Him. {Scomiche}

5

I remember the fear.

I remember being so afraid, not of dying itself, but of never having the chance to see his face again.

And, of course, I could never forget the pain.

I'd huddled in my blankets, fading in and out of sleep throughout the day, but despite the fact that I'd had a sandwich earlier that day, my stomach was protesting my hunger like never before. I dragged myself, an achy, coughing mess, to the nearest fast food joint and used the money I saved on coffee for a dollar cheeseburger, some water, and a few minutes out of the cold. I grabbed a handful of napkins for my dripping nose and headed back out into the snow.

Part of me wanted to go back to the coffee shop, but there was no way that Malory was still there. The sky was already draped with stars and there was no point in staying out in the harsh weather for just a cup of coffee.

It was my own fault, too lost in my thoughts of self destruction to realize I'd been followed. I should have paid attention, but I didn't and I paid the price.

There were two of them, both much larger than I, and much more pungent. I don't know why I tried to fight them, desperation perhaps, but even as I tried to wrestle my blanket away from the disgusting man, I knew it was hopeless.

I was thrown into a wall, head colliding with the unforgiving structure, before dropping to a useless heap on the floor. Then there was nothing but pain, heels against bone and fists against flesh. A sharp line of agony spread from my shoulder when my coat was wrenched away without care, but my heart didn't break until the gloves that he'd given me were pulled off of my hands, and my attempts to retrieve them were only met with another assault.

Everything hurt, but when I heard them joke about keeping me I knew I had to run.

My protection from the cold was gone, but even death would be a more welcome friend than what those two had in store for my broken body. I don't know how I found the strength, but adrenaline pushed me to my feet and I took off, running as fast and as far as I could until I collapsed in the snow. My lungs surged in protest, a coughing fit making my wounded ribs pulse, and I just knew I was going to die. I fought my way to my knees again... spotting the shelter of a bus stop only a few meters away. I made my way to the bench, pulling myself up to sit. I caught sight of the scattered red trail I'd left behind me in the snow and for some reason I laughed.

Well, I laughed before I coughed until I could barely breathe. I knew I would freeze to death there in some unknown place, but at least there I would be found. I wouldn't rot away in some abandoned building without anyone being the wiser.

The coppery taste of blood lingered on my tongue as I smiled and let the darkness take me.

~_~_~

My first thought when I opened my eyes was that I had to be dead, because his face was the first thing I saw. He wasn't looking at me, his focus was elsewhere, but he was just as perfect and beautiful as I remembered. The only thing missing was his smile.

I stared until my vision became blurry, taking in every detail I could of the man seated in a chair only a few feet away from me. He was talking, but I didn't pay attention to his words or where they were directed, just basked in the quiet timbre and let it drown out the annoying beeping that swam at the edge of awareness. I wondered if maybe this was my version of Heaven... maybe this was my forever.

But Heaven wouldn't hurt so bad.

It wasn't the sharp biting agony as it had been, but slowly the pain overwhelmed my peace. A sound must have escaped me because those blue eyes were suddenly directed at me and I wanted to crawl back into the darkness again.