[Final Day] Endgame

[arsgoetia]

And just as suddenly as everything had began, the demons are gone—all of them. Not a single crow feather remains. As if being sucked backwards out of a vacuum, sound and light flood into the room and the hallway, crashing down on you. You are back in the real world, with noise and physics and sunlight streaming in through the window.

You are also left with two bereft Bellcourt children, the older of which is suddenly doubling over in his wheelchair and shouting in anguish.

Comments

[arsgoetia]

". . . did somebody tell you about Dad?"

[arsgoetia]

"Kinda a little," she says, softly. "David, tell me more...?"

[arsgoetia]

David runs his fingers through her hair, soothingly. ". . . he was kind of cool," he admits, begrudgingly, though his voice hitches slightly. "Everybody was pretty amazing. They all went up to your defense, with all sorts of information, and traded it to that Count. He weighed and measured everything, but in the end, he still wanted to take me. So Dad told him to take him instead."

[arsgoetia]

"I'm not really worth it," she mumbles, but sounds, actually, insanely moved at hearing that. "They're... I guess I owe them a lot. A... huge lot."

Pause.

"Dad... really loves you, you know, David."

[arsgoetia]

"We both owe them a lot," David says. "So we'd better do our best to be worthy of it and not just fuck off with all the second chances they've given us." He pauses as well.

"Yeah, he does. But he loves you, too. He said, he wasn't going to let either of his kids go to Hell."

[arsgoetia]

"I won't," she says. "I promise, I'm not lying..."

Her breath hiccups. "Dad ....said that...?"

[arsgoetia]

"He totally did."

[arsgoetia]

"I love you, Davy..."

[arsgoetia]

David breaks out into the most shaky, helpless smile.

"Ah . . . yeah, you too, Lucy."

[arsgoetia]

She... covers his mouth with a hand. "Don't, don't, I..."

[arsgoetia]

"Huh?" David sounds genuinely confused.

[arsgoetia]

"Don't, don't look so happy, I don't know what to do."

[arsgoetia]

". . . alright . . ."

[arsgoetia]

"No, I didn't mean it," she says immediately. "If you're happy, if you're ... actually happy, then..."

[arsgoetia]

"I'm . . . okay," he says. "I'm happy that I'm with you though."

[arsgoetia]

She slowly wraps her arms around him.

[arsgoetia]

David pats her hair.

[arsgoetia]

"I won't leave you again, Davy," she mutters into his shoulder, for his ears only, really.

[arsgoetia]

"Yeah. Me neither."

[arsgoetia]

There is a lot of verbal self-castigation or desperate backwards blaming of David she could do here, but she just says, "Okay..."