Return ↠ Argent [2]

Epilogue

"What in the world did you even do?" I hear a nurse ask me as she shined a flashlight into my eyes. Allison had insisted on someone making sure I wouldn't go blind or something, so here I was, sitting in a hospital bed getting checked out.

I didn't really have an answer, so I let Allison take that one. "He thought that he was putting in eyedrops but accidentally grabbed the lemon juice instead."

I give her a look, causing her to shrug her shoulders at me with a smile on her face, the nurse still looking into my eyes. She shakes her head at Allison's lie before lowering the flashlight, giving me the diagnosis.

"Well, I think you're going to be okay," she nods. "There's just some scarring and bleeding on your eyes, but that will go away with time. The best thing I can tell you is to take it easy and to get a lot of rest; keeping your eyelids closed longer will help with the healing process."

Allison crosses her arms as I nod my head. "Thank you."

"Of course," she smiles before turning to walk out, giving Allison and I some privacy. "Just try next time to grab the eye drops, not the lemon juice."

I bite my lower lip. "Noted."

She smiles one last time before exiting the hospital room, leaving Allison and I alone. She stares at me for a moment before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed, resting her hand on my thigh under the blanket.

"Are you sure you feel okay?" she asks me as if I wasn't telling her something.

I nod. "I'm sure, Allison. They just hurt a little when I blink, but I'm okay."

My hand reaches out and takes hers gently, trying to comfort her at least a little. "No, I mean, how do you feel? You sacrificed yourself to save my father and you lost a part of yourself."

I didn't think that was what she had meant when she first asked the question. I shift positions in the bed as my eyes look away, thinking about how I really felt. I mean, I did feel something different about me, but it was hard to put my finger on. I felt like one of those puzzles missing a piece.

"Empty," I fade out, trying to find the right words for it. "I mean, something does feel different, but I can't describe it. I feel like I'm stumbling down a never-ending hallway in the dark."

Allison looks down at our hands, thinking for a moment. "Thank you."

"For what?" I say, my eyebrows furrowing.

She looks back up at me, her eyes softening. "For sacrificing yourself, for trying to protect me, for being here for me, for everything. I feel like I never tell you thank you enough."

"You don't have to thank me," I faintly smile, rubbing my thumb over her hand. The gesture made a thought pop into my head, a random one at that. "You know, we've been to hell and back these past few months. We need a vacation."

Allison snorts. "Vacation does sound nice."

"Do you still want to go back to the Navy Pier?" I smile, imagining sitting with her at the top of the ferris wheel like she had described back on our date.

She grins at me, looking as if she was surprised that I remembered. "Of course."

"Well, I don't have much money right now," I laugh, causing her to laugh as well. "But I promise I'll take you there again someday."

"How in the world did I manage to find someone like you?" she smiles at me, her dimple showing.

I decide to be a smart ass. "Well to recap it for you, I had driven off of a bridge only to find that I was dead and to wake up on the other side. That was where I met a girl that could see and hear me-"

She smacks my shoulder lightly. "Why can't you ever appreciate my compliments?"

I laugh at her, missing things like this with her. It's been too long. "I'll appreciate them after you get me out of this hospital. I always get bad vibes here."

"Deal," she stands then, her hand slipping out of mine. I start to get out of the bed as she walks over and starts to gather my stuff on the chair, her back turned to me. When I went to stand up though, my eyes got caught in the mirror hanging across the room from the bed, and when I did look, I saw something that scared me half to death.

In the mirror, I saw Allison there, but it wasn't her reflection. This Allison was staring right at me, her head lowered. A dark look was washed across her face, like she was something that she wasn't. My eyes are stuck on her before I hear Allison say my name, causing me to look over at her.

"What were you looking at?" she asks, shoving my jacket into the bag.

I look back at the mirror, seeing nothing but my reflection. "Nothing. Just seeing things."

But then just before I looked away from the mirror for good, I saw my reflection have the same look as Allison's did. Something about it made me feel uneasy, like something was coming, but I didn't know what.

But I had a feeling I would be finding out soon.

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Unknown POV

4 months later

This wasn't how this was supposed to happen. We were supposed to go in, get Lydia, get out. End of story. But this...this wasn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to get hurt.

All I can hear is my heart racing in my ears as I watch what was going on, trying to figure out what to do. My mind was filled with two many thoughts and too many scenarios that I could barely make myself move. I couldn't focus on one simple action.

But then I looked over and saw Kira in trouble with one of the Oni; who was now trying to get her katana away from her. I had to help; I had to do something. Her face comforts into anger as she flings it's sword back, getting the upper hand. She was angry, just like the rest of us.

"How do we stop them?" I shout, looking around me as the shadow figures started to draw closer. I didn't have to wait for an answer to know that we couldn't, but that didn't mean we shouldn't try. We had to for Lydia.

But I guess I spoke a little too soon. My mind is numb as I turn to help Kira, but was greeted with something I wasn't expecting. I can't do anything but watch as the Oni pierces my abdomen with it's sword, going all of the way through.

I tried to focus on something other than the pain, but there was nothing to focus on. I heard everyone's breathing stop as I fell to the ground, the Oni letting go of the sword as it stuck in me. That was when I realized what was really happening: I was dying.

I feel a warm substance cover my hand as I lay there, eyes wide as I took my last breaths. I couldn't die; I was too young to die. God, I haven't even lived yet. My heart starts to slow as I feel a pair of hands on my shoulders, but I couldn't see who it was. I couldn't make out the words.

It was then I realized that I wouldn't even get to say goodbye. I would leave this cruel world without telling my friends how much they meant to me.

How much she meant to me.

Her face was the last thing I saw before a never-ending darkness.

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and that concludes Return. Any predictions on who's going to die? *laughs demonically*

I'll post a chapter telling you guys when I post the next book and all of those goodies. Be excited for this book, because I'm planning on making it super duper uper emotional (*:

Until then...