I WIN THE AWARD FOR LONGEST ONESHOT EVER.
6,000 words like a baws.
Like I said in my previous Lucy oneshot, yes, she's a Templar. Deal with it. I haven't, but you should owo
And the song is "Broken Pieces" by Apocalyptica.
Lucy stared blindly at her computer, attempting to read a reconnaissance report. Her eyes touched on the words and moved on, their meaning not reaching her brain; it was far too occupied for that.
Yes, she really was a fantastic actress, but what did any of that matter if she didn't know her lines. In this war, no one could be trusted. But you had to choose a side or risk being picked up by the group you didn't actually want.
She'd chosen the Templars. The Assassins were not to be trusted. Warren told her so. She saw it for herself; Miles was sending his own son into almost certain death so he could get his hands on an Apple. He only cared about himself, they all did.
But now she was seeing things from a different point of view. Rebecca and Shaun, not born into the Order, were not that different from her at all. The last time she'd seen Rebecca, things had been different, more formal. 2005 was a tough year for the Assassins; their brief meetings felt tight, forced.
Now, however, the other Assassins felt safe, felt they didn't need to have their guard up. Lucy felt herself growing fond of these people, which wasn't allowed. No matter what happened, she was going to end up betraying them and stealing the Apple.
Too late; this is not the answer
I need to pack it in
But was it really the right thing? She herself wasn't quite sure what the Templars were actually using the Apple for; only a few high-ranking members knew that. Nor was she sure what the Assassins were going to use it for. Stop the Templars, she assumed. But even that she didn't know. She just picked the side that cared about her more.
"Lucy!" Rebecca said, panicked. The blonde shot her head up; Rebecca was staring wide-eyed at her computer. "I think..." She looked up. "I think he's flatlining."
"What?" Lucy yelped, leaping to her feet. "Pull him out. Now!" she ordered as as rushed over, crouching down near Desmond's head.
A few seconds, and Rebecca nodded. "He's disconnected."
But he wasn't waking up.
"Shit!" Lucy hissed, bolting to her desk and yanking open a cupboard. She pulled out their defibrillator - a necessary precaution when hospitals weren't an option - and, moving back to Desmond, yanked it open.
"Cut his shirt open." She raised her head briefly, nodding to a pair of scissors on her desk. Rebecca scurried over while Lucy undid Desmond's hoodie and readied the patches.
"You're sure he was flatlining?" Lucy eyed Rebecca. "Because if not, we're about to give him a good shock for falling asleep on the job."
"Of course I'm sure!" Rebecca snapped as she cut the shirt open.
Lucy nodded and, peeling the backing off, placed the patches on Desmond's chest. "Back off," she warned as the pack charged. As soon as it was ready, she slammed her finger down on the button.
Desmond jerked up by his chest for a split second, then fell back, head lolling.
Lucy pushed the button again, hope draining from her heart.
His chest thrust out again, but there was no movement.
"Come on!" she pleaded, slamming on the button desperately.
I can't pull your heart together with just my voice alone
"Lucy..." Rebecca laid a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"No!" Lucy growled, pushing the button again. Desmond's eyes shot open, and he drew in fast, hungry breaths.
Lucy sighed in relief, steadying herself on her desk. But relief was not the right emotion to be feeling.
Desmond ripped himself from the Animus chair and pounced on her, nearly breaking her back and slamming her head on her keyboard. Rebecca's gasp echoed in the blonde's ears.
A thousand shards of glass
I came to meet you and you cut the piece out of me
Lucy stared, wide-eyed, into Desmond's wild eyes. His face was twisted into a mask of rage, but what unnerved her most was that his eyes changed from golden to brown and back again.
Desmond held Lucy's arms down, leaning in close to her face. His weight was pushing several objects from her desk into her back; they pinched sharply into her skin.
"Get off!" Lucy snarled, bucking. Though she had more training than Desmond, he was bigger and heavier, so she couldn't get away, not with her arms pinned.
"You traitor!" Desmond screamed in her face.
Lucy froze, trying to read his eyes. Did he figure out her intentions, or was he just hallucinating?
"Desmond, please, just calm down—" she tried, but that just made him more furious.
"Liar! Murderer!" Spit flew into her face as Desmond yelled louder. She winced, tried to shrink away. "Templar!"
