I'm Looking Through You -Mclennon

Chapter 9

Paul

"A bullet."
"What?" Paul was jolted out of the peaceful silence they'd been sharing.
John bit his lip, "The other night, when we met, you asked me how I died. Well a bullet what done it." John lifted his gaze to meet Paul's. "You were shot? How?"

John gave a pained smile, "well you aim the gun and pull the trigger, quite simple actually." Paul rolled his eyes, "really John," he sighed. "Fine, when I was much younger, my dad pissed off leaving me and me mum by ourselves in this fuckin' horror house. He finally decides to come back after twelve sodding years expecting everything to be the same, but Julia had moved on, accepted the fact her husband had buggered off. On his way here 'e caught her and the new lover locked in an embrace and lost it, peppering them both with bullets."

Paul visibly flinched, eyes wide with horror, "Oh god John I'm so sorry."
John stared at the wall, emotionless as he continued, "He was in mad frenzy, ran back to the house, broke in and there I was. Needless to say I was completely defenceless, we both stared for a moment, and with the gun aimed steadily at my chest he described in detail the killing of my mother. I should have been trying to get away, hell, even praying but instead I just stood there. Then, easy as flicking a lighter, sent one, instant bullet into his only son's heart."

Paul wanted nothing more than to hug the forlorn looking ghost boy, but of course, he would have grasped at nothing.

"I shouldn't have made you tell me that... shit I didn't... I didn't know you had to grieve not only your own life, but your mother's too." Paul had moved so he was seated cross-legged in front of John's stool.

"It's fine, I've 'ad sixty odd years to get over it, should be enough for anyone."
"I haven't," Paul murmured into the still air. "Oh," John floated down so they sat face to face.

"When?"
It felt like tearing open an old wound, talking about his mother, but he felt John needed to know, "five months ago. Cancer." Was all the boy could manage as his eyes filled with tears.

Another silence, this one filled with pain, not peace.

"There's fuck all use giving my condolences and all that shite but I can tell you it gets better, I promise, luv."

Despite the current topic, Paul felt his cheeks heat up at the nickname, " l-let's do something else, I don't want to think about it all now."

John smirked, back in Lennon mode, he leant forward and brought his lips to Paul's ear, causing a tingle down the boy's spine. "What do you want to do then Paulie?"