Beneath The Blackwood Sky | ✓

Chapter Thirty-Five: The Golden Hour

WILL GOT STABBED IN HIS CHEST. THE GLASS pierced his black hoodie and the layers of skin, blood welling up almost immediately. It felt like Shay was the one who got stabbed, not him. She felt distant. She felt numb.

James let go of Will who slid down the wall and curled up on the floor. "Task successfully completed." James grinned at her. No, no, no. This can't be happening. This was her worst nightmare.

My worst nightmare from which she can't escape.

Will was gasping for his breath as she rushed towards him, kneeling beside him. Her hands hovered over his chest, not knowing what to do. Shay was scared that touching him would make his wound worse. Up close, she could see that the glass piece protruding from his chest missed his heart by four to five inches, and was deeper than it seemed. His black shirt was slick with blood, due to which the amount of blood wasn't visible.

Blood was slowly pooling around Will, who seemed very pale. If the police arrived and take Will to the hospital quickly, he would survive. But if not... Shay didn't even want to think about it. She had to protect Will until the cops arrive from James, who seemed hell-bent on killing him. Shay turned around and spread her arms wide to protect Will from the monster in front of them, even though she knew it was pathetic.

James seemed amused by her actions. He snorted, "Cute. I know what it feels like. I know how it feels when a person you love gets killed right in front of you."

"No! You don't, you bastard! If you did, why would you try to kill him? If you knew how it feels like, then you would prevent that from happening as you know the sadness, not help in killing him! The police will arrive here soon, and they will catch you!" Shay screamed at him, fresh tears streaming down her face.

"No, they won't. There is a helicopter waiting for me, and I will flee. What they would see will be more interesting. They won't find the people you claimed would be here, and they would see a girl who lost her sanity and killed someone she loved. They would see two journalists who were behind all these murders, who blamed someone else for it. You might be wondering about all the evidence you have, but the evidence has value only if they find me. Or else, they would feel it was something you made up entirely. We have already cleaned the whole building, got rid of any traces of our presence here. After I escape, no one would believe you."

He grinned at her and went upstairs, "It would be fun to get accused of murder." Will wheezed. Shay dropped beside Will whose eyes were closed. She cupped his face in her hands and his eyes fluttered open.

"Will, please. Stay awake. Please," she begged him, my tears falling on his face. "N—no. Want to sleep, too—"

"No!" Terror scraped her voice raw. "The police are here, they will find you. Please, Will, don't fall asleep. For me." She held his face tighter in her hands, his soft and silky hair tickling her hands. "Will," Shay choked back a sob. "Stay awake. I'll be back."

His green eyes sharpened on Shay with concern, "W—hy? D—don't go —him. Too... gerous." He said, his voice barely audible. "He can't just go away like that. I should go after him." Will, who was already pale, paled even further after hearing this.

He looked at her with widened eyes and clasped my hand. "I have to leave you now, Will. But please don't leave me forever. I can't live without you." She sobbed and this time, her tears fell on the floor. Mixing up with Will's blood.

"Be—" His voice broke and his grip on her hand loosened. His eyelids drooped down like he was fighting to stay awake. His eyes closed, but he was still breathing. "Will!" Shay screeched and shook him with terror, but he didn't respond. "You promised me! You promised that wherever you go, I go!"