Since Birth

Chapter Sixty One

"I thought I was going to miss." She said grimly and my eyes shot up in horror at the culprit. "My daddy had a silencer in his safe and so I figured I'd finally put it to good use." Her hands were as steady as ever as she pointed the gun in my direction with her finger snug on the trigger. "I really didn't want to do this." She shook her head as silent tears streamed down her cheeks. "But I really want her to suffer."
"Riley," I cautioned rising up slowly while still looking down to Trevor who was losing more blood and the color in his cheeks. He had his eyes shut tightly and was only whimpering and trying to hold on. "You don't have to do this!" I shook my head frantically trying to reason with her while in between tears. My voice was shaky, my hands were unsteady but I wanted to save Trevor and talk her out of this. "He's going to die." I said behind gritted teeth trying to stay calm.
"And you're going to also so you don't have to worry, you'll be together in the afterlife Em." She let out a shaky breath and moved closer aiming the gun at my chest.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked and she gave a shrug clicking her tongue at me.
"I was kicked out of school, ostracized by my friends and peers because of her Emelie! I've lost everything!" She moved closer again still steady with her hands like she had done this more than once. "I want her to feel how I've felt for years because of her! Disgusting, and ugly because I lacked her beauty and grace! I've hated Aimee since I met her, you never realized the hell she had put me through Em! You were too oblivious! She wanted to get me out of your life so she could have you all to herself! Can't you see that?" She cut her eyes at me shaking her head a bit frantic now as the reeled over the years of torment for her. "She was waiting for me to disappear and I tried long and hard to stay on because you're my friend!"
"How will this make things better?" I stepped over Trevor now with my hands up showing I was no threat to her. I noted that he was still breathing and I didn't want to risk her shooting him again and taking him away from me. I couldn't let her hurt him anymore so I had now put myself between them. It was me she really wanted to hurt.
"She will lose everything she once loved and or cared about don't you get it? She ruined my brothers life! She ruined my life!" She began to scream now waving the gun as she thought of her pain. "I want her to suffer Emelie and I just want you to know this is not your fault. I've been fighting this urge for years."
"We can talk about this." I said calmly struggling to rid of my tears. "We can get through this okay?"
"Do you know that she would purposely hurt my feelings and take her hatred of herself out on me? Do you know how long I have lived with jealously because i wasn't perfect like her? She never ceased to throw it in my face every chance she got. Em, she slept with my boyfriend and lied to me about it!"
"She took Trevor away from me," I knew now that I had to compare with her and let her know that I had been in the same web she had been, close at least. "She lied to me for years about everything!"
"But she loved you, you are her sister and she hated you for being better than her so of course she stole the one person you ever wanted to be with Em!"
"Yes, and you are going to now if we don't call someone to help him Riley." I moved closer and she immediately steadied her hand pointing the gun back to my chest.
"It's too late okay? I-I've already made up my mind about this!" She shook her head as her eyes darted from me to Trevor. "It's too late okay? I- I will just throw you both into the river and let her find your bodies when they wash ashore."
"Riley," I said quietly and her eyes came up to mine wild and crazy. They were darker than they had ever been and I couldn't see myself getting out of this. She had made up her mind.
"You know I murdered those girls?" She said as a creepy grin crept onto her face. I could no longer recognize her anymore. She had lost it and I couldn't bring her back.
"You what?" I said swallowing hard and looking over her face.
"I had finally gotten to the point where I could no longer handle your sisters torment except I loved you and cared deeply for you and never wanted you to suffer from her loss." She shook her head frowning. "I had lost my mind, and I- I couldn't control my anger anymore Em, I just lost it!" She said the last part while looking up to the sky. "And I know now that there will be no going back after this, after I kill you, I'm going to turn the gun on myself and leave this planet for good. There is nothing left for me here." She looked back down to me and shrugged shaking her head in despair. "I'm really sorry Emelie." She extend her arms pointing directly to my heart and I felt like there was no stopping or changing her mind so I had lowered my arms and accepted my fate. Trevor was bleeding out behind me and I knew I would be lost without him beside me. There was nothing more to do at this point.. so I shut my eyes tightly awaiting the pain of the bullet to pierce through my flesh and kill off the one thing keeping me alive. Watching Trevor collapse before me in pain was too much to bear, knowing he wouldn't make it had left me hopeless and inviting to death. He was my person. He was my lover- and now he'd be gone forever.
