Cascading Empire

Chapter 38

            Her eyes widened, blinking as she took a couple steps back while her eyebrows furrowed in distrust and confusion. They didn't speak, but their heartfelt eyes and grateful smiled said a lot of things. She stared at them, before taking the courage to take a step towards them and lifted her hands to touch them, before hesitating. She was scared if she touched them, they would disappear away in the piles of ashes and burning wood once again, buried away in a dark space, away from the world and outside. They noticed the hesitation and immediately ran into her arms with a muffled cry, knocking them to the ground as May tried to support herself. Still not believing this, she could hear the muted crying as her own eyes began to gather tears, her hands shakily going to their backs as they gripped their hands around her tightly, crying quietly away. 

           May finally broke down and wrapped her hands around their back as tears also flowed down her cheeks, burning her wound without question. 

           Saphire sighed, lowering her eyes as she looked down at her shadow, glancing up now and then at the passing cameras embroidered with automatic guns. She turned a corner, and stopped before hiding once again, peeking her way. She saw a man turned around with their back turned to them. In fact, another one appeared around the corner. Their figure was familiar but Saphire looked down to her wrist where the watch laid. 

          4.4/5. 

           She just needed three more people, and then she would be done with this stupid game. She quietly ran to the back, taking the knife she took from a corpse before swinging at the back of the short man's neck. The taller man saw this and grabbed her wrist, pressing against her shoulder before slamming her to the ground with a loud BAM! 

           The shorter man turned around and immediately his eyes widened. He looked to the shocked taller man who was holding her to the ground while she winced, her messy hair all over the floor with blood stains decorating her cheek, neck and shirt. The shorter man waved his hand and the taller man immediately let go. The taller man looked confused and was questioning his entire life, and he glanced to Callex before nodding and walking off. Saphire immediately stood up despite her aching back before grabbing her dropped knife and going for the shorter male once again. He noticed and immediately stopped her arm, wrapping his arms around her waist while her eyes widened at this familiar action. 

           She tried to look at the man's eyes behind the mask, but they were slammed onto the ground, the man's arms supporting her from the fall as they cushioned her. However, his hands went numb after supporting her entire body weight with his arms. Saphire now had the chance to glance into his eyes, and all she could see was the amusement and laughing, adorable eye smile she was familiar with. Her heart stopped for a moment before it immediately began pumping with excitement and familiarity. 

           It was Eric. 

           Saphire wanted to shout and hug him but Eric removed his hands and immediately wrapped it around her throat gently. She could see his eyes practically asking her to play along as she took a while to notice, then when she did, she immediately began to pretend choking, grabbing his wrist while trying to kick him off. He stopped her leg and moved closer. She could practically see his smirk behind the mask while his eyes gently and teasingly looked at her up and down. She immediately threw a harder kick and knocked Eric to the ground, before taking the knife, a smile in her eyes as she slashed it near his head. He tilted his head as he let out a gently laugh, dodging the weak attack before grabbing her by the waist and rolling to the column, with a window right next to it. 

           They immediately stopped the act before letting out little giggles here and there. From the cover of the overhand, and the shadow from the blocked window, they stopped their atupid, pretended fight. She whispered to him, "How did you get here?" Eric removed his mask, before he lifted her and put her on his lap, her arms around his shoulder while smiling. He leaned forward and gave her a little kiss, before leaning back and smiling at her. "We snuck in.. knocked out a couple of guards, and then swapped clothes. Of course we flipped off Lucas from the cameras." 

            Saphire looked shocked from this and leaned closer, her eyebrows furrowed in worry as she wrapped her warm fingers on his cheek, watching him smiling like a silly person at her. His long, neat eyelashes were staring at her without blinking, a lightly shining through his eyes. Gently caressing his cheek with her thumb, she asked with a low voice, "So he knows you're here now?" With her eyes furrowed, she looked like a true worried girlfriend and he leaned into her warm hand, resting his eyes and enveloping her hands with his own. "Yeah. It's fine, anything for you," He looked down, before kissing her palms gently, and then placing it on his cheeks once again before glancing up at Saphire mischievously, "I know this is the wrong time to say it, but after all this happens, let's officially announce each other as husband and wife, okay?" 

            He asked in such a hushed and soft tone that her heart melted at the words and tears nearly welled up in her eyes but she let out a soft chuckle, leaning her forehead against his. "You're so stupid. We haven't even announced each other as girlfriend and boyfriend, and you want to be announced as married to me?" He smiled in return, closing his eyes, embracing the moment as the tiny slivers of light from the boarded up window reflected on her skin. "I want to be announced as anything with you. We could be husband and wife, girlfriend and boyfriend, even partners in crime or jail mates, anything with you is fine," He joked as they giggled a bit before she let out a few tears into his shoulder, shuddering a bit. She sniffed, wiped her tears away so he wouldn't see and hugged him.

             ".. Okay.. let's just be husband and wife, girlfriend and boyfriend, or even criminal and partners in crime or jail mates, anything you want after this.."