Wow, I am late with the updating. So sorry! I've been busy and very lazy...^^;
Anyway, the end is almost here...there's about one more chapter left, which I will hopefully remember to upload next week, so please enjoy! Reviews are always appreciated~
~DarkieDucessa
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IKE
When he woke up the next morning, Zelgius was gone. Ike blinked, not sure if he were seeing things right—but his eyes weren't deceiving him; the Branded boy was nowhere to be seen. The cave was practically empty.
He got up quickly, stumbled over his sword—still lying where he'd dropped it—and nearly banged his head into the wall. He blinked and rubbed his eyes—then realized his problem; he could barely see out of his right eye, and he had almost no depth perception. Cursing quietly under his breath, he stepped out of the cave—
The rain had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly. The trees, the sky, even the gray stone seemed bright and vibrant.
Zelgius was kneeling beside a sword stuck in the ground, saying something quietly. Hearing Ike, he turned and stood up. "Ike," he began, but almost stumbled on his still-weak legs.
The beorc boy rushed forward, catching Zelgius and supporting him. "Your legs...!" he said in shock. "They're not...You can...!"
"Thus is the power of an elixir," the Branded boy said softly. "You're...you're better, too."
Ike blinked again, then realized that Zelgius was right; his ribs didn't hurt at all, and when he reached up to feel the cuts on his face, they almost weren't there. "Except for my eye...I...I can hardly see anything out of it now." he said quietly.
Zelgius gently touched the still-healing cut that ran through it, causing Ike to shiver. "...Ike...I'm sorry. You got this because of me...I..."
"Shh." Ike said quietly. "It's fine. Everything is fine now."
Words didn't seem right; so he just leaned up to kiss Zelgius gently instead.
Later that day, the rain began again, and the two boys were in the cave once again. It was around midday, and they'd decided to rest and allow themselves to fully heal before setting off—the rain was just further incentive for this, as going outside while it was raining would leave deep and easy-to-follow tracks.
Zelgius was pacing. He wasn't worried about anything in particular; he just wanted to get used to using his legs again, after being unable to stand for so long.
Ike knew this; it still put him on edge. "You're starting to stress me out," he said. An unintentional irritated edge had crept into his voice.
Zelgius immediately stopped. "Sorry."
"No, it's fine...er..." Ike sighed. "Never mind."
The Branded boy didn't start again. "...Do you have something you wish to talk about?"
"Hmm? Why do you ask?"
"You...seem as if you wanted to speak, but didn't."
Ike sighed again. "I...I just...Zelgius, I'm sorry."
"For...?"
"Yesterday."
"Ah."
There was a long, awkward silence. "I...I'm sorry too." Zelgius finally said.
"...For...?"
"What I said...I...You didn't really betray me. I know you had the best intentions."
"It was still a terrible thing to do. I knew you trusted me, but I still...I broke my promise."
"...Yes...that is true." Zelgius sat down next to Ike, putting an arm around his shoulders. "But...I think I understand why you did it. I know you were only doing it because you were worried for me...so...basically, that you were hurt was my fault. That sort of makes us even..."
"That's one way of looking at it." Ike laughed weakly. "Well...at least no harm came of it, eh?"
"More or less...this time."
There was another long moment of silence. Finally, Ike said "Was anyone in the sky last night?"
"No."
"I wonder what was in the girls' packs..."
"Probably something simple, love. Food, or medicine..."
Ike raised his eyebrows slightly. "...'Love'?"
"...Do you...not like it?" Zelgius queried.
"Oh! Um..." Ike laughed again. "No. I do like it, I mean. Heh."
Zelgius smiled faintly.
ZELGIUS
When the rain stops, Ike goes out hunting. I stay behind because, with my legs still weak, I'd probably be more of a hindrance than a help—and besides, he can easier watch his tracks by himself. I would've rather gone with him; this cave is getting unbearably stuffy. I spend my time thinking...endlessly turning over the pin Ike gave me in my hands, wondering about his home, and what it would be like to have a family again. I mean—I did have a family, until recently, but...
We hear no cannons in the day, and when we look at the sky at night there are no faces. No one was in the sky last night. Of the twenty-four of us when this began, there are only four left—me, Ike, Mia, and Sakira. Not exactly the lineup I was expecting—or anyone likely was, for that matter.
