an inconvenient flame, n. goode

Chapter Fourteen

Song - "Visions of Gideon : Sufjan Stevens"

Dylan's POV:

    I tried to hold the bus for as long as I could, but the kids needed to leave now. Will and the other counselors told me to get on, but I wouldn't leave without my sister. I told them to go and I ran into the woods, looking everywhere for Kenna and Nick. I had been so caught up with helping the campers, I had lost all sight of Kenna and now...

I couldn't find anyone.

    I searched everywhere, but there was still nothing but dead bodies. Luckily, none of them identified as my sister, so in my eyes, there was still hope. It broke my heart to see the damage that had been done in these last few hours. Kids I had known since they were toddlers were now torn apart. The camp I grew up with was now a nightmare ghost town.

    After a while of searching, shivers ran down my spin as I came across a girl in the woods. The closer I got, the more my heart stopped. There she was. Dead on the grounds of the place she hated most. She never even wanted to come to camp after all the bullying she had been through, but our mom forced her to go anyways. Her heart was in the right place. Little did she know that she would be signing away her daughter's life by dropping her off.

    I held her close to me and cried. She was annoying and brat most of the time, but she was my sister. I loved her more than anything and now she was gone. I should've never let her wander off with Nick tonight. Had I not done that, she would've stayed near me and we both would've been on that bus. And...

She'd still be alive.

I then heard a familiar voice call out my name. Anger burned within me with every step he took. "Dylan! I'm so glad to see you're ok. The ambulance is on their way. Ziggy's badly hurt, but she'll be ok-"

I rose to my feet and grabbed the collar of his shirt. "You promised you'd keep her safe!"

He then looked down to see Kenna.

"Kenna..." he started as guilt filled his eyes.

"This is your fault" I cried. "I can't believe I ever trusted you!"

"Dylan. I'm-"

"Fuck you!" I yelled with a punch to his face. "You promised and now her blood is on your hands."

Y/n's POV:

    I needed to walk away for a moment as it finally clicked in my brain. I finally realized why Nick had always been looking out for me, even before my dad died. It wasn't because I was special...it was because he felt guilty for killing my aunt. I walked over to the kitchen sink to splash some water on my face.

I couldn't believe this was happening. The worst part of it all was the fact that I still cared for Nick. I was willing to look past all of this because I still wanted him. That is how much control he had over me.

My train of thought was interrupted by Deena and Josh as they ran to get me. "Get in the car." She ordered.

"What- why?"

"We're gonna go get the hand"

    We all headed for the car and drove to the shadyside mall, where the hanging tree still remains. We ducked under police tape before digging all around the tree to find the hand bone. Then...there it was. All the death this little thing caused and all the sorrow it can end.

This ends tonight.

    We drove back to the scene of the crash where we had found Sarah's body. As Deena and I exited the car, Josh suggested he come with us.

"I'm coming with you!"

"No! You're not."

"Deena. Y/n...your nose's are bleeding."

We both touched our upper lips to see that it was true. Fuck, we had to do this now!

"We'll be right back." Deena explained as we both ran back to the grave. We unburied the bones and opened up the jacket that Simon had buried them in. We both took a moment to think this through.

"This has to work...right?" I asked.

She only looked at me. Her expression told me what we were both thinking. It was worth a shot.

"Together" She suggested as she held out the bone to me.

"Together" I agreed as I held it with her.

All the people that were lost for this stupid hand.

This better fucking work.

We both then lowered it down to the bones and so many different visuals flashed before us. The feelings of pain, fear, and anger surrounded us until I found myself standing before a river in attire from many many years ago.