Icy Inferno (Troyler AU)

⋙ Chapter Twenty-Eight

'Cause God knows where we've been

But not where we're going

And when the water is too deep to swim

We still swim

Friends ~ Eliza and the Bear

Tyler

"I love you too."

And I meant those words with all my heart.

After giving me the biggest of smiles I found myself wrapped inside his arms once again. He was my anchor, keeping me stable whilst the restless currents of reality pushed against me. Every time I was knocked down he kept me afloat. And it'd taken me too long to realise how much I'd missed him.

For most of my life I'd felt a knot of uncertainty inside me. It'd tighten, it'd loosen, but it'd always been there. Yet in that moment, the knot untied. I'd never been so sure of myself than I did on that beach, in his arms. I rested my chin on his shoulder, looking out to a vast span of possibilities beyond the sea. The waves rolled in a constant, steady motion, as they always would. Moonlight trickled through the clouds, reflecting light into my burnt out heart. Serenity filled every nook and cranny inside me. The future didn't frighten me any more.

"Where are we going to go?" Troye asked his voice muffled by my coat that he had buried his face in.

I sighed, knowing the peacefulness wouldn't last much longer. I moved back slightly, so I could see his face a little better. "To the border. After we get my mom, of course. She's in a safe house a few days away. Then we'll get away from here."

He smiled a smile that easily out-shined the moon breaking the sky above. "We better get moving then."

Hand in hand we walked off the beach. Everything felt right, being with him.

Then we saw the body.

Whoever had killed the man from before -the person that had sounded like Korey - had been an idiot. They'd decided just to leave the body. I didn't see the sanity in it. But then, I hadn't seen sanity in a long time.

The man was slumped, strewn across the floor in an uncomfortable position. His clothes were dark coloured, aimed at making him look as camouflaged as possible. The issue with that was man's bleach white hair, stained with dark red blotches. His face was drained of all colour - well, except the brutal bullet wound in the temple. It was a lethal shot, with no chance of recovery. He was too still to be living by that point though. His eyes were voids of emptiness. His lips were curled into a smirk, slightly opened, but no breath left them.

"How'd you know him?" I asked Troye as we continued to observe the body. He turned to me slowly, clearly not expecting to be asked that question right away. I hadn't meant to ask it. It's just that curiosity had gotten the better of me, and the bitter expression he'd been wearing was too harsh a sight not to talk about.

"He was one of the kidnappers, from before. I think he was in control of the operation, ordered by whoever had been up here a moment ago. You see these bruises?" He pulled down his coat, gesturing to the bruises along his neck - the ones I'd mistakenly saw as hickies. "That's where he strangled me. In the hospital. He did more than that but... well, it doesn't matter now."

I felt like kicking the corpse. I wanted to kick him for every ounce of pain he'd brought into Troye's life - into anyone's life. It's what he deserved. Actually, he deserved more than just that.

As I moved closer to the body, I found Troye's hand latch onto my arm. Although his grip wasn't overly strong, I stopped moving, wanting to hear what he had to say. "Kicking him won't do anyone any good now. It'll just mean you'll foot hurts, and possibly leave a trace of you on his body. Besides, death is a good enough punishment for him."