Consumed -[Completed]

Lifeless

{terror is an emotion that can make a few seconds last a lifetime}

Michael's POV

The air seems heavier hanging uncomfortably around Scarlet's home, it's the kind of deadened air that picks the soul apart piece by piece until nothing could possibly be left. This giant, Victorian style home has always seemed much too large for one person to spend their nights alone in; sadness lingers around like a thick fog. It's heavy, scary even, how motionless everything seems to be. No trees move despite the rustle of wind, no birds chirp, it's like death himself has visited the broken home.

I don't bother knocking, there's no use anyway knowing Scarlet won't answer. Instead I slide my hand beneath the lame rock placed by the door. It's so obvious to anyone a key is hidden there, it's laughable really. Once I've made it inside I shut the door back quietly before scuffing my way into the kitchen; Scarlet's phone lies on the counter, a crack running angrily down the screen. I sigh shaking my head, Ashton's pissed off text messages running through my head.

"I basically called her a fucking slut man. She won't forgive me. Not after everything she's been through."

All the doors in the house are closed filling my gut with unease upon approaching Scarlet's black, and unevenly chipped, painted door. Light pours from beneath the bathroom door, her bed is empty and unmade, the comforter hangs over the edge brushing the carpeted floor.

"Scarlet...?" I whisper, taking the doorknob in my trembling hand.

The shattered reminds of the mirror lie scattered over the tile, tiny shards lining the floor as if they are warriors guarding their creator.

Droplets of blood drip a path to the bathtub where time stops on a scene that doesn't make sense. My mind refuses to accept it, refuses to believe the critical circumstances before me. It just looks so wrong, there's no way this could be happening. That is not Scarlet lying in that tub topless, bloody, and utterly broken.

Except it is.

I freeze unable to pick up my feet fearing that Scarlet lays lifeless in the bathtub; all I manage to do is stare at her pale skin inked with crimson. Her limp body convulses, I rush towards her, lifting her head to face me. Her eyes barely open glossy and distant, her breathing is shallow and uneven.

"Mikey..." She grumbles incomprehensibly as her eyes begin shutting once again.

"Hey, no don't go back to sleep." I whisper frenzied, grabbing towels for her bleeding skin. "Fuck, no, Scarlet." I climb into the tub pulling her into my lap quickly, not caring about the blood from her wrists staining my clothes. "Please stay with me, hey don't close your eyes. Stay. Awake. Goddammit." She coughs closing her eyes anyway. "Scarlet, no---" the tears take over as I rock her back and forth talking to her forcing her to stay awake. Whispering condolences in her ear, telling her she'll be okay, asking if she's still here with me.

She nods weakly, not speaking only shaking and shuttering and crying.

-----

Ashton's POV

Calum convinced me to apologize to Scarlet. Hours of his constant harassment forced me to cave; that and I know what I did was wrong. I shouldn't have stormed into her house like that, I shouldn't have reminded her of the darkest corners of her past. I know how difficult it was for her to pull herself out of all the bullshit she's been through.

Luke sits awkwardly in the backseat, voicing loudly how annoyed he is being forced to accompany Calum and I. "I don't see why I have to come, I don't even know what's going on---"

"We'll only be here for five minutes, tops." Calum chuckles, "they finally fucked, you really think Scarlet's gonna stay mad?"

"Shut the fuck up Calum." I hiss glowering at him from the passenger seat wishing desperately that looks could kill.

He smirks opening his mouth to throw some witty, rude comment up in air but the words catch in his throat; the only comprehensible thing that manages to escape is a quiet "oh shit..." and then I can't hear anything. All I can focus on are the lights on the ambulance, the tall figure standing in the driveway holding themselves, and my pounding heart.

The second Calum parks the car I'm out, hustling toward the ambulance as the doors slam shut. I turn toward the figure in the driveway, preparing a series of questions I'm petrified to discover the answer to. "What---" I start, cutting off once I notice Micheal's bloodstained clothes. I feel Luke's hand on my shoulder, holding me up so I don't plummet to the curb.

"What happened!? Why are you---"

"Where's Scarlet?!" I demand, breaking off Calum's question.

"I just walked in and...and---"

"Where. Is. Scarlet?!" I repeat through clenched teeth, wrestling away from Luke's tight grip on my arm.

"Is that...?" Luke's voice is small, shaky, on the verge of sobbing. He's not the only one.

"Is she going to be okay?" Calum questions wide eyed.

Michael shakes his head running a shaking, bloodstained hand through his hair. "I don't know—-"

"What happened...?" I whisper one more time, becoming lightheaded and queazy as my heart lays shattered on the ground around us. I refuse to accept the obvious, I would much rather be in denial than believe this could possibly be happening.

"I don't know! I don't fucking know!" Michael shouts, taking a deep breath and starting over. "I just came over and she was in the bathroom bleeding and there was an empty pill bottle...we have to go, can we just go please? We need to go to the hospital."

"Okay, yeah, let's go---" Calum mumbles leading everyone back to the car.

I sit in shock next to Luke staring out the window.

"She's going to be okay..." Luke mumbles, I look at him with tears in my eyes.

"How do you know?" I snap causing Luke to flinch, guilt explodes deep within my chest. Guilt for being harsh toward Luke, guilt for everything I've done in the past 24 hours, guilt for hurting Scarlet so deeply she very well could have ended her life.

"Because...because she just has to be." He sighs, uncertainty is written clearly over his face. I nod clasping my hands together tightly in my lap, praying he's right.

No one says anything else, there's nothing left to say. We sit in dark silence trying to keep our hearts going; a vain attempt at forcing life back into the lifeless.

a/n: this sucks, i apologize, don't hate me. the next one will be better (hopefully/-\) p.s., sorry about the typos