Name: The End Comes Near
Summary: It's been one minute since his world stopped.
Author's Note: Sorry if this story is confusing. It's sort of meant to be, since I don't like anything being revealed until the last second but I hope you understand what's going on. The title comes from the song "The End" by Pearl Jam, which I was listening to as I wrote this.
"The end comes near, I'm here but not much longer,"
The End by Pearl Jame
5 Minutes.
It's been five minutes since you boarded the FFV. It seemed like an average FFV, what you would call a routine boarding. You nearly laugh at it now. Every time the words "routine boarding" leave your lips, something happens. Every time those words leave your lips it becomes anything but routine.
6 Minutes.
As you lay there in the dark, your mind flashes back to when you boarded. Jumping aboard, Bomber by your side as Dutchy and Kate lead the way. Ordering the illegal fisherman to step forward, securing them on the deck. Kate and Dutchy conversing with the master of the vessel. Dutchy checking the manifest. Kate ordering you and Bomber to check the lower decks.
7 Minutes.
Bomber. You hope she's not the one to find you. You hope she retreats back up the stairs, thinking you'd gone back upstairs. You hope it's Kate that notices something wrong, Kate that orders Dutchy or someone to check on you, you find you. You just hope it's not Bomber. You don't know why.
8 Minutes.
It's been four minutes since it happened. Four minutes since you fell, four minutes you've been lying here. Four minutes you haven't had the strength to call out, four minutes you haven't had the strength to stumble back upstairs. Four minutes you haven't had the strength to do anything but hope they get a feeling something's wrong.
9 Minutes.
You never knew what it was like to belong, to have a family before you joined the Hammersley crew. You'd never felt the sense of comradship you'd experienced on the Hammersley. You feel happy- if that's the right term- with the knowledge that they'll miss you, mourn you because that's the sort of people they are. They're the sort of people that'll mourn the loss of anyone they'd served with. And you feel happy with the knowledge that they'll support each other, mourn with each other. Because that's the sort of people they are.
10 Minutes.
You know they won't find you until it's too late. You know there's no chance they'll find you in time. Your minute flashes back to six minutes before. You lowered your gun, thinking the room was safe. You never saw anything. You heard something, just a spilt second to late. You didn't even get the chance to turn around. You didn't even hear the shot. You know he used a silencer. You know they won't find you in time.
11 Minutes.
You know you don't have much time. You're saying the goodbyes in your head when you hear the gasp, when you hear the yelling. You know they've found you. You know they're too late. You can hear them moving around you, unable to see them as you've long since closed your eyes, too tired to open them any longer. You feel a hand grasp your own, you hear a voice begging you, pleading you, to hang on. You force your eyes to flutter open and you try and smirk at Kate, forcing yourself to mumble a lame joke as you feel hands apply pressure to your stomach. You don't glance down, afriad to see blood. No one laughs at your joke.
12 Minutes.
It's been twelve minutes since you boarded the FFV. It's been eight minutes since a routine boarding changed from routine to a boarding that'll forever change lives. You never even wanted to join the Navy. You considered it a sentence of sorts. Now, you'll be forever glad you did, even though it cost you your life. You just can't bring yourself to hate the Navy. Afterall, it gave you family.
2 Minutes.
It's been two minutes since your world slowed, if only a little. It's been two minutes since you stumbled into that little room, wondering where the hell one of your guy's are, cursing him, threatening him with galley duty forever if he doesn't come out right away. You felt the breath catch in your throat as you walked into the room, finding him lying on the floor, his hand to his stomach. You stared at the blood soaked hand, his blood soaked stomach before the yell ripped from your throat. You could hear the others run down the stairs, as you rushed inside the room, cursing yourself now for not checking on him sooner. You rushed to his side as Swain appeared beside you. You find yourself kneeling beside you, find yourself grasping his hand in your own. Then you found yourself doing something you never expected you'd find yourself doing. You find yourself begging, pleading him to stay awake. He mumbles a lame joke. No one laughs. You know it's too late.
1 Minute.
It's been one minute since Leo "2Dads" Kosov-Meyer died. One minute since his world stopped.