Our sleep is quiet and uninterrupted. In the morning, we pack up our equipment and leave the cave together. My legs still feel weaker than I'd like, but otherwise I'm fine.
Despite the elixir, one of Ike's cuts has turned into a scar—an ugly white and red line across his eye. I hope it will fade—I'd hate for him to be scarred as I was.
We find food easily—but when we get to the river, we find it reduced to a narrow stream. Ike and I exchange looks; I can see he's thinking the same thing as me.
"They're drying out the water sources," I state. "Driving us to the lake."
He nods, and blanches. I recall him telling me about that day—Leanne's death, at that same lake. If they could've driven us anywhere else...
Delaying will likely only make our situation worse—and the earlier we get there is only to our advantage—so we start following the river downstream. I can see it drying even as we walk—but at a certain point, almost to the lake, it suddenly picks up. I don't know why—but when we step out of the trees and I see the waterfall for the first time, I understand. They want this fight to be cinematic, and a dried-up waterfall is most certainly not that.
We see no sign of Mia or Sakira. There's no way down to the lake, either—strange. We find a good hiding spot and get set, waiting for one of the others to appear.
Time passes. The sun goes down, but too early for it to actually be night; the Gamemakers must've decided the finale would be best set at night.
Ike and I hardly speak; words seem pointless, especially now, when we definitely don't want to be heard.
Then, suddenly, I hear a rustling in the trees—and Mia suddenly appears. I can tell from her heavy breathing she's been running for a long time.
She's still running. She runs right past us. She looks terrified; it takes me a moment to realize she's running from something, and then I see what that something is—
By the Goddess! What the hell are those things!?
IKE
They weren't human. But they weren't exactly animals, either. The one in the lead looked like a lion, but its body was twisted, deformed into a terrible half-human monster that looked as if it had died years ago. Black smoke poured from its mouth as it roared, an unnatural and warped sound.
It had glowing red eyes, red fur, and dripped blood from two huge stab wounds in its side. Ike knew in an instant it could only be Skrimir.
And there were others. A half-cat thing with orange fur was the male from District 8. Mangled dark green feathers hung off the battered wings of what had once been Vika Swift.
And—Oh, Goddess. A pale, ghostly creature, dripping blood, hair flying in an unseen breeze and wailing softly, like a banshee or unhappy spirit from the old tales. Leanne.
Ike didn't even pause to think, or try and steady his frantically pounding heart; he turned and ran after Mia.
She seemed to be heading towards the waterfall; why, he couldn't imagine, for after all, there was no way down—
He came out of the sparse forest in time to see Mia leap right over the river and clamber up one of the boulders. In an instant he realized that there were actually ledges up there on the cliff—ledges too high for most of the monsters to climb, though the birds could probably just fly.
But the river was rushing fast, churning up whitewater; too deep and fast to wade through—and Ike realized that Zelgius probably couldn't jump across, with his legs still weak as they were.
He skidded to a stop on the riverbank and turned as Zelgius caught up to him. "What are you doing?" the Branded boy hissed. "Go!"
"I'm not leaving you behind!" Ike said, drawing his sword.
Zelgius sighed in frustration and drew his own weapon, turning with Ike to face the oncoming creatures. "If you die here, love, I'll never forgive you."
"I know."
The thing that had once been Skrimir roared and leapt forward; Ike slashed upward and knocked it back. All of them seemed to have been severely weakened in this undeath, but they didn't stay down after they were hit; Skrimir got right back up, and then had to be knocked away again. The female Cat was next; it stalked on the edge of their range, choosing its moment to pounce. Zelgius swung and hit it in the air, sending it flying back into the monster of the male Raven.
Ike looked about desperately for a way for Zelgius to cross the river. His breath was coming in gasps, and he was trying hard not to think about the things that were trying to kill him—he had the feeling if he did, his mind would simply stop working. And there seemed to be nothing, nowhere to go...unless...
"Zelgius!" he shouted.
The Branded boy kicked the male Heron off of him and replied "What?"
"There are stepping stones in the water!"
Indeed, as Ike had watched, he'd seen dark spots in the speeding water where it had had to curve around the rocks—and recalling when he'd been here before, he knew he'd seen large stones there before, though there seemed to be more water here today, which was why they weren't as visible.
