Their Light

Chapter 31

Hadley

Something wet ran through my fingers, stirring me to consciousness. I opened my eyes to darkness. Fumbling around, I finally found the lamp beside my bed and turned it on. I gasped at the sight in front of me before a shriek left my lips at the horror.

"Ryder!" I screamed, scrambling to the end of the bed where he laid sprawled out.

His eyes were just barely open, and his breathing was harsh. A dark stain grew on his chest. I raised my hand, realizing the liquid I felt was his blood. Immediately I put my hands on the wound, trying to heal it, but I felt nothing. Tears of frustration fell down my face.

"Ryder! Ryder, please stay with me. What happened?" Finally, he turned his head slightly and met my eyes. I winced at the harsh glare I saw there. What was going on?

"Why would you do this Hadley? Why?" He asked me, his voice rough. My mouth fell open in shock.

What did I do?

I racked my brain, but I couldn't think of anything. We had a campfire last night. I don't remember a lot of what happened, though. Did I attack them when I was drunk? He slumped down unconscious before I could attempt to respond. Panic seized me.

I didn't know what to do.

Help.

I needed help.

I gave Ryder one last glance before racing off the bed and toward the door. I wondered for a moment where the others were. They should have heard my scream. Where was everyone? Why was Ryder dying on my bed? Did I hurt him?

Before I could get to the door, I tripped over something solid landing hard on the floor. I glanced back and shrieked as I met the glassy eyes of Zeke. He just stared at me, motionless, covered in blood. His blood.

I gagged. No, not Zeke! I could feel the hysterics kicking in when a thought froze me. Where was everyone else? I raced out of the room without a moment to spare. I sobbed when I found Isaac at the top of the stairs, impaled by a broken piece of wood. He wasn't breathing, blood trickling out the side of his mouth.

Finn laid across the banister of the stairs, blood dripping from his sliced throat. I gagged again, this time unable to stop myself from being sick. I didn't want to see anymore, but I had to know.

I walked into the living room. Peter sat on the couch, his back to me. I walked around him slowly and screamed, taking in the knife sticking out of his eye. Blood trailed down his pale face.

I felt numb now as I headed into the dining room. Kent laid on top of the table, impaled with more knives than I cared to count. His face was frozen, locked in a look of absolute agony that wrenched my heart. Lastly, I found Caspian in the kitchen.

I raced over once I saw the shaky rise and fall of his chest. I put pressure on his wound. He had been stabbed in the chest. Blood ran out of the corner of his mouth as he looked at me. Glaring harshly at me, he pushed me away. I stumbled back, falling on my butt, and looked at him in shock.

"This is all your fault!" he yelled at me. "What have you done?"

The question was softer. He coughed a few times before slumping back. His glassy eyes still locked on mine. I scrambled up. Feeling something in my hand, I looked down. A bloody knife laid in my hands. I screamed, dropping it. The sound it made as it clatter on the floor felt like thunder. I killed them. I-

The world blurred around me. My breath came out as gasps. I couldn't breathe. What had I done? Wind whipped around me, forming a whirlwind with me at the center. I screamed out their names, but there was no answer. There will never be an answer. What had I-