The Only Half I Need - {Synyster Gates - Book 3} -

Chapter 1

“NOOOOOO!”

“Jeremy, NOOO!”

Without thinking twice and ignoring his best friend Jeremy jumped up and ran over to the girl that had stolen his heart. He was too slow, he reached her too late: Her back had already hit the cold ground. Her blue eyes opened wide in surprise were starring up into the bright Californian sky.

“Oh God. Oh God, please no.” Jeremy fell to his knees next to Katie and grabbed her twitching hand. Her soft skin felt already cold and he could see the light inside her eyes fading. This couldn’t be true. This wasn’t happening. His head was refusing to understand but his broken heart was already aching in his chest.

Everything around him was blurred, frozen in time. The only thing Jeremy could focus on was the red headed girl and the precious lifeblood that was pouring out of her slim body uncontrollably. She was gargling and coughing, her beautiful face distorted to a mask of fear and pain.

“Katie, stay with me. Do hear me? Stay with me.” Jeremy cupped her pale left cheek. He could feel her obvious struggle under his calloused palm. Her body was trembling, almost shaking. Tears stung in his light brown eyes as his mind slowly realized what had happened. He clutched her delicate and cold hand to his warm chest as if he was able to transfer his strength into her by this simple touch.

Shouting and fast movements pulled Jeremy a little out of his trance but he stayed focused on Katie who was now gasping for air. He didn’t notice the SWAT-team that had been barging in as soon as the two shots had gone off. They had secured the area around the terminal and then attacked the shooter who was in total shock. His pale eyes were glued to the red liquid that was drenching her white tank top and blue jeans. Slowly he realized what he had done. He had ended seven lives and another one was about to complete the list. The man barely felt the kick to the back of his knee as the special police force was closing in on him.

“I’m so sorry … what have I done?” The shooter said, looking sadly and full of regret to the slim body that was hardly moving anymore. Roughly the officers pushed him onto the ground where they put him in handcuffs. They screamed at him to shut up and to stop moving; he wouldn’t do it anyways. He was paralyzed by guilt and regret.

Jeremy couldn’t care less though. The shooters apologize, the officers conducting him away brutally, nothing of this would make up for the damage he had inflicted on the girl the tattooed drummer loved. He felt so helpless while he watched her body growing weaker. His hands were holding onto her, desperately trying to pull her away from the darkness that was closing in around her. Jeremy could see it in her eyes. He could see that Katie was giving up. He couldn’t have that. Not now. Not ever.

“No, Katie, stay with me. Keep fighting. I beg you. You can’t give up now!” He said, feeling the first tears making their way down his cheeks. He never cried. Crying meant accepting the pain. But accepting it would mean that the precious girl that was lying in front of him was dying on him. It would mean that he was losing her forever. Not once did he think of her friends and family, of her boyfriend. All Jeremy could think of was that he had to save her, no matter the costs.

He was kissing her pale hand with its bluish knuckles when suddenly the twitching stopped. Confused he looked up to her face and noticed that Katie’s tense muscles had suddenly relaxed. Jeremy’s eyes grew wide in horror.

“No! No, no, no, no, no!” He let go of her hand and shook her shoulders. The girl’s blue eyes stared into space, empty, nothing was left of the spark he had admired so much. She was gone. Katie, the red headed girl from Germany that could win over the hearts of thousands in a blink of an eye, was dead.

“Oh no.” He growled. “You will not leave like this. Do you hear me? I will not let you go this easily.” Jeremy sat up and started to press down onto her chest. Angry tears streamed down his face as he rhythmically massaged her heart. He was good at that, finding the perfect rhythm and holding it.