"Go, then!" Zelgius said, slashing at Skrimir as it charged again.
"No, you go first!"
"I'm not going to argue with you over this! Go!" Zelgius took two big steps and pushed Ike towards the river. The beorc boy regained his balance easily, but he had to step into the water to catch himself. His foot landed solidly on a stepping stone and he wobbled, but it was high enough not to let the water on top push him around.
His balance was tentative and it was possible he would slip, though, so he quickly hurried across. He'd hardly had time to catch his breath before the female Hawk was hurtling at him; twisting sharply, he slashed the Bird out of the air, sending a cloud of bloody feathers flying around him.
Zelgius started to come across—but when he was almost there, he slipped slightly, and Vika took its chance to attack.
Ike threw his sword into it, sending it flying backwards into the thing that had been Volug, and caught Zelgius' arm, pulling him onto the bank. In a moment they were both running towards the cliff. The monsters were swiftly on their heels. Don't look back, Ike repeated ceaselessly in his head. Don't look, don't look, don't look...
As soon as they reached the foot of the cliff, Ike shoved Zelgius up first. The Branded boy knew better than to waste time arguing and clambered up the boulder; the beorc followed right after him, barely scrambling out of the reach of Skrimir's jaws.
Before Zelgius could get up higher, though, Mia leapt from a ledge down at him, trying to shove him off. He blocked her sword with his, but then both were violently torn away as the male Hawk dove in at them, sending both weapons flying onto the ledge above. Ike instinctively lunged for the Hawk, catching hold of its right shoulder; it was small, and he easily threw it away.
Zelgius had caught Mia by the wrists; she tried to wrestle away, but when it came to brute strength, there was no question about who was stronger. But he had to drop her when Sakira landed in the middle of them, snarling, fingernails still glistening a pale green. The glowing numbers on her arm, visible through her torn and battered sleeve, read 01: 01: 42—Ike faintly wondered how she could've used so much time in just over a day. She might not have had much Transform time, and no room to use it, but she was none the less vicious.
Mia immediately took the opportunity of distraction to slam into Zelgius again, going low to get him in the legs. Ike instinctively dove forward into her, knocking her back, as the Branded boy struggled to regain his balance on the edge.
Sakira darted forward tried to push Zelgius off, but she only gave him a handhold; grabbing onto the Lion's arm, the Branded regained his balance and pushed her back. Her fingernails dug vengefully into his wrist, but she was thrown away all the same.
Mia had dodged around Ike and was trying to climb up the ledge and get to her sword; Ike grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down, even as she tried to turn and kick him. Her foot missed, but her second kick hit him in the knee, and he briefly released her; that gave her enough time to scramble up a little further and grab the sword.
She spun around at Ike, but found her sword's path intercepted by Sakira's arm as she fell back from Zelgius. The Lion shrieked in pain as the blade cut a deep gash in her arm, then kicked out at her, and she wasn't fast enough to dodge; sliding backwards, Mia loosened her hold on the sword. The other three all dove for it; it was Ike who first got his hand on it, but Sakira got both of hers a second later, and they struggled over it.
Mia scrambled to her feet and shoved at them, hoping to knock them both off; Zelgius caught her from behind and threw her aside, and she narrowly managed to catch herself on the ledge. The two monsters that had once been Tiger tributes snarled at her dangling feet; she barely managed to pull herself up before one of them got her leg.
Sakira gave a huge pull, and Ike was dragged in a half-circle by it; still hanging on, he twisted his grip around and elbowed the Lion in the side. Sakira grunted and released one hand on the sword; Ike immediately tried to pull it away, but it slipped out of both their grasps, and Mia managed to snatch it away from both of them. Sakira caught Ike by the arm, and they twisted in each other's grip, both trying to knock the other off balance.
Mia, sword in hand, charged at Zelgius. He ducked her first blow and swept her leg with his; she jumped over it and managed to slash his arm with her second attack. Zelgius grabbed the blade as it swept by, throwing Mia off balance; ignoring the blood streaming from his newest wound, he kicked her in the stomach and threw her backwards again. She barely skidded to a stop on the edge, and struggled to catch her breath as he advanced.
