Lost. Ch. 25 A/N:
Disclaimer: Hikari does not own or claim to own Hetalia.
Racing faster,
Escape disaster,
Partners in crime will leave their mark
We make our own way,
No thoughts of yesterday,
Black hearts of chrome and battle scars (chrome and battle scars)
Oh.
The legacy,
Born from a dream,
On leather wings,
Rose from the streets,
With the hands on destiny,
We came from nothing,
But promise one thing,
We'll change the world with these guitars,
So listen closely,
And don't stop working,
No one can tell you who you are (tell you who you are)
Oh,
The legacy,
Born from a dream,
On leather wings,
Rose from the streets,
With the hands on destiny,
The legacy,
Born from a dream,
On leather wings,
Rose from the streets,
With the hands on destiny,
Argh
Run
(Run)
Run
Never look back!
Run
(Run)
Run
Never look back!
Run
Run
Run
Never look back!
Run!
The legacy,
Born from a dream,
On leather wings,
Rose from the streets,
With the hands on destiny,
The legacy,
Born from a dream,
On leather wings,
Rose from the streets,
With the hands on destiny,
The Legacy by Black Veil Brides
Glass shattered. Metal bent in on itself. The plane was enveloped into the darkness of the night as the electricity drowned out. Fire sparked from the control area, slowly spreading to areas where water had not yet swallowed.
The water slowly drags the plane down into the depths. The dark torrents slowly inched their way closer; relatively slow at first and then faster at an alarming rate.
The passengers in the plane quickly leapt up from their seat and started scrambling towards the emergency exit; at least all but one. Water was starting to leak into the planes middle, sending panic through the people inside.
Panicked cries filled the quiet night sky. Hands trembled in the dark trying to undo the door but it was in vain. The door had gotten jammed by the force of the crash. No one has received any serious injuries other than a cut or bump.
A blond man near the back glanced towards the front of the plane where he could see an orange glow casting flickering shadows off the walls and water slowly inching in and claiming the plane. His brother had not yet emerged from his seat and he was growing worried quickly.
A hand rested on his shoulder. Ludwig jumped and turned to be inches away from Elizabetha's face. He wasn't used to seeing her looking so terrified or worried. His anger towards her mellowed slightly.
"Ludwig, I'll go get Gilbert. You're the strongest one here; we need you to open the door." Elizabetha cried over the others shouts. Ludwig hesitated for a fraction of a second but agreed. Elizabetha wasted no time by dashing off towards the nose of the plane as Ludwig approached the door.
Elizabetha cautiously stopped inside the control room. Her eyes instantly darted to the large seats positioned in front of the window. Fear gripped every fiber of her body. The only thing she could see out of the window was the steadily rising water level. Flames were licking at the controls and slowly making their way towards the body of the plane. But that wasn't what scared Elizabetha.
She couldn't see Gilbert.
Heart pounding in her chest, she took unsteady steps closer. She wasn't sure if she wanted to see what might have happened to him. Horrible visions painted her mind and all she could think of was that the last conversation they would have shared would have been a fight that resulted in Gilbert admitting that he thought Elizabetha was cheating on him.
She couldn't show how much it hurt to hear him accuse her of loving Roderick the way he had thought. She wished she had told him now. If Gilbert was really dead, Elizabetha would never forgive herself; to let him die believing such nonsense.
The heat from the flames was hot against her face, nearly burning her skin. She couldn't bring herself to move faster though and get out. She wanted to delay what she thought was the inevitable of finding her lovers body. She didn't want to face the reality of that or have to either drag him out or leave him behind to be swallowed by the cold water and have his flesh slowly eaten by the fish in his watery grave.
As she inched closer, Elizabetha could see a sliver of silver hair from her position behind the chair. A sob escaped Elizabetha's voice. She forced herself to get it over with and crossed to the side of the seat. She quickly covered her mouth to hold back her sobs that threatened to wrack her body.
There was Gilbert; lying over the controls with blood seeping from a wound on his forehead. His eyelids were lightly closed giving him a peaceful look; something that didn't fit the loud Prussian nor the desperate and chaotic situation. She let her feet carry her over to his body. She rested a hand against his silver locks. Tears were freely flowing down her cheek. She tenderly let her hand trace his cheek and then his jaw.
