Freerunner

Chapter 25

Gone. As soon as that bomb was activated, the attic exploded. Everyone out on the exercise yard barely had time to scream before the blast hit them. The buildings on the base sprayed rocks and rubble in every direction. Dust and smoke scattered up into the sky, surrounding the affected area in black. The impact knocked Dante off his feet and we fell into the dust. The sound was deafening. As I lay on my side in the dust, all I could hear was a high-pitched ringing.

However, I noticed almost none of that.

All I saw was Alex turning his back on me and walking towards the attic. He hated me. He died hating me. I'd never get to tell him I was sorry or beg for his forgiveness. All he wanted was to forget everything as soon as possible. He'd truly given up. He chose death because he didn't want to suffer through the pain of forgiving me. It didn't matter who pressed the button. In the end, I killed my own brother.

"Alex! Alex!" I shrieked. I bumped into Dante on my way up. I turned my head to see he had shielded me when we fell. I pushed him off and stumbled towards the remains of Delta base 2. "Alex!" I cried out again, my voice cracking. My knees gave way underneath me and I collapsed in a heap on the ground. Dust curled up around me. Their clouds weren't unlike the smoke that billowed up from my old home. I felt my entire body go cold. Like a flame in my heart was flickering out.

I reached into the waistband of my pants and withdrew the pistol I'd hidden there. My hands were shaking so much, I wasn't sure I'd be able to aim properly. My vision was blurry from my tears and the gun suddenly felt extremely heavy. I disregarded it all and pointed it at my heart. There. Now I couldn't possibly miss. Just as my finger was finding the trigger, I was knocked sideways. Dante tried to wrestle the pistol from me. I held on tightly. I wouldn't let this happen again. "Rose! Let go!" He barked, untangling my fingers. I shook my head stubbornly, readjusting my grip. He groaned and kicked me in the stomach. I coughed and relinquished the gun. Satisfied, Dante opened the chamber and tipped the ammo into his pocket then threw the gun on the ground. Then he walked up to me and offered a hand.

I wanted to be angry. I really did. However, at that moment, I felt nothing. I wasn't dead but I may as well have been. I slapped away Dante's hand and got up myself. However, looking around I realised there was nowhere for me to go except back to the other Runners. "Rose?" Dante said. I tensed up, every fibre in my body ready to attack. Once he got close enough to touch my shoulder, I whipped around and pushed him away. He stumbled backwards onto the ground. I stood over him glaring, my chest heaving. Somehow, I still felt nothing. My expression was just a mask for my emptiness. I waited for him to get up again. Dante looked up at me and sighed. His face cleared of all emotion, leaving a dead look staring back at me. He got up and I went to push him again but he just stepped to the side. I clenched my fists then turned to attack him again. I threw a punch but he grabbed my arm and twisted it. It was painful but I just kneed him in the stomach and he let go. With him doubling over, I went to bring down a foot on his back but caught it and threw me into the dust.

"Enough," he said firmly. I screamed in feigned rage but he ignored it. "I know you're not angry, Rose. I know you too well." I stopped immediately and just glared. "You've know me for a year. Stevie's known me for ten and Alex knew me for almost my entire life," I snarled. He just rolled his eyes. "But could they read you like I can?" He asked coldly. I shut my mouth and frowned. He let go of my ankle and I wrapped my arms around myself. My body had lost all its warmth. I brought my knees in, curling up into a ball. I could feel Dante's firm stare melt into concern. After a while, he slid his arms under my back and legs and picked me up. I let my head flop forward. There was no point fighting him. I couldn't win.

Dante walked for almost an hour, carrying me the entire time. By the time we made it back to the others, Wings had fallen back asleep. They were all on the ground leaning against the truck. Drifter was the first to see us. He jumped up looking relieved. Prince glanced up at Dante. "You came back," he said, sounding almost surprised. "I never left," Dante replied apathetically. Prince sighed, his mouth twitching slightly. "What happened?" He asked. Dante stared off into the distance. "She pressed the button. I don't think she intended on coming back but I wasn't about to let that happen," he murmured. Prince didn't look convinced. He folded his arms and towered over me. "Pinks. Why are you being all mopey?" He asked half-heartedly. I didn't want to lie. I wouldn't stoop as low as these guys. "Alex died hating me," I mumbled. "I destroyed him."