Chapter Text
The first thing he thinks is that Valhalla burns.
The second thing he thinks of is Capable. And the third, and the fourth, and--
Nux is in Valhalla and Valhalla is burning him. His leg aches all the way to the bone and the skin on his left side feels like it is being charred. Is this what Valhalla is? To be burned and burned until you are pure for the Immortan?
The Immortan. Capable. Immortan. Capable. Capable.
Nux is in Valhalla and he is opening his eyes. There is something near him--big, metal, smoking, (a car?) but his eyes are watering from the brightness of the sun on the sand and he can't see right, and he didn't think Valhalla would be a desert but all around him is sand, hot, burning, sand--
Something moves. It is coming out from around the smoking metal thing, moving, pale against the sand, pale and bright and red, so red, glory be, to think that Valhalla would have something in it the color of Capable. It hurts Nux to keep his eyes open. It hurts Nux to breathe, inoutinout. He makes a sound, meant to be a word or a prayer. It comes out as a moan.
The moving thing stops moving. Then it is moving quickly, towards him, fast now, and Nux tries to blink, tries, but he can't look he can't stop looking--
"Nux?" but it is Capable's voice and that's wrong, she isn't meant for Valhalla, already shiny, so chrome, she should be living at the Citadel, living and--
"NUX," her voice says again, louder, and he can see her perfect face now, pale and perfect and her red red curls.
"Capable," he tries to say, because if this is Valhalla then please, let him not wake.
"Nux, oh yes, Nux you're alive, I'm here, I'm---"
And then Nux is confused because Capable is screaming, screaming, "He's alive, it's Nux, help us, HE'S ALIVE, TOAST PLEASE..."
But the screaming is coming from a long way off, and the edges of Capable are fading, fraying, and he feels something falling on to his face, wet, wet and salt.
Nux tries to stay awake, tries to look at her, because she is asking him to--"Nux please, look at me, stay awake"--and he would do anything for her, but he is burning now, burning and things are getting dimmer and his head lolls to the side and he can see someone--slender, cropped hair, Toast?--running towards them, flying across the sand.
Capable's words are the last thing Nux hears, his name in her beautiful voice and his face is covered with wetness falling from her eyes and wet where his eyes are leaking as they fail and he turns to flame, to ashes, burning, the deep pain in his leg--
Valhalla is burning, he thinks, but Capable is there.
Capable, he thinks, as everything goes away.