The Drazen World: Purgatory (Kindle Worlds Novella)

so he pushed his own pain aside to make room for his twin sister's agony.
He would save her...or die trying.
Gabby stirred in her sleep, bringing his attention back to the task at hand.
Counting her breaths.
A quick glance to the left told him dawn was on its way which meant he needed to leave her room and continue pretending that he didn't worry. Pretend everything was just fine.
Pretend he wasn't losing, little by little, the other half of his existence.
He just hoped his determination wouldn't be his downfall. Or, God forbid, hers.
Chapter 5
I slammed the book shut, the noise echoing around the quasi empty room, disturbing the blanket of silence. I knew my tears were streaming down my face but I ignored them. I wanted to scream, to curse, to hurl myself against every wall in hopes it would stop the misery from enveloping me in its deadly venom. Instead, I sat on my bed, stunned. I took in deep, satisfying breaths and just let myself feel, for once.
Hunter had told me these books would start the healing process yet all I felt was devouring darkness staining my very being. I had only read about half the book and couldn't help but wonder how I could possibly survive the rest.
It was no secret that Darren had been worried about me, every day, every hour but what I hadn't realized until that moment was the depth of his pain. The responsibility he carried on his shoulders when it came to me.
The sacrifices...
A gut-wrenching cry bounced from the four walls of the room, my mouth wide open, my eyes slammed shut. I reveled in the release of that ever present pressure always just beneath the skin. Always there, taunting me. Daring me. Pushing me. So I cried out again.
And again.
And still I screamed. I howled until my throat relaxed and welcomed the release.
Until the fog that seemed omnipresent began to slightly dissipate.
Until the tightness in my stomach seemed to loosen just a fraction.
Until I felt strong arms latch onto to me from behind and cocooning me in their warmth and protection.
That's when I realized I had fallen to my knees, my head tilted to the ceiling, my arms spread out to the side in supplication, my agony evaporating with every shriek that left my open lips.
"Shhhh...you're okay. Let it out, sweetheart. Let it all out." Even through my emotional tsunami, I recognized the soothing voice that belonged to Hunter. Like a safety net, he caught me before I fell to despair and for that I was grateful.
"I wasn't his responsibility!" I screeched as loudly as my voice would allow. "I wasn't his burden to bear! FUUUUUCK! I didn't deserve him, Hunter. He deserved so much better than me!"
"Shhhh, let it out," was all he said. Hunter didn't try to agree or disagree, he just allowed me to purge the festering desperation that had permanently settled inside my body and mind.
"Oh no. No, no, no, no...What is happening with him now? Is he...did he...?" The thought sprang at me like a deer in the middle of a dark, abandoned country road. What if my death was too much for him? What if he'd given up?
"Listen to your heart, Gabby. What is it telling you?" His voice was strong yet soothing at my ear. A parachute preventing my aching soul from crashing to the ground, allowing a soft landing just outside the surface of my despair.
Letting myself relax in Hunter's tight embrace, I opened myself up to my heart and searched for an answer. Darren's radiant smile, his outgoing personality and his laid back demeanor didn't rhyme with giving up. He was okay, I could feel it. The warmth of his light still shone bright, deep in my soul.
"That he's still down there, living." The relief I felt that my own words rang true. helped to calm my frayed nerves.
"Good. Come on, up you go." With the power in his thighs, Hunter lifted us both from the floor. Positioning himself behind me on the bed, he curled his inked right arm around my waist. On our sides, front to back, our bodies were perfectly aligned. The pressure of his chin resting atop my head was curiously comforting especially since I couldn't remember a time in my life where cuddling had been a positive thing. I had hated it. Or maybe, I thought I hated it. Maybe...just maybe, it was all about the person and not about me at all, for once.
That's when I heard it.
It came out of nowhere and flitted at the forefront of my brain.
A note.
A musical note came and left, like the fleeting scent of a blossoming rose.
An F sharp as loud as a Sunday church bell, leaving the echo in its wake.
Gone, now, but it was there.
And so I wept again.
For my brother, for my life, for my death but mostly for the hope that began budding at the corner of my wounded but healing heart.
Chapter 6
"You had a breakthrough earlier, Gabby. I must admit, I had doubts at first. The boss and I spent many an hour discussing your predicament and the choices you made as a mortal. We've also been reviewing your fateful day." Ernest stopped speaking, leaving the rest of his thought hanging like a well-aged prosciutto in a dark cave.
"Okay. And? Do I pass with flying colors or have I failed the Gates entrance exams?" Without conscious thought, I leaned closer to the non-descript desk, finding myself yearning for a positive answer. Needing some kind of reassurance that I hadn't completely fucked my afterlife, over one drunken mistake. Because, that's what it was, right? A mistake? Or was I that self-absorbed with my miserable existence that I chose to bask in it for the rest of