As you ripped it all apart, that's when I turned to watch you
"That's enough of that!" Hands were on Desmond's shoulders, ripping him off the desk. Shaun shifted his grip so he was holding the other Assassin by his wrists.
Desmond snarled, trying to rip himself away. Rebecca helped Lucy sit up, and she did so, shakily.
Lucy stared, shocked, as Desmond twisted and fought, trying to get free so he could do as much damage to her as he possible.
And maybe she deserved it.
"Desmond!" Rebecca stepped between him and Lucy, grabbing his face in her hands. He tried to pull away, muttering crazily, but she held fast. "Desmond!" she repeated. "It's me. Lucy's not going to hurt you."
Desmond shook her off, snarling inhumanly.
"No one's going to hurt you." Rebecca held his shoulders, making her look at her.
He blinked, drawing his head up and back like a baby snake attempting to strike. Then his eyes returned to normal, and his shoulders slumped.
And as the light in you went dark, I saw you turn to shadow
"See, you're safe," Rebecca said soothingly. Shaun let go of Desmond's wrists and the latter drew them close to his body, wrapping his arms around him like a safety blanket, obviously unaware that Lucy was already doing the same thing.
Rebecca and Shaun exchanged a glance, then the former laid her hand on Desmond's back. He jerked away, then relaxed.
"What happened?" Rebecca asked him gently.
He shook his head. "I... I don't know." Raising his eyes, he looked directly at Lucy. "I'm so sorry."
She glanced away, staring down, hoping against hope that no one believed him.
That night, Lucy was in her room, knees curled up close to her chest, crying on her bed. She didn't sob; tears just came endlessly.
What was she doing? Seeing Desmond so vulnerable had made her realize something: she had absolutely no right to be ripping his heart into pieces.
Because that's what she'd be doing by taking the Apple and abandoning him. She could see it in the way he looked at her.
She snarled, hating herself, then flung her face into her pillow, suppressing a scream. Why did this choice have to be so hard? Why couldn't Desmond have been a total ass, so then she didn't feel terrible?
Something shifted to her right. Frowning, Lucy listened, then slowly raised her head.
Desmond was there, crouching next to her head, eyes glowing like a cat's. Lucy stared for a second, stunned, then he pounced.
The force of his weight on her side rolled her over onto her back and put a tremendous pressure on her right arm.
She couldn't even begin to fathom why he was in her room, let alone how; she hadn't even heard the door open.
"Desmond, come on—" she started to plead, trying to rip her arm out from under his knee.
If you would salvage some part of you that once knew love
Hands tightened on her throat. "If you say another word, it'll be your last," Desmond hissed, fury in his now-golden eyes. Lucy obeyed, eyes darting around for a way out.
"I'm going to kill you," he growled into her face. "I'm going to kill you so you don't have the chance to betray us."
But I'm losing this
And I'm losing you
Clearly, he was hallucinating. She tried to comfort herself by remembering that there was no way he'd be able to figure anything out. He was probably seeing her as Uberto Alberti or something along those lines.
I've got to turn and run from faces that you never see
The only thing she could do was lay there, totally trapped, as his hands grew tighter around her neck. A few seconds after she couldn't breathe at all, she jerked once and lolled her head to the side, closing her eyes. She prayed he wouldn't figure out how fast she'd gone down.
The pressure remained on her windpipe for a few more seconds until she really did feel herself blacking out. But then it was gone and there was more weight on her chest; Desmond had sat up.
Lucy held her breath for a couple seconds, though her lungs screamed for air. Then her eyes shot open and, without waiting, she brought her leg up, slamming her knee into Desmond's back then kicking him in the head.
It didn't really hurt or stun him, just distracted him enough that while he was growling at her foot, she had time to turn her head and sink her teeth into his right thigh. He howled, and the pressure lightened on her arm, if only for a second.
A second was enough for Lucy for wrench her arm out from under Desmond and punch him square in the jaw. She didn't want to, but it was the only way to get him off her.
Desmond's head flew back, taking the rest of his body with him. As soon as his knees were off her arms, Lucy wiggled out from under him.
"Lucy, what the fuck are you—?" Shaun stood in the door, eyes widening. He looked at Desmond, who was slowly sitting up, nursing his injured jaw, then at Lucy, back pressed against her headboard, fists clenched.
