Circling Stars

🌟 Chapter 44 🌟

    The dogs had fallen silent but I was still being followed. Another gunshot added to the chaos of the night as I broke into a clearing. I could hear the dogs running behind me and another gunshot flung up dirt a few feet to my left. Trent roared and fired another. How many bullets did the s.o.b. have? I was getting winded quick and didn't know how much longer I could do this.

    The first gunshot had caught me by surprise and made me freeze in fear. The second had hit the tree beside me and flung bark in my face which made me run again. I wasn't sure how long we'd been playing this game but it felt like forever. I needed to reach the other side of the clearing and get back in those woods. At least then Trent wouldn't have such a clear target. Something jumped on my back and knocked me down.

    It was one of the dogs, the other planted itself a few feet away and started barking. The dog was probably fifty pounds and I rolled to the side as hard as I could and threw it off me. I scrambled away as it snarled and made another move to jump on me. Thankfully I had held onto my wrench in this mad dash and caught it in the head as it jumped. The dog let out a low whine as the hard metal made contact with its skull. It fell to the ground and didn't move again. It's friend tried to come after me just as another shot was fired. The bullet missed me but caught the dog. It was dead before it hit the ground.

    "Damn you bitch!" Trent yelled. He stepped into the clearing. He was alone. I pushed myself up and ran. It was even harder. My mouth tasted like bile. I huffed as I took one last look at the stars before the clouds covered them completely again. I just needed to keep going. I was nearly to the other side of the clearing. If I kept going I would reach-

    "AHHHHHHH!" I screamed as a bullet ripped through my right shoulder. A tree branch sliced open my face as I fell. Cold wind blew violently and I struggled to get to my feet. I crawled to the first tree and tried to use it to stand.

    "No you don't!" Trent grabbed a fist full of my hair and yanked me back. I tried hitting him with the wrench I had somehow not dropped, but he brought the butt of the gun down on my wrist. I screamed as I dropped it. He bent me forward and put my face in the dirt. I got a lung full as I struggled and coughed.

    Trent flipped me over. I caught a brief glimpse of the gun he'd set down to my right. Both his hands went around my neck and started to squeeze. The moon reappeared in my vision as a bright white orb that was turning into two bright white orbs.

    "You think you can make a fool out of me! Huh, do you, Margie!" The whites of his eyes were blood red and my vision began to swim. Everything hurt. Images of my life flashed before my eyes as my hand reached out searching. Jasper, Sean, Shirley, Brandon, my parents all the good times we'd shared. My heart beat was so loud it was all I could hear. My chest was going to explode, my lungs burned, and my hand found what it was looking for.

    I pointed the gun into Trent's chest and fired. Once, twice, a third time. Trent wheezed and his hands lessened their grip. Summoning the last of my strength I pushed him off me. I coughed and dropped the gun as both hands flew to my throat. I coughed and coughed and emptied my stomach.

    As command of my faculties slowly came back I looked at Trent. I'd never seen a dead body before. His face still held the surprised expression from the moment I'd shot him. Trent's open empty eyes stared at me. Not wanting to stay there I dragged myself away as far as I could. Which was only a couple of feet at the edge of the tree cover. I leaned myself against a tree and took in my stars. Those old friends were a very welcome sight instead of the dead accusatory eyes I felt on my back. My breath was a white cloud slowly rising before my face and I blacked out.

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    I came to just as the sun was rising. Pink and gold colored the morning clouds. I couldn't move. I was too cold, too weak and my thoughts were sluggish.

    I was going to die here. The thought hit me with a bizarre clarity. 'It wouldn't be so bad. Just close your eyes and sleep,' I told myself. I felt completely numb. A loud rustle from the left caught my attention. An animal? Please let it be a herbivore so I could die in peace. But it wasn't a herbivore not in the traditional sense anyway.

    "Theo!" Jasper knelt in front me. "I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Theo."

    "Jasper." I managed to say.

    "We've been out looking for you all night. This is gonna hurt, darlin'." He prodded my shoulder and hissed while I grunted. "You've lost too much blood. Theo you're going to die. Even if I got you to the hospital in time there's nothing they could do." He sounded frantic. He picked me up and carried me to the center of the clearing where the sun shone on his face creating that beautiful diamond effect.

    "Sean?"

    "The Marxs are with him at the hospital. He was in bad shape but Carlisle says he's gonna be okay."

    "Where are my parents?" He didn't answer. "Jasper, where?"

    He bit his lip. "There was a fire. Tim Woodard set fire to the warehouse before the reopening. Your parents were inside. Smoke inhalation got them first. We didn't know until after it happened. I'm so sorry."
    Orphans. Sean and I were orphans.

    "Theo." Jasper turned my face to his. "There's only one way I can save you." He let the offer hang in the air.

    I couldn't leave Jasper or Sean. "Do it."

    He bit into my neck. This night I thought I'd learned how much pain I could handle. But all the injuries were nothing compared to the burning of his venom.