There's the sensation of something ghosting over his cheek and this time Mathias reaches up and crushes it in his fingers, feeling the burning sap leak into the creases of his hands
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When the world flickered back into focus, Stacy was already crying. Tears running hot tracks down her already sunburned cheeks, a sob catching in her throat when she turned to find Mathias alive and unharmed at her side. What felt different, this time, was that she felt horribly, jarringly present. Every sound, every color, the smell of rot and baking bread, was startlingly clear.
She wiped the back of one hand across her cheeks, looking over her shoulder when Webster and Veronica emerged from the tent, and she said what she knew Mathias was already thinking:
"Jeff's dead. Eric's going to be dead soon, too. We can't change those things. It has to be something else."
Stacy's already said what's in Veronica's mind, which is just as well. For once, she finds herself hanging back, still struggling for clarity, for calm. Mathias is right there, but he's died, he's died twice in front of her, and there's nothing she can do to stop it happening again except keep him away from Eric. She just doesn't know how.
"There's no way out of here," she says, and it's not a question, but it isn't quite a statement either - more a realization. "What happens if we just stay here?"
"We're not looking for Jeff again," he says, agreeing with both Stacy and Veronica. It has to be something else and they're not going down the hill again and leaving Eric here alone. If they do, he'll die and then Mathias will die and they'll be here. Again. He's not dying anymore.
"First thing, we stop Eric," he decides. "Stacy, take the knife from him and do not give it back under any circumstances." What he wants to say is that he doesn't care if Eric begs or cries, she is not to give the knife to him. He'll only kill himself that much faster. They may not be able to prevent infection and he's not holding out hope that the Greeks are going to come and change this, but he's not going to let Eric kill himself.
"Okay," Stacy agreed, pushing a hand back through her hair and wincing at the stinging acid fuzz clinging to it, crushing under her fingers and burning her skin.
She hesitated, but for only moment, and this time, when she crossed over the distance between them, Eric looked up at her with almost lucid eyes, desperate and pleading, but still seeing her.
"Eric, baby," she sighed, sinking to her knees in front of where he sat, glancing back over her shoulder at Mathias one more time. "Eric, please. Give me the knife, sweetie. It's okay, I promise." And she hated lying to him, but there wasn't any other way.
Comments 18
She wiped the back of one hand across her cheeks, looking over her shoulder when Webster and Veronica emerged from the tent, and she said what she knew Mathias was already thinking:
"Jeff's dead. Eric's going to be dead soon, too. We can't change those things. It has to be something else."
Reply
"There's no way out of here," she says, and it's not a question, but it isn't quite a statement either - more a realization. "What happens if we just stay here?"
Reply
"First thing, we stop Eric," he decides. "Stacy, take the knife from him and do not give it back under any circumstances." What he wants to say is that he doesn't care if Eric begs or cries, she is not to give the knife to him. He'll only kill himself that much faster. They may not be able to prevent infection and he's not holding out hope that the Greeks are going to come and change this, but he's not going to let Eric kill himself.
Reply
She hesitated, but for only moment, and this time, when she crossed over the distance between them, Eric looked up at her with almost lucid eyes, desperate and pleading, but still seeing her.
"Eric, baby," she sighed, sinking to her knees in front of where he sat, glancing back over her shoulder at Mathias one more time. "Eric, please. Give me the knife, sweetie. It's okay, I promise." And she hated lying to him, but there wasn't any other way.
Reply
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