World Without End | Sitkolson [C]

EIGHTEEN

The seven of them walked down the dirt road, no one saying anything to anyone.

Lynn had passed out, the weight on her shoulders being too much to bear whilst Alex was carrying her.

Chris and Angelo were still up the front, Josh a few steps behind.

Ryan was all the way at the back, nothing but his regret around him. He had been the one to carry Ricky's body back to the house. He tried his best not to look down at Ricky and expect to see him smiling, but he didn't.

None of them wanted to believe that Ricky, there flesh and blood, was... gone. None of them wanted to believe that they'd have to live without him. Forever.

Chris, he didn't want to believe his best friend, his brother, had been murdered at the hands of Ronnie. Neither did Angelo.

Lynn, her and Ricky were closer than either of them expected. When they first met, they loathed each other. Then, before and during Ricky's last breath, they were family.

Ryan... He couldn't understand how the love of his life ended up with that fate. He thought it should've been him to have the last breath, not Ricky. Ryan knew that he'd have to live with himself until he gave up. He regretted leaving Ricky more than anything. He regretted not making his move, not telling Ricky how he felt. The note wasn't enough to express his feelings, neither was the translation Ryan Ashley gave. There was nothing he could do to let Ricky know just how much he loved him, because he was gone.

As they reached the house, Vinny ran out the door, his eyes lit up with anticipation before everyone walked past, revealing Ryan and Ricky.

Vinny looked to Chris, who had his head bowed, then at everyone else who held the same emotion; sorrow.

As Ryan Ashley stumbled out, Josh ran to her, wrapping his arms around her neck as he let out a few sobs.

He hadn't known Ricky as well as the others, but from what he saw, he was a good person.

Ricky didn't deserve to die. They all knew that. But, as Ronnie said, there was a price to pay. If Ryan knew that was the price, he would've objected straight away. But he didn't, and he couldn't. What's done is done.

Ryan walked past everyone and inside the house, heading straight up to Ricky's room where he placed him on the bed, stroking one last piece of hair back before leaving.

"Where're you going?" Angelo asked, watching as Ryan walked back past them.

Ryan simply ignored him, using his speed to run to a funeral director's office.

After looking through the window for a minute or two, he raised his fist and hit the glass, smashing it to pieces.

He made his way through the many coffins, grabbing the one he liked best and taking it out to the back where he stole one of the cars, driving it to the house with the coffin in the back.

As he stepped out of the car, he received looks of shock, then confusion, then understanding.

They all understood what Ryan was going through. In Ricky's two hundred and seventy years of living, he had only spent six of them with Ryan. It may seem like a long time, but it actually wasn't. Not compared to the two hundred and sixty-four years apart. Six years was nothing. Six years wasn't enough time.

"Are you guys coming?" Ryan asked after bringing Ricky's body back down stairs and placing him in the coffin.

Everyone gave a simply head nod, Alex still carrying Lynn as he walked her to one of the cars, sitting her in the back seat with he and Brian whilst Vinny was up front driving.