The Fallout

Austin's P.O.V

Oliver was in hysterics.

People were chanting prayers as their footsteps came closer and closer…

And I had a choice to make.

So I did.

I flung myself face first onto the ground and began to wiggle around as much as I could, before our captors could realize what I was doing; my blindfold fell to rest on my nose. Bingo. Horrified, they rushed me; trying to tie the fabric back around my face but it was futile; I had already won. Splashes echoed in and out of my ears; blood spewed my skin and hair as I suddenly had the strength to lift myself off of the ground, successfully breaking all of the tightly tied ropes off of me at the same time. Children, the elderly, the young; everyone alike had to go; and so they did. I practically flew back to Oli's side as I made quick work of setting him free and untying the thick fabric that blocked his vision; his violet eyes were heavily disguised behind a cloak of tears.

“Where’s Matty?” he sniffled as he threw himself into my arms; I clutched him as tightly as I could whilst looking around the vicinity; but I knew what had happened…I could hear the life leaving his body moments ago. I wasn’t looking for the happy, smiling, charismatic drummer; I was looking for his shell of a body. It was pitch black, but somehow I managed to find a lamp that was located directly behind where Oli and I had been stationed; I reluctantly switched it on. The room was something out of a horror story; bloodied walls, bodies strewn throughout the floors and pews; the others lay in thick foamy piles. But after a few moments, I saw him; his face was down in the hard wood floor, a puddle of blood lay under his head and clung to his skin like goose bumps, but what made my heart surge forward was the state he was in. A large knife was protruding out of his back, and another sticking out of the back of his head. Oli whipped his head around to see but I blocked his view and forced his face back down in my chest.

“Austin, let me see him! We can still help him, I just need to see him!” he wailed as he desperately tried pushing out of my arms, but I held him firm.

“No, Oli.” I chanted every time he tried to break free of my grasp; it hurt me enough to see one of my friends, dead, and face down in a pool of his own blood; but it was another to see my lover morn the loss of his best friend.

“Oh god, Austin! Tom, Tom! We have to bring him to Tom! We have to go now, c’mon Austin!” Oli somehow wiggled his way out of my arms and ran to his friend side; he then did something that shocked me. The lanky man dropped down to his knees and plucked the knives out of Matt's body, like they were splinters. He then scooped his friend up in his arms and gave me a hopeful look, like a kid in a candy store while he browsed the selection in hopes of getting something sweet; Oli was at that point, that kid.

“See! He’s gonna be just fine!” He commented as he nodded for us to leave; I ultimately didn’t know how to react. He was clearly in shock and denial. I reluctantly approached him as he gazed down at the older man and smiled, I reached down and brushed Oliver’s cheek with my thumb; he beamed at me.

“I love you…” I whispered as hot tears fell from my eyes, Oli looked perplexed at first, but then something inside of him changed. He dropped to his knees, still clutching Matt's slightly larger body to him as he plummeted to the ground.

“Oh, no…no…no…Matty….Matty, please wake up!” he screeched as he pressed his head to his friends still chest; I felt my heart crumble as I watched him plead and beg for his friends life back; but nothing, and no one could ever return that to him, to us.

“Oli…baby…we need to go check on Tom…” I murmured as I kissed my beloved’s forehead and stole the drummer’s body from his arms; tears never once stopped from flowing. Oliver eventually collected himself, and together we left the church in a daze. Matt was laid out bridal style in my arms, while Oli had his arm looped around mine; the silence was deafening. Neither of us wanted to say it, neither of us wanted to admit what had just happened; and neither of us wanted to talk about what would happen when we got back to the RV. But the walk eventually came to an end, and we were back to where we started; our home of sorts, I cast Oli an apologetic yet hollow glance.

“Go in and check on Tom, then bring me a sheet…Tom doesn’t need to see him like this.” I glanced down at the man in my arms, his forehead was partially split open from the knife that sawed its way past his flesh and bones, and his chest had a hole the size of my fist in it from the large sword like object that was forced into his back; Tom definitely didn’t need to see him like that.

“Okay…” Oli whispered as he did the special knock we did on our door, I walked away from the vehicle in order not to be spotted by the younger Sykes’ brother. Oli was whisked inside the armored car and didn’t emerge for several minutes; a black sheet in hand.

“He’s asking why I need this…he knows something happened, Austin…” The brunette’s voice was raspy and pained; but when I spoke, mine was no better.

“Because he isn’t naïve,” I resolved as I slipped the sheet under and over Matt, and not a second too soon. Tom flung the RV door open with a smile,

“Austin you’re okay! Thank god I was wor-“ his voice cut off abruptly as a look of knowing passed over his face, he shook his head slowly from side to side.

“Please don’t tell me…” he begged as he flipped a bright lantern on, his eyes were already clouded in tears and his bottom lip trembled as I took another step forward.

“I'm so sorry…” I whispered as he came within an arms length of me, and I meant it; I should have helped him, I could have saved him.

But I didn’t…I didn’t.

-&-

Movies, television shows and plays always portrayed death of a loved one as a short mourning process, followed by a steady recovery with the help of friends and family. This wasn’t the case. Three days. It’s been three days, and Tom has not once stopped crying. He hasn’t even fallen asleep; he has done nothing but sob into his brother’s arms as I drive us as far away as I can from that place. No matter how many miles I put between us and those memories, his crying only gets worse and worse; but this doesn’t anger me. Instead, I feel my heart break for him. I thought I was bad when I lost Tino, but that was nothing in comparison.

“Oli…please let me…” Tom wailed in between cries, I heard Oli sigh rather loudly.

“Tom, you can’t kill yourself; and I wouldn’t let you if you could!” the eldest scolded the younger;

“Please…you have Austin to be with you! You don’t need me…but I need him Oli…I Can't live without him…please…I need to see him!” I slammed my foot onto the break at this point, not a soul was in the road; but that came as no surprise. After shifting the vehicle into park, I ascended the few stairs up into the main room of the RV. Oli was cradling Tom to who his chest while he sobbed something fierce. My boyfriend looked at me in absolute exhaustion, he hadn’t gotten any sleep either…now that I think of it, none of us had.

I blinked a few times before pulling the levers that lowered the armored plates down and over the windows, sending the 3 of us into darkness. I turned a lantern on dim as I slid on the couch beside Oli, whom I wrapped my arm around. I picked up Tom's legs and placed them into my lap as I used my other hand to rest reassuringly on his legs. None of us talked, none of us made a sound for what felt like forever, and even after that, the only thing I heard were the soft snores of both of the Sykes’ brother who drifted off to sleep and scooted closer to me for warmth. It was then, that I finally allowed myself to hang my head down low and cry until I couldn’t feel anything anymore.

Notes

Title Cred: ADTR- Mr. Highway's thinking about the end

Sorry if i killed you all again.
I have to get to sleep so i WILL PROOF THIS IN THE MORNING AND FIX ALL OF MY FAILS.

Please continue to leave me stuff, I promise I will post much faster if you do <3

xoxo
Siren