Then she noticed something that breathed hope back into her chest.
His chest was rising and falling. He was breathing!
"G-Gilbert!" Elizabetha exclaimed, her voice choked with tears. Her hands wrapped around his shoulders, shaking him desperately, "Wake up!"
Gilbert flopped in her grasp like a fish out of water. Elizabetha moved closer to him, gripping his shoulders and trying to tug him out of the chair. A sickening crack was heard over the crackling and snapping of the flame. Gilbert cried out in pain and Elizabetha realized with horror that one of his legs was crushed under the seat. Scarlet red was slowly staining the area around his knee and his peaceful expression contorted in pain.
Elizabetha stopped, her heart pounding in her chest and tears leaving dirt streaks on her face. "Oh God! Oh God, oh God, oh God!" she whimpered helplessly. She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to hurt him but she only had a limited amount of time before the water slowly creeping towards her and Gilbert or the flames pressing up against her back killed them.
"Gilbert! Wake up!" she begged him once again. She gently patted his pale cheek, fearing she may hurt him if she touched him any harder than that. Desperation was filling her body. The cabin was quickly filling with smoke and heat; making it difficult for her to breathe and scorching her skin.
A sob escaped her dry throat; sounding raw and terrified. She tightly gripped him as she continued to shake his shoulders. She couldn't lose him, she just couldn't. She had to tell him how much she loved him. She had to tell him how much she was sorry for fighting with him over something so stupid. She wanted to spend more time with him; to love him. She wanted to see his fiery red eyes or his devilish smirk or his snow white hair framing flawless pale skin. She wanted to feel his strong arms wrap around her waist or brush her cheek. She wanted to feel his heart beating on her chest as he gently pressed their lips together. She just wanted the man she loved to stay with her.
A quiet, tired moan filled Elizabetha's ears. A gasp escaped her own lips as she looked into the Prussians face. His eye lids flickered softly, his face contorting more in pain. Elizabetha gently cupped his cheek with a tender hand.
"G-Gil? You have to wake up. W-we need to g-go!" Elizabetha desperately called to him. Gilbert moaned again and blinked his eyes open. Glazed over in a way that terrified Elizabetha, Gilbert started back at her. His blank expression morphed to one of confusion then to one of anger.
"W-what the h-hell?" he asked. As soon as he managed to get the words out, he was overcome by a fit of coughing. Elizabetha fearfully rubbed his back, quickly darting around to the flames closing in on them.
At his attempt to move, Gilbert cried out in pain, caught off guard from the strong wave of pain that seized his body in a wave. Elizabetha took his hand as it darted to his leg.
"Don't touch it! The plane crushed your leg when we crashed! We need to get out of here but you're stuck!" Elizabetha cried out.
Gilbert pushed her hands away. What he was to say would break Elizabetha's heart. He looked square into her eyes. Every feature was entirely serious, "Elizabetha; get out of here!" he yelled, pushing her further away.
"W-what?" Elizabetha protested, "N-No! I'm not leaving you here! You'll die!"
Gilbert sighed. Instead of pushing her away, his hand gently covered hers with a tenderness that Elizabetha had never felt from anyone. She knew in that moment that despite what she said and what he said and what they hadn't yet said, he still loved her with all his heart. More tears dripped from her eyes.
"Liz," Gilbert whispered in a soft voice that Elizabetha had never heard him say before and hadn't thought been possible until now, "If you stay, we'll both die. I'm not getting out of this. If you go now, at least one of us will live." Elizabetha opened her both to argue with him but was interrupted by the Prussian, "Please Liz, I would never be able to deal with your blood staining my hands. Please don't make me deal with that."
Elizabetha's head bent into her hands, her shoulders shaking with great, choking sobs. "I can't leave you! Please, Gilbert, we have to at least try!" she cried.
"There isn't much time. Just get out of here and don't look back. I won't suffer, I promise!" Gilbert gently kissed her knuckles, closing his eyes tight. Elizabetha hated to see a man once so full of life so hopeless. He had faced death in the eye many times before; spat in its face and chased it off with his signature laugh. Now he was bending under the pressure and giving into it.
