Bad day (worse day) for Vlad today.
Chapter 7: By the rivers dark I panicked on
His head was can't breathe something burns burning. His thoughts "you know the stories Vladislav" echoed a scream in emptiness in emptiness, eluding reason's grasp and peace's call.
Sweat and cold ran down his spine, leaving paths of unease behind them.
His hair – too gray, too old too dead – hurt.
Blackened eaten through and stiffened by necrosis once again like a bad penny with no sensation left behind no touch no true presence fingers like a ghost's tugged at it, as if it would stop hurting if it hurt too much more hurts hurts hurts make it stop please.
a flash of green
He could only think of, could only remember the same things, over and over again.
"banzai!"
"Jack these calculations aren't right"
a flash of green
He didn't want to. He didn't like those memories, he didn't like the fact that it had happened at all, he didn't like the consequences, he didn't want to think about it, but.
powerless consciousnesses tied to the scattered molecules of their remains alone empty until the ends of time forever and ever damned to remain
The fever was bringing it all back had it ever left and there was no escaping it, nothing else to grasp, no distraction no friends no studies no experiments no inventions no future.
He could only remember – every single moment of pain and fear.
fingertips drying away hadn't noticed
He shouldn't have gone near the proto-portal. Jack should have warned him first but he should have known not to trust his friend's enthusiasm. He should have...
left behind
Jack should have warned him, and he should have checked that no one was standing close to the proto-portal before starting it up. Maddie had tried to tell him, too – she'd tried to tell Jack to wait, and if Jack had listened...
"Jack these calculations aren't right"
Why hadn't Jack just listened to Maddie?
He wouldn't have stood so close to the proto-portal if he'd known Jack was going to fire it up turn it on yet, of course he wouldn't have. They'd all followed lab safety classes even Jack and they at least tried to follow the broadest rules, even when they were a bit too fired up to think of everything.
"banzai!"
If Jack had checked – if Jack had waited...
"Jack these calculations aren't right"
He didn't didn't didn't didn't want to remember that, he didn't want to remember what came next he didn't want to remember any of it please make it stop.
the burn of cold toxic green eating at his skin the screech in his ears the looks on Jack and Maddie's faces when he'd looked back at them