Dying Wish

[37]

That musky smell invaded my nostrils. The air was cold and the lockers vibrated. Blood dripped to the ground. Hannah collapsed. The one interruption of silence was my panting. My head was down, with one arm on the bench.

CLANK! A second body slammed into the lockers. Gun shoved into his own oblique. Conrad slid to the floor. The gun clattered next to him. A bloodstain would expand from this wound and bathe the weapon.

He was in utter shock. "My arm. What did I just do?"

"Nothing," I panted. "That was me. Borrowed that trick... from Alice." Pain crawled toward my chin. The veins had to be blacker than ink. They looked my way, but I redirected their attention to my rising hand. I was too tired to look at it.

Still...

"Let's do this," I said. My fingertip curled.

Ashen flakes rose into the corner of my eye. I lifted my sweat face and recited the words, "How does it go again?" The most I could do was take a soft breath. It would have to be enough to get me through. "And when the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the fourth living being say— ack ack!" I grunted away the pain. "COME! And I... I looked up... And saw a horse whose color was ashen like a corpse. And Death was the name of its rider, who was followed around by the Grave... to kill the sword and famine and disease and wild animals'. This is what all this agony has been about. I give you the Death Coin."

"That coin," Conrad grunted. "That almost looks like Daphne's coin. From the nightstand."

"She's gone," I said. 

"G-Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"Imprisoned probably." 

"Miss Batch," Hannah whispered.

"I did that. Me and Alice. And, well, God. But that's whatever. The point is, Hannah had nothing to do with it. She wasn't there—" I grabbed the smoking coin, sat on the edge of the bench and looked to my right— "that night."

Hannah looked away. I had to know something.

"When did she do it, Hannah? When was the first time Conquest used the fear of your sister dying to recruit you? 'She's a cop', she tells you. 'It could be today. Tomorrow. But you have a chance to save her. To stop death itself. See that guy in your class. Well, he's different. He's not from this world. And you know what, neither am I. And I can prove it. Let me show you this coin.'"

That's how I imagined it. Hannah's silence all but confirmed it.

"She needs you. It's one thing to send someone to a dark alley. You hope they take the bait, but you can't be sure. Unless you have shadows on your side, whispering confirmations to you. You can scheme without ever being present. That's what you were Hannah. Her eyes and ears. It's your job to track Alice's movements. You have to get close. And you get your big break at the very start, don't you?"

I remembered that night.

"...Because I introduced you."

"Now every move Conquest makes will be more precise. Because now she knows Alice will be at the game. Follow her home. Find out her plans for the weekend. Oh, she has plans? Huh. Probably with Gray. Now we know he's not home. Ambush him. All done at a safe distance."

But those attempts failed. Something started to happen.

"Death starts to happen. The bodies pile up. Your conscience starts to weigh on you. You started this to save your sister, not to hurt people. But you can't quit. Emily is still in danger. You begin to wonder, 'Can I do this with less bloodshed?' It might be possible to steal the coin yourself. A close friend might have a chance. Better yet a teammate."