It took James less than fifteen seconds to climb around the driver's seat and attack Brendan.
Maybe ten seconds, counting the time his brain took to react, counting the struggle against Sam and Rory, who both held him down with unforgiving arms.
James' entire mind had shrunk into one point. He couldn't see, he couldn't feel or hear. He was completely filled with an empty numb sensation that took over from the top of his head to the heels of his feet. He couldn't breathe.
Emily. Emily.
Emily.
James attacked Brendan with more power he thought possible. A blood curdling scream filled his ears and everything was pulled a mile away. Everything became saturated and slow. James couldn't think.
Fist after fist slamming down onto Brendan's head, shoulders, neck, face, arms. Again, again, again. James was unaware of the hands that pulled at him. The outraged shouts. James grabbed with blind hands at the steering wheel and turned hard, desperate to go back. Go back and find her. Save her. Hold her close and keep her safe like he would always do. Always.
Emily. Emily.
Emily.
He loved her. He needed her.
He left her.
She was gone.
No.
No.
No.
She wasn't. She wasn't gone. She was still there. James could see her. Kneeling there on the pavement, blood dripped from her leg and hair stuck to her sweaty face and fear and pain tortured her expression and she was so beautiful.
James was suddenly full. Full of such an insane emotion, it could never have a name, couldn't be described.
James turned the steering wheel hard, ignoring the shouts and the hands and the pain and everything except for her. Her.
Emily. Emily.
Emily.
James finally realized that he was the one screaming; filling the car and making everything explode around him.
And then suddenly, just like that, everything was sucked away. James fell backwards and pain touched his head when it hit the ground and he saw a colorless roof and then he saw nothing at all.
There was a small, achingly sad moment between waking up and opening his eyes where James forgot Emily was dead. For one moment, maybe the last moment, James thought things were still normal. He would open his eyes and Emily's body would be pressed against his and he would kiss her soft cheek and he would love her so much.
The pain came, then. It started deep in his stomach and blossomed out like an explosion. There weren't words to describe it. There was nothing at all.
The car was no longer moving. James was laying down in the trunk, on his back. He couldn't remember how he had gotten here. He slowly pushed himself up, flinching at the ruthless pounding in his head. He looked over the back seat and into the car
One figure sat hunched in their seat, staring straight ahead, unmoving. The air was still and silent and James was nervous to interrupt it. He looked out the back window. It was dark outside. James could barely see anything.
After a while, the car door slid open. Rory jumped a little in surprise when he saw James awake, his eyes bright and nervous.
"Where are we?" James croaked. His voice was ragged and sore. "What time is it?"
