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“Shh… Shh, it’s okay,” Troy cooed, cradling Nick in a loose hug. Nick tried to drift away, just for a moment, his pupils blown incredibly wide. Troy wrapped his other arm around him and pulled him impossibly close to his chest, wondering if the younger man could hear his roaring heartbeat.
“I can’t go back to her,” Nick mumbled. His eyes flitted around the gory scene; hundreds of the dead were waddling around them, breathing plumes of hot breath against their necks. “I can’t go back to her.”
“Shh… shh…” Troy’s heart thumped wildly in his chest, feeling like it would erupt out his throat. He swallowed to settle himself. “Shh… shh.”
“I can’t go back to her,” Nick breathed. Troy pulled his hand away from his upper back and cupped his cheek, feeling how the once hot gore spread against his skin had gone cold. Big, dark eyes stared into Troy’s for a moment, and he realized he would have to be the one to get them out of this mess.
Clinging onto Nick like he was a lifeline, Troy began to stumble through the hoard of dead. They all blended together into a kind of blurry mush, with shades of red, green, purple… One would flash him their teeth, and then the next moment, one would nuzzle their skin against his ear; a warning, or an invitation, Troy couldn’t tell. Every sensation sent an electrifying shiver down his whole body, like whatever last rational brain cell he had was trying to signal danger over the blinding adrenaline that was rushing through him regardless. It was like taking someone already drowning and trying to set them on fire.
“C’mon, c’mon,” he whispered. Nick’s hands scrunched up his clothes as he waddled along. “Almost there, Nicky.”
His foot caught on something. The entire world swung downward, like the whiplash of a boat after going over a massive wave, and Troy gagged on his own spit. His feet somehow landed, planted on the concrete, and he was terrified that if he took another step, he would fall into the void or simply fly away. Something leaked from his mouth, which dribbled onto his bloodied clothes and wettened his lips. Licking them and tasting the bitter iron of the gore grounded him, even just a little, and he continued onward.
Everything started to quiet down a little, leaving his ears ringing. Bits of scenery began to peek through the rotting bodies. More motivated, he stumbled on a bit faster, dragging Nick along. The hundreds of corpses turned to tens, and when only a few stragglers were left, Troy abandoned Nick and collapsed onto the concrete.
He was on his hands and knees; his breathing became rapid and shallow. His elbows gave way and he splayed out on the ground like a fish out of water. The cool concrete felt electrical against his chin, and he squeezed his eyes shut in discomfort.
“Troy…” a voice muttered. “…Troy.”
Troy flopped around at the sound, his back now against the concrete. Anxious eyes darted around until they noticed Nick, hunched over with his arms dangling loosely by his sides. His lips were parted.
“Nick,” Troy breathed, “what the hell, man. What the hell.”
“She’s gonna kill you,” the younger of the two mumbled. “If she finds out what we did, she’s gonna kill you.”
Troy laughed — a breathy, pathetic laugh. “Wh- what? What?”
“She’s gonna…” Nick fell onto the concrete beside him. He wrapped his arms around his knees and curled into a ball. “She’s gonna blame you, man.”
“I didn’t do anything," Troy retorted.
“No…” Nick barely breathed out the word.
Troy turned to face him, staring at his agape mouth. “I destroyed the ranch, if that's what you're talking about..."
“That isn’t the point!” Nick’s voice grew louder. “If she finds out we got high together, she’s gonna kill you. I can’t lose you, man, I can’t…”
“It was all your damn idea."
“No, no… That’s… I never wanted it to turn out this way." His voice almost broke at the last word. "I just wish she-"
“Wait, did you get bit?” With a jolt of worry, Troy sat up, his hands suddenly all over Nick’s body. Nick squirmed under his touch. “Did you get bit?”
“No, no, my trick works,” Nick weakly pushed him away, his fingers lingering on Troy’s chest a bit longer than necessary. “‘M fine.”
Troy stared at him, defeated, eyes huge and glassy. His arms drooped back to his sides. "We're not fine."
"Yeah." His voice was barely above a whisper.
For a moment, they stared at the sky. The bright band of the milky way floated above them - a massive stroke of blues, purples, whites, speckled with millions of stars and planets. Their home was one of those specks. Just a sparkling thing orbiting in space, surrounded by asteroids and rocks and thousands of tons of space junk. The howling wind caught Troy's hair; he blinked, and turned his attention back to Nick.
"We'll figure it out," Troy mumbled. He scooted closer to Nick, the younger boy turning to face him. His eyes were wet. "Let's... Head back to the Bazaar for now, yeah?"
"Yeah." Nick got up, wobbled a bit, then extended his hand to Troy. Troy stood up with the help of the younger man, before they stumbled onward, parallel to the herd.
Maybe they would figure it out after all.