Breed and Burn: Faceless

Chapter 15 - White Lies

Sleep came in fits and when he did sleep his mind filled with uncomfortable, strange dreams that all ended with the same sound. Axel didn't know how he could dream of the sound but it was so vivid it sent his body aquiver. He couldn't tell up from down. Something constricted his breathing.

All he could focus on was that dreaded sound. It was violence to his ill sleep. Even before it hit the mirror, he could hear the mirror shattering. He would hear shards of glass hit the sink and tiled floor. And each time he would wake up, sharp with adrenaline, panting and unsure of where he was. Soon, the sound interrupted his dreams so many times, the gunshots came faster than winter hail.

Eventually, Axel stopped wedging his but in the corner of the hallway and pressing his body against the cool, metal wall trying to find a comfortable position to gain an ounce of sleep and sat up. Every single time he shifted positions, something different would hurt. It seemed like Seven had kicked and punched every single inch of his body until Axel was no more than a bloody mass of tissue, bone and muscle. Running his finger over his nose, he felt a distinct bump. Pain shoot through it. However, all Axel could think about was how he was never going to get plastic surgery to fix it even if it meant being years of relentless bullying. He wouldn't get laser scar removal either. Perfection did't exist. Perfect people weren't real and real people weren't perfect.

Sighing, Axel faced the ceiling.

He couldn't remember falling asleep or much of what happened before. Somebody had thrown a rug over him when he dozed off but it didn't make a difference so he threw it over Sage who was as white as chalk. If it wasn't for the slight movements of his chest rising up and down he would've presumed him dead. He was buried in sleep.

Axel hated waking up as much as he hated whoever or whatever put him in this place. For a split moment, he didn't know where he was and he felt like himself again. However, it only lasted a fleeting moment and quickly became an isolated feeling of detachment and fear, leaving him alone with his dark thoughts. Everything made him feel like he was spiralling done an utterly black tunnel with no exit in sight.

Shuddering, Axel prayed silently for warmth. He could hear a mixture of restless sounds of sleep and coarse wheezing. Whoever the wheezing belonged to seemed to stutter in his lungs before he let it go. Everybody was so quiet Axel could hear each breath with ease. Pulling his knees with his hands until he was hugging them so close they dug into his chest, he wondered what the outside world looked like right now. Judging by how deep everyone was in sleep, it had been a couple hours. Sympathy filled him for whoever was watching Seven.

Knowing that it would be impossible to go back to sleep, Axel picked himself off the ground. His chest tightened uneasily at the awkward sleeping positions the boys had fallen asleep in and how cramped together they were. For half a moment, he was sure he saw a pair of eyes beneath the flickering lights alive with terror and all alone in the world, their flame almost distinguishing. Dying. At the sight of Axel, whoever those eyes belonged to quickly snapped them close and turned away. That's when Axel realised he would never forget those hazel eyes, reflecting the yellow light, channelling all the fear in the world. It defined everything, clear as a plume of a great, black bird.

Climbing on the ladder, Axel wondered how anyone could sleep in the dark room. The black was a solid cube that could swallow worlds.

Seven appeared to be sleeping or still knocked out. Silently, Axel hoped Seven wasn't dead. So far, he was their only hope.

Pressing up against the window, with his lips parted was Thorne. His eyes fluttered slowly like he was trying to force himself to remain awake and it obviously was proving to fail. Axel couldn't imagine how much sleep Thorne could have got what with everyone depending and relying on him for close to everything.