This Is Our Sin

Usually, Craig would be silently praying for his life as Max sat in the drivers seat and he rode shotgun, Max being the most manic driver he had ever met, but he was too lost in his own thoughts to even notice when Max slammed on the breaks and horns blared at them. He stared out the passenger seat window in a daze, unable to clear his mind of the burning body of his– no, she wasn’t his, it was just a motherfucking dream; he needed to stop with this bullshit before he went completely insane! He felt as if he was stuck between to different lives, and it was the most ridiculous thing he had ever let himself think.

He sighed to himself, not even realizing when Max spoke.
“DUDE!” Max screamed, palms slamming down on the horn.
Craig jumped a mile in surprise, seatbelt cutting harshly into his shoulder.
“Quoi?!”
Max frowned and his mouth hung open in confusion, not bothering to watch the road as he stared at Craig. “Huh?”
Craig raised his eyebrows, along with his hands. “What the hell, dude! You scared the shit out of me, what did you beep the horn for?!”
“To get your attention… Dude, did you just speak French?!”
Craig furrowed his brow. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“…nevermind.” Max mumbled, turning his head back to concentrate on driving, but occasionally shot confused glances at Craig as they continued on their journey to the shopping centre. Craig pretended not to notice.

Once they pulled into a free parking space, both men climbed out of the two-seater and strolled through the automatic doors of the complex in silence, Max still debating if he was hearing things and Craig still lost in his thoughts. Almost as if there was a telepathic agreement, they both immediately headed in the direction of the clothing stores instead of the supermarket, which they planned on avoiding for as long as possible. Craig had barely even registered the fact he had helped Max pick out and purchase a new pair of jeans, his mind too detached to focus. He hated the feeling.

It was only as he saw a flick of blonde hair as they trudged into the supermarket that Craig was hit with reality. His feet ceased movement as if they had stuck to the floor and Max, who was walking behind him through the small automatic gate, almost ran into him.
“What the fuck, dude? Move!”
Craig merely stood stock still, his entire body feeling as if it had forgotten how to function as he stared across the open area of the supermarket in disbelief, eyes wide and mouth dry.
“It’s not…” He whispered to himself.

A short, petite woman stood with her back to him, long blonde hair falling in slight waves down her back, a shopping basket in one hand and a small baby balanced on her opposite hip. Craig swallowed thickly and shook his head; this was stupid, of course it wasn’t her.

The blonde woman turned to face her black-haired friend who stood beside her, pointing at one of the many items displayed on the shelf they were inspecting. Her baby was making grabbing motions with her tiny hands towards the many colourful boxes. Just as she turned to change isle and her face was to come into his view, a strong shove from behind sent Craig flying forward. He almost tripped and had to run a few steps to steady himself. He quickly regained his composure and spun back around to glare at Max.

Max shrugged with a smirk. “I told you to move.”
Craig ignored his comment and whipped back around to find the woman again but she had already made her way down the isle, walking away from him, with her friend by her side.
Craig barely took a moment to think before he ran after her.

With his feet sliding on the slippery linoleum floors, he pushed his way through trollies, crying toddlers, old women and everyday shoppers until he finally caught up to her, Max calling out to him from somewhere behind him.
“Hey!” he called “hey, excuse me, miss?!”
Oblivious to the fact that he was calling to her, she continued to walk, bouncing her baby on her hip. Craig reached out a hand to gently touch her shoulder and she immediately turned around.
“Hey, Miss, I–”
There was a flick of blonde hair and a flash of blue eyes before everything went black.


“And this noon we send them back, back to the depth of Hell in which they came!”
“No!” Craig cried, voice hoarse from screaming “Brooke! No!”
He ignored the cheering crowd beneath him and stared over at his lover, who was tied to the stake parallel to him, matching his own, ropes bound so tightly around both of them that they could barely breathe.
“C-Craig…” She whimpered, a single tear rolling down her cheek.
“Free her!” He begged, tears stinging his eyes “Take me if you will but, please, just let Brooke go!”
His pleads were drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

His eyes darted drastically around for any sign of hope, struggling against the ropes that bit into his skin in vain. His eyes widened further as the torch was set alight, tis flames reflecting in every eye of the audience.
“Brooke. Look at me. Don’t watch, Brooke, don’t!”
She let go a dry sob and turned her head from the dancing flame on the torch and instead looked at Craig.
“I love you.” She cried, tears falling fast.
“I love you, too...” He cried back, over the disgustingly excited cheer of the crowd.

