Re: The Pool
He went in with her. He did not fear the water, nor his own corruption that laced it, drawing her in. Underneath, in the dark, the tears stayed in place. The black water didn't wash them away.
One could still see, in that black. The water sang out to the muscles of the throat and begged it to open and breath it in. She would be able to, to swallow the water and breathe it like air. There would be no death today, or any other day. He wouldn't allow that.
Now that they were there together, his hand in hers, he smiled. His eyes were open, and through the filter of the dark, murky liquid they seemed red, warm and soft. He was glad she'd come. He'd taken a shine to her, and that was a risk. He hated risks. He hated want, he hated need, and he hated the possibilities for pain that came with them. How did she think that he'd come by those carmine tears in the first place?
Here, he could keep her. The water grew heavy around them, and he was sinking toward the bottom of the pool, his hand in hers, pulling her along. It would be so much easier for her to not struggle, to sink like a weight. He was going to start a collection, you see, because he'd been so long without people. Underwater, she would be locked in his heart, preserved like an organ in formaldehyde. Nothing could hurt her, here, and she would stay just as she was.
The water was growing tarry in consistency. He was still smiling, still sinking. Those sense-defying tears still streamed continuously down his face, and he was happy.
If she broke his grip and kicked out now, she could get loose before the water solidified around her like a mummy in peat moss. If she didn't, she'd stay his. There was contentment in the water, like trying to run in a dream, all movements slowed and the mind dulled. She wouldn't be able to hate him, just as no one could hurt her. He wouldn't ever be able to enjoy her company, but that would be alright. He could be happy, if he could just care about someone and then keep them somewhere safe from air and the monsters who breathed it.