Death Comes As the End

[a_gentle_boy]

[Thursday - Extra Fortified Poison]
[When his alarm goes off at 4:00 Thursday morning, Lucas immediately bolts out of bed.  He takes his blankets with him, settling down on the front porch with his head leaning back against the door, his eyes scanning the dark streets for any sign of a whistling madman.  His patience is rewarded soon enough.  He doesn't even take the deliveries in, simply uncapping a bottle and drinking it down right there, probably to the Milkman's great pleasure.

While nothing comes out, no spiders or razor blades or dinosaurs with rocket launchers... There is the sense, immediately, that something is wrong.  Poison.  A different sensation than the spider venom or snakebites he was more familiar with, but... He knew what this feeling was.  It was the same as he'd had last year, in Westport.  No matter.  He could heal it.  The boy concentrates and casts the appropriate PSI, and.... nothing.  He tries again.  Over and over, he casts Healing until he knows, in the pit of his stomach, that there won't be anything he can do to save himself this time around.

He'll try to stand up; to his great surprise, his muscles rebel.  He manages only to smash his head against the door feebly instead.  ...Lucas sinks back down to a sitting position, wraps his blankets around himself as much as he can, and tries to keep his breathing under control.

He's never been a very strong child.  In fifteen minutes, he is dead.]

[Saturday - Mood Swings]
[He's evenly matched with Silence today.  They race.  Lucas cheats with PK Flash.  Lucas wins.  When the milk goes down, he wipes his mouth off triumphantly with a cheerful shout.]

See, Mr. Silence?  Nothing even happened this time!  I can take care of myself.

[Following their conversation, Lucas will run out the front door, singing a sort of obnoxious song as loudly as he can.  This continues until he reaches the park, at which point he pauses, bursts into tears, and begins to attack an oak tree with a small stick he picks up.]

Comments

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[Lucas smiles wanly when Silence comes to the door, in an effort to convey some measure of strength. ...He wonders, momentarily, how terrible he looks to inspire such an expression of alarm on the face of his 'father'. Perhaps he had turned bright purple.

Lucas doesn't resist being carried - He couldn't, honestly, the only real movement he could manage now were what amounted to uncoordinated muscle spasms. Whatever kind of poison this was, it was slowly shutting down his motor processes. He'll whisper a few words.]

My turn... Sorry...

[mute-mystic.livejournal.com]

[Silence makes a low shushing sound - he may not have a voice, but noises like sighs and hisses require only the movement of air, and are within his capabilities.

After a brief pause once he's inside, Silence opts to carry Lucas all the way up to his room. It isn't difficult; the mystic is stronger - and Lucas lighter - than he looks. He lays Lucas down carefully on his bed, kneeling down beside him with wings already drooping in sorrow.

He's seen death come to people before. As much as he would like to deny it, he knows it's coming for Lucas now. Part of him wants to run to Nusakan's, to drag the doctor back here in the hopes that he could do something, but...the more sensible part of him doesn't think the boy should be left alone, not like this. And the brutally honest part of him can't look at Lucas now and truly think that he'd be back in time if he left, anyway...]

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[Lucas had heard the cliche about his life supposedly flashing before his eyes. He was a bit disappointed that memories from his youth didn't come bubbling back to the surface; it would have been nice to recall things he had forgotten. Instead, he can't help but think how lucky it was that he'd gone a year and a half without ever actually dying. Almost all of the friend he'd made... The Netherlands, consumed in the fire. Margot, collapsed on the street in Westport. Horohoro, killed by the haz-mats; Crowe and Kay, executed after the break-in; Nanashi, sacrificing herself in a vain attempt to distract the Milk-Mech.

And then, all of the times he'd been in such danger. His fight with the Night of Wallachia, his defiance in Soviet Mayfield, his run-in with Billy Smith at the party... There comes a sudden realization that brings a flicker of a smile to his lips.]

My face...

[The shiny scar tissue around his eye would finally regenerate. ...That was something positive, right? What a silly little thing to think about...]

[mute-mystic.livejournal.com]

[Silence frowns in confusion, not really following; he isn't aware of all the intricacies of Mayfield resurrections. But he dismisses it quickly enough - there's too much else on his mind right now.

He pulls out his notebook, scribbling a short message - and very large, in case Lucas' sight is already failing.]

WHAT CAN I DO?

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[Lucas blinks slowly, but he can see the text clearly enough. He'll shake his head slowly, in some contrast to the smile that remains on his face.]

Stay.

[The smile will remain even as his breaths slowly become more drawn-out, shallower.]

[mute-mystic.livejournal.com]

[Silence nods readily in response to this request. Unless it had been to get Lucas help, or something he needed - he'd had no intention of leaving. After a moment's pause, he reaches out, delicate fingers stroking Lucas' hair.

He feels the need to reassure Lucas in some way, even if it's only by stating the obvious. He braces the notebook against the bed and writes one-handed, before holding it up for him to see with a wistful smile.]

SEE YOU TOMORROW.

[a-gentle-boy.livejournal.com]

[He'll smile even brighter than he had before, and with the last of his strength, nods deeply in response. No sound comes out, but he'll mouth some words.]

See you.

[There really isn't much reason, he feels, to continue holding on after that. With the control over his mind he has, Lucas closes his eyes and stimulates the mental storm that he so masterfully inflicted on others within his own mind. ...In his imagination, he thinks he sees a beautiful show of fireworks, gazing up at the sky to see burst after burst of radiant light.

He shudders once, briefly, before falling unconscious. And then... within a minute or two, the poison comes to full effect.]

[mute-mystic.livejournal.com]

[Silence stays beside Lucas, stroking his hair, until he's sure the boy is gone. Then he gets quietly to his feet and carefully pulls a blanket over the boy as a shroud before slipping out of the room.

He'll spend quite a bit of today perched quietly on the roof, wings drooping listlessly behind him as he reflects.]