| Ephemeral |

fifteen

Ethan 

Warning - the next part of this chapter might be a little violent. more than usual. Okay, enjoy, love you guys. 

I stepped into the steaming water and felt my back tense beneath it. I tried not to look down, I knew if I did I would see red streams flowing down the shower drain. 

Images of what took place earlier keep flashing through my mind, over and over again. I rested my head against the cold shower wall and let the water rush down my face. 

I felt my hands trembling slightly as more memories flashed in. 

"Okay, it's done," I whispered. My hands were busted and bloody, the air in my lungs was unsteady as can be. "Let's go," I spoke again, looking at his wondering eyes. He looked towards the door I just closed. 

Crimson smiled at me before going back into the room I just walked out of. The air in my lungs went from unsteady to completely obsolete.  

I walked in quickly behind him and he looked at me with an angered expression. "He still has a heartbeat, what the hell?" He half yelled at me, pulling out a black gun from his waistband. 

"I thought he was gone, he wasn't breathing when I walked away," I lied, looking down at the bloody mess  I left behind. I beat him until he was on the verge of death, I couldn't bring myself to finish the job. 

"You hesitated. Hesitating will get you killed. Don't think for a second that if you were on that ground he would have left you alive!" He yelled at me again, making me step back a little. 

"You hesitate next time, and this will be you," He spoke before cocking his gun back and shooting the guy directly in the chest. 

My ears began ringing as he put his gun away. My body felt numb. Yes, I've seen dead bodies before. We were in a full-on gang war. I saw Jordyn be killed right in front of me. 

But I've never seen someone care so little, and have such little regard for human life than him. He's truly a cold-hearted, malicious ass hole. And it seems as though the goal is to turn me into him. 

-

I grabbed a washcloth and poured soap on it, and began scrubbing the blood of today's work off of me. It wouldn't wash away the guilt or the pain. Sure won't wash away the way I miss Alex. I think about her all day every day. 

I stepped out of the shower and looked at my reflection. Who am I? 

-

Alex - one month later - April 

 It's been a whole month. An entire month without Ethan here. Four weeks. I've been up more nights than I can count following any possible leads that might help me find him. 

I've caught up to some of Crimson's guys, beat them until they gave me the slightest answer on where they went. Sometimes I get scared of how far I might go. What I would do to get him back. 

"You've been up for three days, I think It's time you take a break." Theo walked over to me as I was polishing my arrows.