Meet Me

Chapter 33 - What?

 Kate

A few minutes earlier…

"Listen carefully to the sound of your own loneliness, like a heartbeat drives you mad." - Dreams - Rumors

My eyes opened wide. I saw off white. I didn’t know where I was. I could be dead, or I could’ve woken up from this dream I was in.

“She’s awake. Oh, Kate, don’t ever close your eyes around me again. I want to see the precious colour in your eyes always. I lost you once, I don’t want to lose you again.” My father - and defiantly a dream.

“Wh...” I was cut off almost immediately. I was glad in a way, it hurt to just say one syllable.

“It’s not much to explain; it’s better off you figuring everything out by yourself. It won’t take long. By the time I have told you everything, your memories will come back anyhow.” I couldn’t agree more with that. “I have to go, there is something I need to do.”

Rather quickly, they came back and I came to my senses. Along with my senses, came back myself. I sat up, a tearing pain down my side. I wasn’t in my clothes anymore, I was in a T-shirt way too big for me. It was dark blue and smelt of Kyle. His earthy smell filled my nose. Then, I heard his voice with Connors. He was yelling.

My father was no longer in the room, only one man. I guessed he was the doctor. His face was unseen, but he looked oddly familiar.

“Can I get up?” I asked.

“No. However, from what I have heard, and know about you, I know that you don’t, and won’t, take orders.” A smirk crept onto his shaded face and I knew that smirk. I had only seen it once or twice, but I had seen it all the same.

“Ash, how did you get in here? You were pretty much gone.”

“Well, it isn’t a long story. I heard you scream and I just knew it was you. Who else could it have been? Slender man? Anyway, I followed it and then I saw you on the floor just bleeding. My heart dropped, Kate, it fucking dropped. I honestly thought you were dead. I listened very carefully to what was being said. After they left with you, I knew you were still alive. They had said they didn’t have a doctor anymore – he was dead. Killed off by an infection. How ironic. I know how to do some medical procedures, so I followed them. Caught up with the man who said he was your father; explained my experience and he said yes just like that.” Ash began to stroke my cheek. His hand should’ve been rough, but it was so soft against my skin. God, oh god, why was this man my undoing? “I stitched you up and here we are. How’d you like my handy work?”

I pulled up the T-shirt, not caring what Ash saw, and examined his stitching. Pretty good.

“I took sewing in school. Don’t ask me why. I wanted to be a doctor, I though it appropriate.” I smiled at what he was saying. 

“Ash?”

“Yes?”

“I promised myself I wouldn’t like anybody. Let alone love. Our story wasn’t meant to end as it is about to.” He waited. “It was supposed to be me, Owen and Luisa. Now it’s you, me and Kyle.” I hoped, anyway. Kyle had to still be alive.

“Yes?”

“And I love you, Ash. Not just you, but I am in love with you. Your smile, smirk, body, humour, personality, eyes. I am in love with all of you. Even your flaws.”

He gulped. I wasn’t sure if that was good or not. I had had many effects on the male species, but I had never experienced gulping before.

“Kate?” There was a lot of names and yes’s and no’s right now.

“Mmhm?”

“I fucking love you.” He grinned like a little boy who had just been given a new balloon. When I saw his smile, it was rather easy to believe that this wasn’t an apocalypse. I had known him for a short time, but in that time we had done things no normal man and woman would do before this all happened. That is something that has to be understood.

Ash hugged me gently, attempting not to hurt me. I didn’t care if he did hurt me, I just wanted to be near him and forget everything there was to be forgotten. Ash kissed my hair, and he breathed a sigh of… relief?

“You’re very easy to love. I just don’t understand why you love me. After everything I have said, done and made you do.”

Either one of us could’ve said it and it been appropriate, but I said it.

Love. Funny.

“Now, what flaws?” He asked.

I rolled my eyes at his words; he didn’t see me do it though, because I was enclosed in a hug.

A loud bang echoed and a few screams came from outside the room. I needed to see what it was, because I heard my supposed brothers yelling at each other. I lifted myself off of the table, not caring how much it fucking hurt. I hobbled to the door and opened it. I didn’t remember it being closed. The scene that confronted me was almost one of horror. Not for Kate Farah. I was far too used to death and blood. It didn’t shock me.

Kyle was straddling a limp Connor. A dead Connor. There was a puddle of red around Connor’s head - gorgeous red. It wasn’t how I imagined Connor would die, or what Kyle would do, but it didn’t shock me that Connor was now dead. The gun was now across the room. Kyle dropped his own gun. It landed with a loud clatter. He began to shake.

Kyle looked at our father, nothingness in his eyes. That was when I realized it wasn’t Kyle who had murdered his own brother, but our father who had murdered his own son. I couldn’t see his expression, but I guessed it was something neutral. I knew killing was easy for most people now. If I took after Connor and Kyle, who took after their father, then I presumed my presumption was right.

“It’s done. You mean more to me than he ever did.” Our father said.

Kyle said something. It was barely a whisper, but I heard it.

“Do I want it to be done?”

I waited a few seconds to say something, before I finally did.

“You’d be stupid if you didn’t.”

I felt Ash looming behind me; he was as still as I was.

A monster was abolished. Had the prince tried to slaughter it for the princess, or for himself? Had the king killed it for the prince, or for the monster?