Chapter 64
But hey, everything was peachy. I could tell she was as cool as a cucumber. All my worries had been for naught.
Yet there she was, those baby blues fixated on the forest, giving me the cold shoulder.
“Ava, I’m right here, you know.”
…She was being such a drama queen by keeping mum. I couldn’t fathom why she’d pull a stunt like that, not even remotely amusing.
I extended my hand and gently made contact with hers. It sent a chill down my spine, blame it on the winter creeping in. I had warned her about bringing a jacket when I picked her up earlier, telling her she’d regret not having one.
“I just can’t bear to look.”
“Come on, let’s hit the road,” I urged, my voice tinged with urgency. “We’ve got a world of things to discuss.”
My eyes welled up with tears, but I quickly brushed them away. Couldn’t she grasp how exasperating her current behavior was? She was wasting precious time.
“Ava, cut it out. Seriously,” I implored.
“I can’t bear to witness”
I gave her hand a gentle tug, hoping she’d follow, but instead, her upper body swayed sideways in the direction I pulled. It
was as if her core was rooted in place, completely immovable.
“…Please,” I pleaded once more, my voice laced with desperation.
“Don’t force me to witness this scene.” I tugged once more,
my head shaking vigorously as the floodgates of tears opened
wider.
“Ava… I implore you….”
“I refuse to lay my eyes on it.”
“It’s time to return home, Ava. Your parents eagerly await your arrival.”
“Please spare me from seeing it.”
“The children at the orphanage are relying on you. You can’t remain here.”
“…Please.”
“…I can’t bear it without you, Ava.”
I collapsed onto my knees before her, feeling the dampness of the grass seep through my clothes, drenching my hands and legs. The incessant rain from a few weeks ago had turned the ground into a soggy mess. But such was the nature of the season, beyond anyone’s control.
That cursed crimson rain will ensnare you.
Scarlet rain.
Bleeding rain.
“Oh, Goddess, spare me the horror of gazing upon it,” I pleaded desperately.
My eyes fixated on the blazing red hue of my attire, and a strange sensation gripped me, causing my head to spin. How had I chosen such an unconventional pattern for today? It had been ages since I dared to embrace such a vibrant color.
“Please, I implore you, don’t subject me to this,” I whispered.
But then, something inside me snapped, shattering the thin veil of denial I had woven around myself. Reluctantly, I surrendered to the one action I had vehemently avoided ever since I arrived.
I raised my gaze. I lifted my eyes to meet the sight of my dearest friend, who stood there before me. My gaze traveled upward to the silver dagger that had cruelly pierced her chest, an unmistakable message intended for my eyes alone. It was as if fate had forced me to confront the truth.
My eyes fixated on the note attached to the hilt, bearing words that were meant to haunt me. Three words, oh so
simple yet profoundly unsettling. Words that I wished I could erase from my memory.
“Here, you left this behind.”
With a swift motion, I flung my body sideways, unleashing a torrent from the depths of my stomach. Ah, the clarity that dawned upon me in that moment! The raiments I wore, my very hands and legs, all dripping crimson, a sight that now revealed itself crystal clear.
Indeed, it was a flood of scarlet, an overwhelming deluge, but not just any blood-no, it was Ava’s life essence that stained
A rush of realization engulfed me. What on earth was I doing? Why was I squandering precious time? Hastily, I reached out and.pressed my hand against the stab wound, endeavoring to seal the source of that sanguinary stream. Yet, the blood had long ceased its crimson flow. The knife’s wicked twist had widened the entry point, amplifying my apprehension.
But fear not! It shall be well. Applying pressure was the key, for it staunches the flow and facilitates closure. This nugget of wisdom was imparted to me by my dear mother.
“Someone, oh please, lend a hand!” I beseeched, my desperate plea echoing into the void. “Anyone, I ask of you, come to my aid!”
I desperately needed someone to fetch a doctor while I applied pressure, my heart racing with urgency. My grip tightened, for if I dared let go, her life force would trickle away, fading into nothingness. It was on me to keep her tethered to this world, to prevent her from slipping into the abyss.
