at least I have you

Chapter 16

Marcus POV:

AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!

I heard a blood curdling scream back at the beach house. It was my mother's scream. Ainsley and I exchanged worried and terrified looks. We ran to the situation, everyone was all gathered together around in a circle, looking down at something.

"GET THE MED KIT!!" Clive screamed in horror as Reagan ran back to the beach house to fetch it.

I pushed in between my mom and Liam.

It was Buddy.

He laid there on the sand with a blood dripping monster bite on his left leg. He wasn't crying or screaming in pain. He just laid there, pale and stills processing what had just happened. He was falling in and out of consciousness.

Ainsley POV:

I was trying to see what had just happened but I couldn't find a gap I could peek through.

"Excuse me!!" "Move!!"

Marcus offered me is spot, he looked absolutely thunderstruck.

Next thing I see is blood-colored sand all over my little brother's unconscious body. My poor brother, was barely even 5 years old and had to experience something so horrible such as this.

Reagan pushed through the crowd of people with the med kit. They removed the blood on his leg with a wet cloth.

"I want you guys both to leave! Go back inside immediately!" Liam screamed at Marcus and I.

"No! I want to stay here!" I screamed back at him. He pushed me hard as I fell to the ground.

"I don't want you getting hurt as well! Go!" He screamed.

Marcus helped me up while I dusted off myself, trying to blinking back the hot tears that were going to roll down my cheeks any second now. I let go of Marcus's hand and ran. I didn't care where I was going, I just wanted to be far from the chaos that I prayed not to happen.

Clive POV:

We cleaned out the blood with a wet cloth but more and more blood just kept on coming. It wouldn't stop. We put pressure on it.

At first it seemed to be working. But then Buddy closed his eyes. He didn't open them. He wasn't breathing. He had lost way too much blood at that point. We were too late. And it was all my fault.

——— Flashback ———

"I think we've got everything," Emmett signed.

"Good. I want to get home soon for Ainsley's birthday today," I signed back.

We left the beaten up supermarket and tip toed down the road.

CLING- CLANG!!!

I froze and turned to look at Emmett, who had the same expression. Next thing I know, I see Buddy, my son, behind Emmett. He was holding a handful of pans and pots.

I don't know how he managed to sneak up behind us but that didn't matter right now, all that mattered was we had to-

"RUN"

Emmett grabbed Buddy with one arm and held the supplies with the other. But right as he was, I caught a rapid view of the monster gripping his sharp claws into my son's leg but Emmett used a pocket knife to stab the monster's claw that was hurting my son.

"RUN FASTER!!!" I screamed at Emmett.

I snatched the radio from my backpack and turned it onto max volume. The loud ringing sound from the radio caught the monster off guard. We got away from it.

Finally after we got back to the beach house, Evelyn stood outside on the front porch steps with Reagan. Emmett passed Buddy to me. I held Buddy tightly in my arms.

Evelyn screamed and ran towards us.

I think you know what happens afterwards....

Marcus POV:

I didn't see her for the rest of the day, and the rest didn't even notice she was gone.

Everybody was grieving over Buddy's death. They buried his body right next to the beach house, Reagan found a big rock to put as his tombstone.

—~— Buddy Coldwell —~—
—~— 2017 - 2022 —~—
~-~ Gone but never forgotten ~-~

Everybody was already getting ready for bed, and Ainsley still wasn't here.

"Mr. Coldwell? Where do you think Ainsley might have gone?" I asked him, he looked really worn out and still traumatized over Buddy's passing.

"Oh.. uh Ainsley? Don't worry about her... she does it all the time...." He said.

"Does what?"

"Runs away when something bad happens... then she just shows up like nothing's happened, it's just how she is" he answered patting me on the back.

"I'm sorry about your loss..." I replied, pitying his gloomy face. He gave me a weak smile and went upstairs.

"Goodnight," he murmured.