Finding ( Safe and Sound Trilogy: Book 2 )

Chapter 13: Kris_A Win and A Loss

My stomach sank instantly as I watched Violet fall into unconsciousness. Hayden kept screaming but his voice seemed to muffle out as I thrashed against his tight grip on me. Violet, wake up. Violet, wake up!

"Let me go, Hayden! She's falling asleep!" I screeched and kicked. Hayden kept pulling my hair back. That's when I had it. I spun around and pummeled his face. Hayden stammered backward, releasing his grip on my hair, as his nose ushered crimson red blood. Hayden took a shaky hand to his nose to press against the red liquid dripping from his nose like a broken faucet.

"What the hell?" Hayden said, flustered. His face reddened with anger.

My fist throbbed with pain, but it felt good to let go of some of the anger built up. Hayden looked at me with a deathly glare. That's when all hell broke loose. Duke and Anne watched as Hayden and I began to fight.

"You're hitting me for trying to protect your god damned sister? You tried to hurt her! Well, pardon me, I'm not just gonna sit there and watch you butcher her." His words stung like acid. I was enraged by what he tried to state. It wasn't true.

"Excuse me? I was protecting her! She isn't supposed to fall asleep!" I retaliated. The words were just rolling off my tongue so quickly that I could barely keep control of what I could say.

"Protect? You can't even protect Bry. Hah, no wonder she doesn't love you. You're ugly, greedy, selfish, and weak. What kind of girl wants that?" He scoffed, scowling at me. The blood dripping from his nose made him seem even a tad more intimidating.

Hayden took his fist and took a direct hit to my gut. It felt as though the wind was knocked right out of me. I collapsed to my knees as I wheezed and coughed for a brief moment. He stood there, towering over me. His hair falling slightly in front of his face. I clenched my teeth. Hayden started to drag me into a stand by pulling me up. The intense pain in my stomach lingered, but I wasn't going to back down from the fight.

He started to push me, taunting me with his eyes. I stumbled back slightly. Anne's voice cried, but it was only background noise. Duke was crouched down next to Violet, trying to awaken her. Hayden took another blow, but this time, at my face. The intense burn smacked my face. The room was slightly blurry.

"Come on, Kris. Are you gonna chicken out or are ya' gonna hit me?" Hayden taunted some more, venom in every single one of his words.

"I'm not afraid to hit you. I just hit your bloody nose, or did you simply forget?" I growled. I pushed him back twice as hard. He stumbled backwards. "If I was afraid, I would back down. I'm not backing down because I'm not a coward. I'm. Not. A. Coward." I bellowed, my eyes started to glow. I could tell by the reflection in Hayden's eyes.

"Then come on, Kris. Hit me. That punch was nothing!" Hayden laughed hysterically. Hayden lashed himself at me. His body weight practically crushed the oxygen out of my lungs. The punches kept coming. First, my left eye, then my cheek, then my nose.

My vision blurred and I could taste the disgust taste of metallic blood in my mouth. I spat at him and the blood splattered all over his face, especially his eyes. He screamed and he weakened his defense. I rolled on top of him and pummeled him. The bruises started to form on his face and blood was not only come from his nose, but from his mouth.

"I'm not scared!" I yelled, my voice raspy with anger.  "I'm not a coward!" I breathed. The strength in my arm lessened.

I stood up away from his limp body. His breathing pattern was slow. It felt as though I was hyperventilating from the anger. There was so much bottled up pain and anger that it just blew up.

"Mercy?" Hayden spat at my shoe. "You're a disgrace. A coward. Come on, Kris! Finish this fight!" His sprawled body slowly began to gather its energy back. He was covered in bruises and blood. The look in his eyes was disturbing. His brown eyes seemed almost black in the hall lighting. His grey, tight V-Neck shirt was soaked with sweat and blood. His hair was a disaster. He needed a comb.

I was at loss with words. He angered me to the point where it just boiled over. My anger was like a volcano. Hayden shuffled closer, and my hands balled into fists. We stood there in silence under the dimmed hall chandelier, waiting to pounce. Hayden went first. He lurched forward, grabbed me by the collar and took a blow at my stomach. It was like I was ran over by a truck. The momentum of the fighting brought us towards the stairs.

Hayden stepped back a bit too far and flailed backwards, but not alone. He grasped my collar and dragged me down with him. I fell straight forward. The stairs smacked against my head, giving me an intense headache. I started to roll on my side. My hand slipped under me and crushed under my weight. A loud crunch emitted from my wrist and a pain surged throughout my entire body. I yelped in pain. Hayden and I tumbled down the end of the stairs with a loud THUD. Hayden stayed quiet. He must've hit his head and went unconscious. The excruciating pain stabbed my wrist over, and over, and over.

Tears started to pool down my face, and the tears stung my cuts and bruises scattered across my damaged face. I rose my limp body up off the cold, wooden floor. As I did, I could hear this quiet whimpering to my right, the direction of the front door.

No.

No...

No!

Zeke stood in the doorway, clutching Bry tightly towards him. He held a glowing blade up to her fragile neck. My eyes widened with worry and fear. Bry was Zeke's prisoner. Captured. My attention was also his prisoner.

"Hello, Kris, nice to meet you again. How is your lovely sister fairing this evening?" A malicious grin played on his face. His grin revealed crooked, yellowed teeth.

"Let Bry go..." The words were barely audible from my mouth. My bottom lip quivered. What was I to do? Bry stood on her tip toes. Zeke had a firm grip on her arm, assuring no escape. "Let her go!" The rasp in my voice came back. Bry looked at me with watery eyes. She was trying desperately not to cry. I couldn't hide my tears. He was holding my entire world in his hands, as if it were nothing. He can't take her away. He can't take away the beacon of light.

"Why should I?" Zeke questioned, arching his bushy eyebrow at me. His complexion spotted with acne and moles annoyed me. He grinned again, revealing the yellowed, crooked teeth. "I mean, this girl is rather pretty. Slender, blond, blue eyes, decently tall for your age-" Zeke tilted his head down at Bry. She gulped and whimpered. "If I were you, Kris, I'd already have taken away her vir-"

"Shut up!" I exclaimed. With a struggle, I stood up, my entire body aching in an agonizing pain alongside my pulse. "Please," The word escaped with a sigh. "Just let her go... Please. Don't hurt her." My voice cracked and the cold in his eyes grew deeper.

Bry opened her mouth to say something, but Zeke interrupted her, "Aww, teenage love." I glared at him, rage pulsing through my throbbing body. "What a beautiful thing it is. You know what else is a beautiful thing?" His voice darkened. "The death of a wonderful bond between two lovers."

Zeke swept Bry off her feet and threw her over his shoulders, kicking and screaming - calling my name. My heart shattered in pieces as I realized he was taking her away. I flew right after him out the front door. He trailed into the forest, significantly faster than me.

"Bry!" Her named hurt to even speak. As fast as I could, I chased. I chased, and chased, but he was too fast. His laugh cackled in the distance until it faded out into nothingness.

I collapsed to the ground, panting. "He... Took her away. Bry... Bry..." I sobbed, covering my bloodied face with my one functioning hand. My wrist was limp and dangled in any bizarre direction.  "No! Why, why, why!"

He took her away. He took the only thing, the only person, the only girl, that meant something that great to me. He took away that one girl who was able to get my head out of the clouds. The one girl I've ever obsessed over.

He took Bry.