For Good | Hale- TO/TW [8]

40 | A Girl Turns into a Corpse

gif from YoungFcs on Tumblr

Stella groans, her ears ringing loudly. Her body feels heavy, her leg pinned to the floor; she can feel something on her, but she is too tired to move. Her whole body is numb from something she can't quite remember.

She manages to slide her arms under her, pushing up against the scalding floor until she can move her neck. She glances around the room to see flames crackling in the corners and people running around. She gags when she sees a burnt body in the corner, its limbs contorted into ashes.

Moaning in effort, Stella looks back to see the table lying over her legs. She pushes it off of her, allowing herself to sit up. Only ashes mark where the table had been lying over Stella. She rolls her neck, trying to rid the numb feeling from climbing all over her body; she leans forward and swipes her thumb over the grainy ash drawing a line across her legs.

She inhales too deeply, and smoke floods her body. She coughs and doubles over, trying to get rid of the ash covering her throat. She holds her head in her hands as if it would help the smoke fall out.

She can hear Freya calling to Keelin, and Vincent calling to Ivy. Their voices blur together, the pain and fear making them similar. She can hear shouts of horror and screams of pain. She can hear a gurgling noise to her right.

It is a mistake to look over.

Stella feels herself scream, her breath leaving her body too quickly, leaving her with nothing in her lungs. She crawls over to the dying girl with tears already rolling down her face. She grips the girl's hand tightly, trying to regain some feeling—any feeling at all.

"Stel--" Carter rasps with blood trailing down her chin.

"It's ok," Stella says, her voice rough with pain and smoke. "I've got you. I can heal you. It's ok."

Carter's spare hand moves down to her stomach. A piece of shrapnel is buried in her gut with blood oozing from the sides. With every half breath Carter takes, more red liquid pours from the wound: unstoppable even as Stella rips her shirt and applies pressure.

"It won't stop bleeding," Stella cries. Saltwater coats her lips, mixing with the dirt and ash already there. Her hands shake over Carter's abdomen. Noticing that Carter's left leg is gone only makes Stella shake more.

"Stella," Carter repeats, desperation filling her voice.

Stella glances back at the dying girl's brown eyes: so full of regret, so full of love. "Why did you do it?" Stella whispers, agony coating her voice. "Why'd you throw yourself—" She cuts herself off, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"I-I'm sorry." Carter takes a shaky breath in. As she exhales, she coughs up dark red blood. It covers Stella's arms, but the witch could care less.

Stella grips Carter's hand with both of her's. Looking into those dying eyes, Stella's chest cleaves in two. Her whole being drives itself apart. The ringing in her ears grows like a symphony; her pain seems nonexistent compared to Carter's.

Desperately, Stella says, "I can save you—"

"No." Carter shakes her head, only causing more blood to seep from her body like oil into the ocean. "You can't save me."

Stella shakes her head, opening her mouth, but Carter speaks first. "I'm sorry for what I did." She coughs, turning away from Stella.

The witch cradles the dying girl's head gently. Her tears fall off her cheeks and land on Carter's. "That doesn't matter," the witch rasps.

The girl smiles softly, the knowledge of imminent death weighing her body down. "I love you," Carter whispers. "I love you so much, Stella Hale."

Stella bites down on her lip. Iron floods her palate as she inhales sharply. She readjusts Carter's head in her hands with a hopeless smile. The girl's skin rubs harshly against Stella's hands, the ash digging itself into skin. She too knows that Carter's death is imminent. "I-I love you, Carter Montgomery. I will always love you."

"And I w-will always love you." Carter reaches up, letting her fingers slide against Stella's cheek. A tear slips onto her ring finger.

"I love you," Stella repeats. "I love you so much." Her voice breaks completely as she hangs her head. As she cries, Stella leans her forehead against Carter's. That simple touch makes this death all the more real. "I will always love you."

Carter smiles softly as agony fills her brown eyes. Panic swells in her dying chest. Her final words, her last testament to the one she loves. "I'm sorry—"

Carter's hand falls.

—|—|—|—

Teddy Hale runs into the burning church, his parents on his heels. All three Hales frantically look around the moment they reach the threshold.

The youngest freezes in the doorway, his eyes moving over every inch of the church. The destruction, the chaos, the raw pain emanating from the heart of the explosion overwhelms him. There are too many noises, too many smells for him to find his sister.

Lexi only pauses for a moment. The scent wraps her in fear; it is the same smell that haunts her nightmares. The same weapon that killed her best friend and ruined her brother. But she cannot think about the destroyed Hales: she pushes forward in search of her daughter.

Derek pays the scene no heed. He has one goal: protect what is left of his dwindling family. His daughter is somewhere in this burning church. If she was gone...not even Lexi would calm him. She would not want to.

Lexi inhales too sharply to be natural when her eyes find the corner. Derek whips his head around, his eyes finding her blonde hair first. When he sees the tears in his wife's eyes, he follows her gaze.

His heart cracks.

The sound of her sobs fills the air. Ash and smoke cover her scent. Death weighs in the air as two broken parents approach their shattered daughter.

Stella does not look up when she hears their footsteps behind her. Her fingers desperately hold onto Carter's shirt, tugging at her to get up. But the witch knows that the girl will not wake—after all, she is no longer a girl, she is a corpse.

Lexi takes a step forward, but Derek grabs her arm. When she turns to him, the tears running down his face give her pause. "Not yet," he whispers. "Not yet."

Wow. Angst. I showed two of my friends, and they both almost started crying. 

Hope you enjoyed! Remember to like and comment!

-L