Chapter Text
The cold gnawed at him, wind slicing through paper-thin skin, already marred with grime and blood. A pale canvas, tainted by shadows that would never find him unless he sought them by himself, now clung to him like second skin.
A shaky exhale escaped his bloodied lips, the pain such an inane action took sending waves of agony through his ribs, aching like they'd splintered in thousands of little shards, digging into his failing organs like claws. Blood coated his mouth, slicked his teeth, pooled beneath fingernails hanging onto his fingers only by a thread of flesh. He would've recoiled, but he found he couldn't move an inch.
The male attempted to swallow, only to choke on his own thick blood as the ringing on his ears became a deafening roar, unbearable to the point of madness. He could identify words, but as soon as he tried to make sense of them they slipped away like smoke, as if a part of his brain was actively trying to shut them out.
Blinking did nothing to clear the haze that covered his vision, the dim lights and figures moving just outside his field of view making his body tense. His legs—, where were they? He couldn't feel them. Couldn't feel anything of himself at all, really, it was as if there was nothing left to feel at all. There was only pain, all-encompassing and consuming; devouring him like how insects would consume a rotting corpse.
Rotten.
He was rotting.
His eyes, what color were they? He couldn't remember. Why was that important? He was dying, or dead, dead like those fish he detested so much—
All he could see now was darkness, lulling him into taking a short nap. It didn't sound so bad, his sister would probably wake him up once she got home, screeching about the series she liked so much. She was so noisy about it though, always shoving the phone directly onto his face as if he didn't have working eyes.
It hurt to think, so maybe…
Maybe he'd rest… For a while only…