Sakira shoved Ike off of her and kicked the boy in the leg, freeing herself. Ike punched and felt his fist connect satisfactorily with Sakira's face; the Lion snarled and punched back, slamming her knuckles into Ike's stomach. Both slightly winded, they paused for a moment; then, as Mia slashed low at Zelgius and nearly made him lose his balance, the beorc boy spun to help his friend.
Ike made a dive at Mia—but she had anticipated it; stepping to his blind side, she caught him and kicked him in the back of the knee, making it buckle; then she got her arm around his throat in a chokehold and her sword against his chest just as Zelgius turned back on her. Sakira paused—the ledge was narrow, and Mia and her prisoner took up a lot of room; if she made a wrong move now, she might slip off the edge.
There was a lengthy pause, the only sounds being the tributes' heavy breathing and the howling of the monsters below. The Birds seemed to have given up trying to fly up and attack; they all simply waited below to kill whoever might fall.
"Dammit," Mia finally breathed. "This isn't...how I wanted it to go."
"Look...who's...talking..." Ike choked. Her grip on him was tight enough to make him start to suffocate; his lips were already turning blue.
"Let him go," Zelgius said dangerously.
"I...can't. He's the only way I'll ever...defeat you." she replied tiredly.
Sakira took a step forward and growled. "Yes, kill him. Then the half-breed will take you down and I win!"
Mia laughed weakly. "So...If I let him go, he or Zelgius wins; if I kill him, Sakira wins. Is that it? Am I the decider now?"
The Branded boy clenched his fists angrily. "In a moment, I'll decide it for you."
"Zelgius...don't..." Ike said weakly, trying to keep the edge of fear out of his voice. "Let...her...kill...me."
For a moment, no one could believe what he'd said. Then they all demanded angrily; "What!?"
"Let...her...kill...me!" Ike insisted again. "Then...you'll be...that much...closer...to winning."
"But...you can't want to die." Mia said. "What about you!?"
"I...coul...dn't...live...if...Zel...gi...us...was ...dead." he said weakly. His breath was coming shorter now; Mia abruptly loosened her grip a little, and he gasped as the air came to his lungs. "I...wouldn't want to live...if he were gone. Or you, Mia. I...don't want to lose...either of you. To see...you die..."
"Ike..."
Sakira's crimson eyes narrowed. "You are all pathetic," she snarled, drawing their attention. "All pathetic! You would do nothing as she kills you, as she kills your 'friend'!" Her mouth twisted into a cruel smirk. "Or perhaps he was never really a friend, hmm? Maybe you were just using him as your personal whore to get sponso—"
Her words made Zelgius snap back into action. Dashing forward suddenly, he slammed his fist into Sakira's already bruised face, interrupting her; shrieking, she lunged into him, grabbing his arm and trying to drag him off the ledge. He grabbed her wrists and wrestled her back. Mia dragged herself away slightly, and Ike went with her; but there was hardly any room for the Lion and the Branded to fight, and one of them was inevitably going to fall.
Sakira's claw-like fingernails dug into Zelgius' arm, piercing the skin, and then she tried one last shove to knock him off. He took her momentum and swung around, letting her stumble past him; her grip loosened; she cried out again and tried to catch herself, but Zelgius had moved and there was nothing—and she slipped and fell.
Both beorc gasped; then any sound they might've made was overridden by the shrieks and roars of the monsters below, as they set upon their prize. To her credit, Sakira never screamed; there were just the howls of the monsters, a gory ripping sound—and then the cannon.
Mia's grip on Ike loosened slightly, and her breath was slightly panicked now. He used the opportunity to try and pull away, but she remembered fast enough to hold him tight again.
"Release him," Zelgius said, his tone only slightly subdued.
"I...can't." she said. "Don't you see? I can't! If I do...I'll lose my only chance at winning, and..." She sighed deeply. "...I'll leave you two alone as the last ones standing. Neither of you want that!"
"Mia..." Ike said weakly. "Do it...! Let...me...die!"
She suddenly laughed. "By the gods, Ike," she said wearily. "I suppose I...I'm as bad at following orders as you are." She suddenly released him and shoved him forward into Zelgius; the Branded caught him easily, and looked at Mia in surprise.
"Why?" Zelgius asked.
"I'm not going to kill him," she said. "That would mean District Eleven would definitely not get a victor. But I will...fight...you. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can kill you—or at least weaken you for him to finish. So have at you, Zelgius. For my family—and his." She raised the sword and pointed it at him.
