heathens

you might be one of us

my hearts' pounding in my chest. the blaring alarm is louder than my thoughts. it's louder than the drumming of boots on cold concrete floors.

josh leads me down another hallway, not slowing down a bit. my breathing is getting shorter. "stop!" i tell him, slowly to lean against the wall. i take deep breaths to try and calm my erratic lungs.

"tyler, we have to go," josh warns. i hold out my hand and he takes it, leading me down the corridor.

it's a maze in here, each hall looking the same. how josh knows the way out, i could never guess. the sound of guards get closer and we run faster, ignoring the burning in our chests and legs.

"we're almost there!" josh yells to me, sprinting down what i hope is the last corridor. i run after him but am quickly stopped by a shooting pain in my stomach. my feet slow and my hands cover the wound.

"josh," i say, the name coming out as a strangled cry. he turns around from the few feet in front of me, his eyes going wide. he rushes to me just as i fall to the floor.

josh catches my head, cradling me to his chest. "no, no," he mutters desperately. i pull my hands away from my stomach to see they're covered in blood. there's yelling in the distance as i look up to see josh crying.

"sorry," i whisper, not sure what else to say. he shakes his head, rocking me back and forth.

"no," he shushes me. "i'm so sorry, tyler."

i reach up to wipe away his tears, smearing blood on his cheek in its place. "you're real," i tell him. "you're real."

he nods, holding me tighter. the drumming stops and i can feel my body wanting to stop as well.

i smile up at my angel and his star filled eyes. he looks broken and hurt and confused. "it's okay," i lie to calm him, but he knows it's a lie. "you can let go."

josh cries, hanging his head. "i failed you," he mutters. "i was supposed to protect you."

"you did," i smile sadly. "the drumming is gone, josh."

"i have to let go," he says, although he makes no move to do so. my eyes get droopy and i let out a pained noise. josh looks helpless. the guards are coming.

"goodbye, angel," i whisper. before i close my eyes, he glows yellow one last time and i feel safe. i can't hurt anyone anymore.

-

so.. that's heathens for ya. the ending isnt quite what i was aiming for but i hope you guys enjoyed it. if you like this, please check out my stories zero and coping. thanks for reading.
-g