Cold Hearts in The Rain

Chapter 34

Nory almost looked fine. She had a few bruises on her face and arms, but she didn't look like she was malnourished in any way, as I had expected. In fact, the only one who looked really bad was Jake. Charlotte and Nory seemed healthy. Violet didn't even seem harmed.

I threw my arms around Nory and started crying. She squeezed me in reply and I felt her tears falling onto my shoulder. I don't know how long I held her for. But I couldn't help it. I thought she was dead.

"I'm so sorry," I half whispered half sobbed. I turned to see that Jake's arms were around Violet's shoulders and that Caleb enveloped Charlotte into a tight hug. I heard her crying. I pulled away from Nory and pulled Jake and Violet into a group hug.

"You didn't deserve this. I'm so so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Violet mumbled. I moved away and looked at all of them. They looked better than I could've imagined, but that was only physically. I didn't think about the look in their eyes. The trauma. The broken.

"I'm so sor--"

"Charlotte!" Caleb's dad said, running toward us. "Oh my God."

"Dad," she greeted half-heartedly while he hugged her tightly. I saw her trying to return the favor, but she seemed so worn out.

"What did he do to you?" her dad asked.

She started crying and I saw Nory's teeth clench.

"I tried to stop him," Jake whispered. "He beat me down and then made me watch. He said he was getting tired of waiting for Doe."

A knot formed in my stomach. Oh god, no...

I've never felt so useless in my life. I suddenly felt like I couldn't hear anymore. I watched as Charlotte's dad came toward me with rage in his eyes. The police suddenly came to my aid, holding him back. He was yelling at me, but in that moment I don't know what he said. Caleb was by my side, anger in his eyes toward his father.

And then suddenly I could hear again.

"This is all your fault! You did this to them! They didn't deserve this!" he screamed at me.

"Dad, it's not her fault," Charlotte sobbed.

"It is! She hid! She could've given herself in! This didn't need to happen to you!" he shouted.

"Dad, enough!" Caleb snapped.

"Watch your mouth young man!" he said to him and then turned back to me. "How could you!"

I couldn't breathe. One second I was there, and the next thing I know I'm running toward the cliff.

This is my fault. He did horrible things to them all because I didn't just give myself into him. 

They'll never be the same. 

I stood by the cliff and screamed in anger. 

"Are you happy with yourself?! You coward! You hid! You freaking stayed safe while they suffered at the hands of him! It's all your fault!" I clenched my fists together. 

I began pacing as colors jarred around my brain. The painting of colors was happening too erratically for me to keep up. 

Their colors. 

I was painting their colors in my brain. 

Their colors were no longer happy. They were dark. Their colors changed. And now they were flooding my brain. They were eating at me. And they confirmed what I needed to do. There was only one way I could stop them from infesting me.