Zone Zero: Vengeance (Book 3 of 3)

Chapter 22

Everything stops.

The fighting, the gunfire, the noise, everything. I block it all out until there is nothing.

The world has stopped. There is only nothing.

Nothing surrounds me but eternal darkness. The only tangible thing is Alex.

I cling to him as everything else around me fades away.

I shut my eyes tightly and try to will Alex to life. Maybe if I want it hard enough it will come true. He will breathe again and all will be right with the world. I just need to believe.

And so I begin wishing. Praying. Willing. Anything to save him. But the pain soon sets in.

A pain that feels like flesh being torn from bone grows throughout me until it's all I can feel. All I can see and touch.

This pain is immense and unwanted. Immeasurable and sordid. It is unfathomable.

I struggle to breathe under the weight of it crushing my chest. It's trying to consume me. Engulf me whole.

This must be the insatiable pain that Sabina said she felt when she lost her partner. The death of not only a mate but also a bond.

I choke on my breaths as it rises throughout me. I can't breathe. I can't even move. Everything hurts.

My heart, my soul and now my body hurts beyond belief.

I can't take it.

No more!!!

I scream out in my mind knowing no one will hear it.

No longer will Alex hear my silent words. No longer will he see my thoughts and dreams. No longer will we share a connection unlike any other.

No more!!!

I can't take this indescribable pain. I don't want it.

I don't want to feel this anymore. I just want Alex.

I try to push past the pain my loss is bringing and go back to wishing.

I wish for the pain to subside and for darkness to lift.

I wish for the world to keep spinning and for the fighting to finally end.

But most of all, I wish for Alex.

I wish for Alex's heart to beat again.

I wish for his lungs to fill with air once more.

I wish for his eyes to open and for them to see me again.

I wish for him to speak my name and hold me close.

I wish for him to be alive.

The electricity I felt earlier begins to pulsate through my veins and ignite my muscles once more. It pushes the pain aside and makes it easier for me to breathe.

I feel the current build in my heart and with every beat, it grows. It grows like a ball of lightning ready to explode like the big bang.

With each passing second, the ball enlarges and the pain dissipates. I don't know if it is disappearing completely or if I am pushing through it but either way, I can breathe.

A few more beats of my heart and I can finally reopen my eyes.

My eyelids separate and I see Alex. Lifeless Alex resting in my arms in his eternal slumber.

No.

Not today. Not ever.

I won't allow him to be gone from my life. Not like this.

I lay his body down against the asphalt underneath us and rest my hands on his chest just above his heart. I take in a large gulp of air and exhale without knowing why I am doing it. I begin to press against his chest, hard.

I feel the ball of electric current split in two and race down my arms and into my palms.

I press again.

The current splits evenly between my fingers and sets them alight like fireworks.

I press again and again trying to restart his heart.

With each push of my hands, sparks fly. The electricity that once filled my being is now coursing into Alex with every touch.

I press again and again. More and more sparks fly and ignite the darkness around us. Until finally they stop sparking.

The electricity that was in me is gone. I can't even feel a single trace of it throughout me.

I watch Alex intently hoping for a sign of life but I get none.

No movement. No breathing. Nothing.

It was all for nothing.

I collapse onto his chest and begin uncontrollably sobbing.

"Wake up! I can't do this without you. I can't live without you."

My tears begin soaking into his shirt so much that I miss the movement below me and mistake it for my own sobbing.

"You're going to soak my shirt with your tears."

I sit upright as quick as I can and stare in disbelief as Alex looks back at me with loving eyes.

It's not possible. He's alive!

His hand extends until his fingers brush my hair from my face.

"I'm alive, Evie. Because of you."

A/N - Something a little different is coming for the next chapter! Hope you like it 😄