Death's Exception

Chapter Fifteen

My body fails me. All I can see is Lilly's soft, purple hair spread around her pale face and a trickle of blood sprouting from the edge of her white lips. All I can see is Lilly's eyes staring at me with hollow expression, and no spirit behind them. The pain in my back and my head is now nothing compared to the deep, sharp pain that is spreading through my whole body. Titus acts through an anger and passion that I cannot find within me. He rips the gun from the soldier who no longer grips my hair, and shoots the rest of them. He looks down at me, his expression the scariest thing I have ever seen. A horrifying mixture of guilt, fear, and anger. He extends his hand, and mumbles a word. A word that must be comforting to him. Or a word that reminds him why to fight. I stand, my back now numb with the ammount of adrenaline pumping through my veins. We start to run, and slowly but surely, Titus begins to yell the word louder and louder.

"Meraki." He is saying over and over, and I just let him. I let him because it isn't worth the pain of dealing with why. Instead, I squeeze his hand tighter, and ask him what the word means.

"The soul, love, or creativity put into one thing. It was Lilly's favorite word. And suddenly, it is mine." I purse my lips and meditate on the word as we run. That word is truly the very description of Lilly and Titus Crilley's passion. Their motives always revolving around what would be the betterment of their carreer and the science that supports their carreer. All that they are, they pour into this one passion, this one job. Until now. Until I came along. I stop in the hallway.

"Titus, I have to know. I have to know where you are taking me. I will let the whole "why the heck" thing go, as long as you tell me where." He turns to face me, and brushes a curl out of my eyes.

"My parents. They will take us in, and I have to-" His face goes ashen, and he turns away from me. I suddenly feel the same numbing pain I felt when I saw Lilly die all over again. Her parents. All because of me. All because my body decided to work again, and I hate it. Now more than ever I wish to retreat. I wish to give up the idea of living a second life. I wish to abandon life and its perils for death. Because no matter how hard death is, it will never be as hard as living life.

"We are here." He motions to the door, and I realize that this place must be so much bigger than I thought. The door is large, with huge metal bolts surrounding it. There is a wheel in the middle of it.

"Why is the door so secure?" He starts typing furiously on a key pad beside the door, and his eyes flash my way.

"We- They have so much important information in here, they have to be sure nothing leaks to the outside. In the early 2000s some information leaked, and it caused a world-wide panic." I feel energy seep through my body, and feel the adrenaline fail me. I sit down heavily on the ground. Titus looks back at me worried. I bite my lip until I taste the blood trickle onto my tongue. He sits beside me, and I rest my head on his shoulder. I rest my hand on his head, and start playing with his hair. His soft, warm hair. I squeeze my eyes shut and a single tear slivers through my eyelids. I sigh. It hurts. Not just my back. Not just my head. Not just my legs. Not just my lungs. But also having Lilly's empty face impressed upon my mind. Closing my eyes and seeing her. Seeing how I failed her. Seeing that the first friend I ever had now lay in a cold, dark, empty hallway. "Come on, Rory. We can do it. We are almost there."

"Almost, indeed, Mr. Crilley." My heart falls into my stomach as I look up and see Dr. Finley towering over us. Titus stands over Dr. Finley. His head rising about three inches over the doctor's. I see Titus' hands clench.

"You are but an obstacle, doctor. Do not make me hurt you." Dr. Finley's face screws up. We all know it is true. Titus could easily hurt the man, and abandon him on the cold, hard concrete.

"Why leave so soon, boy?" Titus' eyes now burn with raw anger. Even I shrink back in fear. But, Dr. Finley holds his ground, and stares up at him. The audacity stuns me. How he could dare approach a man whose sister you just annihilated. No less a man who is not only bigger than you, but also more muscular.

"You know why, you lying-" He cusses. He cusses until his throat gives way into a sob. I look at the ground, tears rising to my eyes quicker than I want them to.

"Oh, yes. I lied and killed your sister. But are you ready to ruin a girls life because I did something like that?" Titus loses it. He slams Dr. Finley against the wall, and hits him hard in the jaw. I watch. I let him. He punches him over and over again until his face looks shriveled and unrecognizable.

"Titus-" He stops and looks back at me. I struggle to stand, and I hold out my arms. He sighs, and retreats to me. He buries his face in my hair and cries. Dr. Finley falls to the ground, and groans. "Let's go." I say, looking back at Dr. Finley.

"Go, Aurora Destiel, and your life will be a living hell. The decision to leave me will forever burn upon your consious. Trust me, child. Trust me when I say that you are no longer under my wing of protection. Now you will be under the wrath of my fist. You will live a life being rejected everywhere you turn. Being happy is something you can no longer strive for, because as long as I am alive, I will never let that happen."

And this is when Dr. Finley is no longer just Dr. Finley. At this point in time, let it be known, that he has formed into a monster. Something so terrible that I will not dare let his name escape my lips. Something so ugly, and horrifying that he could only be known as my demon. The one thing that will haunt me for the rest of my days.

The demon that crushed me, and pulled me down with it.