Chapter 28
Amara's POV
The sound of something breaking scares me out of my sleep, I jump up looking around before holding my head. Did I imagine that? Something else breaks causing a loud groan from me as I follow the noise.
I walk into the kitchen to see Stu letting out small curses as he struggles to flip a pancake. I count to five in my head when I see glass and pancake mix everywhere. He gets so frustrated that he throws the pan.
"Can you stop destroying my kitchen?" I ask glaring at him as I pick up the glass, he rushes to my side bending down to help me.
"Sorry, just wanted to make you breakfast," I nod in understanding.
"How are you feeling this morning?" he asks, scanning my body, I feel a chill go down my neck when I remember what we did last night.
"I'm fine," I reply but he stares at me for a few seconds before scratching the back of his neck. He opens and then closes his mouth as if he wants to say something.
"Something you wanna say?" I ask slowly edging him to speak. He takes a deep breath before nodding. He takes a step behind the couch putting something between us.
'Yes. I talked to Billy,"
"He's awake?" Stu quickly shakes his head, before scratching it.
"Not exactly he's trapped in this limbo between life and death with some weirdo who's weirdly more bloodthirsty than both of us combined," before I can get a word out he keeps going. "He's been holding him there since the fire, torturing him to be on his side and he wasn't going to but he found out...about the twins,"
I could tell by the way he backed away he could see the exact emotions I was feeling which was pure rage. How the hell?!. I worked my ass off staying cooped up back and forth between my home and Cottons to keep them a secret. I spent two months in college already and their lives are already being threatened.
"He's particularly interested in the boy for some reason. He's gonna bring Billy back in a few days once he has the two more acolytes on his side... and I'm one of them." he jumps when moving toward him, and he quickly rushes to the other side of the apartment keeping his distance from me
"I didn't have a choice, I'm practically an uncle plus he was gonna torture me like he's been doing to Billy and I wanted nothing to do with that," he defends.
"You couldn't have mentioned this shit last night?" I yelled, throwing a book at him that was sitting on the coffee table.
He ducks behind the couch before popping his head back up a second later. "We wouldn't have had sex if I did that. I'm not that dumb,"
I stare at him dumbstruck before gripping the air imagining it was his neck, I take a deep breath heading into the bedroom to change, I feel his footsteps behind me so I slam the door on him before locking it.
I ignored him talking on the other end as I got dressed. I just couldn't believe this was happening. Billy being tortured, I can't believe those images were real but if he's working for someone who's trying to take my baby boy away from me..I cannot hesitate.
Once fully dressed I opened the door glaring up at Stu who stood on the other side his eyes filled with guilt. Before I can say anything to him the phone rings loudly. I move to answer it but he stands in my way.
"We're gonna talk about this later," I bite out slowly walking by him. I was relieved to hear Dewey's voice. He wants to meet me on campus. I agreed but after I am going home to keep my babies safe.
"I have to go," I tell Stu once I hang up the phone he stares at me in disbelief. Following me as I head for the door he grabs my arm before I can leave.
"You don't wanna try to talk about last night or what I just told you?" he asks, hurt clear in his voice.
"I can't do this with you right now Stu, I need to make sure my kids are safe, they come first before everyone," I tell him my voice stern. He nods in understanding, letting my arm go.
I walk around campus park looking for Dewey when I run into Gale instead my eyes almost roll into my skull. Before I can get a word out she's grabbing my wrists looking around frantically before mumbling.
"The killer is here," I pull my wrists from her looking around before looking back at her
"Well, where's Dewey?" I ask if she doesn't answer.
"Why would you split up?!.. Who else was with you guys Gale?" I breathe out slowly trying to keep calm until the name that falls from her lips scares me to my core.
"Randy was with us,"
I say nothing as I take off running in the direction she came from, He knows the rules so why the hell would he break them? I spot him a little distance from me on the phone yelling into it, I start to sprint when I notice the news van behind him open roughly grabbing Randy and shutting him inside.
Before the door can close I throw my body inside just as the killer smashes Randy into the back shield. Before he can stab him, wrap my arm around the killer's neck using all my strength to pull him back away from Randy. I cling on for dear life as the killer tries to shake me off of them slamming my back into any surface he could. I finally let go in pain when my head slammed against the van window.
The killer tries to run out of the van but Randy tackles the killer into the sidewalk, quickly recovering he punches Randy, I slide out of the van rushing to his side and tackling the masked figure before he can stab Randy.
A choked gasp leaves my lips as the pain spreads through my stomach. Black spots fill my vision as I hear glass shattering and screams all around me. Randy's above me putting pressure on my wound telling me to stay awake but my eyes go past him, maybe it's the loss of blood or the heartache but I see Billy leaning over me with so much pain and anger in his eyes.
My hand reaches out instinctively for him, his hand reaches me halfway only for it to go completely through mine. As if he doesn't exist. A tear falls as I feel myself drifting off.