I wanted desperately to fall to my knees and help her fire the bullet into my chest. I had nothing left now, not a damn thing to live for..
"Wait!" The sounds of my sisters cries now interrupted my dreadful thoughts. My eyes flew open as I stared to her with relief and sadness. "Please Riley wait," she said breathless as Riley now spun around pointing the gun at Aimee.
"Don't come a step closer!" She warned loudly shaking her head at her. "I want you to watch this, I want you to see what you've done!"
"You don't have to do this." Aimee said walking close to her and shaking her head. "Riley please, we have to move past this."
"Did you know that it's your fault why those girls died? Did you know you caused this to happen to your poor sister and Trevor? Aimee this is your fault, all of it." She grimaced and turned to her side pointing the gun back at me. "I'm sorry but there is no talking me out of this."
"Please! Kill me instead!" She jumped forward now still being cautious. She let out a slow breath and dropped her shoulders looking defeated. "Please just kill me instead. Please, Emelie doesn't deserve this, she-she's never hurt anyone before in her life and she has a future ahead of her please Riley, please just kill me instead." She nodded through her shaky breaths. "I'm so sorry I hurt you just please, let them go!" She begged now shaking all over. It was the most selfless thing I had ever witnessed her do but I couldn't lose her too.. I had to make a decision right now and it was a quick one. Just as she turned to point the gun at Aimee again, I lunged for her and attempted to tackle her to the floor.
She had a tight grip on the gun and had fired it off three times as we wrestled to the ground. Aimee began screaming for help as she ran over to check on Trevor who had been lying still for far too long.
Riley knocked me in the face with the butt of the gun and I tumbled beneath her trying to regain my vision. I felt the blood trickle down my forehead but fought through the pain just so I could get the gun away from her.
She grabbed my shoulders and slammed me hard against the floor letting out loud and angry grunts when she had noticed Aimee was going to go for help.
Riley let go of me as I felt I was losing consciousness from hitting the ground so hard. I was seeing stars but breathing through it as the adrenaline in my stomach had pumped through my veins. I was going to fight. I was going to save them from her madness. She now had herself focused on Aimee who was now running in a different direction screaming as loud as she possibly could to get attention. I took that moment to get on my feet trying to fight the woozy feelings washing over my body. I was weak but I was quick and ready to end this once and for all.
I ran towards Riley and I grabbed her back quickly, knocking her to the edge of the bridge. Her arms flailed as she tried to steady herself and grab at my shirt tightly.
"Don't make this so difficult!" She spat at me and put her hand firmly around my throat. Still I fought hard for that gun, trying to knock it into the river below us and save all of us.
"Emelie!" I made the mistake of turning to Aimee and seeing the blood running down her legs. She was crying out to me for help and I wanted so desperately to tend to her. I wanted to make sure they were all okay. I knew that I wasn't going to survive this but-
"She'll live." Was the last thing Riley had said to me before pulling me close to her, smashing my head firmly against hers...
It all happened so quickly yet for me, in slow motion. I first had felt her blood against my face and then the soaring pain that had made its way into the base of my brain. I wasn't sure if I had been shot or if I had just had her skull break off into shards into my face. Then I was falling, still flailing, still breathing, but falling with nothing to hold on to besides Riley's t shirt. There was a ringing noise before the splash of the frozen Red Hue River, wrapping itself around my body and dragging me under. I couldn't hear... I couldn't see... Everything had become dark and I had forgotten how to breathe. I couldn't breathe. I was drowning as my own blood and Riley's, mixed with the water, had filled my lungs and taken me further down into the darkness.
I couldn't help but think this was all worth it. I couldn't live without either of them but I knew somehow they would move on without me. I was hoping my sacrifice would help them move forward and live happily without me. I had to do this, I had to save them... and I had to lose my life to do so.