Until The End Of Time Itself [Thasmin]

episode four: death comes...for some VI

"Are you listening, Doctor?"

***

"Death was his closest companion, they say." A fire burned at their feet, hidden away in the most primitive of corners, where they spoke of tales and stories made to scare children. They were not scared though. That's what they told themselves, as they told each other of times long gone, times they could never even reach, never mind touch. This was all they could do to see the past come to life.

The young theta stared at him, saying never a word. In her eyes, the fire burned, and she listened, like she always did when it was him.

"The creature, the one fated to live forever, is said to be with us even now...this very moment." His face darkened and the kid shuffled close to the fire, spitting, licking, biting at his skin, so close, living, dancing, embracing his arms as he wrapped them around himself. He was comfortable; he hoped she was too, because it was only ever going to get worse from here...

***

"Doctor?"

Her eyes snapped towards Yaz, and this time hesitated with a smile, as though gravity was suddenly stronger, forcing her to frown. When she tried to move from her seat, her arms felt heavy, resting off the sides. Yaz was concerned, more than ever, but she couldn't stop it this time. Her mind was drifting...somewhere. Remembering. Anticipating. Her hearts were separated, one tugged into the past, bundled in layers of warm fog, and one ripped into the future, burning.

"Doctor, where were you just now?"

She tried to laugh, but she caught it before it came out sounding more like a strangled shout of pain. Don't show your weakness. Don't you dare show them you're in pain. She frowned again.

"What do you mean?"

"You went somewhere, just then. In your head. Like...like you were somewhere else entirely."

The doctor shook her head, but her neck felt like lead, and cracked, shivers running through her body. In fact, she was cold all over. Freezing. A drop of liquid dribbled down her cheek like melted ice, but she couldn't move, couldn't wipe it away, no matter how much her mind screamed.

"You can't trick me, Doctor." Yaz said, her voice the only warmth in the room, her breath pluming from her mouth. "You can't lie to me anymore. I know something is wrong. Where did you go?"

"I-" The voice choked. Was it hers? It didn't feel like hers. Instead, spit, thick, grew like a ball in her throat and shocked her with cries, sobs. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't... "I don't know. I don't...I don't remember..."

"Full of lies, doctor." Yaz said, eyes harsh. "Always lying. Don't you ever tell the truth?"

"I- I'm trying. Please, Yaz. I need-"

"I want to help you, doctor. Why won't you let me help you? Why won't you let anyone help you?"

"Help..." The doctor tried to beg through her scrambled throat. "Please help me."

"I can't help if you don't tell me where you went."

"But...I don't know. I don't-" Her body grew colder, seizing, shivering, and then the room was gone. Everything was white, and everything was nothing. So, so cold. But that warm voice swam through the cracks of time, of consciousness. Yaz.

"I can't help you if you don't tell me where you are." The voice was fading, softer, and softer. "Where are you, doctor?"

***

The boy had a wicked smile, but beneath that, Theta saw misery. It had always been there, from the very beginning.
But they spoke of stories. The boy loved them, loved drifting away into different times, universes, different existences and different exits from real life. She loved them too, but only when he told them. He always had a brilliant way of creating beauty and then destroying it in the final line...