Lucky and the Killer ✔

Of Course You Don't

Lucky fell completely to her knees the moment she saw the horse. Their ears had always been so sharp. It came, trotting up to her. On top of it, was Zachary. He slid off of the horse, held out his hand, and pulled her up to her feet.

In her mind, Lucky remembered the day at the subway tracks on Earth. She could feel the gun pressed against her forehead. She'd thought she was going to die, but he was testing her. He was just seeing if she could remember—that was it. She'd passed the test then, but now Gray most definitely knew. He would come for her like he came for King, but she wasn't going to let him die—no matter what.

"Please," Lucky gasped. "King. He's hurt. We need a doctor from the palace."

"Alright," Zachary said. He let his eyes scan the horizon before he went back to Lucky. "C'mon, Let's go."

She shook her head, "No, you go. I'm going back to him. Please let me."

"I can't leave you like this," Zachary said.

"You're my guard," Lucky gasped. "Go!"

"It's because I'm your guard that I can't leave you," he said.

"I'm still you're superior aren't I?" she asked softly. "Here, take this, too. It's for my brother. King said to give it to him. I think..., I think it's for that girl. Let them know where I'll be, okay?"

Zachary popped his neck and rubbed his face before going back to the horse. He slid the small bottle into his pockets, grabbed the saddle, and jumped back up. His shoes kicked the horse's sides, against his better judgment, and he galloped away as quickly as he'd came.

Lucky let herself collapse for a moment. She braced herself against her arms and hovered over the ground—watching the dirt scatter as she breathed over it. That was good. Zachary would get help quickly, and King would be alright. She just had to get back to him.

She coughed and the arms holding her up collapsed beneath her. She fell against the hard ground and shut her eyes. It smelled like the Earth. It smelled like her mom.

"Mom...," she whispered. "Help us."

She rolled over onto her side and grabbed her knees in her arms. She curled up like she'd done the day they buried their mother in the cemetery. She stared at the grass like she'd done that day. Her breath came in and out. The grass waved in the wind, and no matter what lay beneath it, it was always beautiful.

"I've got to get up," she gasped to herself. "I've got to get back."

She shut her eyes and staggered to her feet. Once she was standing, she stood to get her balance back. One foot in front of the other, she walked. The muscles in her legs quivered, and she started to fall again. She kept going.

"I did it, King," she whispered. "You're going to be...alright."

She walked faster. A strong gust of wind blew past her and the minty sky was starting to darken. It was going to rain. She remembered how the rains were in the kingdom. They were harder than Earth's but, somehow, more peaceful. Droplets fell from the sky and dented in the dirt in front of her as she walked. Earth didn't have anything on the beauty of their storms, but it definitely had blue jeans going for it.

"Tsk," she said as she stepped into an ant pile. "Gross. Sorry, bugs."

The wind blew again and wrinkled the skirt around her knees. It tossed the fabric up into the air as she walked—making it ripple like ribbon. She heard the wind as it brushed by. She heard the crickets and birds start to squeak in the droplets of rain. She even heard the rain, but she didn't hear the footsteps following beside her.

"I take it you remember me now," Gray said quietly, but he didn't give her time to answer. He wrapped his hand around her mouth and pulled her towards him by her other wrist. "Who else were you planning to tell?"

Lucky's hands clawed against him, but she was much too weak, and the smell on his hands was much too strong. Her arms, legs, and face started to tingle, and it wasn't long before she fell to her knees beside him. He twisted her wrist in the air—holding her up like a piece of meat.

"You can stop struggling," he said. "I've already killed him."

Lucky sucked in a breath and tried to keep her shoulder from popping out of place. He hadn't killed King at all, but from the looks of it, he'd thought he had. She didn't make it back to King, but at least she'd saved him somehow. She knew Zachary would fly like the wind to do anything she asked—he always had.

"Why are you doing this?" she choked, and the spots started to fill her vision. "All of those people. Why did you kill them...just to blame us?"

"Because you took everything from me," he said.

Lucky looked up, and blocking the sun, she could see his eyes—ash and stone like the many graves he'd made. His face was stoic. He didn't smile. He didn't smirk—nothing.

"I don't...even know you," Lucky said.

"Of course you don't," Gray said as she finally fell victim to his scent. He scooped her over his shoulder and started to walk.

He grabbed up the top of a piece of grass and stuck it in his teeth to chew on—the way he and King used to do out in the fields when they were younger. King's gun bounced against his side as he walked, and his girl bounced against his back.

The wind hit him from behind. The trees glared down at him. The rain stabbed him as it fell from the sky. He closed his eyes as he walked away, and down his focused face, a single tear fell.