Every mile along the tarmac road drags away another piece of my heart, the weight of my soul reflected in the thickly grey clouds fast approaching. I recognise this last stretch of road as we near Ray’s hidden estate, the edges of a forest enveloping us. Branches knit together in an arch overhead, blocking out any hint of light as we fly towards an estate looming in the distance. The modern mix of grey brick and exposed wood I had thought as my one true home now seeming too unfamiliar without the headstrong brunette stashed beneath.
I can’t bear it anymore. What if I die with only what if’s filling my mind? The whole point of my sacrifice being null and void because she’s already waiting for me on the other side. Which is better than what I imagine is waiting for me in hell, but that defeats the point. She should finally be free. Free to live and love, to have a career doing whatever she wants, to have a family that will fulfil her and die an elderly, wise woman. Adrenaline fills my veins, the pain of my injuries momentarily forgotten as I throw my elbow into Ray’s face. A sickening crunch sounds from his nose, a bellow leaving his throat which has his driver swerving in panic.
Ray’s cane snaps out in a flash, his reaction instantaneous to lash me across the chest. His skeletal hand grips my arm with more force than I’d expected, ignoring the gushing of blood from his nose while his eyes are fixed on me with fury swirling in their darkened depths. On the next attempt to whack me with it, I make a grab for his cane and push all my weight behind shoving it against his throat. A gunshot pierces the air and a bullet hole appears in the seat an inch from my face. The car swerves and screeches as the driver spins around to try to take another shot at me.
I shove Ray away, lurching across the seat for the handle. He’s on me in a second, literally heaving his body weight onto my legs. My fingers graze the handle, my legs kicking wildly and connecting with various parts of his body. A shout comes from the front seat but I’m too distracted to hear it, gripping the handle and heaving my shoulder against the door until I fall forward. My forehead meets the asphalt first, the rest of me following as I roll continuously until I flop onto my back. Every inch of my skin is screaming as cuts and grazes flare to life, my head spinning and previous bruises throbbing. But I’m alive.
The ringing in my ears gives way to a high-pitched screech of tyres a moment before metal grinding and glass shattering fills the air. I force to sit myself up, seeing the utter carnage of the sedan imbedded into the side of the mansion. The fountain in the centre of the driveway has been destroyed, pieces of concrete flung in all directions and water spewing from the ground. I notice Ray and his driver’s figures through the smashed back window scrambling for the far side of the vehicle since their doors are now a part of the mansion’s outer structure, and that’s when I see the oil leaking from beneath.
My legs skid under me, my body slow to react to the voice blaring in my head. Get the fuck up and move! Bent in half, I hobble as fast as I can away from the house, remembering Ray’s grand plan involving gas cylinders fixed into the underground vents. The vents that will leak into the dungeon where Nixon is being held, not to mention – No. I turn back, Rachel’s name on my tongue as the car explodes first, the two figures going up in flames just before the entire house blows.
I’m thrown what feels like miles back, my body sailing through in air in slow motion and a scream leaving me I can’t hold in. My arms float above me freely, a moment of zero gravity ending abruptly as I collide with the unforgiving ground. All the air in my lungs whooshes out and agony seizes me tightly. I can’t tell where the intensity of the rising blast ends, and the heat of my broken bones begin. Cracking my eyelids, the flames roar towards the sky, goading the rain to fall and wash away the horrors which once took place within its ruins.
I lie still, unable to move even if I wasn’t content lying here to watch the display. Each breath hurts so much, I don’t know if I’ll manage to take the next until it happens, but for a moment I can rest easy. I’m on borrowed time to enjoy the knowledge there’s one less monster in the world. A shadow lingers on the edge of my vision, a twitch to one corner of my lips forming a slanted smile. There you are mom. Don’t worry, I’m on my way to you. She edges closer, her open arms reaching out to carry me over the threshold to the afterlife until it’s not the green gems for eyes I was expecting that hover over me.
Brown hair falls around me like a curtain, tears stinging as they drip into the open cuts covering my face. Her lips press against mine in the sweetest kiss, the one I thought I’d be longing for all eternity. A choked sob burns its way along my throat, my immobile arms protesting to crush her
