AN: Gargoyles and its affiliated characters belong to Disney/Greg. Any other characters belong to me.
Pain
My eyes opened a crack. I rolled over and pulled the blankets up over my head. It was the fifteenth again. My chest constricted and I curled around the pain. They say time heals all wounds…how long would this take? Was there such a thing as time when you were facing eternity?
I rolled out of bed, darting for the bathroom. My guts ended up in the toilet. I heaved until there was nothing left and heaved some more. I had to force myself to stop. My hands shook as I leaned over the sink, rinsing my mouth out. I turned to the tub, filling it with water as hot as I could stand. Steam filled the room and for a moment, I could forget.
I stripped, feeling the moisture on my skin. I focused on that, my body soothed by the softness of the steam. It was still the fifteenth. My hands curled into fists, my jaw clenched. Against the far wall, I saw a dim, red glow.
I stepped into the tub, completely submerging my head, and screamed into the water. I came up spitting. Water streamed down my face, mixing with the tears. That was good. Now I could pretend I felt nothing. I hugged my knees tightly, rocking myself. When would it end? When would the pain go away? Images flashed through my mind. Broken buildings. Bodies. Rubble.
I dunked myself again, staying under as long as possible. My lungs screamed for air. My body shoved my mind aside and I surfaced again, gasping. I gripped my hair, pulling in fury. The scream burst from me, shocking even me. Redness bathed the shower wall in front of me. The tiles turned to dust, the wall underneath beginning to crumble. I choked down the scream. This was not working this month.
I got out of the tub, drying off and dressing sloppily in whatever came to hand. I ran from my room. I hit the elevator, pounding the down button furiously. I paced the confined space like a wild animal. I had to get out. The walls were closing in. I was losing control. The ground floor dinged and the door opened. I ran. I hit the door at a full sprint and ran into the city, hoping to find oblivion.
