Chasing Catalina | Book One: Worshipping Ashes

17. | The Darkness

"What the hell happened?" My voice echoed within the walls of the large room. She hadn't heard it at all. Standing there in the middle of the blood that pooled around her feet, the limbs of what was left of the two men who had once stood before her... now lie on the ground in a crisp manner. Burnt up to nothing... black chars of dusty ash was all that remained.

    She simply stood there. Her eyes wide as her chest heaved up and down, up and down. Breathing ragged and shaky as she stared at the wall across from her. She muttered something, but I couldn't hear it from where I stood.

    Alistair had walked in before I did, but all he did was freeze in what I could only assume was fear. He feared her, and so did Erika by the look on the brunette's face as I looked over my shoulder at her. She gulped hard while looking down at the blood on the floor.

    "I need to vomit-" Erika tried to turn away from the room, from the mess that Catalina had made, but I had other ideas. She wasn't going anywhere from this.. This is what she had created. Alistair and her both.

    "Like hell." I growled lightly as I grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around to face the bloody mess. Shaking my head back and forth as I glared down at her. "You created this... you'll face it."

    Erika's eyes turned an acid green color as she narrowed them up at me, and it was amusing. The fact that she thought that would intimidate me. I leaned down, all amusement wiped from my face as I came within inches of her face.

    "This is for lying to her... this is what happens when you lie to those you care about. Facing the messes they create while trying to still figure it the fuck out." She didn't say anything back.

    Good.

    I turned away from her and returned my gaze to the still frozen in fear and trauma Catalina.

    Sweetheart... you're safe.

    I pushed past Alistair before feeling a hand grip my shoulder and pulling me back. I turned towards Alistair as he narrowed his glare down at me. Without words spoken, and I knew the words he wished to bark at me.

    I'll tell her the fucking truth if you don't you brute.

    He marched over towards Catalina and without any sorts of emotional empathy to support him, he took her by the shoulders and pulled her into his chest. Wrapping his arms around her shoulders as I heard the tears begin in his chest. My eyes closed and all I could think about was how it should've been me standing there, but of course he had to be the one.

    Catalina's gasps between sobs made it evident that she had been broken... but something about this didn't seem right.

    I looked up.

    Catalina had pushed against Alistair's chest, she was trying to get out of his hold, but he wouldn't allow it. I felt something in my chest- something twisting in a red hot anger as I watched this go on in front of us and as I took a step forward in protest, my mouth wide open at the start of a sentence, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder.

    I looked over my shoulder at Erika. Her eyes gentle and that light pale green color as she watched ahead in pain. I could see it all over her face.

    "Do you think I like seeing this?" she asked him in a careful and even tone, but all I could hear was the sounds of Catalina screaming and wailing to be let go. It broke my heart... and I couldn't allow it any longer.

    Turning back towards Alistair, my brows curved down into my eyes as I stormed over towards him. I shoved him roughly off of the poor red head... hard. Hard enough for me to realize that I had gained something back. It was small... but it was a start. Alistair had fallen to the floor of the room, though he was much taller and bigger than me.