A bright orange light blazed as Mark lit a torch.
James cast his eyes around the weary group of surviving rebels. There were only ten of them now, battered and bloody. He couldn't see her.
“Sibo,” he stammered.
No reply. He glanced around, hoping against hope that somehow he'd simply overlooked her. A hand came to rest on his shoulder.
James spun around, roughly knocking the comforting hand away. It was Mark. James' breathing became fast and shallow as the realisation set in. A storm cloud of sadness and anger built up inside him.
“I'm sorry James,” said Mark. He glanced at James, then quickly fixed his gaze on the ground.
“No,” said James, burying his face in his dirty hands. His eyes began to water. He felt emptier than ever before. “God no!”
“I'm so sorry,” mumbled another voice.
James looked toward the edge of the misty clearing, hoping to see his lover emerge from the dark undergrowth. Hoping she would burst out and run into his arms. A tear rolled down his cheek. His lips quivered. He couldn’t take it. He balled his right hand into a fist and slammed it into the cave wall.
“Urghh,” he groaned, wincing as the jarring pain shot up his arm. He held his hand up in front of his face. His knuckles were red, with grains of gritty dirt embedded in them.
“James,” said Mark, his voice calm yet commanding. He placed a firm hand on either of James' shoulders.
James turned and stared at Mark's battle-scarred face. He forced his tears to stop. His body trembled, on the brink of breaking down.
“I know how hard this is...”
“What the hell would you know?” spat James, his voice breaking. “It’s not like you’ve lost a girlfriend.”
There was a long silence. The mournful wind whistled through the cave. No-one made eye contact.
“There's nothing we can do,” said Mark. He paused for a moment, taking a slow breath in and out through his nose. “I'm sorry, but that's the truth of the matter.”
James shook his head and stared at the ground, blinking rapidly to keep his eyes clear.
“James,” said Mark softly.
James looked up to see Mark with his arms extended, and a sympathetic smile on his face.
No. He didn't need anyone. He was tough. He was a man. He turned away and tramped into the cave to be alone with his sorrows.
It wasn't a large cave. The dim light from the torches outside was just enough to allow him to see.
“Everyone get some sleep,” Mark's voice reverberated through the cavern.
James sat down against the cold, rough wall at the far end of the cave and closed his eyes. In his head he saw Sibo, with her flowing dark hair and delicate face. All this time he'd loved her. Now when he'd finally found she loved him too, she was taken from him. He hungered for her.
He glanced around. It was fairly dark; surely nobody would be able to see him. He unbuckled his belt with shaky hands. Then he unzipped his fly, and began masturbating.
The soft thumping sound echoed through the cave, but James didn't notice, and didn't care. His mind focused entirely on Sibo. He pictured himself with her, doing things he could only dream of now that she was gone.
After only a few moments, he felt himself near climax. The intense feeling built up inside him like an explosion.
He leant forward, his muscles contracting. The euphoria raced through his body, killing his pains. Everything else fell away. For those few short seconds, everything was perfect.
Then, the joyous moment began to slip away. He kept going, trying in vain to prolong it, but the moment was gone. He opened his eyes. A few faces quickly turned away.
He took a deep breath. His head didn't feel any clearer. His lust wasn't gone.
Mark rose from his position near the cave entrance and walked towards James. There was an object in his hand which caught a faint flicker of light. “You'll be needing this,” he said, handing the object to James.
James took it. It was a bottle, cold in his hand. He pulled out the cork and the smell of alcohol hit him. He looked up at his leader and nodded thanks. Mark forced a smile, and walked away. James raised the bottle to his lips and took a sip. It tasted foul, but what did that matter? In only a matter of minutes, he was Comfortably Numb.
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