Day ??? - Distorted

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TW: mentions of suicide/(graphic) suicide attempt(s). (graphic) Self-harm. Depression. Grief. Do NOT read if you feel this could be triggering for you. 



Clover sat on the pavement with her head buried in her hands, covered with dried blood. At a small distance, an ambulance and police car stood. The area had been closed off, and they'd removed Matthew's body from the ground. Matthew silently sat down next to her and clenched his hands together.

"The police say you won't get a fine for bringing someone from another timeline here, but they won't look away if it happens a second time."

Clover didn't respond, and Matthew sighed as he looked at the puddle of blood on the ground.

"What happened, Clover?"

"You can ask the police."

"I already did, but they wouldn't tell me."

Clover sighed and raised her head, turning her face away from where the cars and the blood were. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "we went out to discuss some stuff, and on our way back, Matthew wanted to take a detour." tears escaped her eyes as her lips started trembling as well. "And then... I saw the future. I saw it, but it was too late. Before I could do anything, he..."

Matthew inhaled sharply before cursing under his breath. "Clover I'm so sorry. If only I'd arrived a little earlier-"

Clover shook her head, "no, there's no use thinking like that. This timeline wanted to get rid of him. You couldn't have prevented anything. I failed to protect him. It's my fault."

Before Matthew could say anything, a police officer approached them.

"We've cleared out the area, but there's no sign of the truck that hit him. From what you told us, it seems like we won't be able to find that truck no matter how hard we search. We have some CCTV footage that confirms the incident, though, so you're free of suspicion."

The officer hesitated a little before speaking up again, this time sounding a bit more careful.

"Since he is from another timeline, it's a bit tough for us to work out what to do with the body. I don't think it'll be too big a problem if you want to cremate the body and take the ashes with you. Not sure how it'd go if you want to take the body with you, but we could ask for specific permissions if that's what you wish."

Clover closed her eyes, and silent tears rolled down her face. Matthew quickly addressed the officer, "I'm sorry, this is all very hard for her. Could you preserve the body for us? We'll get back to you with an answer in a few days."

The officer nodded and stepped away, leaving the two alone. Mattew wrapped his arm around Clover's body and pulled her closer, allowing her to cry into his shoulder. She didn't make a sound, but her whimpering body was enough to break his heart.

After a few minutes of sitting there like that, and getting an OK from the police officer for them to leave, Matthew nudged Clover.

She didn't look up, so he caressed her arm a little as he let out a small sigh. "Let's go home, Clover."

She shook her head, grasping the back of his shirt into her hand.

Matthew felt a lump in his throat as tears welled up in his eyes. He may not have been very close to Matthew, but he held Clover dearly, and seeing her so broken for the first time made him emotional. Not to mention it threw him off to have seen an almost perfect copy of himself dead on the ground.

"Clover, please, we can't keep sitting here forever. You need to eat and rest."

Clover shook her head again, and with a barely audible whisper said, "I can't leave him."

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