A Second Chance

Henry, Again

Henry woke up to the blaring of his alarm clock in his tent. He would have expected darkness, if he hadn't already known that things weren't as they seem. Instead, he was greeted to the sight of the roof of his tent and a purpling sky melting into blankets of red, yellow, and pink. He also heard the sound of a startled William waking in the garbage disposal adjacent to him. He could faintly hear the ringing of a mechanical clock coming from within the dumpster. William was right. There was an alarm clock in the dumpster with him.

"No, no no no no. Why am I back"?

Henry stayed still. He made sure to close his eyes and try to look like he was fast asleep. He hoped the man wouldn't barge into his tent and jossle him awake like some large, helpless, pathetic puppy.

He hears the lid burst open from the dumpster and hears William thump onto the Earth.

"Fuck." The purple man whimpers. Henry quickly realized that he wasn't acting how did before. Henry can almost smell the rising panic in his would-be traitor from here. That, and the fast, shallow breathing he was hearing as well. It almost did something to him. It had been awhile since he had bared witness to a panic attack.

Henry bolts when his alarm starts screeching even louder. The yelp that's heard from outside only confirms that William had heard it as well. This means that he is likely aware that he is awake and he will have to improvise if he's going to get through with him.

He's not very good at improvising. His middle school drama professor could attest to that fact.

He had a feeling that he didn't have the option to act dumb either.

Henry grimaced. He was just going to have to do the best he could until he could find a focal point to attack. Resolute, he stumbles into the morning light, only to have to dodge a stop sign aimed for his skull. He manages to not get hit. However, his tent is all but decimated.

"William, what in God's name are you doing?" He backs away on all fours.

William attempts to strike him again. If Henry were to make a comparison, he would say he was trying to be squashed by a bug.

"Stay the Fuck away from me." The man gasps.

Henry dodges another swing and manages to get onto his feet. He scrambles to put some distance between him and the purple man. This is when he fully takes him in.

William was beyond disheveled. Sweat and tears were painting his whole, shivering body; blood blooming from his shoulder in a sickening rosette. His arms were quivering as he held his weapon. Henry wasn't sure if it was from the wound on his shoulder or if it was from the weight from his weapon of choice. The thing that caught Henry's attention the most was William's eyes.

They were full.

So full.

Of fear.

Of heartbreak.

Of terror and bloodlust.

He's not sure what he did. Yes, he had tried to stab the man one time and had managed to break into a window of his mind. Somehow, he had just reduced William to nothing more than a wild, terrorized animal. Something that wants nothing more than to kill him for his own safety. All of this just by his mere presence.

Beautiful.

Fascinating.

What wasn't as beautiful was the look of realization that made William's face pale

"No no no no".

William drops the stop sign and crumples to the earth. Henry notes that the red soil stains his purple pants but says nothing.