Suddenly an idea struck Elizabetha, "Gil, hold on! I have an idea!" she exclaimed. She let go of his hand and sprinted as fast as her legs would carry her. Her heart nearly burst with joy. Ludwig was helping all the others out of the plane with the help of Roderick. Elizabetha dashed over to them, panting.
"G-Gilbert's t-trapped!" was all she said. Ludwig's eyes widened and he left Roderick to go back with Elizabetha. When they arrived, the air was almost gray with ash and the flames were even closer; too close for comfort.
Gilbert was holding his shirt to his face, trying to breathe through the fabric. He had been in the smoke for a long time and it was difficult for him to breathe.
Ludwig's skilled eyes quickly picked out the problem without anyone having to tell him what the problem was. As Elizabetha rejoined Gilbert, Ludwig went to Gilbert's leg and gripped the metal crushing his knee. The metal was hot to the touch but Ludwig hardly felt it. He was consumed by adrenaline and the burning need to get his brother out of his metal trap. He grunted loudly as he pried up on the metal. The metal groaned in response, slowly moving away from the trapped limb.
Gilbert winced, biting his lip as the pain engulfed him again. His body was stiff in his seat, his hands tightly gripping Elizabetha's hands as if they were a life line. Elizabetha squeezed back, tears pricking her eyes. She hated to see him in such pain. She vigorously prayed to God that he watched over them and helped them all to safety.
There was a loud crunch as Ludwig ripped the metal away from Gilbert's leg. A small gasp of pain escaped Gilbert's ash coated lips.
"L-Ludwig, L-Liz, g-get out! I can d-do this on my o-own!" Gilbert panted, sitting up. He tried to move his leg to the side but stiffened again in pain.
"Ludwig, you go help everyone else out! I'll stay behind and help Gilbert!" Elizabetha ordered. Ludwig knew his help could be used elsewhere and nodded, quickly hurrying back to help Roderick get the last few people out.
Elizabethan gently tugged Gilbert's arm over her shoulder. She could have sworn she heard a sharp intake of breath from him but it was so faint that perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her.
She helped him to his feet. He didn't put any weight on his other leg and leaned heavily against Elizabetha; entirely dependent on her. Elizabetha knew they had very little time left. The fire was scorching hot and her throat was raw and the water level was starting to rise even faster.
Elizabetha took a small step, wanting to test Gilbert's strength first. Her own legs were trembling from fear. A mistake of hers could lead to Gilbert getting hurt or even worse. Her panic sharpened her senses. The crackling of the fire roared in her ear, each drop of water reverberated ominously through her head, the creaking of the plane sent shivers down her back and Gilbert's harsh breathing made her feel even more scared and worried.
Gilbert bit his lip to keep silent but it was clear that it hurt him immensely to walk. Elizabetha angled her shoulder skywards to take some pressure off of his wounded leg. She continued to walk slowly, determined to get him out.
Gilbert struggled to keep up but persevered and pushed through the pain that shot up his leg, showing some of the usual Gilbert fire. His leg was drug behind him uselessly. His clothing around his knee was stained red and blood ran down his nose from his forehead from when his head slammed into the controls.
He watched as the exit inched closer and closing. The prevailing heat slowly started to fade as he and Elizabetha inched away from the cabin area. His heart beat quickened. He was so close to freedom! So close to gaining a life he thought was destined to perish. He was so close to gaining the thing the plane had tried to snatch from him.
He barely had any warning of the next disaster. He heard a strange noise and turned his head back towards the front window when a control box exploded. A piece of flaming hot metal sliced past one of his eyes. What felt like thousands of tiny little razors ripped his clothing. Both him and Elizabetha lost their balance and crashed to the ground. Gilbert thought quick and positioned himself above Elizabetha to prevent her from getting hurt. Pain exploded from his knee as it slammed with the floor. He let out a muffled cry and closed his eyes.
He was quickly choked by a veil of black nothingness as the pain grew too much for him to handle.
Elizabetha was suddenly dazed as she and Gilbert was knocked off balance by a huge pressure behind them. They tumbled to the ground, Gilbert shielding Elizabetha's body with his own. She heard a soft cry escaped his cracked lips.
