shadows - lashton

Chapter 18

*Luke's P.O.V*

Having heard that his dad was dead, Ashton didn't seem interested in making conversation. I didn't blame him for this, of course, it was a lot to take in and the past twenty four hours had been rather traumatic for him. Not to say that they hadn't been for me also, seeing as I had finally done the one thing I swore to myself that I would never do - I killed a man.

No matter how much I convinced myself I didn't have a choice, that I was protecting Ashton, I knew it was all one big lie. I killed him. The first person to show any sort of affection towards me since I turned had just lost one of his parents because of me, and if he knew the truth he would never want to speak to me again. So, I supposed I was okay with the silence.

Thankfully for me, my house was only a few miles from the hospital, so the driver pulled up beside the driveway not soon after. Eager to escape the stuffy vehicle, I paid the man and ran around to Ashton's door with the intention of helping him out. I leant forward, offering him my hand, but he sighed and weakly pushed me away. Again, I didn't blame him. I deserved it.

Walking slightly ahead of him towards the front door, I knocked multiple times and stood idly until my mother appeared. Instead of greeting me the way she usually would, she shoved immediately past me and headed worriedly towards Ashton.

I hadn't quite registered what was going on until he collapsed into her arms.

"It's okay honey, I got you," she whispered to him softly, carefully supporting his head and laying him on the ground. Still clueless and rather dazed, it took several yells from my now frustrated mother before I realised she needed my help to move him inside.

My movements were slow as I didn't quite feel in control of myself, but I lifted him up into my arms and cradled him close to my chest, heading inside. I laid him gently down on the sofa and asked my mum to keep an eye on him, whilst I fetched an old blanket from the back of my wardrobe - his skin was almost as cold as mine.

After laying the material over his fragile body, I sank into the armchair stood opposite, not in the mood for answering any of the questions I knew my mum was about to attack me with. In her defence, there was an unconscious stranger in her house.

"So," she began hesitantly, "what's his name? How do you know him?"

Compared to what I had expected she was surprisingly calm, and this made me feel much more comfortable with talking. "Ashton, I have some classes with him at school."

"Can you tell me what happened to him?"

I took a deep breath and clenched my jaw, causing my mum to kneel down on the floor beside me. She had understandably sensed a change in my mood, patting my thigh as reassurance. "He'd left me a voicemail and sounded terrified, so went to his house to help in any way I could. I don't know the full story, but Ashton must've gotten into a fight with his dad somehow."

"So, what happened when you got there?" She questioned, not interrogative but simply curious.

"His dad was dragging him through the hallway. It was so horrible, Ashton was screaming and crying and telling him to stop, but the man seemed so determined. I intervened, leaving Ashton with the chance to get away, but he was in such a state by then. I tried to warn him, I really did, but it was too late. He fell so helplessly and so suddenly, I couldn't do anything."

"You were at the hospital," she smiled sadly, "that makes sense. What did they say?"

"That he'd hit his head and broken his wrist, but he was okay. They definitely said he was okay. Why would they let him leave if he wasn't okay?"

She wrapped her arm around me, pulling my body close to hers - and I was glad that my hoodie kept my body temperature fairly normal. "He is okay, just probably still in shock. We can look after him, if you want. Until he feels better?"

I just nodded, knowing that was enough. Even though there were things I kept from my mum, things that would entirely alter her views of reality, she understood me better than anyone else. Honestly, I had no idea what might happen next for Ashton, but I knew my mum would do all she could to help him like she would her own son.

"I'm going to make some dinner, okay? Ashton will have woken up by then, and I'm sure he'll be very hungry."

"Thanks," I smiled, watching her turn around and head into the kitchen. Knowing my mum was right, and he would regain consciousness very soon, I was hesitant to leave him alone for even a second. But I had more problems to deal with, so I ran to fetch the diary from the locked room opposite the stairs, returning to Ashton's side with the tattered book in my hands.

Read the next entry. That's what Jake had told me to do, right?

My eyes skimmed the messily scrawled date in the top right corner, chest constricting slightly when I realised how long it had been since the last. 17th August 1934. So much could have happened in that time.

Hello again, Luke,

I'm going to make this one nice and quick. I'm in danger. I'd be lying if I said I knew what might happen to me next, because I don't, but I can tell you this. It won't be anything good.

I will try to continue writing these entries, but it is unlikely they will be as regular. In fear of capture, I may also be unable to include certain information, as it may be disastrous for this knowledge to fall into the wrong hands. I am sorry I can be of little help now, and it must be hard to comprehend how much responsibility rests on your shoulders, but I believe you will work everything out on your own. Victor.

Well that wasn't as useful as I had hoped.

Temporarily forgetting my surroundings, I sighed loudly. When I heard Ashton begin to stir, I stuffed the diary beneath a cushion and calmed myself down, knowing that was the best way to greet the boy when he finally woke up.

Ashton opened his eyes slowly, smiling almost immediately once he became aware of my presence in the room. I stayed silent, waiting for him to speak.

"I love you."

~~~~~~~

A/n: ahahaha my writing is getting so much worse but vote and comment if you want :) bye x