(I want to thank everyone who has read, enjoyed and followed this story, it means a lot and I would also like to apologize that chapters slowed down significantly for... too long! I appreciate your reviews and they kept me writing and wishing I could even when I couldn't! I may not have many, but I love you my FanFic fans! And here it is... the last chapter. In a way, I am very sad to see it go, I feel that it has helped me grow in my writing and gave me the nerves to get out there. On the other hand, this story has made a life of its own, I never anticipated for it to turn out the way it did, but it was just what would flow and this is where it needed to end. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I hope you will follow me through my next adventure. I hope to see you there! :)
Chapter 21: Falling Away From Me
Grabbing Gabe off the ground, I hold him as best I can. "Hold on, okay?" Ian rushes to my aid in an attempt to make Gabe as comfortable as we can. The girls cry loudly in pain and desperation to leave the scene. None of them are thankful, but I don't mind, they weren't entirely my priority.
"We need to move fast and quiet." Ian says, wincing in pain but I can't tell where he's been shot.
Gabe's breathing is shallow. "Be careful, Remy."
"What are you talking about?" I ask playfully. "You say this like I did just save everyone?"
I hear a smirk cross his face. "You're something else."
Rushing towards the woods, I examine the roads. Fires have broken out throughout the town, worse than I've seen before, which gives me the impression that more people are out this year, twisting my stomach. I give a hard glance towards Ian who looks concerned. If we get into trouble on the way home, there's not much we can do to protect ourselves.
"We'll be okay as long as we stay low and quiet." Ian says as if calming himself.
My eyes continue to scan the area and my heart jumps at every shadow playing tricks on me. Gabe grips the bag of my shirt which eases my mind, it means he at least has enough energy to stay conscious, to stay alive. "What kind of vehicle are you going to buy this year, Gabe?" I ask as it seems he's always buying a motor vehicle after every Purge.
"I was thinking a mini van." He wheezes.
"A mini van? Why a mini van?" I ask, if only to keep him awake.
He laughs. "All the kids we're going to have."
My tongue goes dry and I try to smile.
Shouting catches my ears and my first reaction is to duck and cover but with Gabe on my arm, the three of us lose balance and fall down the small hill. I rush to recover Gabe along with Ian. Breathing heavily, Gabe grits his teeth in pain and clenches his fists. My cheeks sting with guilt that I could be so careless.
"Are you okay? I'm so sorry!" I say under my breath.
Gabe slightly shakes his head. "It's fine. Maybe you should leave me here and come back for me in the morning?"
"No!" My voice is stern. "We're not leaving you here."
"No one will notice me down here." He argues.
Ian begins to get him up. "This is ridiculous, why are we even talking about this. It's not an option. Let's go."
Screaming makes my heart leap and I turn towards the buildings just through the trees. The Demons are out tonight and it looks like they are close. Their shadows dance against the buildings with a large fire roaring between them. They've manage to catch an unlucky Purge participant and it doesn't sound like they are wasting their last few hours making him comfortable.
"They're preoccupied, we'll have no problem traveling through the woods." I say hoping to ease all of our minds.
Moving as carefully as we can, we help carry Gabe closer to the road that can take us all home, safe and sound. With the three of us, and Gabe's weak legs, we are breaking a lot of twigs and crunching leaves but I hope that the life of the fire keeps anyone from hearing us desperately escaping the chaos of death and destruction.
It is too dark to see how close we are to the road and Gabe's grip is getting weaker. I try to guess our location by the buildings when I see shadows coming towards us. At first, I open my mouth to speak, but something stops me. Fear? Shock? I'm not entirely sure, but I feel hopeless now and if this is trouble the likelihood of us getting out is none.
"I guess it pays off to hang out in the woods." I hear a slithering voice say.
Gabe collapses between us, seemingly dead.
Tears fill my eyes and I glance at Ian.
"Just go."
And I attempt to, when I feel something wrap around my legs and I fall quickly to the ground beside Gabe. If I didn't know better, I would probably expect him to be dead, but I can't think about that right now, can I? The only way out of this is to fight and I won't be able to do that knowing that he is gone.
Ian runs towards them, injured and in pain.
He is easily subdued and stuck with a knife they drive into his stomach.
I panic, struggling through the leaves to break free of whatever it is that is keeping my legs from moving.
"Look at what we have here." The slithering voice sounds amused.
"She's not too bad lookin'." Another voice says.
They turn me over but I don't fight.
"What should we do with her?" The slithering voice looks at me with piercing black eyes. Most of the shadow covers his face, but his freckles skin and black hair are unmistakable. His grin is sinister and I can't imagine he would ever fit into society. Perhaps these people only come out during the Purge?
"I have an idea!" The other has hard features but it seems his face could probably be easily softened to blend into everyday activities. These are our neighbors, our doctors, our teachers, our policemen. These are people that we interact with on a daily basis, who own a small business or work as a cashier.
These are the people that murder.
Ian gargling snaps me back into time.
My pants have been taken off and they are working on untying my legs. I need to be patient and time things right or we're all going to die here. After a few minutes of frustration, he finally gets the rope from around my legs and begins to unzip his pants, moving on top of me, I find my window of opportunity and I take it.
I throw my leg up with as much force as I can muster and he shouts out in pain, falling over to the side. In shock, his friend jumps, holding down my arms when I throw my leg up again. With both of them curdled over in pain, I see that Ian has stopped moving and I quickly kneel down towards Gabe.
His breathing is shallow, barely noticeable.
I can't help but smile in excitement that he is still alive!
"You bitch!" I hear before something hard hits the back of my head.
My vision goes blurry and I'm thrown to the ground again. It seems I don't even have the energy to breathe. My vision fades between black and a faint light. I attempt to move my arms and my legs, but for some reason I just can't. I think of my baby, possibly for the first time in all of this and I hate myself. Perhaps I deserve this? But the baby doesn't.
The men use me and when they are done, they get out their knife in which they begin to make cuts. They cut my arms and my chest and my legs. They laugh and grin at their work, which I assume must look impressive by their expressions.
"You think she's had enough?"
"No, but I think that's a good end to our night."
Their faces are clear to me again and the sky is lighter, which means we've almost survived the night, just a little longer.
A glint is sharp in my eye and the knife is driven into my chest. A breath of air leaves my mouth and the pain squeezes my lungs. Another stab into my stomach and I can feel my mouth gaping open. It hurts and I cannot stop it. They are killing me and I am letting them. A warm liquid begins to fill my throat and when it touches my tongue a metallic taste fills my mouth.
Another stab in my shoulder and another in my chest. I gasp and breathe as hard as I can, but I feel as if I am drowning and I know I am. I am drowning on myself and my own blood is suffocating me, slowly, painfully. I spit out as much as I can, just to breathe, I just want to breathe but I know it is not possible.
They stand, satisfied with their work and they begin to fade. I hear myself wheezing, loudly and I allow myself to cry. Sounds begin to fade and I can feel the life falling away from me. "No, no, hold on." I weakly tell myself. "Hang on."
Between them, I see a shadow. He angrily consumes them, killing them at my feet.
Blood fills my nose when I smile and burst with joy. Gabe is alive.
"I love you." I say, but I can't be sure that it came out.
I'm not sure if he heard me but I hope he knows, because I used my last breath to tell him.