Another Piece

Chapter 27

Back to Jayden!
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I heard Axels' scream, and I was up in an instant, out the entrance. I heard Mrs. Anz yelling at me, but ignored her, of course.

I up the stairs, moaning in pain as each step jolted my barely wrapped shoulder wound. Then, there was my other injuries that screeched in pain each time I stepped... Or limped... Forwards. 

I saw Axels' shaggy brown hair first, then I realized he was kneeling besides something. A body. I could barely contain my scream when I realized it was a friend not foe... It was Casey, the boy who seemed almost like the little brother I'd never had the fortune of having. The tears that drifted down my face seemed like the first today, but they were not. 

I slumped down onto my knees, feeling defeated. Montgomery was dead but... Casey was, too. And that's when I saw the other body, and I crawled to it. I looked down to see the boy who had been on his phone, the one I'd knocked out using chloroform.

"Axel, did he...?" My voice was shaky, guilt beginning to freeze my limbs as I stared down at the boy. The guilt seemed to drench me as Axel nodded, and the cry that escaped my lips was nothing compared to the tormented screams that filled my inside and made my limbs seem like jello. I fell onto my stomach as I cried, heaving and moaning as I was covered with both physical and mental pain.

"Jayden." Axels' voice, unlike mine, wasn't shaky as he spoke my name.

"It- It's- M-m-my FAULT!!" I screeched the last word, and Axel stared at me, stunned at my stuttered sentence.

"What on Earth do you mean?" He asked me, and I glanced down, watching my tears hit the dusty, blood-spattered wood. 

My next words were ones I'd always regret telling... It broke me to explain how I'd practically killed my friend that was almost a brother. 

"The boy... I-I knocked h-h-him out earlier with c-c-chloroform... H-He awoke and k-k-k-k... can't... I can't..." I felt myself drooping as I lost the battle of my wills and I let out a howl. Axel stiffened beside me, hearing my wolfish howl. I felt his hand on my good shoulder as I collapsed into him, the warmth of his larger body calming me slightly. 

"It's not your fault, I would have made the same mistake, my love." He said, reassuring me a tiny bit. I still felt guilty, and Axel felt it as well.

"It's my fault.. I almost got there in time to save him. He was my childhood friend, my sun in the darkness. He was always happy and jumping around in joy. He was the one who got me into weaponry and fighting... I used to be terrible and Casey kept at it, taking me to the gym and fighting me. He made me who I am today... I made him who he was too... If only I'd trained him harder... If only it had been me instead of him." I widened my eyes as I looked at my boyfriend, and moved my good arm to hug him gently. I moaned as I felt my shoulder throb and Axel tensed up once more. 

"Let's get you to Anz." He said rather quickly, before picking me up bridal style and carrying me back.

He set me down and Mrs. Anz pounced on me the instant my back was against the wall. She tore off the bandage and sighed.

"Good thing my son took out the bullet... I should be able to stitch this." She said before taking out the ol' needle and sighing. I looked away as she stitched my wound, and began talking to Axel to take my mind off the pain. 

Soon, she requested for me to take off my shirt.

I looked at her in shock, and she laughed gently as she said, "Talia did the same, if it makes you feel better. I've already seen some of the bruises on your stomach and I'm quite sure you've broken ribs. I nodded before replying.

"I broke two in an earlier fight." She sighed gently before taking out bandages and cream, applying the cream.

"The cream is a new development of ours... Supposed to speed up the healing process by two tenths..." She said, and I nodded slowly as she bandaged my ribs. She supplied a new shirt to me, which I gratefully put on as she walked away to talk to Tangos Carmen, who had a larger cut on his bicep which he refused to have tended to until I was tended. I thanked him when he gestured towards me as Mrs. Anz tried to tend to his arm. 

Afterwards, we snuck out the back way in a way to avoid the police that now littered the streets. I thanks Elisa the Librarian for hiding the cellar entrances pretty well as our group made our way out of the scene. We all said goodbye to Casey for the last time. I shed more tears as we left the young boy on the ground, dead, next to the other dead boy who'd killed him. It seemed cruel, but all of us were too weak to bring Casey with us. 

Together, we got into two cars and began to drive. I got to go in the way back, but unfortunately I was stuck with Talia. 

I looked at her, silently begging her not to strike up conversation. She'd taken a liking to me, apparently, although she was still somewhat angry for taking Drake away from her... She still thought of me as competition. 

I kept this in mind as she opened her mouth to speak.

"I'm sorry." She looked extremely sad and haggard, obviously affected by her twin brothers' death. I said the same to her and we fell into silent agreement, sleeping on separate sides of the back of the van. 

I let sleep consume me and the pain slowly drifted away.