Eli

Chapter 16

Eli

But the strike didn't come, instead, she felt a close presence of somebody else.

Promptly, she raised her head and opened her eyes, which immediately popped, and her heart had stopped for a while at the sight above her.

No, no, no, no, no...

There was the boy kneeling and bending over her, his teeth clenched tight as well as every muscle in his body. A thick red liquid at his mouth.

Soon after she noticed a long blade protruding from boy's back.

A cold shiver ran down her spine. She felt a dull pain in her chest, as well as helplessness, anger, and desperation.

He took the strike instead of her...

No, no, no, no....noooo!

***

Garret

A sharp pain was throbbing through his entire body, making his senses go dull, focusing only on the pain coming out of his upper back. A cry went out of his throat, followed by a cough filled with drops of blood.

"PAUL!" Mary cried in a terror.

Damn...Did he hit a vital organ?

"You stupid kid...I didn't..." Paul's hands started shaking. "I didn't want... I'm..." the man suddenly stumbled away, spotting a royal emblem on prince's back, realizing the horrible crime he'd just committed.

"Paul!" the woman fell on her knees crying. The man looked at Mary in terror, immediately grasped her hand tight, trying to escape with her. But Mary didn't move. "Why? Why... Why would you – " she was mumbling towards him, her eyes distant and strange...Paul looked at her in shock and glanced hastily around to confirm no one was around. Paul released his grip around Mary's wrist and ran away, letting the last member of his family behind...

He was breathing heavily through his clenched teeth, trying to overcome the twinging pain, which didn't want to go away.

Slowly, Garret opened his eyes to realize she was already observing him with a frighten look. Her face and hair stained by his blood...

But... She was okay.

I made it in time... He felt a light smile forming on his face and warm filling his heart.

But then a terrible pain darted out of his wound and his arm muscles weakened terribly that he almost fell on her hard if she, seeing it happen, didn't lift her upper body and support his fall with her back to lean against.

What is this feeling?... A surge of such an odd feeling filled his chest... Even though his wound was still there, for a second, he felt... as if he was safe... and in peace.

Slowly, she laid him down on a ground.

He felt cold and weak from a mass loss of blood, and though the urge to close his eyes was very appealing, he tried to resist because once he closed them, he might not be able to open them again.