Anybody But You

107

Chapter One-O'-Seven

Vibe: Go Easy by Matt Maeson

Short of breath, Alice couldn't move. She could barely even think. Time itself seemed to still around her; pause and dissociate from the cruel world.

Almost at the exact same time that Jay collapsed, the sound of horses neighing filled the darkened forest. Their clacking hooves hitting the rocky dirt as people with intimidating faces arrived.

The friends Geoffrey had mentioned, Alice assumed.

She felt her stomach churn as George seemingly fell into an inhuman rage next to her—Useless's murderous corpse their target. So many things happened at once, Alice couldn't seem to process fast enough even in slow motion.

First: Jay was dead. Her saviour had been killed because he had saved her. And unlike her, he wasn't ever coming back. He was just... gone.

She had quite liked the nickname he had just given her. Birdie.

Are you okay, birdie? You were incredible.

Are you okay, birdie?

Birdie?

Second: the corpse responsible for Jay's murder was being torn apart by George—their rage ripping the living skeleton to pieces. Yet, even as death called to the corpse, all it wanted, was very clearly Alice.

"You don't belong here." It spoke to her—gurgling in its own blood as George pressed the iron bar against its neck.

You don't belong here.

You.
Don't.
Belong.
Here.

She didn't belong there. She was supposed to be dead—six feet under, six years in the future.

Third: John had managed to escape Henry's and Arthur's clutches in the commotion and was staring at Alice with the same look the skeleton was looking at her with. The same expression that Godric had worn in her nightmares. Like she was an abomination—a monster that needed to be put down.

To them, she was corrupt.

And she didn't seem to know how to respond to that. How to argue it anymore. After all, Jay was dead because of her. Frig, the only reason people were there in the first place, was apparently all because of her.

Maybe she was cursed... maybe a dead girl walking on earth only brought more death.

Fourth? Fifth? She didn't know anymore. Everything was just... fucked.

In the distance she heard Ana and the boys screaming—their escape clearly stopped by the arrivals. And then she saw Creepy in her peripheral vision wearing something he shouldn't even have: a small braided straw defence guard. A defence guard that was supposed be under the young boys' robes.

On the other hand, Alice's attention was stolen by the three intimidating warriors—Henry, Arthur, and Maggie—as they all visibly prepared for a fight to the death. Their lips in a furl, their eyes piercing their new prey, and an iron bar in Arthur's hands as they stood in a ready stance.

Only Talia seemed to be as stunned as Alice; both of them lost in their heads. Talia's eyes flickered desperately between Jay's body at her feet and Maggie in front of her.

Letting out a breath Alice wasn't aware she had been holding, the chaos resumed with vengeance.

What the fuck were they—was she—supposed to do now?

~*~*~

A.N.

This girl's got so much trauma. Shove it down and keep fighting for now, Alice. You can do it!

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