Bad Dreams | Newt x Reader (Being Edited)

Chapter 84-At Skyfall

Title inspired by the song 'Skyfall' by Adele.

Warnings: betrayal, angst, descriptions of blood and pain

Six days later

108 days after his death

The blackened ruins of towering skyscrapers littered the cloudless horizon. I stared at them as we walked, trying to picture them as the glittering, proud buildings that had once been. I didn't know where we were, but the Wraith's unease was beginning to seep into me. Her consciousness coiled, a snake ready to spring.

The car had broken down the day earlier, leaving us to walk. By each passing day, Élliot began to act more weirdly. Every few hours, he would slip away for a few minutes and return with guilt sitting in his gaze. On top of that, he had become clingy to all three of us. Every time someone went to do something such as getting firewood, he volunteered to go with them immediately. That wasn't the weirdest part. That would be the random hugs. It wasn't just me that he swept into random embraces, but Leo and Bella as well.

That wasn't the problem on my mind. In a day's time, the Wraith would begin another rampage fueled by the anger of losing Nik. She had been relatively quiet over the past week, only adding snarky comments when she saw an opportunity. The rest of the time, her presence felt like a buzzing noise in my ears.

Leo and Bella dropped behind us to talk. Somehow through the hazey mess of my emotions, I was glad they did. Hopefully, either of them would put an end to my suffering and confess their feelings. Watching them both dance around the topic was exhausting.

Élliot slipped his hand into mine after a while. I smiled at him and gently squeezed it.

He returned it, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I love you."

My own smile faltered. It was the first time that I had heard him explicitly state his feelings. All that was in my heart was guilt and anxiety.

"You deserve to be loved," Élliot whispered, his eyes shining feverishly. "I'm sorry."

Before I got the chance to ask what for, Bella's scream cut through the silence of the city. We whipped around to see Leo on the ground, his head cradled in his hands. The Phoenix stood over him, her hand clamped around Bella's arm

"No!" I screamed and tore my hand from Élliot's, but they vanished in a crackle of red energy.

I ran to Leo's side, Élliot right behind me. Leo's head slowly rose to meet my eyes. His usual warm brown eyes were gone, red ones taking their place. I stopped before I could reach him and grabbed Élliot's arm. I swore under my breath as the Phoenix forced Leo to get up.

"Hello, Wraith." Leo's scarred face formed a smirk.

Movement caught my eye and I noticed people coming towards us. I nudged Élliot and he caught sight of them. His body tensed and he slowly walked towards them.

"Charlotte?" he called to them.

The girl I assumed was Charlotte stopped walking, eyeing us in a way that made me uncomfortable. I ran my eyes over the ruined buildings on either side of us. Between Leo and Charlotte's group, we were sandwiched. A flicker caught my eye in the broken glass. Was someone inside the building? I looked down the other end of the street. More people were coming towards us.

"Élliot," I said, just loud enough for him to hear me. Élliot turned back to look at me. I held out my hand. "Come here."

He didn't hesitate, stepping back towards me.

The girl's voice rang through the street in a clear order. "Kill them!"

She moved her hand and a chunk of rubble hurtled towards us. I sent Leo flying out of the way and lunged to grab Élliot. I teleported us into the next street and dragged him into a run.