All Was Golden

T W E L V E

They were falling through darkness.

Patrick's laugh, like his voice, was layered and foreign. It filled the empty air along with Ryan's screams as they plummeted.

Patrick's grip loosened on Ryan's limbs. His bones eased as Patrick snapped his arms out to his sides. His laughter became louder as the world around them became darker.

The only light through the dark was coming from the key. The cord kept it connected to Patrick, but it hovered just above his chest as they fell. Its red eyes put off a glow that kept them in a small bubble of light.

Ryan had his arms out at his sides, as if it could slow his endless fall. His mind was racing. So many questions overlapped each other as tears formed in his eyes from the rush of wind against him. He looked down, but it was only dark. He looked back up, but it was as if the bathroom they had fallen from never existed. He looked at Patrick, finding only the shell of his friend.

The key still hung just above Patrick's chest, lifted to where it had no contact with his skin besides the cord that kept it around his neck.

If he could grab it, would it free Patrick? Could he save his friend from what the key has done?

Patrick wasn't giving him an ounce of attention. He was in his own world behind those red pockets where his blue eyes should have been.

Ryan shifted his gaze to the key. It was unprotected. It was close.

Without thinking it through any further, Ryan shot his arm forward and wrapped his hand around the key. He screamed as the metal seared his skin, but he didn't let go. Instead, he yanked his arm back.

The cord around Patrick's neck snapped like a rubber band.

Ryan cried out again as he pulled the key close to his chest. The pain was bringing spots to his vision. It felt like he was holding an active fire rather than a small metal key.

"NO!"

Ryan looked up through his spotted vision.

Patrick was paying attention now. His red eyes were fading back to the infected yellow that had looked back from his reflection, and they didn't look happy.

Patrick lunged at Ryan, seeming to kick off from the darkness straight towards him.

Ryan didn't know what to do. He curled his body into a ball and shut his eyes, bracing for impact. Where he was hit from, however, wasn't where he expected.

"NO!" The layers beyond Patrick's voice shrieked as Ryan was shoved to his side.

Ryan snapped his eyes open as he felt his falling speed accelerate. Patrick was still yelling, but it was becoming increasingly distant. The darkness was swallowing him faster and faster.

"Hold on!" A voice yelled as a white light began to break through the darkness.

Ryan held the key tighter, despite the pain. The edges of his vision darkened as the light continued to spread around him. Ryan felt his body relax as his eyes fluttered shut. He could still see the brightness beyond his eyelids before the darkness once again swallowed him.