Angel's End / reddie ghost au

Seven - Moving On

Blackness.
Blackness, then light, then black again.
Eddie's empty, unconscious mind suddenly became focused on something for the first time in several weeks; a tingling sensation on his lower leg.
The more Eddie's dormant mind focused on it, the more the feeling seemed to spread.
The subtle feeling of pinpricks quickly evolved into a harsh indescribable pain.

Eddie let a startled gasp escape his throat as he tried to open his heavy eyes. His eyelids feeling like they weighed 10 tonnes.

As his mind finally allowed his senses to flourish once again he decided to try and move his leg where the most intense pain gathered.
Trying to focus on that rather than the several other sharp gushing pains he was starting to feel on his head, abdomen and right arm.

Slowly, he tried to get up but quickly realized how futile it was when he had to bite his lip to keep from crying out. Sharp pain lanced through his head and colorful spots flashed in front of his eyes, it felt like his whole body had been beaten and every movement caused some muscle or bone to ache.

"Eddie?" A female voice whispered in a mix of panic and relief. Or at least Eddie thought she was whispering as his ears were ringing with a high irritating frequency, it was hard to tell.

"Eddie oh my god,"

Eddie desperately tried to open his eyes.

"O-oh my g-gosh, M-M-Mike get the nurse!" A familiar stuttered voice shouted.

Wow. Eddie thought subconsciously, it was the first time since their fallout he had actually been glad to hear Bill Denbrough's voice. All it took was for Eddie to get totalled by a car. Or at least, that's what Eddie faintly remembered happening.
How stupid and irrelevant all Eddie's problems felt now.

He tried one more time to open his eyes, this time gratefully succeeding.

The light from the room burned his pupils and his vision was horrifically blurred.

"Eddie oh my god... I- I am so so sorry." The female voice called again. This time a ginger silhouette shifted into Eddie's line of vision.
"I'm so sorry for what I said," Beverly sniffled, pain adamant in her voice.
"I am sorry for what I said but I'm also sorry for all the pain you've been through. The pain you endured at school and at home... it's not right... Eddie you are one of the bravest people I have ever met... and you are braver than you think... you deserve so much happiness Eddie. Out of everyone in this world you deserve happiness the fucking most. It's not fair."

Eddie felt so overwhelmed by her gentle words. How he'd longed to be told he deserved happiness... but how ironic it was he had been told this at a time Eddie was afraid he had no time left.

He pushed the thoughts away.

Another blobby flash of colours appeared in front of his face,
"H-h-hey Eddie, I... I am s-so glad your awake."

Eddie tried to smile. Every muscle in his face screaming in pain, like his face was on fire.

"Eddie I was so worried!" Mike's voice called out, accompanied by the faint but hurried footsteps of whom Eddie assumed were the nurses.

There was a pause and all Eddie could hear were the muffled inaudible sound of the nurses voices talking to his three friends.

It didn't sound good. The sound of a desperate sob escaping Beverly's throat caused anxiety to erupt in Eddie's stomach.

This was it. He could tell.

"E-E-Eddie," Bill's voice became clear again.
Just the sound of his voice made Eddie want to cry, but he couldn't. He had so much he wanted to say to them... but so little time.

"Eddie... I-I just wanted to say." Bill repeated, pausing to sniff and wipe tears from his own face, "I know we haven't been on good terms in a long, long time... But trust me when I say I miss hanging out with you everyday... I am so indescribably sorry that we fought. It's one of my biggest regrets and- and probably always will be. B-but you know what?... We fought because you were like a brother to me. You were the brother I needed when my real brother was gone. YOU were my family Eddie. And that's what families do... they fight... S-so I hope you can find a place in your heart to forgive me... brother."

A single tear slid down from Eddie's warm, butterscotch eyes, followed by another one, and another one, until soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed it's way down his pale cheek, releasing the sadness and sorrow that has been held inside of him for all this time but still he did not make a sound.

Eddie's eyesight blurred, but not because of the tears. Everything became fuzzy; then he saw nothing at all, and then his friends, then blackness again. His consciousness was floating through an empty space filled with a thick static. Throughout the inky space his heartbeats pounded loudly, echoing in his ears, alongside fading pleas for help.

Eddie took a deep breath and smiled, this was the end... this was the end and he only had one thing left he wanted to say: "I forgive you,"

As if on cue, the pain that once burned like fire had faded away to an icy numbness. Black filled the edges of Eddie's vision and the only thing he could hear was his own heartbeat. His breath came in ragged, shallow gasps. Seconds passed as he lay there, then, he heard voices. People swarmed all over him, trying desperately to help him, Eddie realised. They wanted to save him. If he could have, he would of laughed. Never in a single moment had Eddie Kaspbrak been so popular. Surely they could tell that it was far to late for him to be saved, yet they were like children, naive to the darkness of the real world. The despair and suffering of the world that took away any happiness Eddie had ever had. It would all be gone soon. He would finally be able to leave all the pain behind. He closed his eyes, he knew he could die happily now. His fragile, saddened, human heart beat one last time.

Gone.