The coming storm

Just a short chapter I wrote for a book I was thinking about writing.

"I was born for this, Rae! It's my destiny and you do not get to tell me if I can or can't fulfill it!" By the time she finished what she was saying she was practically shouting. She spoke as if her throat was becoming constricted with the rage she felt bubbling in her chest. Rae looked down at her with  panic-stricken eyes while he ran a rough, half-bandaged hand through his dishevelled hair, "You'll die if you do this, Alex!" 

"And so will billions of others if I don't!" Her temper rising, she thrust out a hand as if to gesture to the rest of the world and every other living organism in it. 

"Then let them! I can't bare to see another person I love die! Not again, not you..." She saw it. All of the grief, all of the misery, all of the suffering and anguish he's felt over the years. She saw the walls disintegrate into oblivion, allowing his emotions to flow like two great flood gates have opened, washing away all of the joy he had felt when he was with her, all of the cheerful memories; the laughter, the love.

Her features softened as she realized what he'd just admitted and how much it must have meant for him to confess it.

"Rae..." Alexus gazed down at his now kneeling figure. His shoulders were slouched as if he'd given up all hope, like a great load had been taken off of his shoulders but an even greater one had been piled on. His head was bent in defeat and his hands were hanging aimlessly by his sides. She placed a finger under his chin, tipping his head up so she could see his face. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down at his grief-stricken face. His once vibrant blue eyes were now a misted grey, blanketed with a glossy film of tears and filled with so much anguish that her heart broke at the sight.

She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye. Her words came softly, as if she was afraid she would frighten him more than he already was, "I have to do this, Rae. Not just for every one that's going to die if I don't, but for me. For you. The storm's coming, Rae, and I'm the only one who can stop it." He gently took hold of her wrists, her hands still holding his face, "I know, Alexus. I just don't think I can handle losing you, not after-" He choked on his words, swallowing before he continued, "Not after I thought I'd lost you the first time..."