The Six Month Contract

Save Her Soul

*Rocky's Perspective*

When I see Sky, I feel as if the air is knocked out of me. She's lying helplessly on the floor, bleeding away. I blink away at the single tear that escapes my eye. I cannot be weak for her.

I rush over by her side and pick her face up. "Oh my God, Sky."

She blinks once, then twice before looking me in the face. I cannot tell if she recognises me. "I'll get you out of here, but first we have to do something about that wound," I tell her.

Sky watches me and then suddenly thrashes against my arm. "Let go of me!"

I hold her and shake her. "Sky, it's me."

She continues to thrash, her arms moving in front of her face. She scratches my arm as I try to get a hold of her. "Sky, please," I breathe. "Be quiet, they'll hear us."

Her arms go still in my hand and she watches me. She begins to cry as I pull her body against mind. I run my hand through her hair. "I've got you, Sky."

"Please," she says. "Rocky, please save Daniella."

That's when the door opens and Daniella limps forward. "Hurry," she whispers.

Sky watches me and then watches Daniella — confusion written all over her face.

I hate that I'm this kind of brother. When I found out that Sky was taken, Daniella was there. She insisted on coming along and worse than that, she insisted she be taken with a tracker attached to her. She knew wherever Paul would take her would be where Sky was being held. Being the horrible brother that I am, I let them take her.

I let them hurt her and now she stands in front of me limping and in pain, yet she has a smile on her face. I cannot fathom what I did to deserve a sister like Daniella and a wife like Sky. Daniella told me the sacrifice Sky made to save her. It's why she's laying on the floor covered in blood.

"This is going to hurt," I tell her. "But just apply pressure against the wound."

Sky nods as I hand her my jacket. She rolls it into a makeshift ball and presses at her wound. Her teeth clench and I can tell she's doing everything she can to not scream.

I pick her up and once again the movement cause her pain — I can tell by the way she fists my shirt.

"What was that sound?" voice further down the corridor shouts. "Check on the girls."

My head snaps to Daniella. "Hurry," I mouth.

As I carry Sky, Daniella follows shortly behind. We cannot go down the corridor as that's where the voice came from. I take the door to the right that leads down some stairs. When we get three stairs down, there is another door, taking that leads to another corridor. I don't know this path. I could very much trap us further.

Daniella looks back. "I can hear them," she says.

This isn't good. That means they're close.

I quicken my pace down the corridor. Sky grunts in my arm but doesn't say a word. I'm afraid if I don't get out of here in time, she'll die in my arms.

"Oh no," Daniella says. "Run!"

My hands hold Sky even hard and I begin running down the corridor. It's dark, I hear water dripping and for the most part the further we get in, the harder it is to see.

The sound of running steps behind us tell me they're close and onto us.

"Duck!" Daniella shouts, as I do — I see a bullet fly past my face.