Devi sat up in her bed, her tossing and turning interrupted by the loud noise at her door.
"Tenna," Devi growled as she got out of the bed. She should have known that Tenna wouldn't give up so easily. Devi knew better than to hold out hope that maybe Tenna would let go of the subject of her going out.
Devi staggered to the door, not at all pleased with the thought of dealing with Tenna again. "This had better be good," she said to the person on the other side of the door before opening all of her locks and flinging open the door.
Johnny fell into the room, having been using the door as support so that he could try to get up and get away before she saw him.
Reacting on instinct, Devi screamed and jumped back, looking around the room for a weapon to defend herself with. "What are you doing here?" she half yelled.
Nny groaned as he worked to get up off of her floor. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, and see you one last time," he managed to wheeze out. "I'll leave now."
Devi's jaw dropped as she noticed the blood that covered him and was now dripping on her floor. Had the powers that be heard her and granted her wish. Devi felt almost sick. Sure she had wanted to kill people before, but she wasn't sure that she really was ready to be able to say she wanted someone to die and then see then die.
Johnny slipped a little in his blood, falling back onto the floor face first. It was obvious to Devi that he would die before the sun rose, and that almost made her sad. As much as she hated him for what he had done to her, she had once loved him, and the remnants of that love still clung to the tatters that were once her heart. "Why me?"
Johnny managed to actually pick himself up off of the floor enough to look at her, his eyes begging her to ask him to stay. "I don't want to die alone," he whispered. A tear slid down his cheek as he prepared himself for the inevitable rejection that she would give him. He closed his eyes and took in a deep breath, preparing to try again to get up and out of her life for the last time when he felt hands grab him underneath the armpits.
Devi easily lifted the skinny man from the floor where he had been and dragged him as gently as she could to her room. "If you kill me," she said, "I will torture you in hell. I don't even know why I'm doing this."
Nny hissed a little in pain as he was lowered onto her bed. "I don't want to hurt you. I've hurt you enough. I'm so sorry." Johnny's eyes welled up with tears once more as he realized that she was going to stay with him until he died.
"I should call a hospital," she said, feeling uncomfortable.
Nny just shook his head. "I'm going to die. Nobody can stop it…please just stay with me. Please?" His face had gone pale and his eyes were glassy with tears. Two streaks of dirt had formed down his cheeks from the paths of the tears.
Devi sat down on the bed next to him, knowing that even if he did want to kill her, he didn't have the strength. She knew that the hospital could do nothing for him. He already had one foot in the grave. "Why me?" she asked again, still not understanding why he would want to see her of all people. Shouldn't he be with his mother or father or something? Maybe a brother or sister? Hell, even a cousin, but not her.
"I love you…and I know you hate me, but I have nowhere else to go. I don't want to die alone. I've spent too much time alone already." Nny was still pleading his case, hoping that she wouldn't change her mind and throw him out.
Devi sighed, tears beginning to form in her eyes. This was too much to take, but she couldn't just deny him his dieing wish. She should have. She had every right to, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Devi gently pulled Johnny into her lap and hugged him. "You don't have to die alone."
Closing his eyes, Johnny sighed and took in a deep breath, breathing in her scent once more. Most people smelled like shit to him. He hated to be around people for many reasons, and scent was one of them, but Devi was different. Devi smelled like cookies to him. She just smelled good. "I'm so sorry," he whispered again. "I'm sick…I was sick. I should have ignored it…I should have—"
Devi shushed him. "It's done." She moved enough to look him in the eyes. "I can never fully forgive you, but I can tell you that I missed you. I do care about you, even if I've spent so much time hating you."
Johnny blinked a couple of times, not quite sure how to take what he had just been told, but somehow feeling better.
Devi began to stroke his hair and gently sing to him.
"I don't want to understand this horror,
There's a weight in your eyes, I can't admit
Everybody ends up here in bottles,
But the name-tag's the last thing you wanted"
Johnny smiled and leaned against her, listening to the song. He closed his eyes, just enjoying the sound of her voice, knowing that it would be the last thing that he heard.
"As the world explodes, we fall out of it,
And we can't let go, because this will not go away,
There's a house built out in space.
And I can't see that thief that lives inside of your head,
But I can be some courage at the side of your bed,
And I don't know what's happening and I can't pretend,
But I can be your, be your"
Devi looked down at Nny, part of her still wanting to run away screaming, but part of her, a much larger part, wanting to cry for him.
"Someone help us understand who ordered
This disgusting arrangement: time and the end
I don't wanna hear who walked on water,
'cause the hallways are empty, caustic
As the world implodes, we fall into it
And we can't go home because this will not go away
There's a house built out in space"
Devi thought about all of those nights that she had spent, wishing that he would just die, some of them wishing she could watch him die. Now that it was happening, she didn't want to see him go. She knew that she would always love him, and she was going to be sad that he was gone, even though she would be free.
"And I can't see the thief that lives inside of your head
But I can be some courage at the side of your bed
And I don't know what's happening and I can't pretend
It's a long long get-away, it's a long long get-away
Make it home again, make it home again
It's a long long get-away"
She didn't know why, but she knew that she didn't really hate him. She feared him, yes, but she didn't hate him…she just hated the fear. She wished that she could make him understand what he had done to her. She wished that that night could be redone, so maybe she could leave before things went bad and she wouldn't have to fear him.
"I can't see that thief that lives inside of your head
But I can be some courage at the side of your bed
I don't know what's happening and I can't pretend
But I can be your, be your"
As Devi finished the song, she sat Johnny down, knowing that he was gone. She looked at his face, which looked like that of a child, peacefully asleep, having a happy dream. Johnny had died with a smile on his face. As she was looking at what was left of the love and fear of her life, light shone into the room from the window. She looked up at the window and a single tear slid down her cheek for the lost maniac as she watched the sun rise alone.