Time seemed to stretch, my pleas morphing into anguished screams that pierced the air. I screamed until my vocal cords grew weary, until my voice was reduced to a mere whisper. I screamed until my soul couldn’t bear it any longer, surrendering to defeat.
-Exhausted and defeated, I sank back to the ground, gazing at my trembling hands. Deep down, a flicker of awareness had ignited the moment I first laid eyes on her in the distance. I knew the bitter truth that was about to unfold.
Ava, dear Ava, had passed away, her spirit forever gone. No
magic or miracle could reverse this cruel fate. Alongside her, a part of me withered away, the part she had once held so tenderly. She was the beacon that illuminated the goodness in others, even when the world seemed poised against me. She was the only pure and unwounded presence in my life.
Time crawled by before I found the strength to move again. Slowly, a calm resolve enveloped me, numbing the pain. Yet, it was as if I existed outside my own body, a mere passenger, staring blankly ahead as I retraced my steps back to the car.
In a blink of an eye, time played a trick on me. I slipped into the driver’s seat and kicked off a five-minute joyride in the opposite direction of town. With every turn of the wheel, the road led me to a house that had faded from my sight for far too long.
It was the Alpha’s packhouse, my old stomping ground. How did I end up here? Was it fate or simply my subconscious guiding the way?
Deep within the depths of my being, I possessed a certain knowingness that Benjamin would be there, eagerly waiting. He was the sole individual who comprehended me completely, without casting any judgment, as his own shadowed history resonated with mine. Our transgressions intertwined, blurring the boundaries of absolution.
However, all of those intricacies faded into insignificance in this very instance. Standing in front of the entrance, I lightly tapped on the door, stepping back with a patient anticipation for a response. As I retracted my hand, I couldn’t help but observe the crimson impressions it had left on the. immaculate white door.
To my astonishment, it wasn’t a mere attendant who greeted me at the packhouse, but Benjamin himself. He appeared prepared to embark on some undisclosed endeavor.
“…Winona?” he blurted out, caught off guard by my sudden arrival. “What on earth brings you to this neck of the woods…? And what’s that funky scent wafting in the air…? It’s like… -”
In an instant, his gaze locked onto the scene that unfolded before him: my untidy appearance, covered in generous amounts of deep red blood, a sight that undoubtedly caught him off balance.
“Winona?! Holy smokes, what on earth went down? You alright?!” He dashed over to me in a flash, frantically inspecting me for any signs of harm that I knew he wouldn’t spot. Come on, it ain’t my blood, after all.
I stood frozen, my mind reeling, and a flood of tears surged again, catching me off guard. I never thought there were any tears left in my emotional reservoir.
“Benjamin, she’s gone,” I whispered, my voice trembling.
His eyes bulged, perplexity etched across his face. “What? Gone? Who? Come in, quick! We need to alert the authorities. Have you got any idea who did this?”
His outstretched hand yearned for mine, beseeching me to accompany him inside the house. Yet, I resisted, snatching my hand back with a defiant flourish.
“It was I, Benjamin,” I managed to utter, my teeth gritted together, my entire being quivering in its wake.
The anguish, subdued momentarily, now resurfaced with
fervor. The fleeting numbness I had momentarily savored proved to be a mere facade, for now, it seethed within me, clawing its way back to the forefront of my consciousness.
I stared at him with frantic, desperate eyes, unable to do anything else physically.
“…I… I killed her.”
Benjamin staggered backward, his eyes widening in disbelief, utterly flabbergasted by my words. “Hold on a sec… What did you just say?”
“I took her life, Benjamin,” I declared, my voice weighed down by guilt, my breath becoming an unbearable burden. “It’s all on me… Ava is gone because of me.”
But the weight of my actions became unbearable. I felt like I was suffocating, unable to catch my breath.
…And then, as darkness wrapped around me like a sinister cloak, I crumpled to the ground, surrendering to the imminent void.
In the depths of my soul, I acknowledged that even this fleeting moment of tranquility was a luxury I hadn’t earned.
