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No.
“I’m okay, but we’re out of time.” Tate grunts, pressing his forehead to mine.
“Now or never, baby. Let’s go home.” Milo says, his agonized voice still sounding as strong as ever. I look back at my grandpa, the spiked creature hovering above his wrinkled face. His eyes are on me as he grasps the spike in his neck. A slow, weaking smile spreads across his face as he lets go of the spike, no longer trying to stop the bleeding. I lash out, imploding the creature's skull, sludge spilling onto him. Carlton is thrown back, colliding with the wall by another creature's tail. I reach out, trying to help too, when a sharp pain stabs through my chest. My heart sputtering. I think I’m dying.
“I love you.” He grandpa mouths, before those kind eyes flutter closed for the last time. The twins press their heads against my cheeks on either side as sobs leave my chest.
“We love you.” They say in union.
Tate smiles, “More than the sun.”
Milo kisses me gently, his stubble tickling my cheek, “Or all the stars.”
“Whatever comes next, you’ll find me, right? Promise me.” I sob, blood leaking from my mouth as I take a final wet heavy breath.
I’m dying.
“We will never leave your side.” Tate says, his brother finishing for him, “We swear.” I try to take a deep breath, turning to the silence, the void that has beckoned me from the moment I stepped into the cave. “I love you. Always.” I don’t know if they can hear me, or even if I said it out loud, but they felt it, of that I’m sure.
Another excruciating beat of my heart.
A band snaps from somewhere deep inside me as the fire burns out of control. Consuming the chaos around us. My head lolls forward, I can't... I can’t hold it up. Warm hands find their way to my neck, lifting it towards the abyss as tendrils rip up my torso, tearing at my skin. “I’ve got you love,” An unfamiliar warm voice wraps around me. I’ve never heard it before, but there’s no doubt of its owner.
“Don’t be afraid, child.”
Mother.
A pained smile breaks over my face as the blue flames creep higher. The twins' screams ripping through my soul. I’m not. I’m not afraid. The sound of crushing rock rattles my head.
Clotho. Atropos. Lachesis.
I can feel them as sure as I can feel the flame on my skin. But there’s no pain. Another weak pump in my chest. Another band snaps. Power surges from my body, wrapping us in that familiar darkness. Dying doesn’t feel how I expected. It feels like waking up from a strange dream. It feels like coming home.
