heartfreeze

Cold. Cold was all he knew. It wasn't describable how much it numbed him yet burned his skin at the same time. No matter his efforts, shivering, clattering his teeth together, wrapping himself up in the thin fabric of his cape, they were all futile. It wasn't a chill that could be cured with warmth. It was something deeper. Sinister. And as he lay on the stone floor of the castle, clinging onto consciousness, it only grew colder.

Fanboy tried to retrace his steps. Where was I? Before all this happened?

Galaxy Hills Elementary.

Class was almost over. All that was on Fanboy's mind was how fast he could grab a Freezy Freeze and start hanging out with Chum Chum, his best friend. It was just like any other day. Nothing could have broken him from his routine habits, nothing, he thought, until it happened.

The cold was getting worse and worse.

Come on, keep thinking! What happened?

Class was dismissed. In the hallways, he saw him. Kyle. His auburn locks and autumnal sweater framed him, like always. But something was off. Very off. Of course, he wanted to get to the bottom of it, so he did what he always did. He talked to him.

"Ninnies!" he said brightly, skipping ahead so he could walk side by side with Kyle. A shiver rattled his spine, but he ignored it. The weather was getting a bit chilly, he thought.

Kyle didn't respond. His eyes were glued to the floor. His mouth was shut. The only movement was him walking forward continuously, as if he were on a track.

"Me and Chum Chum were gonna get Freezy Freezes. You should come, it's tradition!" he chuckled. No response. Kyle didn't even correct his grammar, which was incredibly off.

"K-Kyle?" Fanboy tried again, his voice beginning to soften. Was this revenge for that prank?

Keep thinking, Fanboy urged himself as he lay down, curling himself into a fetal position. Though the memories brought him pain, he needed to remember. He had to.

The chill in his spine spread throughout his body. It felt like a brain freeze, but it left no sweetness, no satisfaction, only fear and anxiety.

"Kyle, this isn't funny," Fanboy's voice broke, "answer me! Why are you ignoring me?"

Nothing.

With sudden and violet force, Fanboy dropped to his knees. His insides felt frozen. His skin cracked under the harsh cold that seemed to have come from nowhere. He looked up at Kyle, who had stopped walking and was staring back down at him. Fanboy began to cry.

Kyle's eyes were gone completely. In their place were vacant, black holes that stretched endlessly back into his skull. Crimson blood dripped from his sockets, pouring down his white cheeks into his mouth and braces. That wasn't Kyle.

"Fanboy?" a familiar voice called from behind the two. "Did you call me? Hey, are you alright? Why are you crying?" Kyle began to run towards Fanboy, his heart stopping when he met eye to eye with his exact clone, pale and eyeless. He slowly reached down to touch Fanboy's arm, shivering on contact. He felt like ice.

"Who the hell are you?" Kyle choked, looking up at the demonic figure who stared him down. The being tilted his head to one side, seemingly inspecting Kyle leaning over Fanboy's shaking body. "Are you a demon? A wizard? What did you do to Fanboy!?" Kyle screamed. The school hallway was empty, his voice echoing off of the lockers. How long had they been alone?

The figure stretched out his arm. He pointed towards Fanboy, who was barely conscious. He lay convulsing on the floor, head in Kyle's lap, eyes red with tears.

He opened his bloody mouth, speaking in a distorted and shrilling voice.

"I am the angel of redamancy and heartbreak. I have been summoned by a soul who wished to bear harm on an unrequited lover. This soul will be taken, and shall not return to this plane of existence until the end of time or until the curse is otherwise broken."

Kyle stared in disbelief.

"No... it couldn't have-"

"You did this?" Fanboy's voice broke. He was barely there.

"Fanboy, no, no, this wasn't me, I-" Kyle began to sob, holding onto Fanboy tightly. He could feel frostbite nip at his fingertips, but he clutched him harder.

"A soul by the name of Bloodworth-Thomason..." the angel spoke, "He has summoned me to take a life. I will bring this man back to hell, from where I have come. This curse will not be undone until it is broken."

"You-" Fanboy coughed.

"I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD WORK!" Kyle screamed, burying his head into Fanboy's chest. "My spells, they never work, but the one time it does, you die? I- I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"Kyle..." Fanboy used all his strength to look him in the eyes. "Kyle, you don't love me?"

"I- I- I don't know!" he wailed, trying to catch his breath, trying to stay strong as he held his cursed love in his weak arms. "I couldn't handle my emotions, I did what I thought was the next best thing!"

"You cursed me?"

Thunder echoed outside the school. Winds began to pick up, spiraling around them. The zephyrs picked up Fanboy, lifting him into the sky, levitating him above his grieving love.

The angel spoke once more.

"You lay your curses not out of justice, but out of pride." they spoke.

"No! Please, I didn't mean it!" Kyle begged on his knees.

"Fear not, mortal. For one day you will be reunited.

"In Hell."

Though he imagined flame and fires, Hell was colder than he could imagine. And as he began to close his eyes, lying on the unholy ground, he smiled knowing one day he would see Kyle again.

He lies in wait.