Booth ran frantically around, her screaming echoing in his head.
"Booth, help me! Help me! Aaah!"
The last one was a scream of pain and he knew Pratt was torturing her.
He needed to save her, but he couldn't find her.
The streets were empty; like he, Bones and Pratt were the last people on earth.
He ran, arms pumping and sweat beading on his forehead despite the cold weather nipping at his face.
The scene dramatically changed to one he knew all too well. The skyscraper buildings were replaced by one abandoned, dilapidated warehouse.
He heard her pain filled screams again, then her begging for Booth to save her.
Booth ran forward, stumbling a little with the force of her screams vibrating through his body.
His legs felt thick and he kept tripping as he tried to reach the door. No matter how long he ran, it remained just out of reach.
She let loose a blood curdling scream that made Booth double over, clawing at his ears.
She never screamed like that. She just wasn't supposed to. He needed to get to her before it was too late.
The last thought penetrated his mind like daggers. It gave him inhuman strength that he didn't know he possessed and he was able to reach the door, feeling like he was fighting through quicksand with lead legs. He yanked the door open with all his might, causing it to fly off the hinges.
He pulled out his gun, trying to let his eyes adjust so he could see inside the black pit.
Suddenly, bright lights flashed on, blinding him.
The next thing he saw was Brennan, sitting lashed to a chair with thick bindings. Then he noticed that the whole room was covered with snakes. Some were even crawling all over her.
Booth knew she hated snakes; her one known fear. He also recognized the snakes as poisonous.
Without thinking about his own safety, he battled his way across the land of snakes. He stepped on them as he went, loving the satisfying crunch of their bones snapping.
He finally reached her and began prying off the snakes that had crawled on her, even kicking a few of the ones that were crawling up his pants. But they were just replaced by more.
Suddenly, the snakes all disappeared, followed by an eerie laughter that bounced off the wall, echoing profusely.
Booth wasted no time in untying her; first her arms, then her legs, but she still slumped on the chair.
That was when Booth noticed the bite marks all over her body. He grabbed her face with both of his hands, cupping her cheeks. She gave a little moan in protest. Booth looked into her eyes. The lids were half open; she was finding it took too much effort to keep them open with the poison coursing through her veins. They were dazed and unfocused and from time to time rolled back in her head.
She passed out then, falling almost to the floor before Booth caught her. He cradled her like a baby in his arms as he tried to make his way to the door.
He knew that if he didn't get her to the hospital soon, she would die from the snake poison. But the door was gone.
Bones stirred in his arms, calling his name softly. He didn't know what to do.
That's when the snakes reappeared, slithering up him as they tried to get to her. He tried his best to keep them away, but there were just too many.
One of the snakes bit him hard, drawing blood. It caused him to drop Bones' delicate body on the floor and he cursed.
He reached for his gun to fire some shots, only to find that it had been lost in the sea of snakes.
He saw Bones, just out of reach, her arm extended towards him. He reached for her, too and he felt their fingers brush before she passed out.
The whole room of snakes shuddered and started convulsing. They flew toward each other, forming a body.
They transformed into Pratt, hovering over Bones' body, holding Booth's gun in his hands.
Booth let out a strangled cry and Pratt turned towards him. Booth stared in horror at the eyes and fangs of a snake on Pratt's face.
Booth tried to move, but he was frozen in place, his feet rooted to the ground by some unseen force.
Pratt raised the gun and shot her once, right near the heart.
"No!" Booth screamed, struggling against his invisible bonds. Tears streamed down his face and his body began to crumple. He couldn't breathe. He was too late.
Too late.
Booth found he was able to move again and he lunged with animal force at Pratt, ready to strangle him with his bare hands.
Pratt winked his snake eye at him once before disappearing, leaving his echoing and taunting laugh behind.
Booth ran over to her, kneeling down in the insane amount of blood around her. He could smell the tangy, metallic scent, making him gag.
He ripped off his shirt and pushed down on the wound, trying to staunch the blood flow. He knew it was useless, but he kept it there anyway.
His body wracked with sobs. Then he saw her eyes snap open.
"Think about it," she said in her clear, familiar, comforting voice. "Things are not what they seem."
"What?" he choked out, surprised that she was even conscious.
A second later, her body was gone and he was left clutching the remnants of his bloody shirt, kneeling in her blood.
He whipped his head back and forth, searching for her, calling her name.
He heard a loud creak before the building collapsed on him, swallowing his screams.
He lay, staring up at darkness, feeling the building on top of him, but wondering why he wasn't dead. Brennan and Pratt's face was swirling in front of him.
The one he loved and the one he hated. Both gone.
And it was all his fault.
Oh, please Booth, it's not all your fault…Have some hope.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, I have more coming up soon. Be sure to comment.
xoxo
Janelle