Black Holes - The Mors Mortis Trilogy Book 3

Chapter Fifty Three

Seth Azemar was starting to feel thoroughly and painfully hopeless.

It'd been a week now since he'd seen anyone from the world of the dead, a week since he closed the portal to the in between and watched Leah get locked behind it. They'd told him not to use the knife, that they would find another way, but each day that passed chipped away at his belief in them.

He wanted to give them time. He wanted to hold out as long as he could.

But he'd heard nothing since, and he'd never felt so sick in his life. The health of this world was linked to him, he'd accepted that now. And with each day that passed, he grew worse.

Tai had watched as headaches incapacitated him, stealing his vision, as bruises erupted along his limbs, fireworks of purples and oranges and greens. Every hour he was doubled over the toilet, vomiting up anything he'd managed to eat, and he wasn't sure how much longer he'd say conscious. And that meant he needed to make a decision soon. Because what if he did nothing and Leah failed? What if all the worlds disappeared because he didn't have the guts to finish things himself?

"Tai?" Seth called out, his voice raspy and broken.

He was lying in bed, his head spinning every time he moved. So, when he heard the door open and Danny appeared over him instead of Tai, all Seth felt was a bone deep weariness.

He'd grown used to the hallucinations. They'd been ambushing him for a few days now, and though they often made him second guess what was real and what wasn't, this one had gone too far. He wasn't sure if his mind had conjured up Danny out of sympathy, or just torment him further, but either way, he didn't appreciate it.

Danny's face was fuzzy, Seth's vision playing tricks on him, but even through the blur, he could see the familiar way Danny's brow crinkled in worry, the way his hands rose before falling back to his side, unsure.

Danny dropped to his knees by Seth's bed and his face came closer.

"Seth?" Danny asked, his voice full and familiar.

For a moment, Seth let himself believe it was real. He let himself believe Danny was here and the impossible had happened and they'd actually found a way to fix this.

But then, he squeezed his eyes shut, fighting off the delusion, trying to convey to his mind how unwelcome this was right now.

"Go away," Seth said quietly. "Please."

The room fell silent and Seth almost let himself believe it'd worked, that his mind had taken pity on him. But then he felt a hand on his forehead, cold and firm and so, so real.

Seth's eyes flew open. Danny was leaning over him, checking his temperature with a look that Seth had seen a hundred times before — worry covered over with a determination not to show it — and Seth jerked away, looking around the room wildly. The visions were clearly getting stronger, his mind even less reliable. He'd felt Danny touch him then. It seemed so real.

"Tai!" Seth called, his voice weak.

He needed Tai to run into the room and look around, confused, trying to find the source of Seth's panic and coming up empty, the way he had countless times the last few days. He needed Tai to bring him the knife so he could end this.

"Seth, please. I'm so sorry," Danny said, his presence insistent, unwavering. "I need you to get up. You have to come with me."

Seth ignored him, turning away and burrowing into his pillow, but Danny didn't leave.

And then Seth heard steps and Tai was in the room too.

But Tai didn't do what Seth expected. He didn't look around in confusion, or run straight to Seth's side, asking what was wrong. Instead, he flinched back, his eyes fixed on Danny and his hand flying to his belt, pulling his gun from its holster and centring it on Danny's chest.

"Tai."

Danny's hands rose, palms out, and he backed up a step.

"Get back," Tai said, his voice hard. "Don't touch anything."

Seth blinked at the two of them, trying to understand what was happening. It was only then that he noticed that the rest of the room was coming to him in full focus, that Danny was the only thing he could see that blurred and wavered. It was only then that he noticed the ratty, bloodstained clothes Danny wore, spattered with bullet holes, and the way the floor where he stood shrived back, disappearing slowly.

He jerked upright, staring at Danny with wide eyes. This wasn't a hallucination. Danny was actually here.

The abrupt movement made a dagger of pain slice through his head and Seth let out a gasp, his vision fading to black.

When it returned Danny was by his side again, his hand on Seth's back, rubbing in reassuring circles. Danny's eyes were shifting between Seth and Tai as he spoke in a worried whisper. Seth only caught fractions of it, disjointed words. He heard something about the portal, about it being urgent, about Maud Malum.

"Tai?" he said, suddenly unsure.

Tai's face swim into his vision and Seth flinched against the sudden stab of pain the change of light sent through his head.

"Sorry, Seth," Tai said. "We have to get you up. They've got a plan."

A plan.

Seth wanted to cry. He didn't know whether to believe it or not. He wanted to. He wanted to so badly.

"Come on, Seth," Danny said, lifting him gently from the other side, making sure not to touch Tai in the process. "We don't have much time. I have to get back soon. But we're going to fix this, okay? You'll be better soon."

And vision or not, Seth let himself believe the words, let himself believe the voice of the older brother he'd trusted his whole life.

...

Next chapter out in two weeks!

- Skylar xx