The first thing Benjamin Blake heard when he regained consciousness was a loud thumping in his ear. The throbbing pain returned to his side, where the bullet had ripped through him. Blood leaked from his wound, pooling around him as he lay on the ground, soaking his abdomen and falling from his eye sockets in small streams that reached his chin. A roaring fire burned behind him; the heat on his back battled the icy feeling in his chest as he struggled to remember why he was even there in the first place, writhing about on the rotten wooden floor.
Then it hit him, the reason for his agony: to save someone. To save her.
To save Lilly.
Ben’s cold, gray lips quivered as he slowly crawled to the doorway, where two shadowy figures were. He covered the gunshot wound with his arm, attempting to apply pressure so that he could reduce the bleeding, maybe give himself some time to save her. After all, he was the only one who could.
With a shaky hand, Ben stood on one foot, feeling the unsteady ground beneath him. The smoke that rose from his wound filled him with fresh energy, allowing him to rise and stumble out the door of the old, broken-down house as the flames continued its work in reducing it to ash. Mustering all the strength he had left, Ben lumbered out onto the sidewalk to stop the car from taking Lilly from him.
Ben grit his bloodied teeth. He was her last hope, one that would save her from the isolated life of cruelty that he knew awaited her if he failed.
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“Bring Lilly back!” he cried, before feeling a powerful thump in his chest, followed by several weaker ones. He tried taking in a breath, but it did nothing. He cried out, feeling the energy drain from the wound. With every stride, his body grew more frail, his resolve crumbling.
It doesn’t matter what happens to me, he thought. I need to save her. Keep her from…
His consciousness threatened to fade, the thrumming of the rain masking both the sounds of tires screeching and the slamming of a car door. Ben’s friend Nathan ran up to him.
Nathan’s eyes widened upon seeing the dark blood seeping through his friend’s tainted white shirt. He desperately reached out to grab Ben's other arm, hoping to halt his movement, but was forcefully pushed aside.
“Stop, man!” Nathan tried again as the rain continued to fall. “We need to get you to a hospital! I’m calling an ambulance!”
Ben didn’t care. He broke free from Nathan’s grip and kept limping on, determined to keep going. The world around him began to whirl and twist as the pulsing sound in his ears quieted.
“I need to save her,” Ben said weakly, losing focus.
“Ben, we need to…”
“I can’t let her take Lilly. I can’t…”
The remaining words failed to escape his lips as he heard one final thump in his chest. Ben collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood violently, collapsing to his hands and knees before falling onto his back.
Damn it, Ben thought as he looked skyward, into the cold, cruel clouds. I’m sorry.
The unforgiving storm pelted Ben as he lay on the concrete. A large, shadowy figure came down from the clouds, expanding like an eagle spreading its wings, and wrapped itself around him. The sounds of rain gradually faded along with Nathan’s voice. His vision blurred, everything vanished into a pitch-black void.
After that, Benjamin Blake faded from the world. He had failed.