Inhuman

Chapter 22 - Home

Home

noun – 1. the place where one lives. 2. an institution for people needing professional care. 3. a place where something flourishes or from which it originated. 4. the finishing point in a race.

Wrong again dictionary... so wrong...

This isn't happening... this can't be happening!

I felt as if I'd slipped into some alternate reality. I opened my mouth and tried to scream out for Charlie and Molly. I wanted to run forward and beat the living hell out of the Stagrians that had fired the shots. I felt Xandrell's arms around my waist, one hand over my gaping mouth. All I could hear was my own heartbeat, drumming horribly in my ears as I struggled against Xandrell to run after my baby, and my 'little boy'. Nothing mattered, as long as they were alive!

"Report back to the mistress." said one of the guards lowering his firearm. "Tell her that the target has been acquired, plus one other."

Charlie was so much more than just a 'one other'. I gritted my teeth, trying to keep myself from shouting profanity at the two of them. I felt my bottled up rage beginning to overflow. As they pushed their way through the trees and bushes back to the path, I turned my attention back to the river. Why was Xandrell still holding me? I needed to find them!

"Xandrell let me go!" I groaned, as it was impossible to do much else with his hand clamped over his mouth.

"Wait." he hissed, so that his breath tickled my ear.

Wait?! How was I meant to wait? My breath was coming in hard short gasps as I still tried to comprehend the situation.

Finally, after several long seconds, Xandrell released me. I didn't waste a heartbeat, leaping forward from our hiding place and sprinting along the riverbank.

"Charlie?!" I screamed his name as I ran, looking for odd shapes in the water, hoping against hope that he and Molly just might have survived.

I could feel the tears welling in my eyes as the first stretch of the river proved to be fruitless in my search. I rounded the corner by the bend in the river and then froze as I felt my heart rip in two.

Charlie was lying on his front in the shallow water by the riverbank, his suit was ripped and the water around him was stained red...

No! Charlie couldn't be...

"Charlie!" I screamed again, running forwards and wading into the shallows. The cold water bit my legs. It was like ice. I grabbed him under his arms and pulled him up onto the bank. "Oh God Charlie don't be dead!" I whispered, more as a prayer than anything.

I rolled him onto his back and dropped to my knees beside him. His forehead was bleeding madly. He was so pale, so still, and so cold, his lips tinged blue. He couldn't have gotten so cold so quickly, surely! I gripped his shoulders and shook him gently. "Charlie, please wake up! Wake up! Please don't be dead!" His head rolled limply, his shoulders sagging pathetically.

"Is he...?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Xandrell standing watching me, his mouth slightly open. Jesus! Why wasn't he helping me out here?

I didn't know what to do! One of my best friends was lying here, lifeless, because I'd asked him to try to save my daughter. I was such an idiot.

I felt my face crumple up as I placed a hand on his chest and drew my knee up to my chest to bury my face in it, not wanting to cry. What was I going to tell his parents? Charlie was an only child, they'd be heartbroken! "This is all my fault." I whispered, my fist clenching over his bloodstained shirt. "I'm sorry! I didn't want this to happen!" Who would have wanted this to happen? "I'm sorry Charlie! I'm sorry!"