Drop Dead Gorgeous

Death and Chaos

Valkyrie watched in horror as Skulduggery dropped to the floor, groaning in pain. She whirled towards Grave.
"Stop it!" She screamed. Grave laughed. She looked towards Randy, but the sorcerer was out cold.
"What are you doing to him?!" She yelled. Grave stopped laughing and looked at her smugly.
"I told you I'm an Agonist right?"
"No!"
"Yes."
"Please stop! Why are you doing this? He hasn't done anything wrong!"
"Oh but dear Valkyrie he has. He has foiled my plans of a paradox. Now he must pay."
Suddenly, Skulduggery's groans turns to cries of agony, and he curled up.
"No stop!" Valkyrie pleaded, desperate. She dropped down beside Skulduggery and Grave continued to hurt him.
"For God's sake Grave I'll do anything! Anything!"
"Too late Valkyrie. You are too late to save your friend. The way I'm going right now, he'll be dead in about seven minutes."
"Dead?!"
"Yes. Dead."
"No! Please stop!" She screamed, and pulled Skulduggery's head into her lap. She couldn't watch him die. She couldn't. She wouldn't.
"Grave I swear to Jesus stop or I'm going to kill you!"
Grave chuckled, and Valkyrie heard Skulduggery's cries turn into screams and she broken down.
"There's nothing you can do to stop me," Grave taunted.
"There is. And I will find it!" Valkyrie snapped. She sat on her knees, her tears making tiny puddles on the floor. Skulduggery was writhing in pain now, his teeth gritted, his spine arched. Then he let out a terrible, horrible sound. Valkyrie knew that Grave was worsening the pain, and soon it would be too much.
"STOP!" She screamed, struggling to be heard over Skulduggery.
"No can do Valkyrie. Four minutes."
Skulduggery started screaming high pitched wails in agony, arching his back up high and squeezing his eyes closed. Oh how Valkyrie wished she could see him smile, see those emerald eyes, pain free. But what she was looking at now was totally opposite. What she was seeing was a dying boy, screaming in agony, and a merciless killer.
"I'm begging you Grave. Please."
Grave shook his head.

Ambry had a strange feeling that something bad was happening, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She lay in bed, listening to China snore, and wondered what could be going on. She couldn't see exactly what was happening, although she sensed that it was something bad. Probably just an animal being killed or something, she told herself. But no, that's not what it felt like. She knew the feeling of when an animal was dying. This felt different, like a loved one was dying. She shook it off, and tried to get some sleep.

By now, Valkyrie could see Skulduggery's fighting spirit weaken. Then the pain became too much. Grave softened a little, and now Skulduggery could actually speak.
"Valkyrie....." He murmured.
"It's okay, I'm here," she replied, resting his head in her lap.
"I'm dying," he said.
"No you're not. No you're not! You going to live, you're going to go back to your parents, to Ambry, and you're going to live your life."
"Valkyrie, I think now would be a good time to confess."
"Confess what?"
"My given name."
"Skulduggery! You are not dying! You are going to live!"
"I'm already dead Valkyrie. I'm slipping away as we speak."
"No! No! Hold on! Please! Don't die!"
"I'm dying Valkyrie. There's nothing I can do."
"No! No! No! Dying isn't a part of our story!"
"Happily ever afters don't exist Valkyrie. That stuff is only real in fairytales."
"They can! And you're going to get one! You going to live!"
"Valkyrie I......" He trailed off. He was weakening, his body shutting down.
"No! Stay with me!" She cried.
"Valkyrie.....I'm going to tell you something that you've been wanting to know for a while now. My given name is Aidan," he said right before his body went limp. Skulduggery Pleasant died with his head on Valkyrie Cain's lap, and his eyes closed. Valkyrie's mouth dropped open in shock, and she felt her heart sink in her chest. She let out a cry of anguish, and let her head fall onto his chest. She screamed into his shirt. Screaming and screaming until she had almost lost her voice. Then she cried for ages, sobbing the most heart wrenching sounds. He hadn't even gotten to know what her given name was. When she looked up at his face one final time, she felt her heart tear in half. So this was what heartbreak felt like? Her eyes were puffy and swollen from crying as she leant in and kissed him on the lips for the last time. She ran her fingers through his chocolate hair, her tears making tiny puddles on the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Grave watching her.
"I love you," she whispered in his ear. Then she stood up, rage and hatred consuming her. She stormed over to Grave.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU KILLED HIM!" She roared. She sprinted towards him, and shunted just before she reached him.