Back to the Start(nalu)

2- The Broken Promise

"Lu..cy..."

My eyes look in front of me in horror.

A cough leaves her throat and the smell of blood rises into my nose as it splatters onto her hand and down her chin.

"N-na-"

She makes eye contact with me, fear and pain in her eyes.

My hands tremble at my sides and my body can't move.

She staggers on her feet, her body unable to stand up straight and she starts to fall forward. She tries to catch herself with her foot but is unable to keep standing.

I snap out of my shock and rush forward the few steps it takes to get to her. She falls into my arms like dead weight, not strong enough to move her body.

I slowly sink down to my knees so she can lay down. She moves her head and it falls onto my chest.

Her breathing comes out ragged and unsteady. You can hear her body struggle to carry out its basic functions as her chest goes up and down stiffly.

My hands tremble against Lucy's arm as I hold her upper body up and I struggle to hold back tears that swell in my eyes.

"L-Lucy?..."

She doesn't respond and her breathing starts to go quiet.

"It's going to be okay, Lucy. Someone's going to help you."

Her hand that sits limply on the ground next to my leg barely moves and squeezes my knee in response.

I jerk my head to the side and look all around me. The street is completely empty. All of the shops have closed hours ago. Nobody is on the street except me and Lucy.

I turn my head back in front of me and look down at Lucy's face. Her breathing is soft, but her eyebrows are creased so I can tell that she's in pain.

A tear falls from my eye.

"I'm going to protect you, Lucy. I'll always protect you, remember?"

A soft smile appears on her face and then it falls as her face goes limp and the sounds of her breathing disappear, leaving the silence of the night.

No.

I pull her body closer to my chest and tears fall uncontrollably from my eyes.

This can't be happening.

It can't.