Lights Off (Eurovision 2022 AU) [COMPLETE]

12, When I Carried It Home

"Stefan. Get Filip somewhere safe, and whatever you do, do not take your eyes off of him! He needs desperate medical attention. If you can, try to get into contact with a doctor!" Mahmood ordered, Stefan nodded as he ran out of the burning building, carrying the Slovenian in his arms to get him to safety.

"Everyone else! Go join him..." Mahmood ordered. They began to file out when Achille turned around.

"But... What about you? Aren't you coming?" he trembled. Mahmood looked off into the distance, then back at everyone else.

"I have some unfinished business to deal with before I catch up." Mahmood sighed. Blanco looked at him with tears forming in his eyes.

"No! I'm not leaving without you!" Blanco wept.

"You must! It's the only way!" Mahmood demanded. "The only way you can live."

Mahmood sighed as he looked into Blanco's tearful eyes.

"But if I don't make it... I want you to know that I love you more than anything in the entire world. Nothing could ever change how much you mean to me." He trembled.

"But I can't live without you!" Blanco sobbed.

"If you stay, you won't live at all! Please! Just go join the others... I promise I'll try my hardest to stay alive for you." Mahmood trembled. Then, he ran in the opposite direction of Blanco, on his mission to look for Matteo.

Blanco had no choice but to run to the others, so he ran that way praying that he would see Mahmood again, that he would be alive.

.....

As the building began to crumble, Mahmood still searched for Matteo. At this point, his main concern wasn't that Matteo escaped. It was finding Matteo alive and getting the hell out of the building.

Mahmood looked everywhere. He couldn't find Matteo. He wouldn't give up, though. Matteo was out there, and he was probably causing trouble.

"Come out, Matteo! I know you're here!" Mahmood demanded. He could hear the flames of the fire as they made the building crumble. At any given second, the entire thing could collapse, and Mahmood would be crushed by the falling pillars

"Matteo, just give up and come out already!" Mahmood cried out. Just as he thought he'd looked everywhere, Mahmood turned to his right to see Matteo trying to run. Mahmood was faster however.

"Matteo! Where are you going? The place is going to burn down!!!" Mahmood cried out. The blaze of the flames was only getting bigger. The closer he walked to Matteo, the hotter the fire felt.

"Matteo! We have to go! Now!" Mahmood cried, almost wailing.

"And why do you care? There's no way out!" Matteo muttered barely loud enough for Mahmood to hear him.

"Every exit has been blocked off! You should've escaped with your friends while you still had the chance." Matteo scoffed. Mahmood looked around him at the crumbling building. He knew that Matteo was right. There's no way of escape unless someone were to miraculously fly in and pick them both up by plane. Mahmood remembered what he had promised Blanco. He had to make it out alive! He had to see him again!

"I won't accept defeat, Matteo! But I also don't want to fight you! We can get out alive if we just work as a team!" Mahmood shouted and got nothing but silence from Matteo in return. He yelled louder.

"Matteo! The building is going to collapse at any given moment! We have to leave, now!"

"DON'T YOU SEE??? WE'RE GONNA DIE HERE! THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO TO STOP IT!" Matteo screeched at Mahmood.

Mahmood was devastated. He knew Matteo was right. Neither of them would make it. He would never see Blanco again. He wouldn't get to live the wonderful life with Blanco that he had always dreamed of. He wouldn't get to perform at the Eurovision final with his beloved. He would get to do any of it.

But he couldn't lose hope! Maybe.... Maybe....

He turned to his left and saw a way out! It was an open window! He could jump from the top and out of the building!

Mahmood ran and dodged the falling pieces of the crumbling building. Once he reached the window, he realized that he was on the fourth floor of the building. He was too high to just jump.

That's when a piece of the building crumbled down underneath him. He was holding on to a fallen pillar, and he was hanging for dear life!

"MATTEO PLEASE!" Mahmood begged. "PLEASE PULL ME UP!"

Matteo heard his cries and walked towards Mahmood slowly, but with no intention of helping the Italian up onto his feet.

"Oh, Mahmood. You're adorable. Truly adorable. You think that someone's going to come save you now?" Matteo cackled.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY, MATTEO! PLEASE!" Mahmood begged. His eyes were filled with terror. Tears welled up inside of them, and Matteo still stood there and did nothing.

That was when Mahmood accepted it... He accepted defeat.

"If you're not going to help me up... Just please, please let Blanco and everyone else live... I can't bear to see my Riccardo hurt in any way!" He trembled.

"ALESSANDRO!!!!" Blanco yelled from below. Mahmood looked down and saw Blanco right below him!

"Riccardo, Stay out of this!" Mahmood cried. Matteo grabbed a chunk of wood to throw down at Blanco.

"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM!" Mahmood cried.

"Oh, and what are you going to do about it?" Matteo asked rhetorically. Mahmood knew it was now or never. He let one hand go from the pillar and swung it over to pull Matteo down, and with the other hand, he let go.

Mahmood closed his eyes. He thought of what Blanco would do without him. He would miss Blanco. He would miss getting to cuddle him on a cold winter's day. He would miss watching Netflix with him as they laughed together at whatever show they had put on. All he wanted was to be able to hug, to kiss Blanco... One more time......

"RAAAAAA!!!" Came a voice from behind Mahmood. Before he knew it, he was in the back of a helicopter.... That Ronela was flying!