Soul Stitched (book one)

Chapter 73: Cashmere

I couldn't believe Mac was alive. I had gone through this, everything since the day her house burned down, thinking she was dead. I had tried not to think about it much, but it had always been a burden weighing me down. I had never forgotten her smirk, the way she threatened me so I wouldn't call her Macy. It was clear as day. All those moments replayed in my mind as if I was watching a movie.
        When it got to the part with the fire, I couldn't take it anymore. I saw myself pound on her door and shout her name repeatedly. I saw the fear in my eyes, not knowing what to do. Not knowing if she was dead or alive. When I had first seen her, she had to pick my jaw up from the ground. I couldn't believe she was alive! All this time.
        "Y-you. M-you. Ali-you're ali-yo-it's you!" I had stuttered. She smirked and rolled her eyes.
        "I missed you, too." she replied. She had stood and I ran into her and embraced her in a tight hug.
        "You're alive." I whispered as a tear ran down my cheek. I hugged her tighter and tried to take it all in. When we turned to leave, the man who was escorting me was gone.

Okay, back to now.

        So we had to drag Wilt away from Cryptic. I still didn't understand was was going on between them. She seemed to look at him with kindness and love, but now...there seemed to be an edge of anger and resentment. I wondered what I had missed, but I was too afraid to ask.
        All of this was running through my head as I fought. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched one of Wilt's evil mist dudes bash a guard's head against the wall. I pressed my searing hot hand against the guard's leg and watched him scream and shoot at me. His bullets just melted with they hit my skin. I huffed out a breath of air and kicked him in the neck and pushed him into another guard. They toppled down the stairs. I turned around and punched a guard in the face. He didn't look fazed. He pointed his gun at me and fired. I ducked and kicked the back of his leg. His leg gave out and I brought my hand down on his shoulder. I noticed Mac with her knife, next to me. She had a nasty gash across her cheek, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. Wilt was taking out guards left and right. With a flick of her wrist, the guards flew against the wall and down the stairs, crashing and cursing. Crystal was sending waves of nasty ice at guard's faces and impaling them with shards of ice. Aqua was pulling her own weight too, she could just touch their noses and drown them or lock them in a room and fill it up with salt water. Creepy, but it would have to do. The five of us made a pretty good team. But not good enough.

More guards kept coming from both sides, flooding the hallway. It seemed like every time I killed a guard, five more would appear. As I fought, I kept Cryptic's frail body in my mind. His suffering gave me the strength to push on. But something just wasn't right. Why was Cryptic sick? Did he have the virus? It didn't seem like it. He didn't have any rash and he wasn't trying to kill us, so what was wrong with him? I remembered what Wilt had said, how it was her fault. What did that mean? I knew he was passing out, and being weird, but- oh. It all clicked. What Wilt had said about being in the cave, when she hit him and he fell and started oozing black stuff from his head. Had Wilt...poisoned him? I've heard of stuff like that, virus' that infect you and when it reaches you heart you- oh gosh. No, not Cryptic. I melted a guard's face and shove him against a door. It swung open and the skeleton fell over. I wiped sweat from my forehead. So, Cryptic was Dr. Shep's son. But why was he in Alaska. Was it possible that Dr. Shep knew about our powers for a while? Did he want to kill us as children. Was that why Cryptic was in Alaska? Was he going to kill Crystal? Is it possible that there was someone watching me, going to kill me? I shuttered and pushed the thought away. No way, that couldn't be true. I had to focus n the battle. I glanced over at Mac. Was she trying to kill me too? I watched her stab  guards and twist. Yea, no. Not a chance in the world.
        I was ripped from my thoughts when the butt of a gun slammed into the back of my head. I cried out and fell to the ground. My vision started to blur. I groaned.
        Stay conscious! I screamed a myself. I crouched and was dimly aware of Aqua running over to me. I felt something lift my head and and I realized it was her. She held my head and I saw her worried expression.
        "Cashmere? Say something!" she shouted, but her voice was distant. I remember raising my hands and seeing blood dripping down them.
        Stay conscious. Stay conscious. It was too much. My eyes began to close.
        "I hate to do this, Cashmere." I heard Aqua say. Suddenly I saw choking. I couldn't breathe. I was drowning. I clawed at Aqua's hand which was covering my nose. She finally let go and I gasped. Air reached my lungs and I coughed. I breathed hard.
        "A-Aqua." I croaked.
        "I'm sorry. I had to." she sounded guilty. I couldn't b upset. I felt more alert, and I was definitely appreciating life more,now, after almost losing it. I sat up and stuck out my leg to trip a ma running by. Aqua helped me and I grabbed her arm to steady myself.
        "Thanks." I said, wiping blood from my head. She turned  punched a guard in the face, then turned. "Welcome." We fought back to back.
        "Duck!" I said. And she did. I shot flames from my hands and a guard ran off, trying to put out the fire that was on his clothing. I had always pictured doing this with Mac like in the movies. But Aqua was much better. We knew what to do without telling each other. We worked in perfect sync, fighting for our lives and our freedom. 
        Sadly, it didn't last too long. I was grabbed from the side and thrown down the hall. I hit the floor hard and groaned. I clutched my shoulder and rolled back and forth. I managed to get up and lean against the wall. I stumbled in the opposite direction of the fight and fell through the doorway. My head spun and I blinked away black spots. I sat up and saw him. Cryptic. He was lying on a hospital bed, a doctor was watching over him. The doctor's head shot up when I got up. I stumbled backwards. Cryptic was barely moving, his heart monitor was slow. But when he saw me, it sped up. His eyes seemed to light up.
        "Help me up." I thought he might've told the doctor but his voice was too weak.
        "No, you cannot. You don't have enough time. You have minutes." the doctor told him. I turned on my heel and fled. I couldn't watch. I couldn't. No. No, Cryptic. I felt hot tears on my cheeks. I grabbed  guards that was punching Mac and shoved him to the ground. I stomped on his head and hear a loud cracking sound. Anger built up inside of me.
        "We're good!" I heard Crystal say. I looked up and saw that e stairs were clear.
        "Hurry!" Aqua shoved me forward. I ran down the stairs for all I was worth. We reached the first floor and sprinted towards the door. So close to freedom. I opened the door and motioned for everyone to follow. But then I noticed Wilt standing in front of Cryptic. He was in his wheelchair, the doctor from before was no where in sight.
        "Come on Wilt!" I screamed. Wilt glanced back at us.
        "We have to take him with! We can't leave him!" she sobbed. I shook my head.
        "Wilt!" Crystal yelled. We heard foot steps coming from the sitars. Oh gosh. 
        "They're coming! We have to go now!" Mac warned.
        "Wilt!" I screamed.

That's when everything when wrong. Naturally.

The guards swarmed Wilt and I cried out. When they backed up, she was in chains, each guard holding one. The cuffs were back on her wrists, making her powerless. I wanted to help but I was frozen in fear. Cryptic seemed to disappear. Suddenly Dr. Shep emerged from the crowd.
        "Well, well, well. I'm sorry it has to come down to this." he said, looking at his fallen guards. He took something from his lab coat. A gun. I wanted to scream, but my voice wouln't come out. I shut my eyes and imagined Wilt lying dead on the ground. I opened my eyes, tears streaming down my face.
        I watched as Dr. Shep pulled the trigger.

But then something crazy happened. An act out of LOVE. I saw cryptic run. Life was in slow motion. He was so weak, his legs shook. He grabbed onto Wilt and shoved her behind him. Cryptic's mouth opened in shock as the bullet pierced his stomach. Everything was silent. All you could hear was the sound of his body hitting the floor.