I squeezed tighter, my eyes burning. "I missed you so much," I whispered into the familiar fabric of the sweater.
The figure didn't pull away, but the warmth began to fade, replaced by a clinical, damp cold—the smell of the freezer. A voice, smooth and sharp like a scalpel, whispered into my ear.
[I see you've found my replacement.]
I pulled back, my eyes wide in disbelief.
"What… did you just say?"
[I said you've found a replacement, for me!]
Greed emphasized the words "me" and "replacement," which shocked me even more.
[You don't know? I think his name was… Adrian?]
"Adri…an? NO! Why… would you even think that?" My fingers dug through his incorporeal shoulders.
[I don't know.]
Greed shrugged casually.
"You… You're not Greed, are you?"
[Wha—what, what are you talking about.]
Greed clenched the hem of his sweater, his voice now laced with unacceptance. His head down as he sulked.
[Why. Why would you think that?]
He murmured. Repeatedly.
I stepped back, realizing I was trapped.
[Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE ME?!]
The void vibrated viciously. The air tensed as the void shattered to pieces, revealing light beneath it.
In the center Greed stood, gasping. I made my way towards him cautiously. As I rested my hand on his shoulder, he paused.
His breathing stopped and black liquid dropped to the ground, I raised his head.
Liquid flowed from his eyes and mouth. Bang. A bullet tore through his forehead, his body dropped dead beneath my feet.
I was paralyzed, a coward caught in my own head. I scrambled back, only to see the endless space of white up front.
I ran until my lungs burned with the chill of fleeing from the ghost of who I should be.
Far from the horror I wished to wipe from my memory.
Pop. The floor vanished. I fell into darkness again. I reached out my hand, hoping I would survive.
Bam. My body crashed on the ground.