in the future

"Stay with me," he heard her whisper.

"Save him," he told her. HE wanted to scream at her to do something for him and to leave him alone. To tend to his wounds and forget he even existed. Gabe was the one that mattered not him. He was nothing compared to him and had always been.

He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. No voice was heard for the thickness in his throat was becoming more heavy. He couldn't scream at her to stop trying to cure him. It was useless for the wound had been inflicted on his chest. On the part above the heart and had puncture him deep enough that all around him was now a pool of blood.

Of both their blood.

Neil had seen the desperation in Gabe's eyes when he heard the shot. Had seen the anger and determination to slay whoever had been responsible for pulling Neil on the ground.

"Go," he'd say to him, "go before they get you too."

But Gabe hadn't left him. Instead he gave him a smile and turn in the direction of the shot. Walking with a broken ankle towards what was going to be the end of him too.

Neil had yelled at him to stop and go. To stop pretending to be the hero. He had yelled until he had started coughing up blood and couldn't speak anymore.

Laying on the ground with his head turn towards the direction Gabe had gone. He had felt the moment Gabe had found his killer. Had heard the shouts and angry words. The swords crashing against each other.

"Gabe," he'd whispered.

"What don't you die already?" a voice had said besides him.

He turned and saw one of the most hideous creatures he'd ever seen. Face black as night with big bulging eyes and a peak for a mouth.

"Is not like you're going to survive. Why not die?" The bird asked.

"Because I'm waiting for Gabe to come back," he'd answered with a grunt as the bird moved his head with it's peak.

"He's not coming back."

Neil hadn't listen to him. The bird kept playing with his head and he couldn't do anything to make him stop. He felt a fire from his chest that was consuming his mind. Felt his life go with each passing breath and yet he refused to let go. Refused to leave without seeing that Gabe was alive.

The bird was now poking his face. Peak going down until he felt it hit his chest.

He screamed.

"Oh that hurt?"

The bird hit him again. And again.

The darkness was now coming faster and he couldn’t let himself go.

"Let. Him. Alone."

"Do you want to play too?"

Neil could barely hear now. His instincts told him a person was near but he didn’t if that person was hear now to cause him more pain than the bird

Seconds passed or maybe hours in that darkness that was making him loose his sense one by one. Seconds passed before he could feel the pain leaving little by little his body. Before he could identify the source of the life energy being transfer to him. Before he could stop the person from continuing healing a person that had been destined to die in the battle.

"Gabe," Neil whispered when he could open his eyes.

'Stop.'

"No can do," Gabe said holding him while he channel all his energy on the spot where the shot had hit him. Where the bird had poked repeatedly until he'd passed out from the pain.

Life was entering his body again. The pain receding as his body drank the sweet life energy coming from Gabe.

"You have to stop."

"I don't have to. I have plenty of life energy to spare."

Neil shook his head and said in exasperation, "You do not. Only healers can do that. You can only heal yourself with your life energy."

Gabe hadn't responded to that.

"You could die," Neil had meant to yell at him but could only manage a voice higher than a whisper.

"I'm going to die but not because of this."

Gabe should have left him behind. Should had never agreed to come with him to fight a battle that was his alone.

"Why then?"

Gabe smiled sadly and shook his head.

"When you're okay again I will tell you," he'd said instead.

It didn't take long for Gabe to stop the bleeding and cure the internal damage in Neil's body. He hadn't healed him completely for he was no healer but at least he wasn't on the verge of dying anymore.

Gabe let out a breath and fell on the ground besides Neil.

"That took longer than I thought."

"You mean, more energy than you'd thought?"

"No."

They shared a look and in Gabe's eyes he could see the light fading from his eyes.

"Gabe," said Neil rising up.

"Is fine," said Gabe.

Gabe's face was hot as if he had a fever. Body shaking.

"What happened?"

"Remember that time I saved your life?" He'd asked instead of answering like he always did when he wanted to evade a question.

Neil swallowed and nodded.

"Well is payback time. I need you to do something for me and only you can do it."

"Of course," Neil had said without hesitation. Whatever he needed him to do he would do.

"Kill me."

Gabe told him how he had fallen in a demon tramp. How he'd gotten free before it could kill him but a demon had been waiting for him and had struck him before he realized what was happening. Infecting him with the poison no one had a cure for. A poison that would tear his insides apart and make him mad. His mind would become twisted because the poison affected his brain more than any organ. Infecting everything he had come to know and love.

"Kill me before I have the chance to forget."

Neil shook his head, "I can't"

"You have to."

Tears filled Gabe's eyes.

"You have to because I can't die without remembering Sarah and you. I can't die without knowing that you two existed in my life. That Sarah loved me and how you've protected me from everyone. Including myself. I can't die not remembering how my life has been up until now. Fighting alongside with you is not how I'd planned dying but is better than dying succumbed by a poison.