Borderlines

Chapter Twenty

Fawn woke up to someone knocking on her door insistently. Crawling out from underneath her warm blankets, she yanked open the door quickly. Willow was standing there, looking a bit disheveled. Fawn invited her in hastily.
"What is it?" She asked. Willow closed her door and took a deep breath.
"I haven't seen Garrett all morning, do you know where he is?" Fawn's brow furrowed.
"No, why?" Willow rubbed her forehead anxiously.
"We were going to meet for breakfast this morning and now I can't find him anywhere." Fawn felt a pit sink in her stomach. Garrett was never late.
"Have you checked his room?" She asked. Fawn began rummaging through her clothes to get dressed.
"I'm afraid to." Willow said, a small quiver in her voice. Fawn walked into her bathroom, leaving the door slightly ajar. Willow stood outside it.
"I will go with you." Fawn reassured her as she dressed hurriedly. Once she looked decent enough, she exited the bathroom, grabbing Willow's arm on the way out. They went into the hall. Fawn could feel Willow trembling slightly.
"I'm sure he's fine." Fawn said firmly, even though dread weighed down on her like a cold stone. Both she and Willow stopped dead in their tracks when a blonde crossed their path.
It can't be. Fawn thought in horror, but the bright red lips gave it all away. Ruth was out of jail.
"That's not possible!" Willow said lowly to Fawn.
"Someone must have bailed her out." Fawn glared at the tall blonde, who smiled innocently. Willow frowned.
"Who would want to do that?" She asked. Fawn shrugged, she really didn't have an answer, although one name popped into her head. She tugged on Willow's arm to get them moving again. Once they reached Garrett's room, Fawn noticed the door was closed. She tried the knob, it was locked.
"Oh no." Willow gasped quietly. Fawn shook her head, refusing to give in.
"Maybe he's getting dressed or something." She put an ear to the door.
"Garrett?" She called. No answer.
"Garrett?" She repeated, a little louder this time. Still no answer. Fawn banged on the door repeatedly.
"Something wrong?" Garth's voice came from behind Fawn.
"Garth, can you break down this door?" She backed away from it. Garth raised an eyebrow.
"Probably, but I'm wondering what's going on." He said carefully.
"Please." Willow begged. Fawn noticed her eyes were growing watery. Garth must have understand something in her tone as he turned around and kicked the door, close to the knob. It came open with a loud crack. Fawn grabbed Willow's hand and they both walked into the room slowly. Fawn felt bile rise in her throat when she saw him. She could do nothing, but stare and tremble. Then Willow let out a blood curdling scream.

~

Fawn watched Willow collapse onto the floor, bursting into sobs. Fawn had to keep herself from retching as the smell of iron tainted all of her senses. Blood was everywhere. She felt someone grab her shoulders and she was pushed into Garth's chest. He put his arms around her, shielding her from the horrible sight. It was too late though, the image had already been seared into her mind. Garrett was dangling from a light in his room. Not by his head though, by his feet. His body was battered and bloodied and any skin that was showing had cuts sliced through it. That wasn't the worst of it. His throat had been slit and dried blood stuck to his face and hair, some still dripping on the carpet. He hadn't been killed that long ago. Something else made her want to puke. All over the walls painted in his blood were the words, "No compromise." Fawn could hear Willow's anguished cry through the protective embrace of Garth. She pushed out of Garth's embrace slowly. His horrified gaze reflected hers. Fawn crouched by Willow, who turned and threw herself into her friends embrace. Fawn's eyes watered and sad tears began to streak down her cheeks. Soon footsteps rushed down the halls, stopping at the door. Fawn heard gasps and cries of horror as other guards and overseers saw the scene before them. Willow coughed when she choked on her tears and Fawn felt her heart breaking in two. First Trent, then the rule change, and now this.
"Alright everyone, back away!" Fawn heard a guard shout. She looked up and saw four of them pushing everyone back. Sean came forward and reached down, helping Willow up. Willow continued crying into Sean's shoulder and Fawn whispered a silent thank you to him. The guards went to shoo Fawn back.
"Leave her be." Came Travis's voice from the doorway.
"That's the overseer from her section." Fawn spotted him just outside the doorway. He stared back at her and she knew they were thinking the same thing. The guards didn't try to chase her away any longer, they also allowed Garth to stay in the room with her. He held Fawn close while the guards took Garrett's body down from the light. Fawn looked away. She couldn't see him like this. They had been so close in Section 2, making decisions to keep their section safe together. They had worked as one, now he would never speak again. Once they had hauled Garrett's body from the room, Garth walked Fawn back to her room. Fawn felt numb to everything around her. With just four days left, Garrett's death was going to be quite a shock to everyone, and there was no way to cover it up. It was a brutal murder. Garth kissed the top of Fawn's head as they sat on the edge of her bed, rubbing her back slowly. She let out a slow breath, trying to stop the tears that flowed down her cheeks. Garth had no idea how comforting he was to her right now. He stayed completely silent and soon the only thing Fawn could hear was the sound of him breathing in and out. Closing her eyes, she let herself relax against him. The heat of his body against hers warmed her up and suddenly she felt like falling asleep. Without much effort Fawn laid down on her side, dragging Garth with her. He didn't resist, almost seeming to know what Fawn wanted. She rolled over so that her back was against his chest and she felt his arms wrap around her stomach, holding her close to him. His head settled just close enough to her that she could feel his breath across her ear. An hour passed before Fawn lost track of time. She didn't know how long they laid there, in the same position, like two people frozen in one spot. Fawn felt her limbs grow heavy and soon she gave into sleep. It washed over her like a wave, bidding her to let go of her worries.