DELICATE / Brandon Darrow

sixteen

sixteen
it will never end
FIRST PERSON

ASH GOT ROWAN AND I out of the room. We were both covered in blood. I was in actual shock, the scene repeating over and over in my head.

Rowan's dad came to us— asking if we were okay but no words came out. He made us leave so, we did. We came outside and they all started hugging Rowan and I.

"Cynthia, why didn't you stay behind me?" Rowan asked me.

"Rowan, if you were to get shot...I don't think I would know what to do," I confessed sadly. "We do this together, remember?"

She pulled me in a tight hug.

"Cynthia," Hailey mumbled.

I pulled away from Rowan and looked at her confused until she gestured to someone. I turned to follow her gaze and saw that she was pointing to Sean, who looked like he was waiting for someone in the amidst of chaos.

He looked around as I began to run toward him and when he finally noticed me, he engulfed me in a hug.

"I was so worried," he whispered into my shoulder, pulling away to grab my face. "Are you okay?" I just nodded and pulled him back into a hug. "Let's get you home, okay."

I nodded, letting him lead me toward his car. I glanced at the girls and gave them a smile; at least one that I could muster and focused on the walk ahead of me.

When we got to his house, I took a well deserved shower and left to enter inside his room. His parents were sleeping, thankfully, and he let me have his room for the night knowing it would bring me comfort.

I sat on his bed, taking deep breaths as I tried to distract myself from my thoughts. I couldn't even begin to process what had happened and I didn't want to start.

Then my phone went off. I didn't think much of it seeing as Monkey Man was dead. When I opened up the notification, everything in the world went silent.

It was from Monkey Man.

I pressed on the video and it showcased people in all different masks, staring at me. Mocking me.

It's never gonna end.

SEASON 2 ↴