nightrunners

xxxvi.

"Do you hear me Cameron, drop your weapon," Shoupe sternly repeated once more.

JJ clasped his hand over Cassiopeia's mouth to quiet her screams, which were much audibly lower than Sarah's had been. The girl in the Pogue's grasp began to violently shake, tears scrambling out of her blood shot eyes. She frantically looked from Shoupe to Rafe. Rafe examined his bloody fingers carefully before peering down at the gash in his shoulder. From what she could tell, he was slowly processing everything that had just happened to him, beginning to piece together that he was shot. However, his other hand remained wrapped around the gun, his fingers dancing over the trigger.

"Get him the fuck out of here Shoupe!" JJ shouted, struggling to hold back Cassiopeia as she thrashed about.

The sheriff shook his head, pressing the end of the gun into Rafe's back, "Rafe," He spoke quietly.

"Shoot him," JJ yelled, making Cassiopeia's eyes grow wide and wild. She bit down on JJ's hand, immediately tasting blood. The boy gasped in pain and removed his hand from her mouth. She took that as her only opportunity to get the Kook's attention.

"Rafe, don't," Cassiopeia shouted, visibly out of breath.

The boy looked from his wound and traced his eyes slowly over Cassiopeia's small frame, before resting them upon her own.

The first thing she noticed was darkness. The ocean blue that she had stared at lovingly in the summer sun was swallowed whole by the depths of a darkened sea. No light emanated from his features. He looked exhausted, and defeated. Their endless rendezvous had finally led them to a dead end. All the breezeless nights on the beach, their bodies sunken into the sand as their souls intertwined by the minute. She had learned what it was like to be enraptured by someone who understood her darkness and was willing to feed into it. When he didn't want to answer one of her countless questions he would lick into the insides of her mouth, his hands always callous and rough, running them over her silky skin. He made her body burn, alighting every hidden crevice. He knew how to distract her, to take over a conversation when he was done submitting to her. He knew how to be in charge, and to take control, and much to her dismay, she always let him. But her questions would never disappear, even while he sucked on her bottom lip, every unanswered question lingered in her brain. She wanted to know everything she could about Rafe Cameron, and compile all her research into a slot of her brain, only which she could access at any convenient moment.

So, as they stood there, chaos erupting around them, Cassiopeia was trying to enter that forbidden slot in her brain, desperately trying to think of a happier moment. She didn't realize though that his gaze had not left hers, and as she adjusted her eyes on him once more, she began to picture how he stood on the beach that night, underneath the light of the moon, assuring her that all those other girls at the bonfire meant nothing to him, not the way she did. How he had run his fingers delicately over her scars, whispering to her that her body was so sacred and was full of small secrets.

"Cassiopeia," His words are icy. He hurls her back into this cruel reality before her. She eyes his gunshot wound, noticing that the blood had grown profusely. She realized his body was slightly trembling, either from the chilly early morning air or that he was fighting off the pain which no doubt was spreading rapidly through his body. Or perhaps Rafe for once was finally afraid, worried that they may not make it out together. But any sign of fear was instantaneously crushed as she watched the Kook use all his force and swing his arm around backgrounds, his fist colliding with Shoupe's jaw, a loud cracking sound erupted in Cassiopeia's ears.

Rafe always had a plan. She took this as a sign to kick back into JJ, who groaned loudly as his gun hit the ground. And Cassiopeia did what she knew best, run. She watched Rafe wince in pain and she reached out her hand.