The InBetween

Twenty-Two Heartbeats (Tyrone's POV)

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Oh my goodness...

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I feel so strange. I feel...

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Hot? Wait, what-

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Is that thumping?

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Okay, why is it getting hotter?

ROOOAAARRR!

SLASH!

BASH!

What...what is that fighting? I- what-?

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Oh my god, oh my god...why is it so hot? Where am I? Why is my heart beating so fast?

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OH MY GOD IT IS HOT AS HELL. WHAT'S GOING ON? I CAN'T MOVE, GET ME OUT OF THIS ROOM!

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Where...what.. I can't breathe, what's going on? Where am I? What- what- what's happening-?!

"WAKE UP, TYRONE! OPEN YOUR EYES PLEASE!" The boy felt hands shaking his frame vigorously. A shaky voice screaming in his ear, begging him to wake up. He had no idea where, or even what he was right now. He could only hear the screaming and the blasts of a distance battle, and the touch of someone desperate for him to snap out of his daze. 

He wanted to tell whoever it was screaming to shut up, but he couldn't find the energy or will to open his mouth. Some darkness tugged at the pit of his stomach, like it was keeping him unaware of his surroundings. It beckoned him to fall asleep again, to give up on this shrieking random and succumb to the dark tugging. The screams died down and he felt his thoughts and air slip away.

A fat sting appeared on his cheek. Like a slap. It scared the darkness away and brought him back to whatever kind of reality this was. His eyelids fluttered open for a moment, and all he saw was a dark landscape, potholes in the flaming ground from the energy blasts being tossed around in the cloudy sky like beachballs. Where the b****y hell am I?

"Tyrone please!" he heard heavy sobbing that became muffled as a weight came down on his chest. "Wake up, we're saved buddy. We're saved!"

Can he stop screaming?

"We're saved Tyrone! I know you usually don't like being bothered when resting, but just this ONCE get your butt up and help!"

Tyrone...I'm Tyrone. But  I should have known that, 

He practically pulled his eyelids apart to see the disgusting yet heart-warming sight of his best friend sobbing on his chest. The snot in his nose was running down to his chest, staining his top. When Jacob saw his best friend, he cracked into a drool-covered smile and chuckle, bringing him into a bear hug.

Jacob spit a little as he let out a laugh. Tyrone embraced it whole-heartedly. They weren't alive, but they weren't permanently burning either, so that's a win. Then the heat of their surroundings finally hit the boy and he felt like passing out all over again. He mustered up all the energy to spit out: "IS THAT THE GRIM REAPER FIGHTING THE MOTHER OF DEMONS?!"

Above the boys, Death was battling it out with a dark entity. It wore a dark blue cloak with golden lining that blew in the humid winds. It's face was pale but it's eyes were pitch black that matched the grey and black battle outfit he wore. The Reaper threw down silver blasts and bolts at the thing, but she swished and dodged almost effortlessly. 

The being in question must be Lilith. She unleashed her true form and grinned wickedly at the pale being. She had misty black hair with goat horns spiking out. Her gown shifted like fire and burning souls. The silver outlines of the black fabric seemingly moving around, calling for help and mercy. She attacked with her nails- claws? and called upon the mutants of the lowest rings to come up and take out Death. Death retaliated to these with just a look. How cool, just one glance at these mutants and they just turned to dust.

"Okay Jacob, love ya, but your crushing me!" Tyrone pulled his chubby buddy away for a moment and stared out at the sky. He looked at his skin. It was literally boiling. Jacob's too. His skin was also stinging hard from the poisonous bites those spider gave earlier. Despite all of that, he felt nothing. No pain, no happiness, just nothing.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Jacob said "You won't believe what's going on."

"Trust me Jay. I don't believe it."

"Death was hiding in the pit. And- and then when we got dipped into the fire. Gosh it was so painful! We passed out, but I woke up first in here, to Death hovering over us and protecting us from Lilith. Then they started fighting. Death can talk to me telepathically too. So I got all the information about what's going on, and the plan to save you and I!"

"Are you going to let me know what that is?" Tyrone asked.

"Right! Well, he formed a team with Life, Miguel and Connie. They made a plan and here we are! We get to burn alive while also witnessing probably the coolest dark battle of all time!"

"I kind of wish I had my memoir right now. I could describe this in great detail."

"It's okay. You'll remember it, I'm sure."

"Yeah...I'm sure."

Tyrone was shocked about Miguel. Jacob went on to mention how the late hecklers that kicked Scaram out of his seats were in fact Life, Connie and Miguel in disguise. They were meant to hold up the ceremony, allowing Death to sneak into the pit, unleash something called a "divine form" and battle Lilith to the end. "The problem was the others were supposed to stall until Lilith was dust. But as Death put it: 'Their incompetence was NOT a part of the plan.' So here we are. When really we should've been escaping with the others."

Tyrone was infuriated, but also relieved. For a while he had really thought their third friend forgot about him. To know this whole time he was cooking up an elaborate scheme to save them with the help of two demi-gods...it just was...nice. Really nice.

But it was infuriating that he was so stupid to mess it up. Tyrone was sure to give him at least three slaps over the head for that idiocy.

Jacob tried to stand, but the blisters kept him grounded for the time being. "I really hope Death has healing powers." He muttered, observing his bubbling and swollen ankles. Tyrone looked at them too, his stomach turned at the thought of when they get out of here and all the pain hits them. They most likely won't be able to pass out from the pain, just bare through it.

Death struck down with another lightning blast. The silver streak ripped through Lilith and created a bright view. It was like two black papers torn in half over a blank canvas. Tyrone thought he would go blind from seeing that if he weren't already dead. Lilith somehow shrugged it off like it was nothing. She widened her form, morphing into a wall of fire, moving closer to Death. The reaper tried to fly away but it was like a net catching fish. The boys watched as the reaper was encased in the ball of flames, similar to how the shadow-imps first kidn*pped them.

The flaming ball now holding Death shone like the sun. The boys tried to stand again, but Jacob faltered a little. The flame began hurtling toward them. Tyrone hauled Jacob to his feet and started jogging, dragging his friend behind him. It wouldn't be nearly enough to escape the falling sun, as they tripped up and just embraced for impact.

Just then, the flames blew out, and the ball became smoke just as it was inches away from the pair. Death stood before them, his cloak almost burnt to nothing. His pasty skin riddled with scorch marks. But he was still standing none the less. "You guys have to...leave here. She's not gonna stop."

"How did you do that?" Jacob asked.

"Doesn't matter. She'll be back and angrier. I need to keep her in this pit. Just go!"

He pulled out his scythe and turned around, blocking the two with his arm. The smoke around from the blaze was already re-forming into a tall, womanly figure. Death took off his cloak and allowed it to cover the boys. They yelled out to him but it was too late. A train of cold air hit the kids as they felt themselves floating in a dark area. 

Jacob teared up "He staying behind? Was that a part of the plan?"

Tyrone consoled him "He can't die, remember? He's Death."

"Yeah, but him staying behind couldn't have been a part of the plan."

"Maybe it was. We don't know all the details."

The darkness unraveled around them and suddenly they were floating in front of twenty four demons above the Lilith pit. Tyrone looked at his arms, they were glowing with a dark blue outline. To everyone else, they just levitated out of the pit with Death's cloak behind them. There were three demons in the front row, who looking now must've been Death's allies in disguise.

The cloak moaned - yep, MOANED - and stretched out like elastic. The crowd gasped and yelled in anger, disappointment and fear as the capelet blanketed them in eternal darkness.