“How it breaks their hearts that we made an art of desecrating our sanctuaries.”
                                                                                     Stiff Kittens – Blaqk Audio

This is the end. The end of everything. Good and bad. Dark and light. Right and wrong. Because this stops now. Two swift movements. Crimson tracing over pale flesh. The final desecration.

Words pour from the pen, ink flowing onto paper. They will know what happened. They will understand, and feel guilt for what happened. Three small words and it’s finished. Pen falls, clatters loudly in the stillness.

Hope fails. The last sanctuary falls to the outside world. Scarlet blooms on white sheets. Pain erupts from veins. But pain is not enough. There has been pain enough already and it no longer hurts like it should.

Retreat from the enemy. From those who would delight in suffering. Those who would take advantage of weakness. Take refuge in this final sanctuary. Prepare for the final attack.

Fight them. Stand as one against the onslaught. Only, there is only one. And one cannot hope to hold back the approaching storm of rage and addiction. Fight it. Don’t give in. The sanctuary must not be overrun.

There’s smoke in the sanctuary. Thick and acrid. Brought here by you. All the evil in the world following you into your refuge. All those things you said you’d never do. They’re coming for you. For your life.

The world is against you. Or so it seems when you notice. The snide comments and sneering looks. They know what you’ve done. What you do. And they will get you for it. Withdraw. Enter the sanctuary.

It still feels so unreal. It really did happen but you won’t accept it. Your life is in pieces. Block it out. Take a drag. A deep breath and the worries drift away with the smoke. Feel the smoke in your mind, drowning out the memories. Suffocating them.

You’ve never invited anyone into the sanctuary. But they’re special and you trust them. And as they enter your citadel, you feel the atmosphere thicken. But it’s not with positive emotions. They’re desecrating your sanctuary and you just stand there and let them.

The sanctuary is the place where you go to escape the world. The place you go when you feel overwhelmed by everything. Inside the sanctuary, no one can hurt you. Nothing can follow you in. And nothing ever gets out.