Life After Death

Chapter 9

With the Epinephrine wearing off, I was starting to feel the effects of the fight. My ribs and stomach aching with fatigue and the growing bruises that were probably all shades of purple. But I didn't feel bad for me. All I could think about was how Jade was now half blind- well almost definitely. I couldn't see an outcome where she wasn't, especially not with the limited resources we had between us.

After arriving at the station, we all clambered out of the vehicle, limping slightly. Sweeping the place as we walked through it, but when no spray painted scythes were on the walls or ceilings and no Lurkers emerged themselves, we found an old waiting room on the side of the old platform, still furnished with benches and chairs.

Not knowing what we would need, how long we'd be here, or who was nearby, we took almost all the bags from the truck. It was only a five to ten minute walk away, and we had kept it out of the way and plain sight. But it was better to be safe than sorry as the saying goes.

"Look, can someone just sort out my fucking eye or I'll take it out myself!" Jade shrieked once we were situated, understandably growing more and more impatient.

You could tell how much pain she was in more from the body language than her own reaction. No one had room to complain about their own injuries after this.

Jace- directed by the good eye of Jade- found the sewing kit she had spoken about before. Surely it had not been designed with human skin in mind, but it was all any one of us had that would be able to do the job.

"You said you knew how to do it?" Nathaniel asked, standing behind and over my shoulder.

"Yes," I said strongly, though a hint of doubt wavered throughout.

Jace stood leant against the wall beside us as I held the needle into a lighter flame, our one way of hopefully sterilising it. Then I could finally thread the fabric through the hole at the end.

Now I couldn't put off the worst bit any longer.

My hand hovered around her face, unable to make the first stitch. But I knew if I didn't, the outcome would be worse, and more painful for her. This was what she really wanted, whether she knew it or not.

Each one earned another wince and a yelp. Teeth beginning to pierce her lip to stop from screaming, even after she tasted the metallic taste of blood. Even if that was not her first taste of it today.

It was a painfully slow process. Every shiver, jolt or wince halting me again. Being so close to something so valuable, I didn't want to be jogged as though it was a crayon I was colouring with, let alone risk ruining all the stitches I had succeeded in doing. Tears fell from both eyes. Jace just stood watching in the corner still, not moving once and a permanent death stare upon his features, and I knew if I screwed up that I was losing an eye too.

But eventually, half an hour or forty so minutes later, I could finally drop the needle. A sigh of relief coming from both our lips. And now that she was free from pain- well that of the needle- the fatigue in her begun to surface as the overall shock left her system.

Me and Nathaniel decided to head outside, some fresh air necessary, and also to leave Jace to talk to his sister. As I stood up, I could feel his hand ghosting my back, apparently, he was not so sure my own legs could hold me. But they did.

We sat on the platform, out legs hanging over the side, waiting until we thought it safe to re-enter the scene.

"Well, it's been a while since I last had a fight."

"Oh yeah?" I said turning to him.

"The last one was back in school. Some jerk was picking on my sister, so I shoved him, and one thing led to another. My mum was visiting my grandparents in Japan at the time. When the school called her to say I had a black eye, I think she heard 'your son has a concussion and a fractured skull'," he laughed, "She was on the next flight home."