The Portal - Pain Is The Password

Chapter Sixteen - The Wheel Of Fate

Time freezes and Audrey's heartbeat speeds up, she can almost hear it even with the wind whistling in her ears. She can't keep her eyes off of the dead girl fifty feet below her. Her brain doesn't register what's happening at first. But when it does, it brings her nothing but pain. Every muscle instantly feels weak.

As weak as she feels, as heartbroken as she is; Aurey still finds the courage to run down those stairs. Every step bringing her a new level of grief. Fate has only been gone for a few seconds but already there is a huge Fate-shaped hole in her heart. No experience could have prepared her for the sighting of the girl.

She runs out of the door, chocking on the hot tears. Closing her eyes before looking. Her body is in such an awful position, curled and her spine is clearly broken; behind her head a small pool of blood.

Her best friend is dead, dead, and she can do nothing about it.

"Fate, no, no, no, no." She struggles even closer and soon enough she's at her feet.

The tears fall onto the ground, one after another like a tap that will never stop running. Her tears may never stop flowing. This day will be one she'll never forget. This moment will repeat in her head for the rest of her life.

"No," she says again and sinks to her knees, bowing her head. Hiccuping through her tears. "Not you Fate, not you, you didn't deserve this." She repeats over and over again.

"Audrey? Fate?" Sias is yelling from quite far away, Audrey opens her mouth to reply but no sound comes out. "Guys," he's closer now. For a few seconds, there is complete silence, no yelling or sobs from Audrey.

The silence is broken with the sound of Sias' voice, breaking. "What happened? What happened to her?" He's holding in tears and his hands are curled into fists at his side. He's leaning against the building for support.

"She... She pushes her." She takes a huge gulp, letting the air fill her lungs.

"Who did? Who pushed her?" He's angry, those fists furiously punching the wall, with every crack of his bones, a tear falls. He's not angry he's fucking sad. Looking around for a few seconds, as if he's trying to find something different to focus on, he eventually gives him and lets his eyes wander to the body. His eyebrows furrow together. He's shaking his head as if the harder he shakes it the more of a chance Fate will sit up. As if it's just a joke. Deep down he knows it not.

Audrey's heart aches for him. She has just lost her best friend of ten days. He has lost his girlfriend that he has known for god knows how many years.

"What did she do to deserve this?" He whispers, his hands attempting to cling onto his buzz cut.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing." Audrey stretches out her arms and as soon as Sias sees them waiting for him, he dives into her. Both sobbing to each other.

"What's happening to her?" Sias sits up suddenly, his eyes wide and Audrey's head snaps up. It's been thirty minutes since the fall, thirty minutes since the beautiful Fate passed.

"She's decomposing," Audrey says and it's the truth. Her skin is starting to turn purple and waxy. Her open eyes are rolled to the back of her head, her arms and legs are resembling a blueberry. Lips as pale as a vampire's complexion. She knows this from the days when her mother was lying on her kitchen table as stiff as a mattress.

Slowly, Audrey reaches over and carefully brushes her hands over her eyes. Closing them forever, Silas whimpers.

She pats him on the back, "come on, we need to take her inside." Audrey stands and waits for a few seconds before picking up Fate. Waiting for Sias to join her, she notices how light she is. How much lighter she is since the time they fell into each other.