Paper Trails 2 | Draft

|Relief.|

"When we've done all that we could
to turn darkness into light, turn evil to good..."
~ Love Me Now, John Legend

*****

Niccolò's POV.

"Get the bags inside," I muttered, walking towards the house. "Into my office."

They followed my instructions without a word. Something heavy hung in the air. Sadness? Anger? I wasn't sure. But there was a cloud of it, directly over me. I went to the kitchen and fixed myself a drink. I needed something strong. Something to make this dull feeling even duller. I downed it without pause.

I heard footsteps, and then Evan appeared.

"I wanted to, uh...y-you know. Say sorry. My condolences."

"We don't know she's dead."

There was a pause. "I meant Marino."

Marino.

I brushed past him and walked towards my office, my movements stiff. Stared at the bags on my desk. My phone vibrated and I pulled it out, reading the words on the screen.

You guys safe yet? - Erina

Erina. Erina, Erina, Erina, Erina...she won't forgive me for this. Nobody will forgive me for this. I left the office and locked the door behind me, ready to go upstairs and sleep it off. Voices stopped me.

"—killed him for that whore.

"He fell in love with her. Must have. You don't kill your best friend like that unless he breaks your heart, capisci? Marino killed his girl, broke his heart."

The urge to kill them too was getting stronger by the minute, so I ignored them and went upstairs. I stumbled into the bathroom where the mirror and sink was and stared at myself for a good minute. Her blood had dried onto my face. I looked down at my hands. I hadn't even really realized how much blood she'd lost.

I scrubbed my hands clean, washed my face, and went into the room to change my clothes.

"There's a lot to Neila. A lot more than anyone has ever seen. She's self-destructive—"

Self-destructive.
Self-destructive.
Destructive.

Neila isn't someone anyone could ever really know.

Two shots had rang out, one directly after the other. Marino fired first. She missed. She fell in slow-motion. The snow which was once a beautiful white became tainted with her blood. So much fucking blood. So much. I don't remember how I reached her so fast. Had I run? I don't remember running.

Even as I tried to slow the bleeding, I saw that it might be too late.

Too much blood.

Nobody survives losing this much blood.

She's not going to make it.

She's going to die.

She's dead.

Neila's dead.

Neila is dead.

...How? I was just with her. She was just okay.