Arrhythmia
By destroy
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Part. IV

Zero-hour on the city street, my mind was tender as my brain sought for ataraxis. The attempt was futile. The hum of my head meshed roughly with her tears producing a sound so sad I would rather be screaming.

Were we caught, or had we stood here silent for some time just for the defense of being held? I dreadfully opened my eyes.

Black turning to white hurt, but I was graced with an empty opening. It was gone. My lungs shot full force; inhaling the poison air for all that it was worth. Cancerous, but it felt good to breathe.

"Rose, it's okay. It's gone."

She lifted her head from my chest and doubtingly faced the entrance way. She then turned to face me. We reached an awkward secrecy like a dirty film. Still upright, skin against skin. I felt dependant. I didn't want to leave the space we were lost in. She could've been what I had to look forward to. But she hugged me back for her own protection. How could I be so unfortunate? My logic fell upon my shoulders and dripped down my arms like the ashes, one by one. This was only a minute of failing.

She pressed herself off of me and slid out of the alley. I kept my place and rested my head against the hard brick behind me. My body felt relief for the fashion of a good breathing pace, but my heart still pounded heavily beneath my chest as if time went backwards. Breaking down only to survive didn't seem worth it.

"…Are you coming?"

Her voice cut through my train of thought. I nodded and quickly squeezed out of the gap.

-

Up ahead, the street was empty. Where did evil retire to when it bore of its hunt? We seemed to pass the same buildings over and over, my tired bones rode the conveyor of the city, straight into the residential district. At this point, rationality was gone. No distinction of the hours, we could've been here for years already. Maybe this explained the sick that I felt. No hope. No direction. We'll walk until we're invisible; until we become the town. I wanted to fall by the wayside.

-

A defunct home was in our path, stalling our obscure destination. Rose stayed petrified, unsure of the death trap set for us, the door widely open. The windows frosted with dust made my assurance unclear. I turned to my left and nudged her.

"Let's go another wa—"

A loud rap against the glass startled the both of us. My nerves throbbed against my skin. Through the window a small girl peered out. Her hair was long, her face guilt-less.

"SHARON!"

Without hesitation Rose invaded the home, seeking the room her daughter inhabited. I chased after her in a strange chain of kinship. Bursting through the door, the dirt defiled my face. The dull light of outside shed jagged patterns over the walls. I forced through a cracked entrance and found her standing before an empty window frame. Sharon wasn't here. Instead, a person lay curled on the floor. Its naked body shined with blood, its dry skin gray. The skull rested bent and formless, un-human.

It didn't faze Rose.

"But. I saw her. She was here. Did you see her?"
"It's a trick Rose. Sharon's not in here."

Our voices disturbed the dead at our feet. It slowly rolled over and stood stooping on its crooked legs. The face was disgusting and bubbled, eyes asymmetrical. My impatience on hell disappeared and life needed me once more. We slowly backed towards the door in unison.

"Keep moving." I tried to stay calm.

When our backs faced the hallway, it came to us at a more rapid pace. It reached a disintegrating palm towards Rose, thin bony fingers outstretched. Its jaw dislocated from its hinges and it let out a scream that punctured my ears. The sound of the siren amplified by hurt. The sharp ringing drilled holes through me. I grabbed Rose and pushed her into the adjoining room behind us. I turned to follow her when its claw like digits grabbed at my ankle and pulled my balance out from me. My chest hit the ground hard knocking the wind out of my throat. Its grasp squeezed my joints like a pair of jaws, grinding my bones, stopping the blood. I could almost hear the ivory cracking, the veins revealed. It still screamed at me, angry at our intrusion. And Rose cried for me.

I felt helpless and emaciated as it slowly pulled me back into the room. I twisted onto my back and kicked at its crown with my other foot, but the friction only grew tighter. Was this how I would go? My senses then rushed back into my head and I withdrew my firearm from the holster.

I pulled the trigger.

The hail of bullets bombarded through the face, returning me with the splattered tainted blood of the awful. The rampant gunfire returned my muted world. It fell once again; slumped across my leg and its own shredded brain. I propelled the lifeless hand off of my pained ankle and crawled towards Rose. She came to my aid pulling me into the room and shutting the door behind us.

-

We resided in a minor stodgy bedroom. She helped me to my feet and steered me as I limped numbly to the bed. I softly took a seat, the dirty mattress creaked below me, rusty springs recoiling. She sat beside me.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded and tucked my gun into the sheath.

"Yeah…I'll be okay."

I wiped the sweat and hot drying tears away from my eyes. I didn't realize that I had cried. I couldn't abide with the life and death option we had to work with; whether we would be found hot or cold the next morning. The leather cinched around my ankle was crinkled and gory. It wasn't broken, only pulsing. Why couldn't she have faith in me? Believe me when I say that we should turn the other way? The atmosphere was cracked, nothing felt right.

Rose sat staring at me, perhaps sensing my long awaited breakdown. But I held it all in.

She rubbed her thumb across my name plate, smearing the filth off the once proud and bright letters.

"Bennett." She said.

It took until this moment to realize that I was still a stranger to this woman. A less-known somebody at her beckoning call, regaining her each time despite her engagement to peril. But her touch could remind me of home. I would deliver her from the Devil; drag her from its clutches. Shred the wings of the angels, fight until I no longer existed.

"Cybil." I replied.

As long as I can recall the way I felt moments ago, the rotting beast outside the door could not disturb me. All I had left was remembering, but right now it wasn't enough. Her arms felt nice around me. It's grave that I needed her when I started to feel this way. Her warmth almost made me unable to function; paralyzed my heart so I couldn't experience this. And this is what nobody knows. If she would continue to sit beside me, she would've been my protection from myself.

A distorted savior that was here for me; she could restore my past of belonging. She could've been my veil.

-
A/n – Reviews are always appreciated. Part V to be added shortly.