tendrils that extend and wrap around you and pull.

It pulls you in, and you thrash, you cry out, you beg and scream and scream. Fluid enters your lungs. The Plant's bulbous blue eyes glow in the dim, red light filtering through its tank, its mouth moving. You can see teeth in there, sharp and ready and –

"______...!" It says. How does it know your name? "______! Mayfly!"

You kick and scream. Try to draw in breath. You're suffocating. You can't breathe!

Suddenly, there's a shift in your vision. The Plant's features meld into a man's – blonde hair, eyes just as blue – and his moving mouth. His teeth are duller, his skin tan and freckled and not pale ice. Your mouth gapes and moves, but all you can get out is a ragged yelp as the man shakes you again.

"Mayfly, it's okay, you're dreaming," he says. And slowly, the world starts to come back to you. The tank fades to the dark interior of the ship ruins you'd found to camp in. The only light is from the flashlight to the side, turned on in haste and thrown to the side. Your friend cups your face in his hands, desperately looking at you for something. What's his name, what's his name -?

Vash. It's Vash. You croak his name, and he lets out a relieved sigh. "Yeah, see, it's okay." He pulls you close and holds you tight. "It's okay. It was just a dream."

You can still feel the ooze of the tank on your skin. It melts into sweat. The world tilts, trying to right itself after the vividness and terror. Your temples pulse with your heartbeat; you've got a headache. The fabric of Vash's shirt drags on your fingertips as you hold on tightly. Minutes pass like this. Your quick breathing and barely-held-back sobs soon subside.

"'M sorry," you mutter into his shirt. You aren't, not really, but know it's the right thing to say. There's no telling what time of night it is without pulling out a watch. You feel him shake his head, and his skin is warm on your neck.

"Don't apologize, it's not something you can help." He rubs a hand up and down your back. "Can't tell you how many times I've had a nightmare wake me up."

All you can do is sit there and let him soothe you. Your heart takes minutes more to stop beating so frantically. Every time you close your eyes, you see that Plant's face, how it – she – looked so sickly, so desperate for...what? You shake your head and burrow into Vash's shoulder. "'M sorry," you say again, and you aren't sure who it's for.

Vash shushes you and pulls you closer. "Do you need to walk it off?" He asks. "That helps me sometimes."

You tense. "No, I – " The thought of moving around in an unfamiliar place in the dark pricks a primal part of your mind. You huddle closer to him. "Can I just...can you...?"

Without letting you go, he lays back, his sleeping bag brushing yours in the sand. You lay on his chest and wrap your arms around him the best you can. The off rhythm beat of his heart underneath lulls you gently. "That better?" he whispers.

You only nod.

Vash shifts a bit to get more comfortable. He never stops rubbing your back. You don't think you can get back to sleep so easily, yet you are surprised to feel your eyes drooping closed. "Thank you," you whisper. Vash hums. The last thing you feel is his lips pressing to the top of your head, and you're out like a light again.