Zelgius sighed and gently pushed Ike behind him, against the cliff wall. "Zelgius, no...!" Ike said; his strength seemed yet drained from the near-asphyxiation. "Sakira...You might be...poisoned again...!"
"Sorry, love," the Branded replied. "But it seems it's about time for my plan to end."
Then he stepped forward to meet Mia as she lunged for him. He reached up and caught her sword by the blade again; she ducked in low to ram her elbow into his side. He twisted his grip around to throw her off-balance; she dodged back quickly, managing to keep her sword in hand, and darted in low.
Her swing caught him on the hip even as he sidestepped, ripping the cloth and flesh wide open; he ignored the pain and let her stumble on past him, then slammed his elbow into her back. She stumbled even further and landed in a heap on the end of the ledge; she wasn't hanging over the monsters, however, but the seven hundred foot drop to the pristine lake.
Groaning slightly, she flipped back up to her feet and swung her sword up even as Zelgius approached her; he leaned slightly to the side to dodge, caught her by the wrists. She tried to knee him, but he twisted her off-balance; the sword fell loosely from her grip and tumbled down as she slipped on the rocks.
Then part of the ledge gave way.
Zelgius dodged back, letting go of her as a big chunk of stone broke off to fall to the lake far below; they both lost their footing, but Mia fell the wrong way, and only barely managed to grab a rock further down by her fingernails. Zelgius caught himself, hanging half-on half-off the ledge; he rolled himself back onto the ledge with a slight moan as the gash in his hip tore open further.
Ike, having regained himself, rushed to them. Seeing that Zelgius was more or less safe, he went to the girl. "Mia!"
She glanced down at the water far below; hitting it from this far up would kill her. Dangling from bloodied fingertips, she looked up and smiled weakly at the other beorc. "Sorry, Ike. Win for me, would you?"
He tried to reach for her, but she was beyond him. "Mia...!"
"I actually miss Eleven," she said with a faint laugh. "I had so many things I wanted to do, and never had the courage to get around to. And now it's too late...I'm going to die, and...you've been claimed by someone else. Curse me and my cowardice...!"
Ike inched further off the edge, stretching as far as he could; his fingers just barely brushed hers. "Reach!" he cried. "You can make it!"
"No." Her voice was final. "This is the end. It has to be."
"Mia, no...!" He tried to reach further, but he was as far as he could go. His heart was pounding as he desperately struggled to catch her hand. "No...!"
She looked up at him; tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Ah...I'd hoped to see the stars with you, Ike...just one more time. Another regret..." Her voice choked up as she slipped a little further. "Mother...Ilyana, Edward...goodbye...I'm so sorry..."
Then her grip gave way, and she fell. She didn't scream, but Ike did;
"MIA!"
She was already gone. The sound of the cannon seemed to echo forever in Ike's ears.
Zelgius got up weakly, even as Ike stumbled away from the ledge in shock.
Mia was gone. The lake below was now stained with her blood, just as it had been stained with Leanne's. He'd prayed once that there would be some way for her to survive, some way for them both to go home together, but—
It had been a foolish hope. There could only be one victor. He'd known that when he volunteered. He looked down blankly at his hand; blood from her fingertips was on his own—the only part of her that he had left now...
He was beginning to understand what Shinon and Micaiah and Titania must've felt like when they won. No sense of triumph at all. Just...sadness.
"Ike."
Zelgius' quiet word snapped Ike out of his thoughts, and he turned. "We're the only ones left," the Branded stated.
His words hit Ike harder than any weapon could have. That was right. They were the last two tributes—which meant that one of them had to die.
I suppose this is the end, he thought. And he was ready for it. He had been from the moment he went to the feast.
So now, he closed his eyes. "Do it quickly."
Zelgius blinked. "What?"
"I'm not going to kill you. I was never going to kill you. So you'll have to kill me instead."
"I won't."
Ike opened his eyes. This time it was his turn to ask "What?"
"I won't kill you." Zelgius repeated. "I would never do that."
"But...but..."
"Ike..." The Branded smiled sadly. "I love you. I would never hurt you."
The beorc could barely believe what he was hearing. So much for your stupid 'yes or no' questions, he scolded himself. He wouldn't hurt you! Just as—
"Well, I won't hurt you either." he said.
