Luciano

Chapter 16

Luciano continued to look down at me for several seconds. 

"Grace?" his low voice questioned in a tone I hadn't heard from him. It was shock and complete utter surprise.  

I felt no where near composed and from what I'd guess it to be; the adrenaline was still fresh in my veins as I looked at Luciano.

"Grace," Luciano repeated a lot more collectively, "-What is wrong? Where were you?"

Luciano held onto my upper arms as he pushed me back slightly to peer down at me. 

"I don't know," I answered quietly. I was confused with myself. 

I stepped away from Luciano, further into my house. He followed my step and stood in front of me, tall, staring down at me with full intensity. 

The small hype I was feeling began to fade and I stared up at Luciano with a dazed like look.

"There was another one," I said slowly and Luciano slightly leaned down peering into my eyes.

"Another one of them beasts?" he guessed and I only nodded blankly. 

He straightened up with a pause. He then looked back down at me. 

"Where'd you go?" he repeated with a harsh edge. 

I shrugged slightly, unblinking.

"Grocery store."

Luciano's eyes trailed down my body and he gazed at me for a moment, as if to be searching. A second later, he took a small step towards me and his hand reached out to my neck. 

He cuffed my neck softly. I didn't react to the coldness of his touch because if anything, it soothed the dull throb of where the scarf had almost suffocated me.  

I didn't move and continued to stare into his eyes. 

His fingers then softly trailed down to my collarbone, lingering only for a second, before his hand returned back to his side, clenching.

"If I had known you'd leave, I would've been here much earlier," he said almost disappointingly.

 I stood still for a second in silent response.

I then walked away from him to the sink

I grabbed the cup that sat on the side of the sink and allowed water to jet down into the cup, over flowing. 

I drank the water greedily, cooling my throat. 

It was yet again another incident I altered the path of death. But for some reason, this thought wasn't as dull as it used to be. 

I simply didn't speak for several moments. I stared down at the sink, unblinking, as flashes of what happened replayed in my mind. 

However Luciano's presence was impossible to ignore. 

"I don't know what exactly happened to you Grace," Luciano said coolly in a low soothing like voice, "-but I'm afraid I have some bad news."

I turned around, only to find Luciano a few steps away. 

"What?" I asked with a empty voice.

Luciano gazed at me intently before answering, as if to make sure I was fine.

"They're here," he commented, "-and a lot, a lot of people have been killed."

I only stared. 

"You have to be careful Grace. The town is a mess. I've found bodies. Too many."

"Bodies?" I questioned with a sudden vacancy as I stared ahead dully, "-No one has left yet? called the police?"