"Dread, you know the law. If we get caught-"
"If being the key word here pretty boy. If."
"You'll know what they'll do to us, to our friends, our parents! Dread just because-" then I feel it. His warmth. He takes such a strong step forward, such a confident stride, I'm able to smell him. Sandalwood, rain and something else, something... him. I close my eyes and relax in his touch. He comes forward with so much force, I brace my arms against his rib cage to steady myself. If he hadn't caught me, I'd surely would have fallen.
"Just because you hate that bastard that is your father, just because of what he did..." he whispers. He takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. "He should thank the Godlings I haven't gotten ahold of him. As much as he deserves to pay for what he did to you, for what he did to her, I refuse to knowingly hurt you like that, to put you through that again. I remember when we buried her." He somehow managed to pull me closer into him. "You were so... small. So broken. Do you know how badly I wanted to hold you that day? How badly I wanted to tell you it'd be alright? And that I'd always protect you?" He caresses my face gently. "As for our friends, the girls will be alright. I mean with how much Blu knows, how fast Charge is, they don't stand a fuckin chance. Open your eyes love. Please?" I take a deep breath do as told.
He's absolutely beautiful. Chiseled cheekbones dusted in a dark stubble, spring green eyes with specs of honey brown, sporadic freckles dotted across his skin. He has a scar, a deep one, drawn out across his face. Three lines crossing him, the thickest one being the middle going from his temple to the opposite corner of his jaw.
"I love you Achilles. I'll always love you." He breathes. His forehead is resting against mine now. Every breath I take brings in his scent. I can still taste him too, still sweet from the honey bread we "stole" from his grandmother's bakery this morning, she knew we took some, she always has.
"I love you too Cassius. I think... I think I've always know really. Whenever something happens, good or bad, you're the first person I look for. The person I need to tell first. My heart speeds up whenever I see you, my guts twist. I'll always love you too."
I curl into myself, gasping for air, gripping the edge of the cot yet not fully registering it quite yet.
Everything comes back slowly snd painfully. He's gone my brain reminds me. He's gone and he's never coming back.
"When did I fall asleep?" I whisper to no one in particular. I prop myself up on my elbows and open my eyes. As the blur fades and they adjust to the dim light shining through the cracks of the blinds, a voice kindly says "about a day and a half ago actually. Your friend... you screamed so much, so intensely for so long you lost your voice. You cried and cried. I thought you were going to..." her voice trails off. There's a faint accent I can't place. I know she isn't originally from Aradon.
"They call me Phantom, in case you were wondering. It's nice to meet you, I'm sorry about the circumstances though." She stands and holds out a hand towards me. She stands at about 5 feet and 7 inches give or take. I noticed she's draped in a velvety dark green dress that reaches to the floor, what calls for such a formal dressing I can't help but think. I copy her actions all while trying to rub the sleep out of my eyes.
"Fear. It's nice to meet you too. My friends, the two girls we... I came into town with?"
"They're alright. Angeline thought it best to separate you three so you couldn't feed off each other's anxiety and could calm down, hopefully sleep some. As far as I know, the quiet one is still sleeping and the other... has she always been feisty?" I can't help but dryly chuckle. Dread would have made a crass joke and call her Red.
"Yeah that's always how Charge has been. Ever since the day I met her. What... what about him? His body I mean?"
"If you'd like, we can investigate, see what exactly happened, what exactly caused his death before we bury him. I imagine you'd like to bury him? The girls said you were the closest to him and agreed to leave the decisions to you. We can wait another day, two at most if you'd like?"
"No" I said. I could tell she thought I responded too quickly. "No it's fine" I cough out. "Let's just get this done and over with. Can I see him? Now I mean?" She nods and offers a kind smile before jerking her head towards the door, signaling to follow her. The oddly formal dress has a slight train that flows behind her.
It's not long before we reach the morgue a few floors, 10 minutes at most. I didn't realize I was still in the hospital building.
"I can't help but to ask, but you're dressed so..."
"Angeline is my grandmother, my father is the informal Eye of our town. You're on the outskirts of Erlix." Erlix... did we really make it that far North?
"Have you heard anything about the town of Fitrly by any chance?"
"Fitrly... I believe that was one of the first villages that received the blood tests, am I correct? The name sounds familiar but I can't seem to place it at the moment." Her face twists in concentration as we walk through a set of double doors. Shit, I thought upstairs smelt too sterile. At least I could breathe somewhat up there. I coughed at the smell and failed to attempt at covering it by clearing my throat. Phantom motions me over to a silver wall with large doors, all individually numbered. She stops at one that's level with her hips. With me being a few inches shorter, it comes up to about my lower chest.
"Are you ready?" She readies herself to open the door to what I'm assuming is his drawer. All I can do is nod as I take a deep breath. She opens it and rolls out the tray he is on. He's covered with a thin, light blue cloth.
"May I?" I weakly ask. She nods and begins to turn to the door.
"I'll be just down the hall for a moment. I'd like to take this opportunity to let you grieve and change my clothing as well, if you wouldn't mind?" I mumble what sounds like a "by all means go ahead" but I'm not sure if that's what came out, I imagine it was quite jumbled. She gives me a kind smile and takes her leave. The door quietly hisses, letting me know she's finally out of the room.
I stare at the fabric covering his face and take another deep breath before pulling it down to his chest.
"Oh Dread... you know what they'll do if we get caught..."
YOU ARE READING
||F E A R||
Fantasy"One day in 4th year, she got sick. I didn't know what she caught, but the beatings didn't end. It caused her to bruise easier and the bleeding took longer to stop. She grew pale and thin, her appetite weakened and one day when my father's strength...