"Stay awake angel, please," his voice begs me, I force a smile before finally closing my eyes, and everything around me finally becomes quiet.
Billy's POV
"I'm sorry, I know stabbing her was not part of the plan but we could easily raise the twins ourselves," the witch suggests as she slowly approaches me like I'm some kind of wild animal.
I say nothing as I stare at her. I only have an hour here and instead of checking on Amara or finally seeing my babies I'm stuck down here listening to this pathetic woman's excuses. My fingers twitch as she comes closer.
"We're so close to having our family back together. My baby boy," she says lightly I bet she thinks she sounds sweet but to me everything out of her mouth is poison. My composure snaps when her hand reaches out to touch my cheek. My hand reaches out gripping her jaw tight I push her back until her skull smacks against the brick wall.
If I squeeze hard enough maybe she'll finally be quiet. My grip on her collapses when Mickey and Roman pull me away from her, she collapses holding her throat.
"Breathe dude, killing her was not a part of the plan," Roman pleads, pushing me back away from them. When my eyes zero in on him I see red, before anyone else can move I plunge my knife through Roman's chest holding on to his shoulder as he hunches forward. It was personal not only because he's been making a move on Amara but also because he killed me and was the reason Danny was able to get his hands on me.
Stu comes in eyes wide at the scene, when his eyes connect with mine, I pull the knife roughly out of Roman before pushing him to the side, and Mickey catches him wincing at the stab. Stu's eyes shine with guilt and they should. Just because I told him I'd be willing to consider sharing Amara, the moment I sent him back he hopped into bed with her.
Before I can say a word Danny appears with an evil grin in place as he looks at all of us. "Tonight's the night my acolytes,"
"Mickey and Roman, you're on Amara and Sidney's blood patrol," before Stu and I can say a word he adds.
"You guys are too close to them. Plus Amara would know if it was either of you," he states like he's not stupid. He's not wrong, she would know.
"Stu I need you to get Cotton Weary's blood," he says, surprising both of us.
"Why do you need his blood?" Stu asks before I can.
"That's my business,"
Stu suddenly groans holding his chest, he's shocked when blood seeps through his red shirt, and the familiar scars I gave him open up.
Danny gives him an annoyed look. "Have you not killed anyone recently?" he shakes his head in response, Danny looks at me then back to him.
"This deal you made has consequences, you have to keep killing or you revert to the state you were in before the deal which is dead," he explains observing his wounds.
"Make sure you handle that before facing Cotton, I need you strong. Not weak and pathetic," he tells him, patting him right on the wound, Stu winces on instinct. I step forward but Danny's evil glare directed at me stops me.
He lets go of Stu and stops in front of my mother, "Do you remember your side job ?" he asks in a whisper and she side-eyes me before nodding. He then turns to me with a smile.
"Perfect, don't worry Billy, by tonight you will have your babies in your real arms," he smiles as if genuine but it's nothing but evil, the moment I'm back I'm making sure my family is safe then I'm gonna rip him in half.
Amara's POV
Loud voices wake me as I force my eyes open ignoring the heavy weight of them wanting to close. I lift when I notice my father standing next to me. "Dad,"
He turns to me surprised, probably because it was the first time I've ever called him that, choosing not to question it to my relief he kisses my forehead before helping me sit up against the hospital bed, Randy and Stu rush to my side asking me if I'm okay.
"Not really I mean I got stabbed," I say jokingly but Randy still winces at my words.
"You saved me. You could've let me die but you didn't, thank you," he grabs my hand and I grip his in return.
"I should've made you stay at the apartment, or gone with you" Stu grumbles, my eyes go wide like saucers as I feel my father move his arm from around me. Randy awkwardly backs away.
"Why were you at my daughter's apartment?" he questions in disgust. The edge in his tone suggests he knows why. Stu hesitates looking from me to my father and then back to me.
"Can we just skip the part where you act like you hate me when you really love me?" he jokes, widening his arms out as if to hug him, my dad just stares at him for a few seconds before looking at me.
"Please tell me you're not a thing," he begs Stu gasps, offended, putting his arms down.
"We don't have time for this dad, the twins are in danger," I changed the subject trying to get up. I'm surprised when I feel no pain but feel dizzy, Stu's arms quickly wrap around me.
"I'm gonna get your discharge papers," my father says glaring hard into Stu as he leaves the room. I notice something on Stu's neck my fingers wipe against the liquid smearing it into his skin.
"Is this blood?" I ask even though I already know the answer.
"Don't worry it's not mine," he quickly tells me like that makes it better, even though he's seen me naked I still tell him to leave giving me space to get dressed. As soon as I'm out of here I'm heading back to Woodsboro.
As soon as I step out of the bathroom someone grabs me shoving me to the ground before everything goes black.