Breed and Burn: Faceless

chapter 29- breed and burn

Unstable and burning to the touch, Axel lay curled on the floor with his wings folded behind him uncomfortably. Dying. Mind spinning, with his limbs shaking uncontrollably.

His wings were thin, frail and what wasn't scorched black had become ash and the glow that he emitted before had diminished. Next to him, sat Seven with its face in its hands. Much to Axel's gratitude, it was singing a tune that entered his mind like an angel's lullaby, soothing his crazed thoughts. It filled him with an odd, shadowy elation.

Although the blue pigment in Seven's flesh remained, it became sickly and starved like someone had taken a rubber and tried to fade away it's very existence. Its eyes were so still and its pupil had exploded to fill so much of his eye. This made it look mad. Every so often, it would twitch and recoil when someone stepped too close.

Both were grey tinged and blue-lipped with blank stares that never took anything in.

Long awaited commotion had finally broken out. It was bound to happen and the noise of it all forced rustles and scuffles to resonate within his head. When Axel listened, he heard voices of excitement and that told him it had worked. People ran around, gathering things and discussing that was to come. He heard Trent trying to push his way through the crowd to see Axel and closed his eyes in instant appreciation when someone pulled him aside.

Thorne and Silas tried to calm down the voices and regain some sort of order. However, this proved difficult and only a murmur of voices subdued. Although Silas told him not to, Thorne pulled out the gun in frustration and shoved it into the air. It gleamed hideously as it felt more a part of Thorne then being a cold, killing machine. Judging by how their bodies froze and their blood ran cold, the gun had been missed among the incidents of the last few days. The silence was like a suffocating draught after the frenzied rush of the day.

When given the chance of freedom, no one knew what to do with themselves.

"Everybody line up by the portal now! Silas first and I'll go through last to make sure you all get through," commanded Thorne and the crowd rushed to listen though many pushed and shoved to be as close as to the front as possible. "Silas, you have to make sure everyone on the other side if okay, get them to line up and do a count. Sixteen, okay?"

"Don't you mean fifteen," Silas responded in a small voice.

Wishing he could be tucked out of sight, Axel's teeth bared in a wince.

Thorne nodded. "Take the gun, okay. I know that you don't like it but it's for your own safety because we can't be certain whether the other side if completely safe. Take the pen to and chuck it back as a warning but whatever you do not come back." Although the idea of being detached from the gun made him feel vulnerable, nothing stirred in his dark, grey eyes.

There was the briefest hesitation. White-faced, Silas nodded. This was reality and it finally hit him. With trembling fingers, Silas tucked the gun into the waistband of his trousers and the pen in his pocket. Cold sweat shone on his forehead as he glanced between his friends.

"This is it." Thorne forced no triumph in his voice. They had not escaped just yet. "That is the portal which will take us home. Home is anywhere away from Facesmiths. Many of us have fallen in their hands and hopefully, that will not be the case but I am not promising you that this will be easy. Earth is a long way away and from what me and Axel remember of it is not great. Thanks to Seven for that reminder and for aiding us in our escape.

And Axel. The m-boy who made this all possible and the boy that suffered greatly for our futures. Do not let his suffering be futile. Promise me, for the rest of your lives you will hold his name in your hearts for the rest of your lives may that be until the hour is up or until your hair is white and you skinny arses are covered in wrinkles." Thorne looked at Axel with a mixture of pride, hurt and concern. "Let us say bye to the two that have saved us and in the order you will step through the portal. No one is to come back through and if they do aside from a life-threatening situation they shall be cast out from this group. Remember what Seven told us. If we come back, the portal will close."