………………………………………………………………………… Chapter Five: FOREVERMORE. With the piece of curtain tightly rapped around Randy’s wrist, Gale held his lovers hands close against his chest. He knelt in front of Randy, who sat on the edge of the bed holding both his bleeding wrist and Gale’s hands. Their foreheads pressed together , their eyes closed. Gale’s mind seemed all messed up. “This isn’t happening.” He whispered to himself. “They were dead and they never could go back. Or were they really dead? He didn’t know. If not, this really was some fucked up dream. But something inside Gale told him he was dead. What was the purpose of living if you die? He met Randy. And now he didn’t now why but he was with him. Thank God. So when would it stop? He didn’t want to think about this. This was fucked up.” He missed the day they met and all that followed after. He still remembered everything from the past. Maybe even better than if he’d still been alive. Maybe all of this was just Gale’s imagination. God, this was fucked up. Gale opened his eyes to see the darkness of the room and Randy sitting very close. Randy looked restless. Gale moved Randy’s arm so he could look at his cut. Gently, he unwrapped the piece of curtain from Randy’s hand and wrist. Blood smeared his arm, hands and jeans, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped. Gale ripped a softer piece of fabric from the bed sheets and replaced blood soaked one with it. “Can we just stay here for the eternity, or how ever long we may be staying?” Gale asked out of hopelessness. “Don’t you just want to get over with it so we can leave to where ever we’ll end up?” Randy responded in a whisper, looking down to the floor. “Yeah, you’re right.” Gale looked up and tried to meet Randy’s gaze. “Randy?” “Yeah.” “Look at me.” Gale took Randy’s face between his hands and made Randy look up at him. He pressed a soft kiss on his lips and looked at him, sliding his hands behind Randy’s neck. ………………………………………………………………………… Gale jerked awake in the middle of his sleep. He felt cold and empty. Like a ghost, he guessed? Remembering where he was, like all of this was just a bad dream. He looked around the empty bedroom and lay back down. Without thinking again, he quickly sat back up and felt his dead heart skip about ten beats. “Randy?” Gale tried to say with a knot in his throat. He stood up to his feet startled and looked around the room. He opened the door and looked into the still dark alley but there was nothing. …………………………………………………………………………