Washed Up ≫ A.I

Chapter [42]

[Charlotte Kendall]

There's only so much death you can take in the shortest amount of time provided. On the boat I was surrounded by death at every turn. On this island, I lost my best friend before the month ended and now more death surrounded me like the plague.

My body was on the ground beside Michael. I was unresponsive because I was honestly too afraid to face the death once again. Someone crawled over to me and my numb limps were slowly pulled up towards the sky. I only wished it was an angel taking me to heaven but that was a dreadful wish to leave behind.

"Charlotte?" A voice called out to me in my hazy state yet I never responded. It wasn't until I heard the other voices shouting and the crushing sound of skin on skin contact, when my mind woke from the realization that this fight wasn't over yet.

My thoughts advanced to the surface and I slowly opened my eyes to see the damn island dirt once again. There was blood everywhere, on my chest, my legs and even covering my hands. I couldn't see who was holding me but in front of me were two bodies pounding bloody fists at each other. One of them was Ashton on top as he swung his arm directly into the bald headed skull below. I jerked forward to stop him but someones arm snaked around me, holding my shoulders back.

"Charlotte are you hurt?" I recognized Brandon's voice in my ear and looked up to see his sweaty face gulping down at me in fear. I shook my head. I didn't feel any pain but my ears were still ringing. "Can you stand?" I heard him ask again but I wasn't really paying attention to Brandon. My eyes were fixated on Ashton in horror.

The more he pounded into the person below him the more aware I became to my surroundings. Benson, Michael. . . I remembered it all, all over again. . . then I remembered what put me out. I pushed off of Brandon so suddenly that he didn't have a chance to pull me backwards.

I crawled forward onto my hands and knees. "Wait!" Brandon called out, I felt his fingers just slip past my sweaty skin but I only moved forward into the body that sat right under us.

Tears dripped out of my eyes like a sink faucet as I covered my mouth from screaming. My other hand was paralyzed against the bloody fabric soaking underneath the bullet wound in Michael's chest. I still let out a shriek and gasped before my hands moved with tremendous shakes against my parted lips. Ashton's horrified accent called my name but my eyes were stuck on Michael's body. He was dead, stone cold in the dirt with Benson's bullet straight in the heart. I had landed on him without grace and without the luck of telling him goodbye.

I screamed once Brandon grabbed my arms and yanked my entire body off of Michael, he swung me around and picked me up off my feet. I was forced to face the trees with all of the terrible action falling out behind me. Brandon then turned me into his chest unexpectedly and placed his hands to the back of my head. His skin was sticky against mine as I pushed from him, though a ache trickled with blood on the back of my skull. Suddenly Ashton's tall chest ran into my back and he scooped his arms around my shoulders to stop my body from trembling. Brandon stepped backwards and let Ashton handle me with grace.

I cried as Ashton spoke loudly against my hair from behind, "We need to get her out of here." I couldn't see anything but the red liquid dripping from my hands. I would have blacked out from the smell alone but vomit decided to come up instead. "Brandon!" Ashton shouted as my stomach lurched forward to barf. I just missed Brandon's shoes as he stepped backwards even more before running behind Ashton.

The taste was nothing but stomach acid and surprisingly there was a lot of it. When I finished, My shoulders began to sway. I reached across my stomach and felt Ashton's arms snug in place before my mind when fuzzy. Ashton turned me over in his arms and dropped down in a squat to pick me up from the back of the legs. I lifted lightly into the air and brushed my bloody hand across his stubble face accidentally. He looked me in the eyes with rage and revenge still evident in his hazel irises. If I was ever brave enough, I could have told him I loved him at this very moment. But then I saw Brandon behind us, on his knees beside Michael's body.