Aaaaand another writing competition!

This time, we were given 5 songs to choose from to inspire a oneshot (and you had to include a lyric from it)

And I chose Two Birds by Regina Spector

PoV: Martyn

'JIMMY RUN!' I stumble away from another blast of violet fire, holding Jimmy's hand. The world cracks underfoot. Somewhere this way, there's a portal to safety, if the Listeners are to be believed.

A scream behind. Jimmy stops, and we turn to see Muka struggling in the 4 arms of an eldritch-horror, biblically-accurate, eye-god Watcher.

'I'm gonna kill them.' Jimmy swears. 'I'm gonna kill those stupid...'

'Come on!' I grab his collar, trying to pull him after me. Jimmy doesn't budge. 'Come on! We have to get out of here!'

'They're killing our friends, Martyn!'

'I know! But we can't do anything!' I insist, just as Muka screams again.

'HEY! Get off him! I'll KILL YOU!' Jimmy demands, grabbing a sword. The Watcher turns attention to us, many eyes locked on Jimmy. He freezes. The Watcher whispers something. I think I see a flicker of canary yellow in Jimmy's eyes. But I have to keep pulling him away towards safety. In the distance, I see a green beacon. Hope fills me.

'This way! Come on!' Jimmy starts moving again. We continue through the world. Until Jimmy ducks behind a smouldering wall, gasping for breath.

'Are you alright?'

'Y-yeah but...'

'Then let's continue. It's not far... can't be more than 50...'

Jimmy screams.

I turn. For a second, I'm a block away from a Watcher, its wings and height blocking the sun, before there's nothing.

I can't breathe as my senses vanish. My shouts are silent, or maybe I'm not shouting. I try to move, but I can't feel anything. My vision isn't even black, it's just empty.

'Where are you going little bird?'

Pain. Searing, overwhelming pain burns through me. I can't run. I can't escape. I try to call for help, but I can't hear anything except the Watcher laughing as I silently scream. I'm utterly defenceless, in agony, knowing the Watcher can do anything.

It's my last thought before I fall unconscious.

I wake up in bed. I'm in a small room, empty except a table of medical supplies and an occupied chair.

'Jimmy...?'

'Don't move. Please. We're safe but... but you're hurt... your eyes went completely black, you started screaming... there was blood... you collapsed... I thought you were dead...'

'I... Ow...' I look down to see bloody bandages covering my torso. 'Notch...'

'Are you ok?'

'I...' The memory of the Watcher attacking me runs through my head again and again. The emptiness, the helplessness, the pain. Jimmy takes my hand.

'Martyn?'

'I'm... oh Notch...'

'I'm right here, Martyn. As long as you need me.' The memories overwhelm me. My brain panics. Jimmy holds tight to my hand. 'Martyn? Breathe. Breathe. Please, Martyn...' I try to breathe, but some part of me just freezes and I can't. Every time I close my eyes I'm in that sensory deprivation again. 'Martyn?'

'Just- just keep talking. Distract me.' Jimmy does, holding my hand until the terror starts to fade.

A few years later.

'Jimmy, important news.'

'What?' he frowns, turning to me. 'Is everything ok?'

'It's the Watchers.'

'What's the Watchers?!' His eyes widen.

'The Life Series. The voices.'

'You're hearing voices?!'

'They're controlling everything.'

'Then... we need to tell them to stop this. The- The Watchers!' Jimmy decides. I can't hide my dumbfoundedness.

'Are you insane?! We can't just tell them to stop!'

'Yes we can! Come on!'

'I'm too tired for this, Tim... Look, Grian knows far more about the Watchers. Surely he's realised it's them, and he's not worried.'

'They're talking to you and you didn't realise!' Jimmy argues back. 'We need to do something! Don't you remember what happened last time?!'

'Of course I remember! They nearly killed me!' The scars across my chest burn again. 'We can't aggravate them. If it gets worse... I'll do something.'

'Promise?'

'I promise.'

9 months later.

'Martyn, Martyn... I- I- need to... Oh notch I...'

'Woah, woah, woah... sit down, breathe.' Jimmy's shaking. A lot. I help him sit, taking his hand. 'What happened?'

'I'm cursed. I know I'm cursed. And- and the canary feathers...'

'Canary feathers?'

'They- they die first in caves... the- the Watchers... they're killing me first... Martyn, they cursed me, you need to stop this... we need to go up to them and tell them to stop... you need to stop them...'

'I will,' I lie.

Jimmy dies first in Limited Life too. He says he was pushed by the Watchers, it's getting worse, whatever you did before didn't work. I don't tell him I did nothing except tell Grian, and he wasn't worried. He agreed to keep an eye on it, but not to risk my life challenging them. So again, I do nothing, and another life series comes. I ally with Jimmy,.

He doesn't die first.

Everything's fine.

Until 2 months later.

'MARTYN!' Jimmy runs over to me. He's crying. I frown, joining him.

'What happened?'

'Martyn, have you seen... the- the Watchers took Scar. We need to go there, right away, and get him back.'

'What? When?!'

'We need to go now! Come on. We need to save Scar. If we go, if we stick together, they can't kill us both. We'll have backup waiting...'

'Alright, alright, let's stay calm... not act rashly...' My scars hurt again. The old fear rises. For a moment Jimmy doesn't speak, just staring at me. 'We don't want to get in trouble...'

'You're never going to let go of what they did, are you?'

I don't speak.

'You're too scared to stand up to them... You always say that you will, but you're lying.' He unsheathes a sword he shouldn't even have. 'I'm getting him back, Martyn. I'm going to save him.'

'They're going to kill you Jimmy! Jimmy- no- come back. COME BACK!'

He runs. I sprint after, but he's faster to a room I've never dared to enter before.

The portal to the Watcher base.

I freeze. Part of me screams to follow. The rest doesn't let me move. The words stick in my throat as I stare at Jimmy, terrified of the Watchers and what they might do to us.

'Are you coming?'

I nod, even though it's a lie, and just watch as he steps through the portal.

For a moment, I just stare, trying to make myself follow him. But I can't. And if I move away, I'll be admitting he's gone. So I just stand there.

Until the world disappears.

I scream, but can't hear, as the hiss of a Watcher breaks into my mind.

'2 birds on a wire.' There's glee in the voice. 'One tried to fly away...' I feel something in my hand, my vision returns.

A bloody canary feather.

'And the other...'