Chapter Text
Sleep, interrupted. A jolt of life, ahead of time. Something is wrong.
Commotion. Intruders. Locks, failing. Restraints, loosened. We can leave?
We can leave.
—
It’s dark, but we can see all. They are looking for us.
The intruders are gone, but we found one.
He wore a familiar uniform. Smiled as he died in our arms.
We hungered, so we fed.
We can think better now.
—
They are many, but they are slow.
We pick them one by one, feed on what we can.
The last one has His scent on her.
He was here, we remember.
As our mind wanders, our grip loosens. Something cold pierces us. Pistol rounds, ten or so.
The pain is manageable, but we must rest. She escapes into the darkness as we do.
We are full, so we do not mind.
—
They were waiting for us on the surface.
More men, more turrets, more weapons.
The pain clouded our vision, so we fought blind.
For every one, we took ten.
—
His scent is weak across the streets.
Ruined buildings, ruined roads, ruined people.
Only craters and soldiers and tanks. And blue flags, too.
Blue flags we’ve never seen before. They look gentle.
A dull moon shines above it all.
Was there a moon before?
—
We found the Academie. Loud music echoes across the courtyards.
Jeanne Mas. Mother used to enjoy it.
Boys and girls in strange garments scream and run as we make our way through the hallways.
One trips and falls. A boy, wearing a uniform. It is torn at the sleeves, covered in patches. It is surely against the dress code.
We try to tell this to the boy, but no words leave our mouth. He screams and scampers away.
That was very rude of him.
—
Our room was defiled.
An artillery round has punched through its roof, now resting where our coffee table used to sit.
Unlike the other dormitory rooms, it is uninhabited - so we lie on our bed and rest.
The mattress is damp and naked.
His smell is gone.
—
When we wake up, the sun has begun rising.
We sneak among the alleyways, familiar roads of nightly escapades. He comes to our mind.
He is on the screens and billboards, always by himself. He must be waiting for me.
I remember where to find him, but the journey out of the city is long
We must stop to feed often, and we are shot a few times.
We do not mind, as the wounds only sting for a brief time.
—
The sun is setting when we arrive.
A beautiful villa, dripping with memories.
Our heart beats faster, so much faster.
We are back by His side. We will not leave again.
But… He is not home yet.
We feel like crying, but we know better.
His scent is strong, overpowering. He will certainly come back.
So we will wait, like we used to.
Then we will hold him and feel him and kiss him and he will not escape.
It will be perfect this time.