ColorBlind (Book #2 of S.H.A.D.E.) ✔

Lost Promises

17.

Iris' body falls backward in a lifeless sort of way, her limbs bending like a doll's as she hits the ground. Her face has been pulled apart by the bullet's path, peeled back like the petals of a red flower.

I shot Benson's arm, and now that's pulled apart too. He clutches it to his side, rolling on the ground in agony and choking on screams.

But no one screams louder than Scarlet. She races to Iris' side, wailing so hard her words are incomprehensible as she picks up Iris' body and holds her shredded face in her hands, blood flowing freely through her fingers. "No, no, no, no..." she wheezes out between sobs, cradling Iris and rocking back and forth. "Come on, don't go. Remember? Remember we promised we would get out together?" she cries into Iris' hair, the gold tinted red, her words barely understandable.

My hands shake so bad I drop the gun, the metal sliding right out of my fingers. I almost fall to my knees, but Copper grabs hold of me before I can, holding me against his chest. I look up at his ghostly white face. He isn't here right now, his eyes are wide and glassed over with shock.

Jade is a weeping mess, her hands in her tangled hair, eyes squeezed shut.

I don't know what to do.

I can't help, I can't do anything.

Is she really dead? Iris, who helped me escape, Iris who kept us safe from being tracked down, who always cracked Scarlet's infallible ferocity into a tender grin?

I push out of Copper's grip and stumble against the building's wall, throwing up all over it.

When I'm finally done retching, I hear sirens off in the distance, no doubt heading our way after the blast of the gun shots.

Oh god. I have to function.

I take two deep breaths, steeling myself for the horror behind me, before turning around again. I walk back to Copper, putting a hand on his arm. He looks at me. "Get Jade to the car."

His eyes clear, and Copper's back again. He is used to seeing gore from a monitor screen. Up close and personal was a totally different experience for him, but the novelty has worn off. He slips back into Sync mode, something more comfortable than feeling what is happening right now.

He nods, then says, "There's tarps inside the gym, covering some equipment... for her body."

I ignore the bunching up of my stomach at the thought of wrapping Iris up, like she's something being put away for a very long time, shoved into a dark space to be forgotten.

I nod, then head inside. Looking back, Benson doesn't seem to be going anywhere, all but passed out from the pain on the pavement. Deciding it's safe, I run into the gym, locate a dusty tarp, and whip it off the equipment, particles filling the air around me, like I'm consumed in a storm.

"Ebony?" I hear Onyx's voice. He is just coming up the stairs, looking sleepy but prepared. Indigo is with him, looking nervously around. "I was napping, and I heard a noise. What's going on?"

I begin to shake again, but grab a hold of myself. "Scarlet is gonna need you. Onyx... Iris is dead. A man named Micheal Benson shot her. We need to get out of here fast, I need your help."

"Micheal Benson?" Indigo gasps.

Onyx processes this slowly, his eyes growing wider every second I speak. "What? I don't understand? Who is Micheal Benson? How can Iris be dead? I was just with her!"

"Onyx!" I snap, losing my composure. "I need your help! I need someone's help!"

"Breathe, Ebony."

I inhale, then exhale, calming myself down as best as I can.

Onyx's eyes are shining, but he pulls back his shoulders, clears his throat. Indigo moves from around Onyx, slowl coming towards me. "Here." He hands me a long item sheathed in a black blanket.

I know her by the weight, by the feel. Bellona. "How?"

"We went to Glenford Estates to check on you two when you didn't return. You weren't there, but Iris was able to retrieve this for you..."

I bite my lip to keep from crying, letting out a shuddering breath.

Onyx looks at me as he approaches us, his face resolute. "We better start kicking ass after this shit." He takes the tarp from my hands and walks off into the mess outside.

I follow him with a quiet Indigo, thinking of axing Micheal to death.

Scarlet is still rocking back and forth with Iris, but she's gone silent, tears plummeting from her chin. Her face is disturbingly placid, entirely expressionless. She looks at Onyx, at the tarp wound up in his hands.

A sardonic smile breaks across her ghostly face. "They all get thrown in tarps, hey? Iris gets the same funeral that fucking Viridian did."

No one knows what to say.

The sirens are so close now, the hair on my neck stands up.

Copper comes back from putting Jade in the Corolla. His eyes sweep over the situation, assessing it. "Scar... we have to go," he finally says, gently.

Scarlet starts breathing haltingly again, but nods. Breathing out an ugly sigh, she presses her lips to what's left of Iris' forehead, then allows Onyx and Copper to move the body from her lap. Her hands are coated in blood, her face smeared with it too.

I walk to her, gingerly helping her to her feet. She is so cold, and she moves mechanically. "Come with me."

I guide her to the car, one arm around her, the other carrying my axe. Copper and Indigo carry Iris' wrapped body, and Onyx shoves Benson with him to the car at gun point.

"Give me a reason to shoot your eyes out, I dare you," he threatens him, voice low and measured.

We all pile into the car, Iris in the trunk, and peel away from the building in the opposite direction of the nearing sirens.

No one speaks.

What the hell is there to say?