The Magpie Effect {Garrison}
Apr 2, 2021 7:59:24 GMT -5
Post by grant on Apr 2, 2021 7:59:24 GMT -5
The brimstone scent mixed with pungent rubber, and it invaded every tribute like a parasite. Every single breath is a sprint, so fighting in such heat and such fatigue is a marathon.
The hallucinations had started early. Seeing strange animals. Seeing Fitz and Kane by his side again. Finding that Lenox, who was definitely elsewhere since the haze had shifted, in fact stood next to him and followed along, chatting away. None of this was the case. He didn't fully realise until the birds that followed him grew a familiarity. He knew their names. He called them One, Two, Three, and Four.
That's when he began to see some sense. He knew he was alone, and he knew there was a huge chance that he was making it to the end of this charade. But the wounds he had received in each fight prior gave him reason to believe otherwise. Anxiety grew, and it affected him.
He had seen the girl that he attacked before - Nanette. He didn't want to hurt her, but for the sake of making it home, his ego became his front. He attacked, but it wasn't long until his attacked was ended by another in the area. He didn't see who it was; he didn't see anything. There was a giant flash of darkness ripping across his vision, until all he could see was a figure in the sky, floating like a predator. He didn't know what happened to him, but he found himself on the ground, numb entirely. He couldn't feel his breathing, or his heartbeat, only that the urge to keep those necessities going had disappeared.
The bird above swooped down, and in the moments that followed, only Garrison saw.
Two birds joined the figure on its descent. Magpies, wings abreast and sailing to his laid position.
One for sorrow, he recalled. Two for joy. He could hear the voices say the familiar rhyme back to him.
"Three for a girl" he spoke.
Then the voice was clear, and he saw the speaker stand over him. He felt peace.
"Four for a boy" his twin sister said.
