Don't give up on me ✓

[36] Aftermath

When you make a choice, you also choose the consequence - anonymous

Chapter 36: Aftermath

There were seven dead bodies in Parc Monceau that morning.

I was a murderer now, but I could've been the one murdered. It was a flip of the coin.

Live or die.

But I had lived.

Somehow I was alive to take in the violence of the night before. Does it count if the people you have to kill are killers themselves? Does it count if they are demons? Does it mean you should have no remorse if they are incapable of showing it either? 

I had stepped into a century long battle between two sides: kill or be killed. Couldn't there be a third option? I always believed there could...

"Why have I become the cleaning crew of this mission?" Hugo arrived at the gates, holding two coats in hand, "You guys got to have all the fun tonight and I just cleaned."

He'd finally joined us.  I wished he could've shown up a couple hours ago.  The two most traumatizing hours of my life.

I replayed in my mind the moment I yanked a pole from a carousel and stabbed a demon...

Was this Hugo's idea of fun? I stood up from the bench I had been sitting in and walked over, still shaking.

"You look like sh*t," Hugo commented, handing me a coat, "I take it she lost her virginity tonight."

"What?" Nate and I snapped at the same time. Too soon.

Hugo gave us a weird look, "First time killing."

"Oh... yeah." I wrapped the coat around me, desperately hoping it would cover me from the cold and guilt.

"You brought a car, right?" Nate asked, "We need to take care of this before daylight."

In a couple hours, people would be starting to enter the park again.  Morning runs... dog walkers... early birds.

We walked to the carousel first and I had flashbacks to Nate and I kissing and laughing by the wooden horse. Now it was wrecked. Blood and bodies.

"How are we going to clean all of this?" I asked, sticking my coat sleeve over my mouth and nose to cover the smell, "They rot so quickly."

"That's because they're already dead when they're alive."

We carried the bodies from the carousel to the car, one at a time. It was still dark so that gave us cover. I remember the first time I saw them do this - at the junkyard with Jesper.

My arms were aching from all the work. These men were heavy, and Nate didn't allow us to drag them because of the trail of rotten demon flesh it would leave. All the fighting had taken twenty minutes and the cleanup took hours. 

Consequences.

While the boys carried the fourth body over, I worked on dis-impaling the man I had killed. The pole was still stuck inside him. I tried to pull it out, but it was so heavy. I didn't understand how I could have such strength one moment and then go back to being a weakling the next. 

I could barely move the pole with the horse on it, let alone pull it out of a person.

"Woah, this is gory," Hugo commented from behind me.

I stepped back and let the two boys try. Hugo held the monster from one end, wriggling him back and forth, while Nate pulled. They eventually got it but took a couple breaks. We were all exhausted.

"There's one more in the lake," I said.

"We have to go fishing?" Hugo sighed, as we started to walk across the bridge to the historical pillars, "Why are the ones you kill always so tricky to remove, George? Nate just does it simple. A stab here, a crack of the neck here. With you it's like a Hollywood spectacle. Circus poles and lakes."

"He should be here... somewhere here..." 

I was getting more flashbacks to the terror I felt standing behind the pillar, knowing that no one would help me except myself. Knowing that in that moment one of us would die.

"Go on," Hugo pointed at the lake, "Someone's got to get in there."

My mess. My cleanup. 

I mentally prepared myself before wading into the dirty water. The cold water hurt my skin. My dress stroked through and I couldn't help but feel like the monster was alive down there, waiting to grab me. 

I was literally wading through my own guilt. Silent tears were streaming down my streaks. I never signed up for this. I never wanted this.

"Don't make her do this!" Nate said, finding us by the lake.

He pushed past Hugo and splashed into the water next to me. His arms wrapped themselves around me and I turned into him, sobbing. 

He awkwardly pat my back.  I could tell being comforting wasn't natural to Nate.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this."

"No," I shook my head, "I have to do it."

"Then I'll do it with you." He wiped my tears off my face. Tears that had been blackened by my mascara.

"Can someone just do it?" Hugo whined, "Preferably before the dog-walkers and joggers start popping up?"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"How do we clean the carousel?" I asked, after all the monsters were locked away in the car Hugo brought. It thankfully had blackened windows.

"We don't," Nate answered.

I turned around and saw Hugo walking up to us with canisters of petrol. "We burn it."

While Hugo started spraying the carousal and the carnage with petrol, I glanced over at Nate.

"Hey Nate?"

"Yeah?"

"You told me to meet you tonight after the event," I reminded him of last night in the elevator, "Is this what you had in mind?"

He shook his head.  That would be a strong no.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Mom gave me the address to a deposit site for any dead demon bodies we collected," Hugo said, "It's far from the hotel but I can go there alone. You two need more rest than I do. This night has been more hell for you." 

Hugo turned to me from the wheel of the car as we arrived at the hotel.

Nate was in a cab behind us since Hugo's car only fit two – with four bodies in the back seat and two in the trunk.

I nodded. I didn't have much more to say. I wrapped the coat tighter around me. My demon blood-soaked dress would cause a stir in the lobby of our fancy hotel if they saw it.

The valets opened the doors for me. My bare feet tapped against the marble surface, leaving a trail of mud that a cleaning person was quickly sent to mop up. I had long lost my heels. 

I got into the elevator and my body was starting to weaken. The energy had completely depleted me. The warmth of the hotel reminded me of how little sleep I had gotten. I leant against the rail.  

I was tired, but I needed to see how the others fared - if they were successful or not. Had they survived?  Were they OK?

Did they break into the prison and, if so, what did they find? 

I walked to Mrs Maythorne's suit and knocked. 

Nothing could have prepared me for what I saw next.  I almost screamed.

A/N: Georgia is feeling the pain of her new life with the Maythornes.  What do you think happened to the others?  

Any requests for upcoming chapters?  They really are having a dramatic weekend in Paris!  Next chapter will be out on Tuesday.  Please vote if you liked it!