Breed and Burn: Faceless

Chapter 11 - Fire On Fate

Axel's brain had shut down. His skin was clammy and there was a glisten of cold sweat on his forehead. His eyes were bulging like he'd just seen something horrific. Truth was, that was the only thing he could control. His eyes. Trapped in his own mind, Axel felt some type of energy buzzing inside of it. He couldn't feel his body. Axel tried to look down but the unbroken, white space made him feel like he wasn't even looking around. Everything about this place made him doubt his own existence.

The cold had vanished as well as the feeling of his feet taking each step and the slaps from the frantic boys trying to snap him awake. Chills like passing through an icy shower consumed his insides only. He felt and heard the bones in his body shudder, click and grind together like the inner workings of a motorbike.

"Stop. Stop. Stop," he thought, hoping that it could hear him.

Although he could sense Seven somewhere in there with a wicked smile, it was so distant it felt like an itch he could not scratch. It was just out of reach... Yet at the same time, the distance between himself and Seven felt as far as finite is from infinite.

Mentally, he tried fighting the unseen force and pushing it out with invisible hands. Something similar to air threw Axel back. Further away from the ability to control himself. If only he could reach that invisible switch...

Using all his willpower and strength, he fought the movements. Scrunching up the insides of his mind like they were eyebrows, he tried to stay still. It was painful but Axel didn't care. The pain had an unpleasant warmth to it. Scalding even. It dove down the muscles in his back as he tried to straighten them. Clenching his body, he tried to inch away from the heat. His mind roared in pain.

The entire expanse of the outside world became detached. All he could concentrate on was Seven rooted deep inside of him. It clung to him in places humans should not go. All Axel felt and all he knew was the pain in that moment.

Every thought became confused and withered away. The only thing he could focus on was how simple it was for Seven to control him. It took over every nerve, cell, muscle and bone like a knife through butter. It also described the pain perfectly. It was so easy for Seven to inflict pain upon Axel. 

Like a puppet or  like a crazy science experiment gone wrong. In the few hours he had known Seven, he knew how unstable and unpredictable his behaviour was. The more Axel willed himself to stop the faster he started walking. Or rather Seven was walking.

In the space that should be filled with a darkness so black no light could penetrate it, Seven had shored up his mind. Axel could only hope that Seven wouldn't hurt the others through his body. They shouldn't have to make the choice. No one should.

He felt like a ghost haunting his own body in a world of paper dolls that didn't matter. All this outside world was becoming a rush of noise.

It was becoming a distraction for his one task: to push Seven out.

His brain felt like it was being stretched and let go like an elastic band. His balance was worsening as they both tackled for dominance. With lips pressed tightly together, lack of words and slow, spasmodic movements, it didn't take long for the others to notice something was very wrong.

"Axel," said Thorne, waving his hand over Axel's blank eyes. "You there? What was going on back there? You had your eyes closed and was flinching and sweating like crazy. You fell on your back and started twitching and moaning."

"Trent, Axel..." said Trent with deep lines of concentration on his face. "Something about this feels really bad. I think Seven was telling the truth. Look at both their eyes. They are black. All black!"