Unpredictable (A Lashton Fanfic)

Chapter Thirty-Two - A Relapse.

*Ashton’s POV*

I had never felt so alone. Ever since I had left the hotel I had been walking back and forth down these same Seattle streets, not really sure of where I was going. To be honest, I had nowhere to go.

            My emotions were all over the place. I hadn’t been depressed in over three years, thanks to joining 5 Seconds of Summer and falling in love. Now, though, as I was sitting alone on this bench staring up at the dark starry sky, I realized that I was on the verge of a relapse. Love could do that to you; it could either build you up and save you, or tear you down and completely kill you.

            I was the reason for all of my problems, though. I couldn’t blame it on anything other than my own stupidity, because it was my own stupidity that had singlehandedly ruined the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If I had of just stayed in the hotel room where I was supposed to be instead of going out to Harry’s party and that stupid club, none of this would’ve happened. I never would’ve gotten drunk and kissed random girls, and I never would’ve broken Luke’s heart.

            I missed Luke. I missed everything about him—how perfectly our hands fit together, the coldness of his lip ring when we kissed, and the feeling of his body pressed against mine at night. The mere thought of never feeling any of those things ever again made tears sting the corners of my eyes, and I absently lifted a hand to wipe them away.

            The weirdest part of all of this was that even though there was photo proof that I had made a move on those girls, I didn’t remember any of it. I barely remember walking through the doors of the club, if we’re being honest. Part of me thought maybe Nathan or Ariana had done something, but then there was another part of me that knew differently. I couldn’t blame everything on them.

            Still, as I thought about it more, I couldn’t help but wonder if Nathan had compelled me to kiss those girls and then completely forget about it later. It made sense, and would explain why my behavior changed so abruptly. The only thing that didn’t make sense, however, was the fact that the last time I remember seeing Nathan was on the island a few weeks ago. Who knows, maybe he compelled me to forget ever seeing him so that I didn’t immediately suspect anything.

            My phone started ringing, breaking through my thoughts. I kept my fingers crossed that it was Luke finally calling me back, but it wasn’t. Instead it was Calum on the other line, his voice sounding urgent and afraid. “Ashton,” he said breathlessly almost as soon as I had said hello. “Something’s happened and you need to get to the hospital as quick as you can.”

            “What’s wrong?” I remained still, simply because it felt like all of my muscles were deadlocked.

            “Austin and Cody are in emergency surgery right now, and so is Luke.” When he said that, my hands started shaking so bad I almost dropped the phone. “Is Luke okay?” I knew I sounded selfish, but I honestly could’ve cared less about Austin and Cody at that point.

            “Actually,” Calum said hesitantly, obviously not sure whether or not to tell me the truth. “No. Luke’s not okay. He got hurt really bad. Look, just get here as fast as you can, okay?” He disconnected the call before I had a chance to say anything else, and so I focused my attention on running as quickly as my vampire speed would allow.

            The hospital was four blocks away, but I managed to get there in two minutes. The building was large and unfamiliar, and I got lost a few times before I finally saw Calum and the others sitting in a small waiting room down a side hallway. “What happened?” I asked once I had reached them.

            “Well, we had our fight with Nathan, and things got out of hand. Very, very out of hand. Dan and Shay over here killed Ariana, Kevin would’ve defeated Nathan if he hadn’t of managed to slip away, and Shawn, Cameron, and Carter attacked Cody and Austin. They’ve lost a lot of blood, but they’re expected to be okay. As for Luke,” Colin took a deep breath, making my heart race even more. This couldn’t be good. “Nash blindsided him at the last minute, and he’s hurt bad. Really, really bad. The doctor came in here a few minutes before you arrived and told us there’s a chance he might make it through surgery, but it’s a very, very slim one.”

            I sunk into the chair nearest to me, suddenly unable to stand. It felt like the walls were closing in around me, and there was a ringing in my ears that wouldn’t go away. I couldn’t lose him. I just couldn’t. “For one, how in the world is Nash alive when I saw him being killed with my own eyes, and secondly, what did you tell the doctors? It’s not like you could explain to them that an evil vampire had attacked Luke, Austin, and Cody.”

            “Nash died with vampire blood in his system, which means he’s now just as evil as Nathan is,” Colin explained. “and as far as the doctors go, I just told them we had been in a car accident.”

            “I just want to know why Luke isn’t healing yet,” Calum said quietly, echoing exactly what I was thinking. “That’s strange.”
            Russell nodded thoughtfully. “Cody and Austin aren’t healing either. I don’t know what’s up with that.”

            “One last question,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “Did we find Michael?”

            Calum smiled, and I felt a sense of relief—a little relief, but relief nonetheless. “Yeah. He’s back at the hotel recuperating.”

            I sighed and put my head in my hands, fighting the urge to throw something. I wanted to kill Nash once and for all, and I made a promise to myself that I would once everything had settled down and I made sure Luke was okay. He was my main priority at the moment, and I wouldn’t be able to think or focus on anything else until he was safely back in my arms again.