wherever I am, you'll always be
A long breath left his nose, his grip on her shoulders laxing until he ran his hands down her arms. Eventually, he let go. And in that instant, as he tried to think of the words she might need to hear, of words that might ignite the hungry blaze within her, he saw something in the corner of his peripheral. Over Aisha's shoulder, his gaze hardened as it fixed on the ghost. That face, youthful and dark... it came into existence, shifting, morphing, taking form from the shadows that leeched out towards them. Everything about him was identical, even the way he stood there, staring at Henry. Everything except for those eyes; cold and hard with the fact that his friend was long-dead.
Years ago, when they were teens, when neither of them had known better, they'd gone into the darkness of LongNight - and only one of them lived to tell the tale. He'd watched the monster, a thing only a nightmare could conjure, rip his friend to pieces. Frozen, paralyzed by fear - and he could only move when it had been too late. Maybe not too late for him but... his life didn't matter more. Why? Why hadn't they taken him too? Sometimes, he truly wished they had.
Henry stood up, drops falling from his eyes onto the ground as he blinked them away. He turned to Aisha and extended his hand down to her, prompting. Even if he had to duck down to grab her hand, he would. "Come on," The words fell from his lips like a whisper, and then he pulled her away from the growing shadows, the creeping ghosts that clawed at their souls. "I can't stay here anymore, and neither can you," he stated firmly, not looking at her as he led her through the maze.
"They want to get us lost in here."
He looked back once, only once, his eyes seeking out shadows beyond Aisha. But then he refocused on her. He slowed to a halt, finally releasing his grip on her hand. It had grown tighter than he intended it to. "Sorry- I-" he stuttered, "I saw him..." And his heart was starting to beat much faster, his mind racing from her to those horrific visions of a night he tried hard to forget.
"You can be happy. What you want, you can go out and get it. This is Ludo's bullshit! Aisha. It's not really them. They're not real, they're not, and this'll all be over soon-" and he began to lose focus on whether he was trying to convince her, or himself - whether he was trying to be there for her, or if he was spiraling into sorrowful anger. He placed his hand to his chest as he felt a hole bore itself there, an invisible void that invoked real feelings of pain. He turned away from her, in time for her not to see the stream of tears that flooded down his cheeks. But he couldn't quite hold it together, letting out a shaky breath, "I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough,"
Years ago, when they were teens, when neither of them had known better, they'd gone into the darkness of LongNight - and only one of them lived to tell the tale. He'd watched the monster, a thing only a nightmare could conjure, rip his friend to pieces. Frozen, paralyzed by fear - and he could only move when it had been too late. Maybe not too late for him but... his life didn't matter more. Why? Why hadn't they taken him too? Sometimes, he truly wished they had.
Henry stood up, drops falling from his eyes onto the ground as he blinked them away. He turned to Aisha and extended his hand down to her, prompting. Even if he had to duck down to grab her hand, he would. "Come on," The words fell from his lips like a whisper, and then he pulled her away from the growing shadows, the creeping ghosts that clawed at their souls. "I can't stay here anymore, and neither can you," he stated firmly, not looking at her as he led her through the maze.
"They want to get us lost in here."
He looked back once, only once, his eyes seeking out shadows beyond Aisha. But then he refocused on her. He slowed to a halt, finally releasing his grip on her hand. It had grown tighter than he intended it to. "Sorry- I-" he stuttered, "I saw him..." And his heart was starting to beat much faster, his mind racing from her to those horrific visions of a night he tried hard to forget.
"You can be happy. What you want, you can go out and get it. This is Ludo's bullshit! Aisha. It's not really them. They're not real, they're not, and this'll all be over soon-" and he began to lose focus on whether he was trying to convince her, or himself - whether he was trying to be there for her, or if he was spiraling into sorrowful anger. He placed his hand to his chest as he felt a hole bore itself there, an invisible void that invoked real feelings of pain. He turned away from her, in time for her not to see the stream of tears that flooded down his cheeks. But he couldn't quite hold it together, letting out a shaky breath, "I'm sorry. I wasn't strong enough,"
more than just a memory
HENRY
