The Brothers and I

Chapter 23

Standing here and staring helplessly down at the horrific sight in front of me, my blood ran cold. No! Oh God please! No! Not like this! While my heart felt like it was being repeatedly stabbed, my mind was left paralysed, unable to "unsee" the traumatising scene, which I knew would haunt me for the rest of my life.

I hadn't realised that I was still screaming until my stomach churned uncomfortably, alerting me to the forceful expulsion that was to follow. And before I could try and hold back, the bile came rushing up as my body heaved, splattering the floor with its acidic contents.

Falling to my knees, I began to dry retch, my airway closing off as the nausea refused to ease. A strong burning sensation travelled up from the gut before hitting the back of my throat and leaving an unpleasant taste in my mouth. Fresh tears flowed down my face as I tilted my head towards the ceiling and gasped in deep breaths, waiting for the sickness to subside.

A few uncomfortable moments passed and my breathing returned to normal as I took in a lungful of air. Feeling that my body had settled down enough, I opened my eyes only to feel my heart freeze as I was immediately confronted with the four colossal titans against a backdrop of absolute silence. The last bit of air flew past my lungs in a hurry when I noticed that all eyes were trained on me, wide with shock and disbelief. Seeing them together sent shivers down my back, their intense gazes causing a mixture of feelings to rise within me.

An assortment of expressions played across their collective faces while a barrage of emotions entered my consciousness freezing all my thoughts and actions. Confusion, wariness, delight, happiness, love, lust, need, regret and longing hit me one after another so fast that I was beginning to feel dizzy and nauseous all over again.

But before I could make sense of anything a small groan of pain had me looking towards Thomas, my heart picking up speed almost instantly. Not caring in the slightest for my own safety, I crawled towards him before hurriedly checking all of his injuries. And as I gently turned him on his back, a pained sob broke out of me when I noticed that my hands and body were already coated in his blood, which continued to flow out of his face and neck.

"Baby... Wake up... It's ok... I'm here..." Pressing my hand over the gash on his neck, I tried to stem the flow as much as I could. But it was impossible, considering how deep the wound was. Feeling utterly lost and desperate, I cried, the pain in my chest reaching an agonising point as I struggled to cope with the reality that faced me.

"... There's too much blood.... Help me... baby please...wake up... somebody help... anybody..." I sobbed, unable to do anything for the man I loved. Unable to save him.

But my helpless cries suddenly turned into a full-blown terrified scream when Thomas's body began to shake, twisting and contorting at odd angles as he violently turned from side to side. Loud cracking and snapping sounds issued from within as he slowly began to grow in size. The skin on his arms and chest started to tear, revealing tufts of hair? fur? His mutilated face appeared to move in a distorted manner as it cracked and caved while his teeth began to extend. What the fuck!!

The sickening cracks intensified as his body jerked off the ground. All the while, he seemed to emit weird growling and whining noises from the back of his throat. I had no idea what was happening nor did I have a clue as to what I should be doing. Looking up at the men, I noticed that they still had the same stunned looks plastered to their faces. None of them appeared to have even moved nor did they seem fazed with what was happening to Thomas. They simply continued to stare in my direction, their eyes burning into me with an intensity that could rival the sun. What the hell is wrong with these people!

As a loud whimper came from Thomas, I panicked. Desperate to help him but having no other choice than to turn to these murderous bastards for help, I looked back up and yelled frantically in their direction.