I've got to save my blood from all that you've broken
Desmond's eyes landed on Lucy and flashed. As he started to make a move, Shaun strode forward and grabbed him, yanking him off the bed and onto his feet. The historian spun Desmond toward him, staring him hard in the face.
"Desmond," he said forcefully. "Knock it off."
Desmond just snarled in his face. "I've got to stop her," he hissed. "Don't you see? She's going to betray us all!"
Shaun glanced briefly at Lucy over Desmond's shoulder, then looked him in the eyes again. The younger Assassin was trying to get away again, straining, trying to reach the devil.
I hold these pieces of me
Drawing his hand back, Shaun slapped Desmond hard in the face. The latter snarled, then stopped abruptly, and Lucy could only assume he'd returned to normal. She averted her eyes and stared straight ahead as he turned toward her and sat down on the bed beside her.
"What happened...?" he was asking. Lucy kept her mouth shut as Shaun proceeded to chew the other man out.
"This is the second time today you've done this Desmond. What is going on?"
Lucy knew. It was his intuitive sixth sense, trying to warn him about the harm she was going to bring upon him.
But Desmond just shook his head. "I really don't know. I just remember a voice yelling in my head. I don't know what, but she sounded really angry, and like she was urging me to do something important."
It's too late now to stop the process
You let it in
Lucy shrunk down lower, trying to make herself as small as possible.
"It's like I was dreaming," Desmond was saying. "It doesn't really seem like it was real. And when you first... you know, it was so clear in my head what I had to do and why. But now it's totally gone."
This double life you lead is eating you up from within
"Lucy?" Shaun eyed her. "Any explanations?" Of course he was asking her. She knew the most about the Animus and its Bleeding Effect.
"Uh..." Lucy made an attempt to sit up straighter, and looked Shaun in the eye. Desmond was looking at her now too. "I've never heard of subjects hearing random voices unrelated to their memories." Slowly, hesitantly, she turned to Desmond. "Maybe it was Claudia's voice, or Maria's."
He was staring at his hands, looking thoughtful. "Maybe."
Desmond had forgotten all about that day. He went back to trusting her completely, suspecting nothing. Shaun did shoot her suspicious looks from time to time, though.
And all she could think about was whether she had made the right choice. Seeing the Assassins from this side made her realize how much they did care about her. She'd been brought up in ignorance, and William had been her first real taste of an Assassin. They weren't all like him, though.
Now she stood on the pedestal in that blue-and-black room, the Apple feet away from her.
"I can't believe we're finally here," was the only thing she could really say. Because seeing the other three Assassins' looks of wonder made her realize how inexperienced they really were with the Pieces of Eden. Not a single one of them had ever seen one in person. The Assassins weren't ready for such a great power. She had to bring it to Warren.
"You're sure you asked it the right thing?" Lucy was getting in on the conversation, and the sudden involvement made her voice sound oddly sad.
Shaun started telling Rebecca about the symbols that were appearing. Lucy ignored him and instead eyed the Apple. Desmond was inching closer to it, and a sudden realization struck her. Her eyes widened.
"Desmond, wait—!" she cried, but his hands were already wrapping around the Apple. There was a pulse of light, and then he was in front of her. She didn't know how he did it, and her brain attempted to rationalize. But it couldn't.
A thousand shards of glass you pushed beneath my skin
I'm bleeding. She tried to cry out, but she couldn't. The pain in her abdomen was so intense she wanted to burst into tears. But she couldn't. Everything, every cell in her body was directed at the wound in her stomach. She collapsed, still not fully understanding what had just happened.
Lucy lay on the floor, Desmond a foot from her face. She didn't know what was going on. Why was everything getting dark? Why was Desmond unconscious? Was he bleeding?
No, that's me, she reminded herself.
Left me lying there to bleed
There was shouting, and feet ran behind Desmond. A face appeared in front of her, saying something frantically. Lucy could no longer make out the words nor the facial features of whoever was in her rapidly fading vision.
And as the world faded, only one thing was on her mind: What did I do wrong?
Whiteness. Lucy's eyes opened, but they didn't really open; what was the point of seeing if it didn't make any sense? She couldn't remember a thing, couldn't move, and everything was white. Heaven? Or something else?
Her eyes rolled back in her head, and white turned to black.
"Lucy." A startlingly familiar voice woke her. Lucy's eyes opened—for real this time. Nothing was blurry, and she knew in an instant where she was.
