"What the fuck?" He said, moving his head away from his sister's neck.
"What?" Charli asked, she hadn't been looking, trying to give Mark some privacy to say goodbye to Anni.
"Anni?" Mark whispered in his sister's ear.
He slowly pulled back from her, looking her up and down, he zeroed in on her neck, he knew she healed at a well higher rate, he could see the white lines appearing across her throat.
"Come on Anni," he yelled giving her a shake.
He put his ear to her chest, hearing if she had a heartbeat yet. Nothing.
He felt her move, he knew he did.
"I felt her move, come the fuck on Anni."
As if on cue her fingers moved into a fist.
He looked down, shocked but kept going, "come on squidge, wake up. We need you!"
Charli didn't see what he saw, she saw him abusing her girlfriends corpse, "Mark please stop," she said coming forward putting her arms around Anni.
"No, Charli trust me, Anni come on, I know you like making me look crazy but please wake up," he begged.
Charli still didn't see the movement Mark saw, he saw the cut on her neck weaving itself together, her fingers moving, it was almost like reanimation.
Mark was worried, she'd never been out this long before, "come on Anni, I'm starting to worry, you've never been out this long before."
The most she'd ever been out for was about 20 minutes, this was nearing 3 hours now.
Charli was getting angry, she didn't know why he was doing this, "Mark stop it. She gone and now you're just making a fool out of her, stop."
Mark stopped, "Charli, I'm not trying to do that, you, you just don't see it, but look," he said pointing to her neck, "see, it was bigger earlier."
Charli didn't want to look, she just turned and walked away.
She couldn't understand why he was doing this to her, getting her hopes up. Just to screw with her?
Fuck this, she thought. She needed to leave before she broke down again.
Dixi sighed, "you better be right about this, I'll go with her. If you come find us without Anni, wide awake and ready to go, don't bother finding us at all."
Dixi didn't want to think Mark would lie to Charli like that, she wanted to believe him but she watched Magnus call time of death. Anni didn't have a heartbeat.
Mark sighed, he turned back to his sister, he was alone in the room with her now, "come on squidge, please."
------------------------------------------------
Alwyn sat alone on his bed, looking at the photo in his wallet.
It was of him and Anni the day they found her, she was sitting on a wall, he was in full combat gear, his gun next to him.
Not the best photo to have with your daughter but it meant everything to him. He'd kept it on his person for 17 years now.
It was the first photo taken after they knew they were home free, at a base camp they set up at a safe distance.
She was smiling at him, holding her 'bear' and he was holding her hand, smiling back at her, it was the day his entire world changed, and the day she chose as her birthday.
December 21st.
He finally let the tears fall, he'd broken his promise to keep her safe.
'I'd die before I let anything happen to you squidge' were his words.
