The Armor (Prince Harry fanfic #1)

Chapter Thirty-Four

Her eyes searched the darkness, and no souls moved.

Lucy didn't fear much, and she wasn't scared for her own life. However, Harry was underneath her, dying slowly, with blood coming out of his body. She feared for him. She was scared he would die. There was her fear. This was the fear that she might lose him. It was different with him going back his world and her going back to hers, because he was alive. They didn't need to speak or see each other, but both of them were alive. Harry wasn't Jake, in the slightest, their personalities were different with the little ways they acted to how they would hold themselves, the biggest things. However, Harry was different than Jake, and she wouldn't let him die.

There was still blue that Lucy could see from Harry's eyes, the smallest and the purest, water in the ocean. His breaths were deep and hallow, not able to take in enough air. He shook with coldness and probably fear.

"Ma'am?"

Lucy whipped her head up, finding one of their students, who got to watch Harry slowly die. "Get help, please," she begged. "Please." Her eyes burned, always burning, from the tears that brimmed.

The student ran away.

Lucy pushed the wound again, and slowly blood came out, a little less this time. Lucy cut her hand, her blood mixing with his, and the adrenaline pumped through her. Lucy hushed herself, telling her to calm down. Everything was going to be okay.

The student ran back, and she forced her gaze off of Harry. Behind the student, stood four males and two females. The males walked forward, carefully and slowly, where their hands wrapped around each limb and a female took Harry's head, and they lifted him off the ground. Step-by-step, while Lucy's hands still pressed into the wound. They made it to the schoolhouse, where the lights were flipped on.

"Ma'am," the student called, and Lucy was forced to look at him once again, "come with me. They need to work."

The males and the females looked at Lucy, curiosity in their eyes, with concern and sadness.

Lucy nodded and stepped back. It took her twelve seconds to let her hands drop. The student escorted her outside, where the nighttime claimed her. The lights streamed out, giving the only light. The stars and moon weren't bright enough now. The coldness finally hit her, what it was like to be alone again. The heat was there, she was sure, but she felt cold.

"Ma'am?" The student waited for her, and Lucy nodded, letting the student go, probably to help his parents.

Staring out into the shadows, she shook. Her blood was on his hands. Her own blood was somewhere, the cut from the knife. She couldn't do anything with her hands, not until the blood was dry. Once it was dry, it would crust, though staining her hands. She couldn't touch her face, though she was so tired. She needed to wipe off the tears. Her lips trembled. She wanted to speak, but she had no words left to use. What was she supposed to say?

Her mind was clouded. Her teeth chattered. Her body shook internally, bones and veins moving uncontrollably. Her skin held goosebumps. She was still and quiet. Her heart pounded, she was sure. She couldn't hear. Blood rushed past her ears.

"Luce," she said to herself. Her voice was clear. It was almost as if she dipped back into her old accent, with the long vowels and interesting Ohs. "You have five seconds." Her breathed hissed. "Five... four... three... two... one...." Her body stopped shaking. "You're done."

Lucy stood up, wiping her hands off on her pants. They were already ruined. Harry's blood was everywhere. It didn't just cover her hands, but her clothes, all of them stained in redness when they were bright so it didn't overheat her. Blood seeped through the jeans, coating her legs. His blood seeped into her scars. It was everywhere, somehow in the cracks of skin, in her fingerprints.

With the other woman, Lucy could let it go. She didn't know the woman well. The woman died from natural causes; there was nothing she could've done. This was different with Harry. She could have defended him, saved him. She didn't. He couldn't die on her. He didn't die from natural causes; he was stabbed. He was murdered. He wasn't dead yet, Lucy reminded herself.

Her knees cracked as she paced, assessing the situation. She decided her next move, however stupid it was. Lucy touched the doorknob, and her skin burned. Everything wasn't right any longer. When she opened the door, she couldn't look in. Her eyes stayed out, almost closed. She called the student, who came running. "Get the mayor. Tell him to bring his cell phone."

The student nodded and ran past Lucy out of the schoolhouse. She glanced in and saw nothing.

Lucy paced outside the schoolhouse, never having enough courage to look in. Maybe, she thought, if she didn't look, he would be okay. If she waited long enough, he would wake up. These were her thoughts, when she knew they were wrong. Back then, after the shooting, it was easier for her, because she didn't need to wait. She was out cold, people waited for her. If she had been awake, she would've had to wait for her mom to come out surgery, but her mom died there.

Now, Lucy waited, without patience. She was terrible at that. Cracking her fingers, dust moved around her. It was so dry out here. It was lonely out here. She couldn't breathe. Her lungs were clouded with the dust.

"Ma'am." It wasn't the student this time, but the mayor. "I heard what happened." His accent was strong. "I called the military." She couldn't comprehend it fully. "They're on their way here." The two men would've been shot if Harry died, she knew that. "I brought you the mobile you want." He held out the phone.

Get it together, she thought, and then she snatched the phone out of the mayor's hand. Blood stained the phone, which was the least of concerns. "I'll get this back to you." It would've concerned anyone by how calm she was, completely in control. Perhaps it was lies, all lies, which kept her sane now.

He only nodded.

Lucy turned her back on him and dialed, memorizing the number. There were three rings, last twelve seconds in total. "Hello. This is Lucille Smith. We have a situation."