A hospital; whether a real, government-run one or a wing in an Assassin hideout, she didn't know. An IV was hooked to her arm and somewhere next to her, a machine beeped rhythmically.
Every breath shot sharp pains through her abdomen. Lucy winced and tried to ignore it, instead focusing on the owner of the voice that had called to her.
It was William. Lucy's eyes widened and she pushed herself further into the mattress, trying to shrink away. William appeared not to notice, and instead leaned closer, concern in his voice.
"How are you feeling?" he asked. Lucy just blinked.
"Lucy," he repeated, firmer.
"I feel okay," she croaked, her voice feeling like it hadn't been used in days.
William nodded and wrote something down on a clipboard he held in his lap. Lucy eyed it, then wondered aloud, "What happened?"
He sighed, put down his pen, then raised his eyes to her. "Lucy..." He paused. "You were stabbed."
She blinked again, then frowned. "But... how? There was no one else there, just us..."
"It, uh..." William sighed deeply, sounding so tired. "It was Desmond."
Utter shock resounded inside Lucy's brain, but she didn't show it. The only thing that changed was her widened eyes. "Oh," she breathed.
But as the light in you went dark, I saw you turn over
"How could he have done that to me?" she demanded, but it was still a whisper. "What did I do wrong?"
"That's what we'd like to know." William stared pointedly.
Lucy cringed, hoping William wasn't good at reading body language. If he knew about her Templar alliance, he'd surely regret saving her.
"Why don't you just ask him?" She diverted the conversation away from herself. "Surely he must know."
William just shook his head. "He's in a coma."
Lucy stared.
"Apparently, the shock of killing you was too much to bear; the Animus is the only thing that's keeping him alive." Noticing the surprise on her face, he nodded. "Yes, Lucy, killing you. You were clinically dead for several seconds. A few times actually, both before and during the surgery."
Surgery? Lucy brought her hand to her stomach. Through the sheets she felt thick bandages winding around her midsection. Her touch brought more pain.
"You were in surgery for ten hours," William went on. "And then three days of recovery."
"Three days?" No wonder she could barely speak!
William nodded. "It's the fourteenth."
Lucy felt faint. The last time she had been conscious was four days ago.
"Excellent job in finding the Apple, by the way," William was saying.
She didn't mention the fact that it had almost killed her. Instead she remembered that it was now her duty to steal the Apple and bring it to Abstergo. The thought made her heart shrivel.
A week later, Lucy was recovered enough to travel. She had since learned that she was in an Assassin hideout in the very north western corner of Italy that even she didn't know about. They couldn't stay there, though; apparently Desmond had found co-ordinates for a temple whilst unconscious. Even though she was an Animus expert, Lucy had never heard of subjects being able to find their way through their memories on their own.
They were taking a cargo plane to New York. America, at last, after all these years. Lucy couldn't even remember the last time she'd been to her home country.
And apparently she almost didn't get the chance. She'd heard that Shaun was insisting they leave without her, complaining that they were "wasting time" by waiting for her to recover. Rebecca, however, wasn't moving until her friend was well. And Shaun couldn't go anywhere without an Animus technician.
Rebecca's kindness only made Lucy feel guilty. The brunette would never know what was about to happen to her until it was too late.
I wanted to always be there for you and close to you
But I'm losing this
The plane ride was the quietest she had ever been on; everyone was too busy watching over Desmond to make sure nothing happened. And she found she couldn't look at him.
He'd nearly killed her! And now everyone was twittering around Desmond like a flock of worrisome birds, and where was Lucy? Sitting the corner, staring at the wall, wishing these stupid planes had windows. The pains in her stomach were still intense, but not once did any of the other three ask her how she was. They never asked if she needed anything, didn't even ask if she was okay after almost dying.
The ten-hour plane ride felt like a long one, and every minute that passed nursed Lucy's resentment and neglect. For ten fucking hours, she did nothing but sit on the floor and stare at her shoe, fuelling the bitter hate inside her heart. She didn't care anymore. She didn't care how bad she hurt these people. She was getting the Apple and getting out of there if it killed her.
And I'm losing you
She thought a lot. Thought about her life, her decisions. Wondered how she ended up in this mess. You sent in a job application to Dr Warren Vidic, she reminded herself bitterly, glaring at the blank wall.
