It was all over before I knew what was happening. Around me lay the broken bleeding bodies, and in my arms, a blood soaked form. My arms twisted around her body, possessive and brutal. I could tell by the angle of her arms, that my violent embrace broke them. But not as easily as her skin had broken beneath my teeth.
Her skin, so fragile and pale, gaped, torn open in many places.
My arms began to shake. The violence overwhelmed me. Gently I placed her body on the ground. I backed away as best I could amongst the bodies of my class mates. I tried not to look at their faces but each horrified expression caught my eye, forever frozen in fear.
As my back hit a wall I slowly dropped to the ground bringing my arms around my legs. I froze, trying not to stare at the blood soaked walls and failing. My mind meanwhile was running on overdrive trying to find a way out of this mess. How was our family going to get out of this one?
Within moments my phone was ringing. I brought it out of my pocket automatically, my mind still doing loops trying to figure it out.
"Yes, Alice." my voice sounded so strange to my ears, dead.
There was a pause on the other side.
"Alice?"
"Edward." she inhaled sharply as if surprised. "No. Edward. Please tell me she is still alive." Her voice broke near the end as if she was crying.
I couldn't answer.
"Edward." Her sob came through the phone but I could also hear it through the thin wall of the building. She was just outside. No doubt she could smell the blood.
"Call Carlisle." my voice still monotone.
"Edward?"
"You can't come in. You won't be able to stay in control. Get Carlisle and keep the others away." I hung up, Calmly putting my phone back into my pocket. I was surprised my hand had stopped shaking. I brought them up in front of my face staring at the patterns the blood had made in the creases of my palm.
I was still staring at my hands when the door flung open. Carlisle gasped as he took in the destruction around me.
"Edward." He closed the door behind softly. He opened his mouth again as if to say something but nothing came out.
I was suddenly aware that I was covered in blood. From head to toe blood soaked my clothes was on my skin. Revulsion hit me, and I gagged.
"Edward." Carlisle said in a sympathetic tone. He was trying to console me. Me, the monster who killed 20 odd people in less than a minute!
He came forward slowly and knelt down beside me. "Edward. Come on we need to leave."
"Leave?" I asked incredulously. "How are we going to cover this one up Carlisle? How will we make the masses believe this was anything but a brutal mass murder psychopath? We can't blame it on animal attacks this time!" I was yelling by the end of it and I tried covering my face with my hands but blood still covered them. I started rubbing them vigorously on my pant leg but my clothes were just as soaked.
He looked at me in concern. My shame could not be more complete.
"We will burn it down." I looked up confused. "We will turn all the gas valves on and burn it to the ground. It will look like the gas was left on and everyone fell asleep then a spark started a fire killing everyone."
I had to admit it was a good plan.
He started to get up. "Come on. We need to arrange everyone as if they are sleep at their desks." He went toward the closest body, picking it up with ease. Reluctantly I got up to help him. It took little time at all to arrange them all, and finally I got to the one that started it all. I stared, unable to arrange this innocent child into the lie we were creating.
Sighing I stooped to pick up her body, as soon as I lifted her from the ground a weak, barely distinguishable groan passed her lips.
She was alive?
"Carlisle! She's alive!" He rushed to my side as I laid the girl on a tabletop. Gently he laid his head on her chest listening for the very thing I was straining to hear; a heartbeat.
"It's there, barely." He looked to me unsure. "It is up to you Edward what we do next. I never would have thought she would survive when all the rest didn't. She can live. Her heart is still beating and I have no doubt that the venom is already taking affect. But it is all up to you."
I looked down at the figure lying before me. Her body was broken, limp, the life taken right out of her. That was my fault. I took that from her. But could I let this happen, let her be cursed for the rest of her existence just because I felt guilty about killing her? Which would she consider worse; a horrible violent death or living forever cursed?