Last Signs Of Life (Nick X Ellis)

Dead Inside

There was a dense, heavy silence in the air of the hotel room, the two men sitting on opposite sides of the bed. Nick was slouched over at the foot of it, his elbows on his knees and head hanging low on his shoulders like a vulture. Ellis, however, had his back against the headboard, soft eyes distant and circled with puffy pink patches from earlier tears.

"'M sorry, Nick" the southerner said, earning a raise of the conman's head. "Its not your fault, kid" he said, his voice sounding pinched with his own grief. The man in the white suit got up, going to the small bathroom and opening up the back of the toilet to get some clean water.

Standing in the mirror, he splashed the room temperature liquid on his face, and it ran down in beads from his forehead and temples, around gunmetal colored eyes. The droplets collected blood and dirt as they traveled, soon clouding over with a muddy maroon color. He stared at his reflection for a long while, attempting to come to terms with his death.

He pat his face dry with a fluffy hotel towel, his face now seeming at least a little cleaner as he sat back down on the bed in the center of the room. Ellis had crawled under the sheets, and his smelly bloody boots were abandoned beside the door. Nick followed suit, and his worn dress shoes were strewn carelessly on the floor as he lay his head beside the other's. They both fell easily into a dreamless haze it would be generous to refer to as sleep.

Hours later, the sun was gone and Nick was torn from unconsciousness by a muffled scream.

He sprung up, hand flying to the bedside table for his pistol before he saw the other man in the bed. He rubbed his eyes, seeing Ellis writhing beneath the sheets and screeching into the cheap motel pillow that should be beneath his head.

"Hey, Ellis, hey" he said, realizing he should help somehow and leaning over to grab the other and wake him. "Ellis, wake up, wake your ass up" he said. Another scream greeted him, though this one was cut short as the southerner awoke and his eyes met those of the older man, a few tears slipping down his face.

The two sat wordless for a moment before Nick pat the other's head softly, muttering to him to go back to sleep.

"Sorry" Ellis drawled, his throat scratchy from his screaming.

"Its alright"

Ellis sat and stared at the ceiling for a good five minutes before looking over to see if the man was asleep, and he seemed to be. So, for comfort, he moved over just a bit, laying his head on the other's shoulder and relaxing to just the presence of another human being.

Nick stayed silent, not wanting to admit that he needed to comfort too.