[ the light of that lantern spurs him -- it's all that he can focus on, as he scrabbles through the stone, with progressing desperation. ]
[ he has to reach them. he has to. everything will have been for nothing, if he can't--- if he can't return with them, to the place he belongs. ]
[ but something isn't right. the screams echo, reverberate, and he feels a pain in his chest. a pain everywhere. he's suffocating, in the mask, in their screams, in --]
[ suddenly, he can see the crowd -- waxy themselves, in various states of horror, fear and anger. they surely can't make out his expression, but if they did, they could see he's similarly horrified to realize they've been watching this all along. ]
[ his eyes flicker between all of them, from malik and marie, to the scarlets, to the residents, to all those who came to see him yesterday, until finally seeing meteion, who has been watching this. ]
[ he wants to tell them, to tell her not to watch, but what finally comes out is a final, whispered choke of pure despair, so quiet they may not even hear ]
no subject
[ he has to reach them. he has to. everything will have been for nothing, if he can't--- if he can't return with them, to the place he belongs. ]
[ but something isn't right. the screams echo, reverberate, and he feels a pain in his chest. a pain everywhere. he's suffocating, in the mask, in their screams, in --]
[ suddenly, he can see the crowd -- waxy themselves, in various states of horror, fear and anger. they surely can't make out his expression, but if they did, they could see he's similarly horrified to realize they've been watching this all along. ]
[ his eyes flicker between all of them, from malik and marie, to the scarlets, to the residents, to all those who came to see him yesterday, until finally seeing meteion, who has been watching this. ]
[ he wants to tell them, to tell her not to watch, but what finally comes out is a final, whispered choke of pure despair, so quiet they may not even hear ]
[ Father... I.... ]
[ he can't breathe. ]
[ I've failed you. ]