Forgotten

Chapter 23: Live Without

Time stopped.

Every fiber in his being pinpointed on the gun, the manicured finger sliding towards the trigger with every intent to pull it, and the merman pressed against the black wall, hand pressed to his chest, and his lavender eyes wide with terror and a goodbye. The purple iris's were glazed over with forming tears.

No.

Lance knew it was a mistake the second he finished his sentence. He knew it was a mistake when that damning finger reaches the trigger. He knew it was a mistake when he launched himself across the room.

He knew it was a mistake.

A boom filled the air. . .

And pain spider-webbed through his chest, cracking holes throughout it body. He felt numb, but unbearable pain. Felt nothing but everything. He knew it was a mistake.

Someone started screaming.

He knew it was a mistake— he made it better. . . Did he?

Suddenly, he became hyper-aware of everything. His back became frozen, the screaming became the only thing he heard, and it became harder to breath.

Why couldn't he breath?

His rasping accompanied the echoing screams in his mind, so loud. Why was it so loud?

His lungs spasmed, desperate to obtain air causing him to let out a broken gasp. He then felt soft hands grip either side of his face and a face appeared in his vision.

They were crying. He wondered why, everything was fine. . . NO! No, nothing's fine he couldn't breathe. The tear streaked face leaned in close to his and began to whisper. What? He didn't know, it was just a jumble of sounds to him.

The edges of his vision began to darken. Annoyed he squinted his eyes up at the pale person above him. They had purple eyes. . . "Keith?"
A tear dropped onto his face.
     
      The face nodded. And placed a gentle hand on his chest and quickly retracted when they felt the sticky substance. When they pulled back red coated his palm, painting the grooves in his skin in a morbid picture. Keith then hid his hand out of his vision and whispered, "Your going to be okay." his voice broke halfway through the sentence. 

      The darkness around his vision closed in, creating a tunnel with just a prick to see through. To remember, to hold on to. Keith. Only Keith. And only his glittering violet eyes with flecks of lavender swimming in them, could he see. 

      The darkness then engulfed the rest of his sight, and he saw nothing but black. 

      Then he felt cold. So cold. He couldn't feel Keiths warm hand pressed against his face, his arm. Couldn't feel the ground beneath him and just felt an overall numbness around him. 

      He could hear. He could hear his slowing heartbeat pounding, could hear his strangled breath, and he heard the static mumbling of the merman above him. But, then his heartbeat slowed. And slowed. And slowed. . . until he heard it stop beating, heard his body try and take in one last strangled breath, and then heard an agonizing and broken scream before he drifted off and heard no more. 

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      His already breaking heart exploded; sending thousands of pieces cutting through his chest. The world halted. 

Emptiness. 

Helplessness. 

Despair. 

Rage.