As soon as the last bits settled, Elizabetha rose. Her heart nearly skipped a beat when she felt Gilbert's dead weight hanging on her. She carefully turned around and was horrified to see him so limp. Her immediate thoughts were that Gilbert was dead. His face was grotesque; blood rapidly dripping from a deep wound somewhere around his eyes. Elizabetha couldn't pinpoint where the exact wound was since blood painted a large area around his eye. A chocked sob escaped her throat.
"G-Gil?" she whispered. She could hardly recognize her own voice. It was so harsh and raspy. The taste of ash was thick in her mouth, making her stomach churn in disgust. Almost like a zombie, a trembling hand gently felt along his neck. Her heart beat quicker to feel his heart beating against her touch. He was still fighting. Despite Gilbert's loss of hope, his body wouldn't abandon hope.
Elizabetha carefully stood up, trying not to hurt him by moving him. She didn't know if the force of the explosion had hurt him in another way other than the wound on his face and the rips in his clothing. She carefully wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held him up with a hand on his waist.
The plane was starting to sink even quicker now. Elizabetha's heart beat accelerated at every creak, drop or splash. She could hear the others voices outside, driving her to continue even more. She could hear Gilbert's voice in her head; louder than anything else. Replaying his voice over and over like a record player reminded her of what she could lose if she wasn't careful. Each footstep took her closer and closer to her escape. Each step brought her closer to salvation. Each step brought her closer to guaranteeing Gilbert's safety.
As she neared the door, Ludwig noticed her struggling over with a limp Gilbert and ran over to help. He had heard the small explosion and had been watching carefully with the eyes of a hawk. He collected Gilbert's body into his grasp and hurried to the door, flanked by the Hungarian. He handed Gilbert off to Roderick and then helped Elizabetha into one of the emergency floats. Elizabetha paused to help Ludwig out before turning her attention back to Gilbert.
It was now too dark to see what he looked like other than the dark patch of blood around his eye. His chest rose and fell weakly; his breathing weak and raspy like a chain smoker. His injured leg was stretched out, his jeans stained red around his knees. It broke Elizabetha's heart to see him in such conditions. She traced his jawline and caressed his cheek before ripping the hem of her dress into long strips that she wrapped around his eye, knee and forehead. It wasn't professional looking by no means but it would at least do for the moment until Gilbert could receive better medical attention.
The night drug on slowly. Everyone was silent for the most part; albeit some occasional chatting or discussions. Water gently lapped at the sides of the boat. There was a sound unlike any other when the plane was finally consumed by the dark water, great bubbles emerging from the water. At one point, Arthur started freaking out because the water washed Alfred's smell off of his bomber jacket. Practically everyone tried to console him and calm him down. He eventually silenced when he slipped into a deep sleep from exhaustion.
The only light source they had was the moon but even that was starting to sink towards the horizon. Gilbert's white hair looked ghost like when the moonlight shined against it. The sun would rise soon as result of the fading moon. Almost everyone fell asleep at one point or another but Elizabetha stayed up with Ludwig the entire time to watch the raft and to check up on Gilbert.
In the early hours of the morning, just as the sun was beginning to peak out from its night slumber, a sliver of land grew in the distance. When Elizabetha came to the realization that land was ahead, she woke everyone up with a joyous cry;
"Land! Everyone look! There's land!" More effective than any alarm clock, everyone woke up quickly. Murmurs of excitement echoed around the boat. For the first time in a while, everyone was grinning and even cheering. Gilbert stayed unconscious however, which did deter Elizabetha's good news.
They watched as the raft slowly inched towards the island at an agonizingly slow pace. Eventually, they grew impatient and started paddling with whatever they had; mostly being their hands.
The sun continued to inch its way further into the sky. Dawn shined down upon the exhausted refugees like a beam from heaven, guiding them to their haven. The suns golden fingers pointed the way to safety and hope.
The rays led the group towards Nantucket Island on the country of the United States of America.
A/N: HEY GUYS! Happy late Valentine's day! I loves you all! Off that note, I had a few short things to say. I know I haven't updated in a while but I appreciate every review so please make sure that you send one in. Another thing, I was wondering what kind of critique you have for my writing. I know I need to develop my skills in word diction and variety in sentence structure but what else would you suggest. Thanks and love you all!