DenNor: Purpose [BxB]

Chapter 8

[Matthias]

«He's gone, Matt.»

An imaginary dagger stabs me right in the chest as soon as Gilbert falls silent.
It can't be.

Loud, friendly Alfred, who always cracked the worst jokes in the whole canteen and laughed so loudly he could be heard across the room... Alfred, whose purpose was to Lead and wanted to lead a country... is gone?

«Where are you, Gilbert?»
«A-at Alfred's place.» he answers after a few seconds, his voice still shaking.
«I'm coming, buddy. Hold on.» I say, nervous on my behalf, before hanging up.

«Berwald, I'm going out.» I announce before barging out of the flat, not even giving my cousin time to ask where I am going or why I am leaving. He's going to get worried sick and mad, but now this is not important.

I decide to run to Alfred's house, since taking the bus would take too long.
I push myself as far as I can to reach my friend, and when I get there, I find him sitting on the porch of Alfred's house, in the middle of a full-blown panic attack, his breath shallow, his whole body trembling like the one of a little bird. Luckily enough, near him there are some of our friends and a paramedic who are getting him to calm down.

Soon after, though, the doctors declare Alfred's decesase.

And everything comes crashing down.

[Lukas]

It's another one of those foggy days, those when the mist makes everything look half dreamy, half creepy and the sun looks like a white dot in a sea of grey smoke.

And I'm here, doing my usual job, sitting at the library desk, waiting for someone to come. The room is only illuminated by the weak sunlight from outside and by the desktop that stands on my left. Next to it sits my cup of vending-machine coffee that I bought just for the heck of it, maybe to look more productive. I don't even bother to check it out; it's probably gone cold anyway. Finally, the silence is softly broken by First Breath After Coma's quiet hum.

The high school-aged girl who entered the library almost two hours ago to study exits, politely wishing me a good day as she goes. Then everything becomes still again.

After a while, suddenly, the door busts open. My brain tells me to get ready to yell if it's Matthias or run away if it's anyone else.

I look up from my book and see one of Matthias' friends, Francis, barely holding himself up with the door handle, panting like he's run a long distance at his maximum abilty.

«Francis? What happened?» I ask, concerned for him.
He struggles to speak, so I make him sit down on my office chair and get him something to drink. Hopefully he won't fall out of it.
«Al... Al had an accident, and...», he says when he finally manages to catch his breath.
Alfred had an accident? I internally scream. Is he seriously harmed? Is he dead? Please let him be okay...
«I thought I had to come tell you too.» Francis continues, «since you too had become close to him...»
I get slightly confused. He thought of me as a close friend? Even though we didn't really talk together?
Well, I guess that's just how he is.
Not finding any words, I nod and hand Francis another glass of water, which he drinks before standing up and heading for the door after patting my shoulder.

As he's about to leave, I unconciously mutter something that makes the blonde stop and look at me.

«Come again?»

«May I come with you?»

The smiling expression which he makes as he hears my words is full of many feelings, some even in contrast with one another.