Randy's Writing Prompts

Prompt # 7: The Price I Must Pay

Prompt:

Where...
Everyone is celebrating winning the battle..
When the side character turns to see the hero falling to the floor, as they have been injured but kept it hidden...
What would the last lines be?

Randy's response:

"Help-" Their plea is cut short as the hero pulls them closer by the shirt.

"Hush. Let them have this moment. They deserve a smidgen of happiness after all this carnage." The hero murmurs. Their tough act crumbling as they can't ignore the pain they're in anymore. A grimace is accompanied by shaky breaths.

"And what about you? Do you deserve this? Dying before you get to experience peace?" They snapped back incredulously at the hero as they applied pressure to their wounds.

"Maybe I do. Many lives were lost because of me in order to achieve this peace. There's always a price to pay." The hero replied weakly with a far-away look in their eyes. Like they were already greeting long lost loved ones on the other side.

The side character grew frantic, knowing that the hero was slipping away right in front of their eyes. They removed their own excess clothing to use to staunch the steady flow of blood.

How could the hero give up so easily now? They had been the driving force that won them this war. The hero had been the one to keep them going when they all just wanted to lay down and die.

Side character knew it was up to them to push the hero on. Time to repay the favor.

"Screw that! If you're so concerned with paying some sort of moral price, then stay alive and pay it. Stay by my side as we rebuild what was lost. Don't you dare give up now!" The side character seethed at the hero, pressing down harder on the wounds.

The hero groaned, the pain bringing them back to full consciousness. The side character bunches up some of the heros shirt and puts it into their mouth.

"I'm not letting you die here you stubborn bastard. Bite down on this. What I'm about to do next is gonna hurt."