Ash

A warm breath filled his ears, rousing him from his sleep, slowly at first, then his eyes shot wide open within a few seconds, and he gasped for air. 

The voiceless whisper didn’t say anything to him, but his mind was too clouded to focus anyway.

Afraid to turn his head or move at all, even though he felt a discomfort that he couldn’t explain, he laid perfectly still; it was the same feelings he had when he first wore the shirt, hot and very confused. The dampness of the dress shirt on his side and the rhythmic rise and fall of AJ's chest made his own chest tight.

His arm was so heavy and became heavier with every second.

Ash felt really hot, maybe even feverish. He wondered if he was sick or maybe hungover, especially since he did have a drink yesterday. 

Filled with dread, he swiveled his head left and right in a quiet panic, looking to exit before it was too late.

Wooden shelves that held glass bottles lined the walls. There were brown boxes stacked up on the floor as well. The small table next to where Ash lay trapped had a full ashtray…maybe a pack of cigarettes…some books, and maybe a pair of glasses.

AJ stirred in his sleep, his lips sliding down Ash’s neck until they pressed against his collarbone. They were unexpectedly warm and soft for someone so cold. The continued murmurs into the arch of his neck made him shudder and writhe in place. 

AJ's nose pressed so deeply into Ash that he was surprised his thudding pulse did not wake him.

The pressure in his chest moved to his stomach, and he desperately wanted to escape AJ’s hold before it traveled further down. AJ’s leg hooked his own, and he felt something hard behind him, a stiffness that grew with every movement. Ash’s heart screamed, but his silent panic did not even touch AJ. He squeezed his eyes shut, and bit his lips. 

He couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t breathe. It was too hot. His body was unbearably hot. AJ was too heavy. Heavier with every blistering whisper. 

Ash’s body had melted into a puddle in just seconds, but then sprung up in a new, heated form.

Ash couldn’t bear the weight any longer.

He pushed. And he pushed again. And again.

AJ jolted up. 

The red blanket flew off the pair, and an overwhelming chill quenched his mind, releasing an invisible vapor from his flesh.

A barely conscious AJ slammed his hands to either side of Ash’s head as he swung his leg around, straddling Ash between his thighs.  

Before a scream could make it past his lips, AJ’s abrasive hands collared themselves around Ash’s tender neck, and his shadow rendered him blind.

The color drained from his face as he struggled to pry AJ’s hands off his neck.

“A…J—” Ash finally rasped. Eyes squeezed shut. Trembling. Trapped.

It hurts.

The shadow swallowed him whole.