Save We Prey {5SOS;Multiple Ships}

One

A shuddery breath dropped from Calum's lips as he brushed his hair back from his face, a cool breeze blowing into his shirt from the low-V of his buttoned down top, grazing hot skin gently and blowing the disgustingly stagnant, sweet metallic scent of blood around the small enclosed room. He got on his knees beside the body, cutting open the man's shirt to reveal his chest, the wound across his stomach ignored in favor of slicing down the man's chest at the top under his collarbones.

Pray....Prey.

The man's eyes reacted rather than his limp, dead weighted body, flickering like he was trying to process the slight pain cutting through the rest of it as Calum cut down in routine of what he was taught, tossing the knife to the side carelessly once he cleaned the blade unceremoniously until he got back up later and had the time to do so properly.

His steps were shaky backwards, hitting the wall and letting his head fall back as he sunk to the floor, eyes falling shut as he listened to the tick of the clock embedded into the wall. One thousand, three hundred and eighty soft clicks of the clock before the door was opened for him, the brown eyed man pushing off the floor and standing up from his spot. He waited with his head casted down as the door was locked back properly, seven clicks of the locks to the room up before he was following up the stairs.

The degradation had long since slipped away as he met Ashton's eyes, raising his arms up for the man to slip his shirt off, looking to the opposite side of where Michael was walking past, eyes lightly lidded as he stepped out of his jeans. He looked back at Ashton when he was gently forced by the man catching his chin and making him face him, cracked lips slowly parting for the cup he was given as his head was tilted back lightly to drink the cool water sliding down his throat.

He fought the urge to push Ashton away, knowing it was only an order that he had to follow, swallowing the build up of water in his mouth once Ashton pulled away. His feet dragged lightly as he walked down the hall, leaving Ashton in spot to go back downstairs alone and clean up his mess, as he always did. He stood quietly in spot, wrapping his arms around himself, not sure if it was more for warmth or comfort as he waited patiently. His head stayed hanging, eyes looking from his own feet to Michael's shoes, not bothering to actually look up until he was ready as he clenched his jaw and prayed Michael would stay quiet.

Hazel met brown as he stood only an inch shorter but it felt like he was staring up at a towering effigy meant to strike fear into him once Ashton came up to him. Maybe that's why Ashton had been sent to him? To strike the fear of god into him? Calum felt he feared Ashton the most out of anything sometimes.

"Put your hands together and get on your knees."

He listened, sinking down to his knees and clasping his hands together before his bowed head as he let his eyes fall closed. Silence bled through the air, air humming softly around the pair. He searched for a noise to follow and count his time, tapping his teeth together almsot silently to keep track of the time going on, so he wouldn't drift too far into his own thoughts. 404 taps of his teeth before he was told to open his eyes and look up.

Like always, hope filled his chest that he had done enough, that maybe this time he just might get his forgiveness for everything he had done in the past would be forgotten and he could stop working so hard and tirelessly for what felt like nothing. Have more faith, Ashton would say if he could hear his thoughts. And, just like always, his hopes were shot down by reality brutally, Ashton watching the light in his eyes die out and looking away, holding his hand out for the other to grab. Calum tried not to make a face at the sound of Michael's laughter at his expense, looking over his shoulder shortly at the apparition as his amusement rattled through his skeleton.

Calum listened to the silent order, getting up on his own before grabbing Ashton's hand and trailing behind the man slowly, heart burning in his chest to where it felt like his bones would melt away. He stood at the door, eyes down to the floor again as he whispered softly, words coated in the tears that he wouldn't let fall from his eyes in order to keep from burdening the man he desperately, pathetically trusted with his everything, though that hardly seemed like enough to amount to anything to the man.

"I'm sorry I didn't do enough for you today. Thank you for helping my soul. I love...I love you." Broken, cracking, soft spoken words barely carried through the air.

Ashton didn't respond in any way outside of turning his back on the man, leaving down the hallway and making Calum recoil into himself even more as he walked into his room. He didn't shut his door, sitting at the bay window in his room and pulling his knees to his chest as he reached up to play with the thin chain that hung around his neck loosely to drop on his collarbones as Michael walked into his bedroom, slamming the door shut and making him flinch at the noise shaking the home they were in for a few seconds before everything stilled again.

He stood when Michael tried to speak, laying in his bed, still keeping his eyes staring out of the opened window of his room as he covered himself back up. A blink accompanied the nudge to his shoulder as Michael prompted him to get up again and follow him as his window swung open with a soft creaking. He was looking to the ghostly pale man and shaking his head, though he knew what would happen, as did every time they had to go through this, but he kept his feelings to himself as he sat beside him on the bed.

"I don't want to do it again with you tonight. I-I....Ashton wouldn't want me to."

"I'm sure Ashton's not thinking about you right now and if he is, I'm sure it's of a way to get rid of you. That little stunt down in the basement?"

He curled up into himself even more at the sound of the man's scoff, putting his head down to his knees and blocking out his ears. He could've crushed his skull between his own hands at the pressure to try and stop Michael's voice from seeping into his brain with a repetition of what Calum already knew he would say. It didn't work, Calum failing miserably still as the man's voice got his way through like always without a single ounce of an attempt to force when it glided through seamlessly.

"It was pathetic, Calum. I don't even know why you still try for him, why he keeps you around. You know you only make him happy when you do what I tell you, when I show you how to save your soul for him."

"No! Ashton says-he told me that I shouldn't listen to you! You're going to make him mad and-and he's going to put me away again! Get out, get out!"

Michael rolled his eyes, Calum not moving from the corner of his bed against with his head to his knees and his hands pressed over his ears as he screamed. Michael easily got his hands from his ears without touching him, silencing Calum with a scream of a thousand voices that made his ears ache instantly, panicking at the thought of his ears bleeding again but Michael stopped before he could get to that point with obsidian eyes as his sharp teeth poked out of his devilish smirk at clearly having the higher ground. He didn't need the higher ground, Calum was always on his knees and cowering anyway.

"Fine! Don't come crawling back to me when you want to sleep then! Ask your precious priest to figure it out instead!"

He blinked and the pressure in his ears echoed, his hands free and his room barren as he looked around for Michael to try and take back when he had said. He moved back into the ball he was in before when he knew Michael was actually gone, squeezing his eyes shut tightly as he chanted under his breath, rocking himself to try and find some comfort in the cold room.

-

AN: soooo, how're we feeling so far?? Any characters you like so far? Any thoughts on anything at all yet?

Hope you're feeling good about it right now and that I'll see you next chapter!! Take care of yourself and have a good day/night wherever you may be!!

Until next chapter.... <3 <3