Hatchetfield Stories

Shooting Stars

Sleep? What's that I only know sad fanfictions.

Shoutout to my friend for helping me translate that one sentence I couldn't figure out. English is hard :)

TRIGGER WARNINGS:
-Death
-Injury
-Blood

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Paul looked around, unbuckling his seatbelts in a hurry, only thinking about one thing. Emma. She wasn't sitting next to him anymore, and she wasn't wearing her seatbelts as the helicopter crashed. "Emma?!" he called out, stepping out of the wreckage of the helicopter.

There she was, lying in the sand, blood already forming a puddle under her injured leg.

"Emma! Oh God, Emma, your leg!"

"Oh fuck!" Emma cried out as Paul ran to her side.

"Emma... I hate to say this right now but this is what seatbelts are for."

"Shit!"

Paul grabbed her shoulder, trying to help her up. "We have to get out of here."

She screamed in pain as he moved her. "No, no! Paul, I won't make it."

"Emma..."

"Thank you for everything, Paul. Go save yourself. Leave me behind." She choked back a sob. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you when you told me to wear my seatbelts."

"Emma, shh. It's okay. Just... lie down, okay? We have to stop the bleeding."

Emma sat up, slapping Paul's hands away as they hovered over her thigh. "No, Paul! That's going to fucking hurt!"

"I know, Emma, but we have to make sure you don't bleed out, okay?"

She was dying, Paul knew that. But he couldn't let her die. He didn't want to face the apocalypse alone. And above all, he didn't want to lose her.

Emma nodded and laid her head down as Paul tied his tie around her leg. He tried not to think about her screams, or the fact that her blood was staining his hands.

"Paul, look!" she exclaimed after he was done. "A shooting star!" She pointed at the sky. "Make a wish," she whispered, closing her eyes. He looked up and saw a bright stripe in the sky. Paul had never been the one to believe in wishes, but he was desperate. She had to survive.

Paul chuckled, using his thumb to wipe a tear from her cheek, only to be replaced with a smear of blood. "What did you wish?"

"I can't tell you that," she said. "It won't happen when you say it out loud."

Paul sighed, even when she was dying she was still the stubborn girl he got to know over the past two days. "But-"

"Okay, fine. I wished that you'll survive after I... You know... Die."

"Emma..." he started, a tear rolling down his cheek. "You won't die."

Emma chuckled sadly. "Didn't your mom ever teach you that you shouldn't make promises you can't keep?"

Paul smiled, running a hand through her hair. "We'll make it out."

Emma sighed. "Paul, I'm scared. I don't want to die but it hurts. I just want it to be over."

"Emma..." Paul took her hand in his. "I'm here, okay? We'll get you to a hospital and they'll fix your leg and you'll be fine."

"But Paul, I don't want to go to the hospital. Especially after what happened at the professor's house."

"What happened? I know you guys were trapped in there but how did that happen."

Emma explained what happened, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just thought I could trust him."

Paul nodded, but a noise caught his attention. A boat.

"Emma. I need you to stay here. I'm going to check if it's safe and I'll come and get you if it is, okay? If it isn't... I love you."

Emma's cheeks flushed red. "Thanks, Paul."

Paul nodded, standing up and walking to the shore. He waved his hands above his head.

"Help!" he shouted.

A few soldiers climbed out of the boat. Their eyes weren't glowing in the dark like those aliens did. Paul ran towards them.

"Help us, please. My friend is injured, we have to get out of here."

"Where's your friend?" one of them asked.

"She's over there," Paul said, gesturing to the wreckage of the helicopter. "I'll get her."

"Please stay here, sir. We don't want to risk anything. I'll get your friend."

The woman walked towards Emma's hiding spot. He heard Emma scream at her to get away from her. Paul tried to tell her it was okay, but he heard a high-pitch scream, before she went silent.

The woman came back with an unconscious Emma in her arms. "Sorry, sir, she was hurting her leg even more. She'll only be out for a few minutes."

Paul nodded. Emma was not going to be happy when she woke up.

A helicopter landed on the beach, and the woman carried Emma into it. She put her down into one of the seats and restrained her hands. "Sit down, sir. I would like to restrain you so we're sure you're not a threat to us."

Paul sat down next to Emma and the woman tied his hands to the armrests.

"Soldiers!" the woman shouted to the soldiers who were still on the beach. "Clear the island!"

The soldiers ran into the town, Paul winced as he heard gunshots fire.

The door of the helicopter closed, and it took off. The woman sat down. "What's your name?"

"Paul Matthews."

"And who is she?" she asked, nodding her head towards Emma.

"Oh, that's Emma. I think her last name is Perkins, I'm not sure."

The woman nodded, writing something down in a notebook.

Emma groaned. "Paul?"

Paul looked at her. "Yes, Emma. We're getting out of there." He went to grab her hand, but was stopped by the restraints. "We're safe."

She smiled. "Okay."

When they arrived at the hospital in Clivesdale, Emma went into surgery immediately. Paul was taken aside for some tests to make sure he was human.

The woman from earlier entered Paul's room and whispered something to the doctor. The doctor nodded.

"Mister Matthews," the woman said. "Emma didn't make it. She's gone."

Paul stood up. "No... She can't be..."

"I'm sorry, sir."

Paul sat back down, tears stinging in his eyes.

Her wish had come true.

His hadn't.