10 Years... (boyxboy)

Chapter 16

Caleb's POV

Tatia, Oli, and I stand at the entrance to the small shed just next to the lake. We've surveyed the entire area near the body of water, so if this isn't it then we're screwed.

I slowly reach my hand to turn the doornob when Oli's voice stops me.

"What if this isn't it?" He asks.

"Then we try again tomorrow," Tatia replies, pushing the door open for me.

It's just a storage unit. There are hooks in the ceiling, holding canoes and such. There are paddles and floaties, even some swimsuits. Tatia frowns, and picks up a tiny pair of swim trunks.

"I think those are Jason's," Oli blurts.

"Uh, no. There is no way he'd fit in these," Tatia replies, holding the trunks with only two fingers and looking at them with scrutiny.

"No, not now. From a few years ago. We were going to go to the pool, but he'd only go if he couldn't wear these trunks - they were his favorite pair," he pauses. "I think we should go. He's obviously not here." Tatia nods in agreement. Wordlessly, they both walk out of the small settlement.

But I can't. I feel Jason here, more than ever. God, it's like he's calling to me. I feel like he's here. Hell, even the glowing floor agrees with me. I sigh, then turn to leave before it hits me - floors don't glow.

"Tatia! Oli! There's a trap door!" I scream.

I hear two pairs of pounding footsteps behind me, but I'm too preoccupied trying to pry up this square of wood. I finally grab some sort of handle and thrust the door up, breaking it in half.

"Dude, he'll know that you're here... what if he tries to escape?" Oli asks worriedly.

"Then be our guard."

"No, that's not a good idea," Tatia intervenes.  "I'll stay here, you two go. Go," she insists.

I don't argue and just clamber down the rickety, shady ladder. Oli is above me, and watches me as I jump down the last few feet into a makeshift bedroom. There's a mattress, and a bit of food lying about.

"This must be where my father is staying," Oli mutters, strange, I didn't even hear him come down.

All of the sudden, I feel a pain in my chest, right where my heart is. I cry out, and collapse onto my knees on the floor. I feel tears streaming down my face and I'm aware of Oli calling my name but right now none of that matters. All that I care about is my mate.

"Jason..." I whisper, then sprint through the iron door where I know my mate is. Once I'm in the prison room, I see Oli's father leaning over Jason's body, a bloody dagger in his hand.

"I'll fucking kill you!" I roar, running through the open cell door. "I'll fucking kill you," I whisper hoarsely.

I pull the older man off of Jason's body and roughly shove him against the bars, knocking the knife out of his hand. I hit him, punch him, until he's a bloody mess - but he's still breathing. I toss his doll-like body onto the floor and kick him, step on him until he's limp, but still breathing. I move to straddle his stomach and whisper into his ear;

"I want to see the look in your eyes as you die."

Without further ado, I put both of my hands around his neck, looking into his dark brown, almost black, eyes. I squeeze harder, making his face turn red and his eyes bulge.

I thought I would notice when he died, but I didn't. I stayed there for minutes, hours after he died.

I was told that when people died, the light, the humanity in their eyes disappeared. I never thought of what would happen when there was no humanity left.

I can safely tell you that nothing changed.

"Caleb?" Oli calls, his voice strained.

"Yeah?"

"Jason's still alive. I've been trying to tell you but, well..." he trails off.

Quickly, I push myself off of Oli's now-dead father and rush over to my mate.

"Oh my God," I whisper when I see his body. He's covered in blood, dirt, and what looks to be his own piss. There are countless whip marks, hand marks, cuts, and bruises - all exactly where they were in my dream. But the worst part is the deep wound right where his heart is, still pouring blood.

I pick him up, putting pressure on the most recent wound because that's what they do in movies, it should help, it needs to help because the love of my life is dying in my arms.

I move to the ladder and haul him up as gently and quickly as I can. Before I can get out, Tatia is there - she must've smelled the blood - and picks Jason up. Once I'm on the actual ground, I once again take Jason and sprint to his pack. I run, faster than ever before.

When I end up in pack lands, a nurse is already there, guiding me to their infirmary.  I place him on the waiting rolling bed thingy and watch, crying, because now I only realize that I've been crying this entire time, as the doctors take him into surgery.

Eight hours. I've been sitting here for eight hours.

Oli has been trying to get me to talk, to eat, to do anything but mope, but none of that will help.

Just then, a doctor walks out of the operation room. I jump to my feet and just look at him pleadingly.

"He'll live," the doctor begins, but I cut him off.

"Can I see him?" I ask.

"Yes, but you... he's in a coma."

"I don't care, I want to see my mate," I growl. Oli places his hand on my chest and I snap my teeth at him.

"You can't see him if you're acting like this," he says unapologetically.

"What the hell do you mean, I can't see him if I'm acting like this?" I snarl.

"That's my best fucking friend, and I don't trust you to be around him now. Go on a walk. Don't come back until you stop acting like an animal."

I spit on the floor near Oli's feet and stomp out of the white hallway.

Authors Note: 1,000 words, finally! Anyways, I estimate around 5 more chapters - including and epilogue - before this is finished, maybe less.