Aerie's Fallen Immortal

Chapter 23

⚠️TW: violence⚠️

"No wait—" Jack said, "You don't have to do that—"

"On the count of ten, if you don't release him, I will pull the trigger." Aerie said, "you know a fully loaded gun has six shots, and I only used one."

"You don't have to." Jack said, "even if you are dead, my plan would still be the same. And you can't escape anyways."

"One." Aerie said, staring him right into his eyes, and Jack stared back.

"Two." Aerie continued to pressure him, but Jack did not move.

"Three." Jack was testing her. He wanted to know if he was the one who was threatened, or if Aerie was the one who was faking it. A bet made on her own life.

"No!" Brian said, "you don't have to do this— you should leave me— just leave!"

"Four." Aerie said, completely ignoring him. She did not slow down her pace, nor did she had her hands shaking. She wanted Jack to know that she was the one in control. And he would be letting the two of them go free.

"Five." Aerie said. Somehow Jack stayed more still than she could ever expect. Even if she tried her best not to shiver, or show that she was scared— she was scared. Her heart literally pounded against her chest so much that it was literally suffocating her.

"Six." Aerie said. "Halfway through."

Jack stared at her, and Aerie looked back. He was considering his choices. He was judging her from head to toe to see if she would make the shot. If she would take her own life so easily.

"Seven." Aerie said. Jack was moving. Her instincts told her that he believed she would actually make the shot.

"No wait." Jack said simply. "I can let him go." He took a roll of bandages and rolled it onto Brian's waist. The crimson grew though the white roll. "If you stay."

"Eight." Aerie said, "No. Both of us. I won't stay with you."

"Then I would have to wait for you to make the shot, unfortunately." Jack said, "enjoy the last two seconds of your life, Aerie."

"Nine." Aerie said simply. Jack already loosened the ropes that tied Brian to his chair. But the door remained closed. The two of them were still stuck here. They could not go. He would not make the deal.

"Ten." Aerie said simply. She would be making the shoot. Aerie pulled the trigger and allowed the bullet to fly. She closed her eye. Aerie did not want to see anything, if that was meant to be her last second of life.

"Noooo—" Brian yelled. Aerie could feel him walking closer to her, and could feel him pulling her hand. The hand with the gun. But when the sound of the bullet pierced through the air, the yell of Brian died down.

When Aerie opened her eyes again, she was alive. Air was still flowing into her lungs.

And the first thing she saw was the red spot that slowly enlarged on the green T-shirt of Brian's. It went through him instead.

Brian stared into his shirt with disbelief. It took a second for the two of them to notice what she had done, and another second for Brian to fall.

"Oh my god—" Aerie said, "no— I never meant this— I would never—" The thoughts consumed her mind. It consumed ever corner of her little mind with fear, and regret. Why did she make the shot? She would never make the shot in the first place. She knew. Brian knew. Jack knew.

Brian collapsed onto the floor. It was barely one second when his eyes blinked and his fingers twitched as he struggled to keep himself awake. And the other second, he was already lying on the ground, unconsciousness.