The Masked Killer - A.T Ben Saad || English

Chapter 20: Lola

I never truly understood the phrase "I saw my life flash before my eyes" until now. Now, I know exactly what it means. It's that feeling of helplessness, regret, and mourning—mourning for your own soul. It overwhelms you, and within milliseconds, you're trapped, ensnared in that film that suddenly starts playing before your eyes. You feel detached from your body, yet still anchored to it. It's lonely, filled with pure sorrow. A tear slips down my cheek. Suddenly, I feel two arms around me. Is it an angel carrying me to paradise or a devil who knows what I did wrong?

Was it my fault that Noah went through those horrific things, or was the evil already there? I was the one who suggested to my father that Noah should join the boys' team. I didn't realize it at the time. Evil can be seen in the eyes, and I've seen that the person who just stabbed me is not the one losing me. He's alone in this world. Is he even in this world? Where is his warm smile, his hugs, and his charm? I lost him long before this without even knowing it.

I am lifted, carried away by the light. The sharp sound of footsteps walking trough glass shards rings trough my delusions. I am laid down. "Stay with me, please. Noah can't handle this on top of everything else," I hear Noah's hoarse voice saying. Why is he talking about himself like he's another person? I am too weak to think about that, so I just let the tought slip trough my memory. Is this all some sort of game? The game of death? A game in which only the Grim Reaper has the rules? Sirens, I hear sirens. They won't stop. Am I still alive?

As the sirens wail in the distance, my thoughts drift back to happier times, moments of laughter and love. I remember the first time Noah and I met. His eyes sparkled with warmth and kindness, his smile infectious. We spent countless hours talking about our dreams and fears, sharing secrets that no one else knew, but he never told me about what my father did to him in our childhood. I trusted him with my heart, never imagining that it could come to this.

The memory of our first kiss lingers in my mind. It was on a rainy afternoon, under the shelter of an old oak tree. The world around us seemed to disappear as our lips met, a perfect moment frozen in time. I clung to that memory, trying to hold onto the Noah I once knew, the Noah who loved me.

But the darkness crept in, slowly at first, then all at once. I saw the changes in him, the way his eyes grew colder, the anger that simmered just beneath the surface. I tried to reach him, to pull him back from the brink, but it was like grasping at shadows. He was slipping away, and there was nothing I could do.

Now, as I lie here, bleeding and broken, the full weight of my helplessness crashes down on me. The sirens grow louder, the piercing sound mingling with the chaos in my mind. I can feel the life draining from my body, the cold seeping into my bones. Is this the end? Is this how it all ends?

"Noah," I whisper, my voice barely audible. "What happened?"

His face hovers above me, a mask of anguish and regret. "Stay with me," he pleads, tears streaming down his face. "He can't lose you, not like this." He talks about himself again in the third person and a shiver rolls down my spine.

His words are a distant echo, fading into the void. The pain is fading too, replaced by a numbness that spreads through me. I feel myself slipping away, the world growing dimmer with each passing second. But then, something deep inside me stirs. A flicker of defiance, a spark of life that refuses to be extinguished.

'No,' I think, with every ounce of strength I have left. 'I won't give up. I'm not going to give up on life.'

I focus on the sound of the sirens, letting their urgency fuel my resolve. I force myself to breathe, to fight the darkness encroaching on my vision. Each breath is a battle, each heartbeat a victory. I summon every memory of love, of joy, of life, and use them to anchor myself to this world. I try not to think of all the loving moments with my father, because that pulls me back into the depths every time.

"Noah," I manage to whisper, a bit stronger this time. "You won't defeat me."

The sirens are deafening now, and I can see the flashing lights drawing closer. Paramedics rush to my side, their hands working quickly, efficiently. I feel a mask placed over my face, oxygen flooding my lungs. The cold liquid in my arm is replaced with something warm, something that spreads a soothing sensation through my body.

As I am lifted onto a stretcher, Noah's hand never leaves mine. He runs alongside me, his eyes never leaving my face. "Stay with me," he keeps saying, a mantra of hope and love. "Stay with him."

And I do. I fight with everything I have, clinging to the life I almost lost. I don't know what the future holds, but for now, I am alive. And that is enough.