Love Me Like the End is Coming I Dream x Reader

Chapter 2 (In Which Everything Goes Wonderfully Wrong)

That night, rain pounded forcefully on the high panes of glass. No moonlight was able to penetrate the thick sheen of darkness coating the sky in its misty hue. The streets were devoid of life, and the air was howling ferociously.

The atmosphere seemed fitting after what had just gone down in that basement.

You reached your room, adjacent to Alex's, after bidding him goodnight, only to find that you couldn't feel the calming sensation of sleep creeping its way into you after closing your eyes. Instead, all you could think about was that poor man laying on the freezing stone ground of the basement, stripped of all his clothes. The night was exceedingly treacherous, and even more so all the way down there.

'What if he gets cold?'

Maybe you could try to sneak in a blanket and a pillow for him. That floor was certainly not comfortable to sleep on.

With a steely resolve to help the man, you swung your feet over the side of the bed, tugging on your shoes and heading over to the closet to grab a blanket and a small cushion.

You silently slid open the old wooden door of your bedroom and tiptoed your way out into the dark hallway, illuminated by a few soft sources of light.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. After all, so many things could go terribly wrong. But you just couldn't shake off the squirming sensation in your gut that told you that you needed to help him, even if it was something as insignificant as giving him a bit of warmth for the night.

With carefully measured steps, you made your way towards the basement door, the towering walls casting looming, haunting shadows that made you want to turn around and bolt back to your room. With one last nervous glance along the walls, you shut your eyes and mentally prepared yourself for what you were about to do.

'I'm not going to back out now. He's probably freezing all the way down there, so stop whining and go help him!'

Your small hands trembled in fear of something jumping out of the darkness, ready to consume you as its dinner. But with one last deep breath, you puffed out your chest and pushed through the fear, sneaking your way towards the basement door, a slim, almost unrecognizable thing, tucked away next to an antique piece of ornate furniture.

You pushed it open after soldiering on, stepping over the threshold before checking from behind the door to make sure no one saw you. Shutting it in your wake, you crept your way down the stone stairs, staying close to the wall so the guards wouldn't catch whiff of you in there.

Your heart pounded loudly with nerves and anticipation, seemingly amplified by the eerie silence that shrouded the basement, only interrupted by the creak of the floorboards beneath your slipper-clad feet. The hairs on the back of your neck stood up, as on edge as you felt, shivers coursing up and down your spine as if they were swimming laps at the local pool.

You finally reached the bottom of the staircase to be met with the same scene as earlier, a sight that both relieved and saddened you. There he was, still lying on the cold, hard floor, his pale form barely visible in the dim light filtering through the narrow windows near the ceiling. His bony figure heaving softly in time with his shallow breaths. At first glance, he simply seemed to be in a deep sleep, but when you looked closer, you could see the deep lines of worry and fear that creased his porcelain face, his outstretched hands still trembling ever so slightly as his battered frame lay there helplessly.

You took a glance around the room only to find the guards chatting away in a corner, not paying attention to the mythical being sprawled out on the floor. The perfect opportunity for you to swoop in.

With cautious steps, you approached him, the blanket and cushion in your arms. Kneeling down beside the binding circle, you carefully draped the blanket over his body, tucking it around him as best as you could. You made sure it covered every inch of him, even tucking it in around his feet. You gently slid the pillow under his head, providing at least a little cushioning from the unforgiving floor. His wild locks of jet-black hair draped limply around the small headrest, and he seemed slightly more comfortable. At least, that's what you hoped.

You couldn't help but jump when he stirred slightly, his brow furrowing as if sensing your presence, but he didn't wake. You watched him for a moment, a mixture of sympathy and curiosity welling up within you. But, let's be honest, mostly you were scared shitless that he would wake up and catch you anywhere near him after you had taken his possessions just a few hours earlier.

Who was he? What had led him to this place? Was this really Death?

Those questions could wait until later. Right now, you needed to sleep just as much as he did, the small yawn that escaped you making it painstakingly clear.

"Goodnight, Mr.! I'll come back tomorrow." You whispered, a silent promise that you were determined to keep.

You carefully tiptoed out of the binding circle before turning your back to the mysterious being and making your way back to the stairs as silently as you could.

That was mistake number 1: never turn your back on the unknown. Especially if it's very certainly dangerous.

You didn't get the chance to reach the stairs before the sound of shuffling caught your attention. You snapped back to take a look, fearing that you had been discovered by the guards.

You weren't quite sure what was worse. The guards knowing you were down there or the piercing, cold eyes that were stabbing through you. Frozen in place by the new revelation that he was now awake and very much aware of your presence.

A small wrinkle creased between his brows with the intensity of his glower, eyes that hid thousands of cosmos focusing all of their hatred toward you.

"I'm really—really sorry about earlier. I thought you'd—thought you'd be cold down here, so I brought you a blanket," you said, inching your way slightly closer so that you didn't have to raise your voice for him to hear you.

His glare seemed to dampen slightly as his wary eyes flickered down to his previously naked body, finally noticing the plush under his head and the cloth hastily draped across him. Until his gaze landed on you once more. He could see the goosebumps that protruded from your skin and the shivers that racked your body, barely visible to the human eye. But then again, he was no human. He surveyed every inch of you, the frazzled hair sticking out every which way, the yellow crusties that resided near the corners of your eyes, and even the small bit of dried saliva near the edge of your mouth. He noticed everything.

You could feel him examining you. His eyes were raking you from head to toe, albeit it slightly less intimidating than before. Slightly. Unknowingly, in your haste to get closer to him so you could whisper, the ends of your slipper caught between a crack in the stone that sent you flying forward. You could swear you saw the mysterious figure flinch, moving forward slightly in a move to try to catch you.

You slammed on the ground.

Thud

"Hey! Who's there?!" shouted one of the guards after realizing there was someone else down there, slowly walking towards the sound. In this case, you. Which was a really, really bad sign.

Your eyes widened at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. You shoved yourself up off the cold floor and made a run for the stairs, making haste of grabbing your strewn slipper.

In a perfect world, you would have made it up to your room before they ever found you. But the world wasn't perfect.

Before you even had the chance to make it to the threshold, a rough set of hands gripped your shoulders and spun you around.

"What the hell are you doing here?! You're not even supposed to be awake right now!" Yelled the guard, spittle flying every which way.

'Oh shit'

Life likes to play the same agonizing game on all of us. And it always wins.