I'm Just Septic-Eyed

Chapter 37: Swan Song Pt. 2

A/N: Hey, before I let you go I wanna say that there will be two books coming out in this AU. They're both prequels. So be on the lookout for "A Silent Cry" and "Mad as Rabbits" ;)

When they got outside, Sean let go of Sam. The other body fell to the floor. From the roughness under his bare feet, Sean guessed they were in the middle of the parking lot. "Oh my God, Jack," Mark gasped. He wrapped his arms around Sean. Sean was too numb to react. He felt the tears finally leave his eyes and sting the cut on his cheek. Mark pulled away and held Sean's head in his hands. "You're covered in ash. Are you okay? Does your head hurt? What about your face?" Sean shut him up by pressing their lips together.

"Calm down, Ma," Sean cracked a smile. "I'm fine."

Mark laughed. It was full of relief and joy. He hugged Sean again and held him tightly. Sean's smile slowly slipped away now that Mark wasn't looking at him. The words that Sam said repeated over and over. There wasn't an escape from them. But it couldn't be true. Sean saved Sam from the fire. Sam would have just left whoever was in there. Sean was nothing like Sam. But the words still scared him. What if all this turned Sean into Sam? What if it twisted his mind into something wicked? After all, he didn't think twice about stabbing Sam. "What's gonna happen now?" Mark asked quietly.

Sean blinked the new-found tears out of his eyes. "I-I don't really know," Sean answered truthfully. He didn't know what else could possibly happen. His ears picked up something -- sirens. Someone called the fire department. "But we're not gonna be alone in a minute."

"Holy fuck, you guys," Felix screeched. Mark and Sean let go of each other. There were several feet running toward them. He coughed before continuing, "What the hell happened? Cry and I didn't even know your apartment was on fire until we stepped outside. Ross and Holly's apartment caught on fire next. Half the second floor is caving in already. Everyone evacuated themselves, so that's a plus, I guess. But what the hell?!"

"Why don't you ask him for yourself?" Mark said flatly.

Sean could only assume that's when everyone saw Sam. "W-what...?" That was Ross. After that, there were hushed whispers from voices Sean didn't recognize. He felt his body get heavy with guilt and anguish. There were people noticing that a knife was sticking out of Sam. Sean clung onto Mark's torso. He buried his face and let his tears fall into the fabric of the shirt. Mark sighed softly and put a hand on top of Sean's head. At least that small gesture made him feel a bit better.

Not long after, the fire truck arrived, followed by an ambulance and — not surprisingly — a police car. The firemen went to deal with the fire while the men in the ambulance rushed over to Sam. The police knew exactly who to question first. "Officer Hopps," the woman introduced herself. "My partner is Officer Wilde. We've heard a lot about you two. You've certainly been the talk of the department for a few months now."

"I'm sure you know the drill by now," a man, Officer Wilde, said. "Just explain everything as best as you can. We won't pressure you if it's hard to tell us."

Sean stood there awkwardly. He didn't want to start — he didn't know when the full story started. But he didn't have to speak. "Well, uh," Mark said. "We... just got back from a friend's house. Jack went to his room with Chica, t-the dog over there, and I had to get ready for work. When I was in my room... I didn't hear anything. I-I heard Jack's door creak once, but that was it. I didn't know Sam was in the house until, uh, I smelled something burning. Of course, I left my room to go investigate. And that's when I saw Sam. I-it was the first time I ever saw him. I was more than surprised so I didn't react as fast as I should have. I-I tried to get to Jack's room, but Sam blocked my way. He had a knife. I didn't want to try to do anything so all I did was call for Jack.

"He didn't respond, b-but Chica did. She came running in the living room, barking nonstop. She's... familiar with Sam, but she only barks if Jack's in trouble. S-Sam kicked Chica and, uh... cut her leg pretty bad. Uh, Jack came in shortly after that..." Mark trailed off for Sean to continue.

"That's as detailed a story you're gonna get," Sean mumbled. "I can't exactly give the best descriptions... But I guess Sam knocked me out. I was really disoriented. I wasn't sure what was happening. I-I walked into the living room. It was really hot and there were so many sounds. When I heard Sam I knew we were in for a bad time. He hit my face and Mark went after him. Uh, I think he can tell you what happened during that, but after, Sam came up to me again. I was holding the knife he dropped. But I guess he brought a switchblade with him. He cut my face. When he threatened to do something similar to my eye... I-I... I s-stabbed him. I-I didn't mean to! I was just scared. I d-didn't know where it would hit him."

Officer Hopps hummed in understanding. "Thank you for your cooperation," she said kindly. "You should go get yourself cleaned up with the paramedics."

"We'll take it from here," Officer Wilde added.

Mark grabbed Sean's hand gently. Both their hands were shaking. Sean intertwined their fingers to make it more comfortable. Their hands were dirty, sweaty, and Sean's was even covered in blood. But that didn't matter. They were together, now. They were both alive. That was the best thing they could ever ask for. "Y'know," Mark said. "I don't think I've ever looked forward to having a boring, normal life."

Sean couldn't agree more.

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A/N: And that's it. It's rather bittersweet. YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW HARD IT WAS TO WRITE THINGS WITHOUT USING SIGHT. Especially the last part. There was so much going on and there were several times where I wanted to say that Sean saw something. Ugh. But anyway. I won't leave you alone just yet. Tomorrow I'll upload the epilogue (after summer school so it'll be later in the day). Other than that, that concludes "I'm Just Septic-Eyed". How'd it go?