Cry Me a River |✔️

Chapter 69- To the Gallows

^^ T.T ^^

"Death may indeed be eternal but the love we share while living is eternal."

Chapter 69

To the Gallows

River's POV

Sam's mouth opened and closed a couple times before a single word fell out, "she?"

I nodded, " for the time I knew...Noah, she was going by the name Alice."

A momentary grunt gargled his throat as his hand reached up to brush against his prickled chin.

"Ah."

I did not how to respond so instead I played with my fingers, peering downwards, watching as a cockroach nibbled on what was left of my loaf of bread. I wondered, momentarily, if it was the same one that would come every day after each meal. I wouldn't know, all cockroaches looked the same to me. Though, this one was quite smart, always knowing the right time to come to my cell. Quite like clockwork.

"Strong little fella, isn't it?"

"Hm?" My head tilted upwards.

Sam sent me a cheeky grin.

He licked his bottom lip and bent down, "did you know that cockroaches are actually pretty indestructible?"

I quirked a brow, "really?"

He nodded and peered down at the dirty, little creature.

"Once, there was a cockroach in our house. Matthew found it sitting right on his dinner plate, eating away at his half-cut chicken. He didn't want to step on it and get its juices all over so he threw it off his plate and into a bucket of water. Came back nearly half an hour later, dumped the bucket, and it was moving around like a man on fire!" Sam raised his hands. "It survived, holding its breath for nearly thirty minutes. Freakin' insane."

"Wow," I breathed, "what did you do? Did you...kill it?"

"After all of that?" Sam scoffed, "thing's a freakin' warrior. Would've taken a poor-hearted man to kill it after it worked so hard to survive. Nah," he rubbed the back of his neck, "I took it in my hand and let out through the door." He let out a deep sigh, "It wasn't evil or nothing. It's only crime was wanting to survive, y'know?"

I nodded.

Its only crime was wanting to survive.

My fingers brushed lightly against the swell in the back of my head. The gaping hole had long since healed and now all I had as a reminder of that horrid day was the acute pounding I got at random times from the small swell that still remained.

That's all it was, wasn't it, Luna? You just wanted to live. That's all.

I almost thought I could hear a low whine in the back of my head but before I could make sure of it a loud click filled my ears. I peered upwards, just as the cell door screeched open and Alastair's tall figure filled my gaze. His hazel eyes locked on mine. His bottom lip was tightly pulled between his teeth as he crossed the cell in mere seconds and pulled me into his arms.

My fingers knotted into the back of his shirt as my head rested against his shoulder.

No words were spoken, which frightened me as he silently rained light kisses against my shoulder blades. His lips brushed against my ear just as a choked sob escaped his throat.

"I'm so sorry."

A shaky breath escaped my throat. My hand released its tight hold on Alastair's shirt to cup my mouth as tears bunched around the edges of my eyes. No words would escape me. None could.