the chords of my last breath.

You're holding me close to your chest, close to your heart. I can hear the rhythm of your body, it's a metronome in my ears. Your arms are cradling me and I can see your face looking down to me. Brows scrunched together, eyes clouded, mouth slightly parted. Your face is sticky with tears and the sun behind you illuminates the drops clinging beautifully to your eyelashes. Your hair is disheveled, clothes dusty and your breath coming out in soft sobs.

I want to reach my hand up to you, dry your eyes, push your hair behind your ear. But my fingers, my hands, they are cold as clay and I can barely keep the breath in my lungs. I want to say something, I want to open my mouth, let my voice free. My body does not cooperate. It feels as if my throat is gone.

I see your hand move to my face. It's red with blood. My blood. You rest it on my cheek, stroking it ever so gently. It feels wet, almost sticky. You look so sad, staring at me as I lay motionless in your arms. Your lips are moving, words escaping them. I hear nothing but the silence of my own thoughts spilling out of my head to disappear.

I think about how you're safe now. And how the ending of my life is, even if just this once, able to prevent anything from happening to you. Dying to protect someone I love, someone who is my everything, someone who I need. Dying to protect you.

I love you, and I think that this isn't such a bad way to die. My only regret being that you have to be here, watching, experiencing me slowly lose my life. And that I have to leave you behind. I'm so sorry.

We gaze into each other's eyes, into each other's souls, and with the last of my strength, I manage to lift my mouth into a small smile.

My eyelids feel so heavy, and against my will, they start to slide shut. There is only darkness when my eyes finally close, but I hang onto the memory of you as I fade away.