{Reipon}
Andrew walked down the scape of his memory alongside Kyle, who highlighted the most recent accurate memories. Outside, they sat across from one another in the infirmary under Pablo and Xelan’s careful watch. Tameka and Sagan hovered nearby for moral support.
“But why do you have to die?” Kyle held a joint even on this metaphorical plane and used it to gesture his point. “This seems unnecessarily risky.”
Elden, he loved his family for worrying, but Andrew wanted them off his back now. “When I die, more Probabilities will form. I told you that this one went stagnant, completely unpredictable. This is a way to defibrillate it, so to speak.”
Kyle hit his joint and let the smoke gather, shrouding his face as he considered. “So… will I die with you?”
Good question. “I doubt it. I’m sure it’s fine. Are you ready? We have sixty more seconds.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
His unrelated brother shrugged. “Nah. I’m not worried. Pablo and Xelan won’t let us stay dead because Tameka and Sagan will kill them for letting us die on their watch.”
That’s right. Andrew’s pillars. No matter the Probability, Tameka and Sagan were always on the side of good. Rayne, too. They focused him.
He and Kyle bumped fists. Andrew said with a smile, “True that. Thank Elden for our sisters.”
“Can you imagine Xelan explaining to Rayne—”
The scape glitched, and Andrew’s heart jumped into his throat. Kyle was right there checking on him. “Hey… I’m here, man. Just… shit. Breathe or don’t or—”
All around, the space inside of his mind blurred and multiplied, like being K.O.ed with a decent concussion. The walls split, the ceiling opened, and the hall of his memories exponentially aggregated and folded until a million formed and waited for him.
Kyle—a million Kyle’s—rushed to his side—
No. Not all. Some stood and watched dispassionately as he died.
“I’m right here,” several hundred thousand of them said at once in a choir of concern.
Andrew hitched and drew on air, but it was like his lungs didn’t want it. Simply rejected it, and a horse kicked him in the chest, punching his heart. Finally, his breath stopped, and Andrew fell on his face.
Fuck.
God damn, dying hurt.