Mar 17, 2023 9:53:42 GMT
The storm outside was raging, but for Joe it was muted. The soft background noise was welcome, like white noise, it muffled out his thoughts and left him with next to no thoughts in his head. It was blissfully numbing as he laid there on the couch, watching the rain lashing against the back glass sliding door. And all thanks to the bright idea of getting some earplugs to help block a lot of the noise out as lightning and thunder rolled through.
It was only two in the morning, he still hadn't gone up to his room, too exhausted to want to try. He hadn't done much, hadn't even seen or spoken to Theia, but he was tired. It was a deep tired, the sort that he could feel right down in his bones, an ache that just didn't seem to want to go away. He felt the floor rumble under the couch, the rain turning into a hazy mess of a mist as the rain got heavier.
He let his eyes shut, the briefest thought crossing his mind to try and get some shut eye. And sleep would've been ok, would've been fine, hadn't his brain decided then that it was time to catch up on him. He could smell it, the awful smell of burning, of metallic blood, the mustiness of the room. He knew where he was, back in that small holding room where they got to him... It was dark, there was no seeing anything as the hood was yanked off. Then sharp pain in his arm, twisting fire before a face got up close.
"NON! DUSTIN S'IL VOUS PLAÎT ARRÊTEZ!"
His brother's smile, a smile he could've picked amidst millions, was not his own. It was cruel and cold and monstrous as his brother lunged forward, drawing that blade through his skin. His heart was pounding in his chest, his vision wavering as it all changed, now Avery was there taking his fingers bit by bit, never breaking eye contact with him as he screamed and writhed. He wailed, panicked, hands all around him, pulling at him.
"JE VEUX Rentrer À LA MAISON! AVERY S'IL VOUS PLAÎT!"
They were laughing at him as they burnt him, tore at his good leg. Questions were being barked, somewhere else there was howling. Gun fire. Fire. Water... it was so cold, he couldn't breathe. He tried to get the cloth off his face, to stop the water but it was never ending. They were going to kill him!
"MAMAN! PAPA! AIDEZ-MOI!"
He was drowning again. And he couldn't find the surface! He clawed at his neck, digging as hard and harsh as he could into his skin, trying desperately for air that he couldn't find. Where was the surface? Where was the air? When would this all end? He wanted it to stop so badly, his entire frame trembling.
"Je... JE NE PEUX PAS... RESPIRER..."
"NO! DUSTIN PLEASE STOP!"
"I WANT TO GO HOME! AVERY PLEASE!"
"MAMA! PAPA! HELP ME!"
"I.. I CAN'T... BREATHE..."
