Strawberry Milk {a short story}

II Corwin

War never quite managed to hunt chills down my spine the way Thia did. When she ran into every battle headfirst, or when she just wouldn't stop training even though her body was covered in blood, that were the moments I felt that chill down my spine. 

Sometimes I thought about, how it would have been, if I never met her. How peaceful my life would have been. I would have never served in war and would have never killed a person. I would have never done what I always despised.

Yet I was aware that never in my life I would regret meeting her. She was the only person that would curse at me the way she would do. She was my best friend. The only friend I needed.

Maybe that would explain the shattering feeling when that curse hit her chest. Maybe that was the reason that every ounce of strength left my body when black started replacing her pale skin.

My feet worked fast, and I was able to catch her before she hit the ground. Her body was light in my arms, her breath uneven. An annoying smile was lifting her lips as she formed two words.

"Well, shit."

I should have taken more care. Fuck. I should have been more careful.

My fist found its way to nearest the people, fast. I felt a crack under my knuckles but didn't check what had happened. I just ran. For once, I was grateful to choose speed as my power focus.

As if holding a vase, I wrap my arms around her, sprinting into whatever way opened for me. I rushed through the deserted New York City, where skyscrapers destroyed by humanity surrounded us.

She flinched and her breath hitches. Small, she was so small. This was my fault. I should have-

"Win."

"What", I press out from behind my teeth. Her pulse was weak against my chest. Too weak.

"I think I can see the light. It's purple, you know?"

My hug tightened and she let out a slow shudder. "Common, it's a good joke."

I kept my gaze straight. I couldn't bear to look at her. Yet, I just feel how her eyes tear up and how a part of her shivering came from the empty feeling creeping up her stomach.

"I want to change the world", she told me. I believed she had the power to.

I smiled, my cheeks irritated about that forced movement. "No, it's a horrible joke."

A stuffed laugh escaped her, followed by a cough of blood. From the corner of my eyes, I saw the curse creeping up her neck, leaving nothing but black, withered skin.

They told us. They warned us about that curse, I should have seen this coming.

I couldn't loose her to. I couldn't. There must be something I could do.

"You're a jerk", she said.

"Tell me something new."

"Go right now."

Not questioning, I turned right, entering a building not different from any other. Yet somehow I felt something dark awaiting me in those walls.