Slowly, she cast another glance toward the team. They talked softly among themselves, fiddling with buttons and monitors. Before she could look away, Shaun's eyes locked on to hers. His hard gaze kept her transfixed—she didn't want to look away. But he did first.
Lucy sighed and dropped her eyes again. She'd tried to convey a message through her gaze. Help me. Stop treating me like a stranger. Shaun either didn't see it or didn't care. But she hadn't seen an ounce of compassion or even curiosity in his sharp gaze.
She suddenly became aware of how distant she was from the rest of the group. Became aware of how alone she must look.
The drive from the Griffiss International Airport to Turin was far too similar to the plane ride. A van with no windows. Lucy sat on one of the seats and leaned her head against the wall, feeling every bump in the road reverberate through her skull, while the others hovered around Desmond like birds. No, that wasn't right. They hovered like flies around a corpse.
And the Apple was just sitting there. Lucy found herself staring at it, almost hungrily, transfixed by its glow. It would soon be hers.
Her eyes found their way to Desmond. Through the bodies clustered around him, she saw his forehead crease in a frown. He winced, stretching his scar.
Lucy now frowned. Shouldn't he be in a coma?
"Look!" Rebecca gasped. "He's... moving!"
Yeah, no shit Sherlock ,Lucy thought sarcastically, then almost jumped out of her skin when Desmond opened his eyes. They locked on to her almost immediately.
I've got to turn and run from faces that you never see
Lucy cringed away from his sharp eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that he'd figured something out about her.
"I know what we have to do," he breathed, and Lucy's heart almost stopped; she figured he was going to pin her down and stab her until she was really dead.
I've got to save my blood from all that you've broken
But then the van shuddered to a stop, and Desmond looked away. Lucy breathed a sigh of relief as William opened the doors, letting in the still-warm October air. Everyone turned toward the grassy hill, and Lucy saw her opportunity. As the Assassins stepped off the van, Lucy snatched the Apple from the table because of course they hadn't taken it. Why would they? They'd never expect she'd be the one to steal it.
As the Apple touched her fingertips, Lucy felt dark tendrils of foreboding creeping into her mind, almost like what she had felt when Desmond first laid his hands on it. She ignored it and hopped out the back of the van, landing silently on the grass behind the Assassins. They didn't turn around, since they assumed Lucy was getting out of the van to follow them.
"Lucy, look at—" Lucy froze and raised her head, already on her way around the van. Desmond had also stopped, staring at her with his mouth slightly open.
She shook her head. I'm SORRY! she tried to scream. But that would tip everyone off, wouldn't it? So she just shook her head again, fiercely, and pleaded with her eyes. Don't say anything. Please don't say anything.
I hold these pieces of me
Without waiting, she turned away and scurried to the driver's side, throwing open its door. The driver - another Assassin, of course - raised his eyebrows when she hesitated. "Everything okay? These are the exact co-ordinates you gave me—"
Lucy struck. She swung the Apple high in the air, then brought it down on the Assassin's head before he had time to react. There was a thud, and he slumped, unconscious. Or so she hoped.
Maybe without me you'll return
All the beauty I once knew
Lucy undid his seatbelt and let his body slither to the ground.
"Lucy, what's—?" Warren rounded the corner. His eyes darted from the body on the ground to the Apple in Lucy's hand. He shot towards the back of the van.
"Ah, shit," Lucy hissed, then jumped over the Assassin and into the driver's seat. She was supposed to leave quietly. Warren was probably calling for help.
Cursing, Lucy's foot slammed on the accelerator, and the van fishtailed before bumpily heading down the dirt road. In the wrong direction.
Lucy's foot hit the brakes and she cranked the wheel, turning the vehicle sharply 180 degrees, almost hitting a tree in the process.
She was now facing the Assassins, and would have to drive past them to get back on the road to the airport. There was the Assassin she'd never learnt the name of, lying on the ground. Behind him were a shattered Animus and several computers; the doors had been open when she took off, throwing all the cargo out the back.
Her eyes darted to the rest of her team. Shaun was holding Desmond on the ground, yelling into his face while the American struggled. Lucy couldn't figure out why until she saw Warren's eye pressed to the viewer of a sniper rifle, which he had apparently pulled out the back of the van before she'd taken off.
"Fuck!" Lucy gasped. Seeing no other way, she pushed the gas pedal to the floor and the van took off—giving Warren an even better shot.
