Johnny Boy {ON HOLD}

Chapter 6- Warm Hearts

~Calliope~

After realizing that I failed at protecting Lindy, I realized that I didn't really care about anything anymore. I was already pretty numb, one from the grief, and two, from the cold. I had surpassed the shivering stage, and I could hear Tyler and his friend talking to me, but I didn't care enough to actually figure out what they were saying. I just wanted to lay there and freeze, just like Lindy had. Would my parents care? The only person who knows my last name was...Lindy. Lindy knew my last name, but she's gone. She can't tell anyone my last name. Maybe my parents wouldn't even know that I had died. And that would probably be okay. I just wanted to sit and freeze. That's all I wanted, and I knew if I just ignored Tyler and his friend, I could do that. I was pretty close. If I just ignored them...

"Calliope, please. Don't ignore us. I can tell that's what you're trying to do, but we won't let you. Josh over here is pretty strong, so if you keep ignoring us, he's just gonna pick you right up and he's gonna carry you to wherever we decide to take you to warm you up," Tyler tells me, and I know I have to remember the name Josh. That's his friend's name. Tyler and Josh. I can remember that. Not that I'm gonna be around long enough to remember. But Josh wouldn't actually just pick me up, would he?

"Wait a second, I will?" Josh asks Tyler, and Tyler just looks over at Josh, pleading in his eyes.

"Yeah, you will, won't you? Please just say yes. Please?" Tyler drags out the "please" until Josh finally smiles.

"Yeah, that's right, I will. I'll just pick you right up. Where will we be taking her?"

"I dunno. We'll figure that out if she doesn't start listening to us," Tyler says, and I groan.

"Fuck, okay. I'm listening. What the hell do you want? I'm trying to freeze here. Can't you just let me freeze?" I ask, and they both shake their heads.

"No can do. Calliope, you can't just give up on yourself right now. Yeah, I know that losing Lindy hurts, but do you think she'd want you to just give up and freeze?" Tyler asks, and as I sit there, too cold to even shiver, I think about it. He's right. Losing Lindy does hurt. Well, actually, I still feel numb about it, but once the numbness goes away, I know it'll hurt like hell. But I think about Lindy and how much she cared about me. How much we cared about each other. I tried my absolute hardest to warm her up because I didn't want her to freeze, and all of those nights that we cuddled up against each other because we didn't want each other to get too cold. No, Lindy would not want me to freeze. If I'm honest, I can hear her telling me to get my ass up and go with them, since they'll take me somewhere warm. What'll happen after that, I don't know, but Lindy would want me to take the chance. In a moment, I realize that I have to live for Lindy so that someone on this Earth will remember her. I have to live so that someone will tell her story and allow her memory to live on.

"You're right...she wouldn't want that...guys, I'm...I'm really cold," I mutter, and as I get colder I feel the inhibitions I've slowly built in my mind slip away, to the point that I'm not sure if I can get them back. "I...I need toetsomewhearm. Somewharefoifreteath."

"Wait...what did you just say?" Tyler asks.

"I didn't catch any of that. It was all jumbled together," Josh points out, and I groan, knowing that my problem was back. After a few years I was able to get myself to the point that my words didn't jumble together, but I guess that was short lived. My speech problem is back.

"I need someatefoifreteath."

"Yes, thank you. That cleared things right up."

"Shut up, Josh." Finally, Tyler takes notice of my condition and figures that's why I'm jumbling my words. "Josh, her lips are blue! We have to get her somewhere warm."