The Rose

Chapter 64: Darkness Ends

Chapter 64

Everyone's faces are in disbelief. Shailey looks down at the guy and hold him.

"Sha-Shailey."

Shailey looks at his deep injury. She looks at Darkness and his evil smile. She'd sick of it and want to destroy him.

"Listen." She focused back at the injured man. Every emotion she had right now is gone. Her tears won't even come out. They're stuck in her throat making a knot that's painful every time she swallow and look at his ruined face.

"I-I'm so sorry." Shailey puts her forehead against his. She should've died from the blow, not him. He's the one she's suppose to protect, but it happened the other way around. Her throat's killing her and her mouth is dried.

"Please, promise me...." Shailey's eyes burned, like it wants the tears that weren't coming, to start flowing down on this man.

Shailey swallows and slowly puts her head up to look at the guy.

"Promise..me....that...you'll be happy again."

Shailey only nods and tears start to well up in her eyes as he coughs.

"I....won't...last long...and....I...read the letter."

"Please...don't talk like that." Shailey realized something and hover her hand over his chest. "..I can heal you!"

Shailey concentrates on the power and focus on it, transferring to him.

It doesn't work. She tries again. No glow.

"Why isn't this stupid power working!" Shailey's frantically moving her hand up and down, like trying to spill the power out. "Why does it have to be at a time like this!" Shailey wants to strangle someone, specifically the one responsible for this.

The guy grabs her wrist. She looks at him and cries.

His hand is ice cold and Shailey squeezes it.

"Please Chip! Don't go! You need to stay!" Shailey's voice is starting to crack as her sobs over power her.

"Promise me...(cough)....to stay happy....(cough)...no matter...what happens."

Shailey sniffs in between her words. "I...promise." Shailey breaks into sobs again and puts her forehead on top of his cold one.

"Remember the time..(breathe)...you came to our house?..(breathe).....granny already liked you..(breathe)..even from before."

"Please stop talking." Shailey cries.

"You tricked me....(cough)....into believing.....there was a monster....outside...(cough)...so that you....know who I am." Chip makes a small chuckle that sounds like a cough.

"I...remember." Shailey's face is now covered in water.

"Let me....see you..(breathe)..smile....one last time."

Shailey puts her head up and wipes tears off her face. She then tries her best to smile through her tears.

Chip is glad and also returns the smile. But his heart stops. The hand that was on her wrist drops motionless to his stomach.

Shailey's smile fades as she sees him still smiling, with eyes closed. She's paralyzed. It feels like a piece of her just shattered. Broken into tiny pieces. Each friend and family is like an individual glass that completed her soul, her heart, her life. But now, one of them turns to shards. She feels hallow and empty, but that soon swells up with anger.