But if I stay, I know we'll both be drowned by your holding on to me
The glass to her right rippled, and cracks spiderwebbed from a small hole that had been torn by a bullet.
"Oh, fuck." She eyed the broken glass, then glanced at the bullet-sized hole in her passenger seat. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."
But she had nowhere else to go. Her driver-side mirror was taken out next, then, as she got closer, there was a sudden crack and the glass in front of her face exploded in all directions.
I've got to turn and run from faces that you never see
Blind, Lucy tried to keep the car straight, but there was the unholy sound of metal screeching. There was white in front of her, hitting her hard in the nose as her body continued moving even after the van had halted.
There was a hissing sound, and everything stopped. Lucy slowly raised her head off the steering wheel, blinking blood out of her eyes.
A large branch was literally inches from impaling her head. Lucy breathed out, and with that came the almost-familiar pain in her stomach from her knife wound.
Upon instinct, she glanced down quickly, looked back up, then did a double-take. Blood was staining her jacket, though not where it should've been.
Her first thought was that her stitches had ripped. But that didn't make any sense, she'd never gotten any stitches on her arm... Had she?
I've got to save my blood from all that you've broken
And then the pain was there. Exploding from her arm, her nose, her stomach. Lucy forced open her door and half-fell out, landing hard on her hands and knees. Already blood was making its way down her left wrist, somehow both numbing the pain and inflaming it.
She sat up, head spinning, and yanked off her jacket, dropping it behind her. One look at the wound on her arm made her feel faint.
There was a jagged hole about halfway down her bicep, steadily pumping blood. There was obviously no bullet - bullets from that gun would've been at least two inches long - so it had gone all the way through, likely ripping through bone. Lucy gulped and stared at it, then her head shot up as she remembered. The Apple! There was no way she was going through this without something to show for it.
Where was it? Lucy stood, holding her left arm close to her body and using her right to steady herself against the van, then peered into it.
She didn't see the Apple on the dashboard and started to panic, until, beneath the blood and broken glass, she saw it on the floor near the brake pedal. Hearing shouting, Lucy quickly bent down and scooped it up, cradling it close to her body.
I hold these pieces of me
Lucy looked past the van into the forest beyond. More shouts sent her scurrying into it, limping away with the Apple clutched to her stomach.
"Lucy!" Warren was screaming after her. "Lucy, come back! I don't want to have to do this!"
"Fat fucking chance," she hissed, weaving through trees.
Leaves crunched behind her, and, panting, Lucy picked up the pace. She blinked rapidly as branches and undergrowth started to blur before her eyes.
The broken pieces
I hold these pieces of me
Then there was suddenly a hand over her wound, pulling her back. Lucy cried out, trying to twist away from the pain. She whipped around, snarling at whoever had her—
Desmond stared. "Lucy," he pleaded. "Don't do this."
"I have to," Lucy said desperately and tried to pull away again because she had already forgotten his hand was still on her arm, her bleeding arm...
Pain shot through her and she twisted again, this time collapsing. Desmond, shocked, released her as she fell hard to the forest floor. The Apple remained clutched in her hand. It was her support, her life.
And as the blood drained out of her, she felt fingers on hers. Delirious, she thought Desmond was trying to hold her hand until he started to pry the Apple away from her. "No..." Lucy moaned, holding on as hard as she could. But it wasn't enough.
And as Desmond's fingers made contact with its cold surface, light pulsed from the Apple. Lucy looked up, eyes wide, as a shadowy figure above her raised its arm.
Do it RIGHT this time! She thought she heard a voice, a female voice, but that didn't make any sense...
Suddenly she couldn't breathe. She felt the cold steel enter her throat, tried to scream as more pain exploded through her body. But she couldn't.
The broken pieces
I hold these pieces of me
Lucy opened her mouth and blood streamed out. She tried to say something, anything, but it was no longer possible. Everything was black; apparently her eyes had died before she had.
But she wouldn't be far behind. Lucy's body heaved, trying to get up, trying to fight one last time, but then it gave up. Blood was running out, counting down her final seconds.
Her fingers clutched a handful of damp leaves, and she felt cold earth on her cheek. There were so many more things she wanted to do, to think. But her mind was gone.
"The moon. I can see the moon."
So yeah. This happened.
I don't even know how this ended up so long. I completely forgive you if you're all like "tl;dr" and ditch. Go for it.