𝑆 𝑇 𝑈 𝐶 𝐾

𝑐 𝑜 𝑙 𝑙 𝑒 𝑔 𝑒

ONE MONTH LATER, Silas lays in bed, staring distantly at the ceiling. The room was shrouded in darkness, with only the faint glow of the moonlight filtering through the thin curtains.

It was around three in the morning, and he had woken up drenched in a cold sweat. His heart pounds furiously, echoing the remnants of a nightmare that had jolted him awake.

Kreese's voice rang persistently in the back of his mind.

"You're really leaving? After everything?" Kreese spoke from the doorway to the small, cluttered room Silas resided in.

"After everything, I should've left sooner." Silas snaps back, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion. He stuffed clothes roughly into his suitcase, his hands shaking. "I told you I was done. A-And now that he's gone... I can't continue anymore. I can't fight."

"Kwon would want you to—."

"Don't mention his name." Silas cut him off, turning to glare at Kreese with cold, watery eyes.

The mere mention of Kwon's name was like a dagger to his heart. Silas himself couldn't even bring himself to say it.

"Don't you understand that this is your fault?! The knife was yours! You did this! You caused this! All of it! You've ruined everything... starting with me! So just let me go, okay?! I need to go. I need to get out of here."

"You're always running, Silas. You need to face this. You need—."

"I don't need to do anything but survive!" Silas shouted, slamming his suitcase shut. He rushed towards the door, shouldering Kreese aside. "That's all I have to do! And being with you, right now, it's so fucking hard!"

Once again, Silas didn't look back. He couldn't, because if he did, he feared he would come back.

A part of him felt like he was leaving Kwon behind.

His heart aches with a pain unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It felt like he was losing himself all over again.

Kwon dying in his arms had shattered him, and now, leaving this place felt like another piece of his soul was being torn away.

"You need rest." Robby's voice breaks through the fog in Silas's mind. The boy lifts his head from Silas's chest, his eyes meeting the boy's concerned gaze. "You haven't slept in days."

"Don't worry about me." Silas whispers, his voice barely audible.

His eyes connect with Robby's green ones, which usually brought him comfort. But now, there was no escape from the torment in his mind.

Kwon's memory lingered, haunting him deeper and deeper.

"I'll always worry about you." Robby replies softly, his hand reaching out to cup Silas's cheek in the darkness. "Come here."

Robby gently pulls Silas into his chest, his arms wrapping around him in a protective embrace. Silas clung to Robby with everything he had, his body trembling as he sought solace in the warmth of his boyfriend.

It was the only way he could find any semblance of peace, holding onto Robby as if his life depended on it.

It reminded him of the last moments he had with Kwon in his arms before he died.

The memory was a knife to his heart, twisting deeper with every breath he took.

Silas could still feel Kwon's weight, the way his life had slipped away, leaving him utterly shattered and lost.