1 Chapter 1

Lights flashed as the scene slowly unfolded, even then nothing registered as they took his body away. Still standing in the same place since it all came down, he stared straight ahead, mind still looking back in past not realizing the gravity of the world now on himself. Blazing fires played around the house through his blurred eyes, smoke burning his lungs, yet he couldn't move. Hands dragging him away, pushing at him to the back of an ambulance. His conscious yet unconscious body cooperating easily.

"He's in shock" he hears a whisper, though he knew it was much louder than that, he couldn't hear it right. Not that he wanted to, he only wanted to hear one voice right now.

Screams echoed out loud as it started to set in, he wouldn't hear it again. He would never hear it again.

He died, they murdered him. they said they'd kill him, and they did. He ran as fast as could, the world blurred past him as his feet hit the ground, but it was of no use. He's dead and he's never coming back.

He felt a mask being put onto his face and pricks in his arms but couldn't care as his heart ripped out his chest. Nothing would ease it; nothing would ever be able to ease it.

The screams never stopped, and he never even realized when the tears started, he never knew he could hurt worse than before. This was worse than anything before.

He felt one final prick before it took him to some peace, but it wouldn't last forever; no matter how much he wanted it right now.

The staff looked at him pitifully, none of them being able to look at each other. They didn't know why God choose this man to hurt so much. There wasn't much they could do apart from wait for the guy to wake up before they broke the news to him.

They all knew he had already realized but it was the procedure, papers had to be signed. The couple were the only family each of the two had, no parents, no siblings, he was the now dead man's only family left, only one who had the claim to the dead body.

"I love you, Ellie, love you so much" his hands were wrapped around his waist from behind, his head resting on top of his. Even though they were both the same height, nick stood a lot bigger.

"love you too, you're making this too emotional" he said feeling some tears sting the back of his eyes. As much as he didn't want to admit, something could go horribly wrong, he could never come back home again.

"I should go instead, what some serious happens to you?" nick replied his breath fanning against the other's ear, his hands even more secured and scared.

"it wouldn't be anything I can't or haven't handled before" he stated trying to sound relaxed and confident, but the anxiety was slipping through his voice, it sounded sick to his own ears.

He turned around in the other's arms and held his face delicately, "it's going to be alright, I promise you this is the end, you won't have to suffer for my mistakes any longer" he lowered their heads together at his last statement.

They both silently breathed in each other presence, stood there holding each other like it were the last time.

"come back to me, I have a surprise for you" he whispered into Elmer's ear, the latter couldn't say anything his throat restrained and clogged up with heavy emotions.

He only nodded as he slowly pulled away left to meet his final fight, he promised himself it would be the last. And for a long time to come it really was his last.

The machines beeped beside him as he got his last peaceful sleep, there wouldn't be any of that or any of thing good anymore at least in his mind.

He loved him too much to move onto anyone else or anything else. His locket, their promise still hung around his neck. They were in too deep to move on without the other, it didn't bother them because they never thought that day would come. Now that it has, he didn't and would never know how to deal with completely alone.

He wanted to let his pain out to one person, but he quickly realized that person was dead. The cycle repeated for what felt like hours before he saw the doctor finally walk in.

It took everything in the doctor not to back out of the room when they finally broke the news, even though he knew in the back of his head his patient wouldn't notice or care with his pain he still stood there trying to remain as professional and empathetic as he could.

Elmer knew, he knew that his love was dead before they told him, it was obvious with his cries, but it didn't feel as real as it did now. It didn't feel as real before the doctors asked if him to sign the papers to collect the body. It stung deeper than before and worse than any pain he felt before. He knew this procedure; he'd been through it more than he wants to admit.

This time was different, it was his fault. He didn't want to accept fate as he usually does, he hoped, he somehow hoped he was wrong. He hoped for some miracle that deep down he knew would never happen and it never did.

He didn't want to sign the papers, not because he was in denial of the death but because he knew the next step was to identify the body was right and he didn't have it in him to look at the burnt body. He couldn't stand to go down there again, the familiar smell of the morgue in the hospital was too much to handle this time.

He stared straight ahead at the blue paint on the bottom of the hospital room, the sounds outside in the emergency sector reaching his ears as he heard other cries and staff running to save the lives they could.

He wished he at least had the chance to say a lot more than he did. His gestures made it clear to others how much he loved him, but he still wished he said more, said a lot more but he didn't. He wished he were the one barely alive, and they'd hold each other one last time before it all descended back down.

He wished he had died instead, it was his problem, his issue but someone else paid the price for it.

The doctor's voice now filling the background as he ran him through the procedures and the wish to donate organs if he wanted, at least his heart was still intact, at least the fire didn't burn everything away.

With a final nod the doctor left the room looking at the nurse that was waiting outside the room with a sad expression, he worked in emergency for years and it has never been harder to break the news to a patient about anything as it was right now. He saw it being done and said over the years to the same man, he tried to say it better than all the other times, but it wouldn't really make a difference.

Looking at his left, he sighed knowing he had to give a report to the police and now everything would take twice as long and be twice as hard on the man, not that knew the man already expected them to be here and maybe even suspect him for what happened.

It's not the most innocent scene, having anyone close with the man end up dying a brutal death. It would take an idiot or be completely oblivious for a person not to suspect something.

As much as they could wish the world was pure and happy, they all knew it wasn't and even though it hurt some of them, they still had to question the man and look at him as a suspect rather than a victim, an innocent.

They made their way towards the doctor, feeling the tension in the busy room weight on them. Even if the staff was with other patients, it didn't stop them from staring or feeling their heartache for the man.