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Remember.
Chapter One
Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go, yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.
-Christina Rossetti
His knees buckled and he started to fall, the weight of his shadow enough to drag him down. His mind reeled in shock as he felt the cables snap back into his chest one by one. The elasticized steel slashed his heart into ribbons. He couldn't keep his eyes focused. Shadows kept drifting across his vision.
"Paul! Paul!"
Someone was shouting his name. He couldn't see them. He couldn't feel anything but the fire that burned in his hollow centre. He couldn't see anything but the translucent threads now drifting aimlessly around him. They sliced into the creases of his hands as he grabbed at them and desperately tried to tie them back in place.
Strong hands gripped his shoulders frantically shaking him like a rag doll. Or was that him that was shaking?
"Do something Sam! He's not breathing!"
Was that Emily? Why did her voice sound so far away?
"Paul!" Someone slapped him hard across the mouth. "Paul, what's going on? Breathe, damn it!" The voice sounded frantic. The Alpha command dripped from every syllable.
Paul drew in a long breath and let it hiss out slowly. "Sam, Sam, where's Rachel?"
A cleft formed between Sam's eyebrows. "She went to the store with Kim."
Emily's eyes flickered nervously from Paul to Sam and then back. Her breath was racing. She touched her face, hesitating, before reaching for Paul. Her hand shook on his arm where it gripped him. "I needed some things for dinner Paul. You gave Rachel your keys remember?"
He could smell fear rolling off her in waves. Sam felt it too and placed himself between the pair.
Emily's eyes flashed as she took them both in. "Sam, I don't understand what's happening to him?"
Nausea pitched Paul forward. Every muscle in his body contracted, stealing his breath. He could taste blood at the back of his throat. "She's gone, Sam, She's gone! She's not here anymore." Paul groped at his chest trying to rip out his shattered heart.
"What do you mean?"
Paul tried to re-swallow his stomach "She's gone, Sam. She's not here anymore. I can't feel her anymore" His eyes rolled back into his head.
Sam's eyes widened. "Emily, go call Charlie. He'll be able to help us find them."
"But, Sam, I don't..."
"Emily, now!"
Sudden understanding dawned on her features as Emily raced for the phone.
Sam reached out and held Paul's face in his hands. "I need you to focus on my voice, brother. Everything is going to be okay. You will be okay. We will make this okay. You need to stay with me." The command was strong in his voice. It was too strong for Paul to ignore.
So it began. Paul gasped. He felt cold. Ice clawed its way down his back to the ground. It etched vaporous roots deep in the earth. It tied him, bound him and tore him in two. The searing pain in his chest, in his gut, it was worse than anything. It was worse than phasing for the first time. Paul laughed. It was a bitter hateful sound. His voice sounded fuzzy, like he was one scotch short of drunk.
"Sam, nothing is going to be okay again." Not when he was left with nothing but the empty, rotting shell that even now died around him.
Paul was sobbing as he felt his soul explode from his skin. Mercifully, everything went black.