𝓐𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓷 𝔁 𝓡𝓮𝓪𝓭𝓮𝓻 (but you're Ashlyn) 𝕊𝔹𝔾

Episode 60

A/N: Heyy!! Sorry for not posting in a good while- I honestly forgot about this story since ive been more invested in continuing my other story 'Unspoken' (Please read..)

But js a heads up- This is the sad episode where our beloved Aiden gets smothered by a ceiling

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Glancing behind me, I saw Logan now running towards us, but Taylor ran towards him, grabbing the shotgun out of his hands and immediately assuming a firing position, I wince from the pain ringing in my ears. Aiden helps me put on some headphones.

"Taylor what the hell are you doing?!?" I yell out, but she doesn't seem to pay attention to me.
"We need to damge it as much as we can!" 

I can hear the determination in her voice. Me and the others share a silent agreement to not stop Taylor. She needed this.

That seemed to give Logan an idea as he started to shoot at the huge centipeide thats destroyed half the hallway already.

The echoes of chaos still rang in my ears, each breath a labored gasp as my heart hammered against my ribs, threatening to break free. Aiden's worried gaze flickered over me, but my focus remained fixated on the phantom that loomed ahead.

"If the brain is located behind the eyes, then we might be able to at least paralyze it if we aim there." Logan said as he continued to shoot.

I realized I had mentally checked out, the events prior to Aiden's voice a blur in my memory. "..yeah, uh- Tay, it stopped moving. Good job." He weakly gave a half-hearted thumbs-up, I scowl at him slightly judging on the situation right now.Logan seized Taylor's hand, urgency etched on his face. "We need to hurry in case it recovers."

Despite the lingering tremors and the palpable rage simmering within her, Taylor reluctantly nodded, and we pressed forward down the hallway, our senses heightened, acutely aware of the lurking dangers that surrounded us.

****LOOKIN FOR THE KEYS****

"AAGH!" Taylor yelled in frustration. "Where are they!?!"

"..Does he move them often?"
"Yeah, because idiots like Jay and Conner keep messing with them!"
"...I feel a minor sense of Deja Vu.." Aiden muttered as he stod by the door, keeping a look out for phantomsLogan checked the time, mumbling just loud enough for us to hear, disheartened, "we have 3 minutes left.."

My head perks up at the sound of feet stomping "Aiden, there's a straggler"
"I know, I hear it running"
"Is there anymore?"
He peaked around the corner before replying,"I can't see any?"

He was interrupted by a rumble that rattled everything, sending loose items tumbling. A sharp crack rang out, and I glanced up to see a crack snaking its way across the ceiling. My gut told me that whatever that creature was, it was definitely alive and not happy.

I quickly tell everyone to get under something but it was too late... Everything seemed to be in slow motion as Aiden made eye contact with me before the ceiling landed on him. No words yet so many things were said.

"AIDEN!!" I yell out, pulling the broken pieces of cement off of him. No no no no....

The first time I truly registered Aiden Clark's existence was on the Route 17 bus. I'd managed to snag a window seat, a small victory in my daily battle against social interaction. Headphones in, book open, world successfully tuned out—or so I thought.He looked up at me, his red eyes widening, a grin spreading across his face. "Hey!" he said, leaning in way too close for comfort. I snatched my head away like I'd been burned,  praying he'd leave me alone. 

Of course, he didn't. He spent the rest of the ride trying to strike up a conversation, completely oblivious to my increasingly hostile glares. I hated him on principle.

Now, surrounded by the sickly crimson sky , that bus encounter felt like a lifetime ago.

 There was no time to react, no time to push him out of the way. Just a sickening thud, and then, silence.

He was gone. Just like that. Not like when Tyler vanished in this dimension, after falling down the cliff, only to be impaled by the tree, everyone thought he was gone, only for Ben to patch him up.

This was final. 

I stared at the wreckage, my mind struggling to process what had just happened. All the color seemed to drain from the world, leaving only a dull, aching emptiness. All the breath I tried to gasp felt like knives stabbing my lungs. A wave of nausea hit me, and my knees buckled. It wasn't fair. He didn't deserve this.

Now, as I knelt beside him, watching his face twist in agony, it all felt like a terrible echo. All the walls I had carefully built up were crumbling, and the fear was back—raw and visceral.  I cupped Aiden's face in my hands, my fingers trembling as I tried to staunch the bleeding. This couldn't be happening. Not now, not him. Not after everything.

Even as I begged silently—Please, not him . . . not him and Tyler both. In that moment, amidst the chaos and the fear, I realized that Aiden Clark wasn't just an useless ray of sunshine. He was something more. Something precious. Something I couldn't bear to lose.

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