"You don't have to." Zelgius looked over the edge, down at the grassy field and pristine lake below.
Ike knew immediately what he was thinking of. His heart skipped a beat. "No. Zelgius, don't!"
"If it is the only way that you will get out alive, then I will do it."
"No!" Ike lunged forward and grabbed Zelgius by the sleeve. "I've already lost Mia, and Kita and Leanne...I can't lose you too!"
"This was my plan all along." the Branded said softly. He unzipped his jacket partway and pulled out the Yune pin that Ike had given him what seemed like an eternity ago, studying it thoughtfully. "Never to win. To keep my sister alive until we were the last, and then...and then kill myself, so she would be the victor."
This was even harder to hear than earlier. "What!?"
"Yes!" Zelgius laughed, a slightly psychotic edge in his voice. "Yes, that's what it was all for! To keep her alive! But since she died, the only one I've cared about is you, so I will do anything to let you survive this!"
"You can't!" Ike cried.
"I have to." he said firmly. He put the pin in Ike's hand. "Otherwise, the Games will not have a victor."
"No...no! You can't die! Not like this!" Ike protested frantically. "I won't let you!"
"And if you don't, then what?" Zelgius demanded. "Will we try to kill the monsters back there, try to survive all the Gamemakers' traps? Live here until we're both killed and eaten by something even worse, or until Sakira's poison finishes me off?"
"We could find a way—"
"Dammit, Ike, you know that isn't possible! There is no other way!"
"Please—Let me die in your place!" What he'd spoken had been unexpected by both of them, but Ike meant every word of it. He turned his hand over, let the pin fall back into Zelgius' hand. "I'll jump, and you can win!"
"No!" Zelgius shouted, so forcefully it almost caused Ike to take a step back. "Ike, don't you understand!? You have a family to take care of! Two families, now—you have to protect Mia's as well as your own! I have nothing! Kita was all I had left, and she's dead! I want nothing more than to rid the world of my worthless existence!"
"You aren't worthless!" Ike shouted back, angrily. "You're worth more to me than anything or anyone I've ever known, and I won't let you die!"
Zelgius sighed in frustration. "Why, Ike!?" he demanded. "Why can't you just let this happen!?"
Ike moved closer, staring deep into the Branded's piercing green eyes. His hand closed over the pin and Zelgius'. "Because...If I let you die..." he said carefully. "Then I will die. Inside. Every second of every day, I will be dying because I will be trapped in this arena, trying to save you, and I won't be able to."
A tear trickled down Zelgius' cheek, and he looked down at the ground. "What choice do we have?" he said quietly. "The Games must have a victor."
And in that instant, Ike had an idea.
"No. They don't."
Zelgius looked back up in surprise. Ike's eyes had hardened in determination, his mouth set in a firm line even as he spoke again; "Why should they?"
And the Branded knew then exactly what the beorc was thinking.
"You're going to jump with me."
"Yes."
"...Both of us dying won't help anything."
"It's better than one of us surviving with the other's blood on their hands."
"Ike..."
The beorc met his eyes firmly. "Please, Zelgius. I'd rather die with you here, today, than die of heartbreak tomorrow. I know you feel the same."
The Branded managed a weak smile. "...I suppose I have no choice, do I?"
Ike couldn't resist a small smile as well. "No. Not really."
Zelgius suddenly leaned down, kissing Ike on the mouth. The beorc welcomed it, pulling himself closer and kissing back with every last bit of passion he had. The world seemed to blur out around them, and they wanted nothing more than for it to never end.
But that wasn't possible. When they finally pulled back, there were tears in both blue and green eyes. Zelgius briefly let go of Ike to put the Yune pin back on his shirt.
"I suppose...this is the end." the beorc said softly.
"No," Zelgius replied. "Death is only the beginning."
Ike smiled.
They both turned to the cliff edge, hands clasped tightly. Ike closed his eyes. "On three." he said. "One."
"Two."
"...Three!"
And they jumped.
For a moment, he thinks he hears the Capitol anthem blaring, hears Kieran Fergus' voice shouting frantically; "Wait! Stop! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the victor of the Two-Hundred and Twenty-Fourth Annual Hunger Games..."
What does it mean? Aren't they both going to di—
But then the bloodstained water rushes to swallow them, and there is nothing.