Black Snow - Extract

2

A beeping sound next to me woke me up. It was pretty fast – and really loud. I turned my head over to the side from where it came from and slowly opened my eyes. I saw Cael's bed. Wait... The Heartbeat Machine! I got up really fast and stumbled over to Cael. Cael's hands were twitching! He gripped the blanket and let it go again. His eyelids fluttered, he was shaking. "K... Kay!" he suddenly shouted hysterically. I grabbed his hand. "I'm here. You can wake up. I'm real." He grasped my hand and opened his eyes. "K-Kay! You... You're real..." He said. Then he put his hand onto my cheek. "You're... real..." He repeated and started crying. "You... cleaned my mind off this brutalities... You helped me... Thank you... So much..." He sobbed. "You don't have to cry." I said and pat his hand. "I'm sorry for all these memories you went through... If it wasn't for you, I might have never woken up again..." He said, tears still running down his chin. I wiped them off. He just grabbed my hand and cuddled his cheek into it. "You're warm." was all he said as he squished his face into my palm. I couldn't help it but laugh. "Ouch... My ribs..." they started hurting as I laughed.

Then the doctor and some nurses rush in. They started cheering as they saw that Cael was finally awake. They instantly made some tests on him to see if everything was all right. He kept us both in hospital for two other days.

Then they finally allowed us to go home.

Cael still was bruised and cut all over, but it should get better. "So where are you going now, Cael?" I asked him. "H-home... I guess..." He answered.

He hid his face behind his hands as I raised my hand to pat his head. I guess he thought I was going to hit him. He started shaking. The thunder clapped in the background. His eyes were full of terror - he walked into the cold rain and vanished in the fog.

Something deep inside of me crumbled. It had been one and a half weeks, yet I still felt drawn to him. I went on home.

I walked in the rain, no hood nor umbrella covering my head. Sometimes lightning batted over the dark thunderstorm's sky. I felt like I destroyed something.

Then I realized that I had no clue where to go. I just couldn't remember where I lived. I turned around. Tried to follow Cael. I didn't think that I'd find him. I just walked ad walked.

Then I finally pass a white house with a black roof. I just thought it was a normal house - but no. It had "faggot demon, we will burn you until you can't scream anymore" sprayed onto the walls. I guessed it was Cael's house. I walk up the front door, and then suddenly heard noises. I opened the door and stepped in.

And what I saw broke my heart. It was the worst thing I ever saw.

Cael was hold down against a wall by two guys and a third guy ripped his shirt open. After his shirt was ripped open he burnt Cael's skin with lit up matches. Cael was crying and screaming in pain. They really just burnt his porcelain skin and laughed while torturing him. "Our demon fag is burning. Same as he will in hell." One chanted.

There my feet started moving. "Stop it." I shouted. "Who says that?" They asked. "I do. Stop it. Now!" I shouted. I ran towards them. I grabbed one of the wood blocks that were lying on the ground. The whole house was destroyed inside. Slurs were sprayed everywhere. I hit one of the guys; he fell unconscious. But the other two caught me. Luckily I could kick one's leg away. Then I hit the third one. At the end of it all three were unconscious. Cael fell to the ground. I carried him to a bed that was totally messed up. Then I searched the house for some aid kit to cool down his burn wounds.

He had fainted from pain.

As I finally had found the cooling spray and the ointment for burns I returned to Cael and anointed the wounds. He had a gorgeous body even though it was bruised, scarred and burnt. His white tattoos even were winding around his whole torso. But at the place where the heart sat was a red tattoo. It was clearly different from all the other tattoos and I thought that I had seen it somewhere before. But I didn't really remember so I carried on with taking care of Cael's wounds. After that was done I went on a search for a blanket. I ascended the wooden stairs; they seemed fairly old, since they creaked with ever step of mine. The first floor was even messier than the ground floor; everything was full of spider webs, dusty and the wood was burnt or broken. Here the churches people and thugs had sprayed slurs onto the walls as well.

Things like "Go die" or "Sick people like you should rot in the sanatorium" were to be found. With every slur I read my throat's lump grew. Then I finally found an old closet. In it had been blankets and cushions that the people hadn't found, thankfully. I took one of the blankets and two cushions back down with me. As I reached Cael again I put the blanket over him and one of the cushions under his head. Soon he fell asleep, directly from unconsciousness into sleep. I went to the door and locked it. I didn't want to have any more stress and danger for Cael. He already went through hell at least twice, if not since he had been here in Indigo. For people like him there wasn't any justice or rights here. He was an eyesore for the people here. After closing the door and shutting any window in this house I returned to the sleeping boy and kept watch. Soon I got a little tired and watched Cael sleep. I kneeled next to the bed and rested my head on my arms on his bed. Soon my eyes shut and I fell asleep.

I dreamt once again. This time Cael was dancing through the rain. I knew I was smiling, I felt it deep down. Then he turned to me. He had some kind of war paints in his face and smiled at me. Then he strutted towards me, his thumb in the paint he wore. He smiled and told me to come a little closer. I did as he said. He then painted me some symbols onto my forehead. "You're the one with a good heart. Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann ne daoine. On rud is annamh is iontach." He said in a language I didn't understand. It sounded so beautiful and strengthening. It encouraged me. As I smiled at him he handed me a talisman. It was beautiful as well; made of gold and had several runes engraved into it, building a lovely pattern. He caressed my cheek, then walked off into fog once again.

I woke up; worried that he had disappeared. But he was still sleeping safe and sound. The only odd thing I noticed was that I was still holding the talisman he gave me in the dream. It was warm and glistened in the low light. It was already dawn. I decided to close my eyes again and sleep for another while. No dreams occurred this time. I fell asleep.