Silhouette of a Wilted Flower

The Sentencing Begins

Gnawing. He chewed at a nail, barely there.

Teeth bordering on the edge of skin, Basil stared, the only sound in his ears the hollow thud of his heart. And the rumbling of metal overhead that had long lost its comforting element.

He kept his eyes on Sunny, knowing if he looked away, he'd find the shadows in the crevices closer than before. Nearer, with teeth gleaming and eyes glaring.

He could hear it. Scraping in the corner. Waiting for him to turn his back and pounce on Sunny. Helpless and unconscious.

Basil wouldn't let it.

It's going to be okay, Sunny. I believed in you, and you came back for me...so please...believe in me, too. I won't let it take you.

"It's...going to be okay." The words vibrated softly in his throat.

Sunny's eyes were closed.

...Was this what he wanted? In a cramped room. Rained in. And might as well be by himself.

No...he shouldn't think like that.

This was okay. He's happy with this. As long as he had Sunny...

Sunny's chest rose and fell. Almost unconsciously, Basil counted the rise and fall. Something to hold onto.

...Something's wrong with Sunny. Basil knew that. All this sleeping...not eating...and acting so... Basil knew it wasn't good.

That day...when it first appeared, everything started from there. Had it done something to Sunny?

Or was it because of him?

I just wanted to save what was left, Sunny...

You don't blame me, do you?

His breath hummed inside, wound tight around his chest.

He tried to ignore the presence in the doorway. He tried to ignore the way the cracks in the ground twisted with shadow tendrils.

Sunny's chest lifted and fell. Basil counted the beats.

One...

The edges of his vision dulled into a blur. Through the fuzziness, the dark borders of the room shifted.

Two...

Beating in time with his heart. Sound slithered under the metal ground.

Three...

Crevices bled deeper. Darker. Smiles stretching.

Four...

He nibbled on the wound from earlier, and his thumb ached with a dull sting. Iron blanketed his tongue in a sharp taste.

Five...

The cracks lapped at the ground. Each pulse, tendrils snaked out. Something wet. Something breathing.

Six–

"Recycle-Leader!"

He blinked.

The shadows slipped back into place; his vision cleared.

He dragged his eyes up to Recyclepath. The man stood extravagantly in the doorway, looking on expectantly.

"Is it still going on?" Recyclepath invited himself in, eyes instantly going to Sunny. "Is Recycle-Leader still having visions with the Holy Bin? Has anything else been revealed unto him?"

Basil turned back to Sunny, not having an answer.

You don't blame me...do you...Sunny?

Recyclepath held up his arms in a prayer. "The Holy Bin's humble servants are ardently enacting his will. They have cleaned all the filthy trash from his sanctified sanctuary."