The torch was lowered to the wood that surrounded Brooke’s feet and in mere milliseconds, it was alight. Her screams of agony rose into the air with the billowing black smoke.
“NO!” Craig screamed, unable to look away as his lovers body began to burn. Her shrieks pierced through the air like a blade and he shook with sobs, watching the fire envelop her, chewing her flesh until it was black, eating her blonde locks, smothering every inch of her beauty.

Soon, her wails of pain began to subside, but before Craig had a chance to see if his beloved was still alive, his own stake was lit.

He leant his head up against the wood, eyes slipping closed.
“I’ll find you again…” He whispered, before the flames rose.


Craig’s eyes shot open wide and as he opened his mouth to scream he chocked up a river of blood instead. He tried to sit up but his aching body only allowed him to roll his head to the side side, blood splattering across the off-white floor. Voices were calling around him and he could barely focus on where he was, the memory of the pain was too intense. He had felt his body being charred, felt the flames melting away his flesh. He screamed painfully, chocking up more blood as he did. He felt hands on his face, hands on his shoulders, hands urging him back to reality. Everything was moving so fast around him as he stared up from the cold supermarket floor.

“Craig! Fuck, fuck, fuck. Craig can you hear me?!”
“Brooke.” He cried softly, his eyes falling closed again.
“No, Craig, open your eyes. Open them!” He groaned, yet obeyed and reopened his eyes to the too-bright world, focusing on a horrified Max bending over him.
“…Max?”
“Craig! Oh thank God, are you okay?! Answer me, please.”
“Max…It’s real…”
“It’s okay, I’m here Craig, you’re okay now.”
Dozens of faces were staring down at him in panic and others were running around and towards him.

“Get him on his feet.”
Strong hands were slipped under his arms and he was pulled to his feet. He wavered, trying to catch his balance on his own but if it were not for the grip Max and the stranger had on him, he would have fallen back down.
“Sir, are you okay?” A young worker asked him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded.
“I-I’m f-f-…” Another mouthful of blood.

“Where the fuck is the ambulance?!” Max demanded, mopping up the blood on Craig’s chin with his sleeve.
“No. No ambulance, I’m okay. I’m fine.” Craig felt himself regain full consciousness and find his footing. He gently pushed the stranger and Max off of him to prove he could stand on his own, but Max refused to let go.
“Really, I’m okay.” He waved away the crowd of people who were surrounding him. Seeing so many faces watching him again made him flinch; he couldn’t stand it, he turned his head to only face Max.

“Craig, c’mon-”
“Where’s Brooke?”
“Who?” Max asked, confused.
“The blonde girl, where did she go?!” Craig demanded, getting frustrated.
“Forget about her Craig, we gotta get you-”
“I’m not going to a fucking hospital! Where’s Brooke?!”

Max glanced towards the group of people who were staring at them. He turned away from their endless eyes and helped Craig walk away from them to a more private area down the isle.
“Craig, you just fucking had some kind of seizure in the middle of Safeway, you’re going to the hospital.”
“Max, listen to me.” Craig hissed “It’s her! She’s the girl in my dreams and it’s all fucking real. I can fucking feel it.”
“What are you talking about?” Max’s eyes were worried, unsure of his friends’ mental stability at the time.
“I’ve been dreaming about her for weeks. I loved her; I promised myself I’d find her!”

At this point, Max was shaking more than Craig.
“C-Craig, lets just get you home, man…”
Craig looked frantically around what he could see of the supermarket, but when he saw nothing but staring strangers and no hint of blonde, he sighed in defeat.
“Okay.”

*

“I dunno what to tell you man, he just collapsed!...No, he won’t let me take him…I don’t know…He’s really starting to scare me dude, he keeps saying something about a girl, I think it’s the lack of sleep. He barely slept last night…He’s just sitting in the lounge, he won’t go to bed…Okay, dude…Okay, see you soon.”

Craig heard Max hang up the phone from his place on the couch. His legs were pulled into his chest and he hugged them with his arms, his oversized hoodie hanging from his small body. His eyes were staring at the television but his mind wasn’t focusing on it, it was running ninety miles an hour. All his thoughts were tangled and he couldn’t piece them together no matter how hard he tried, as if they were a knotted ball of wool he couldn’t find the ends to.

She was real, and he needed her back; it was the only sentence that made any sense.

“Robert’s coming over.” Max was standing in the doorway. Craig just nodded.

He needed her back.