+ marks the grave {Completed}

Chapter 78

•~••~•~•~•*change in POV*•~•~•~••~•
Her eyes.
There were sparks in them.
Like two pots of honey,
Just turning and turning.
The elixir of life.
The way her cheeks lifted.
How her lips curved.
It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.
The little bounce her hair did as she turned.
The quick intake of breath.
It gave me a fever.
She was truly a work of art.
Heaven sent.
We slowly itched closer to each other.
And as our fingertips finally collided,
The door bursted open.
"Tyler dared Tom to eat the Shepard pie.
It was spoi-
Oh. OH. OH! I'm so sorry! I'll just- I'll leave!
I didn't see anything. I was never here."
He quickly and sloppy closed the door.
Moment. Ruined.
Why was he acting so weird?
Was he that happy that we were going home?
Speaking of which...
How was I supposed to tell Amber that I was taking her to the north?
Would she even want to go?
She was fidgeting with her thumbs, she had literally jumped away when Brad opened the door so suddenly.
The silence was equivalent to when she had fallen out of the car.
Awkward.
I'd might was well start up a conversation.
"Soo, I'm going-"
"Take me with y-"
We both started and stopped at the same time.
"You go first,"
I was curious to here what she had to say.
It sounded a awful lot like-
"Take me with you."
Damn she really did say it.
Uncertainty filled me up as happiness crept in.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"You may never come back here."
"I don't care."
She had a firey look in her eyes.
An ember.
Fitting for an Amber.
I wondered,
If only she'd known that I was carrying her away with our without her consent,
Would she be so willing to go?
Why did she even want to go?
She surely didn't give this much thought.
And again I found myself taking advantage of her state of mind.
Maybe it was wrong.
But from now til the end of her life,
Amber was mine.
It was only a matter of time til I told her everything.
A tour was in order.
So I took her hand in mine and helped her to her feet.
She wobbled.
Still too weak.
I stooped down to the floor, facing the door.
"Hop on."
She sent me a skeptical glance, but climbed onto my back nevertheless.
I led us back into the office.
Then, I walked straight towards the adjacent bookshelf.
I grabbed the spine of the oxfords encyclopedia volume two, and pushed it upward.
I heard a gasp as the shelf started to rumbled.
It moved backward and swung open like a wooden door.
It stayed ajar, as if it never moved.
"What. The. Heck."
I had to laugh at that.
A moving bookshelf was the least surprising thing in my base.
I walked down a fleet of spiral stairs.
The entrance was open.
The bookshelves were a pair.
The only difference between the two was that the one on the office floor had books and this one had magazines.
"Welcome to the man cave,"
"Wow."
It wasn't anything grand.
It was all just a cover.
There was a pool table, karaoke machine, mini kitchen, /////////, and couches.
Most of which were occupied by backpacks.
It was comical to see how prepared the guys were to finally be able to go home.
It's been years.
"Would you like something to drink?"
"Iced water?"
Amber didn't sound sure, but I didn't question her further.
I placed her her on the couch and walked across to the fridge.
After pouring her a glass, I heard my phone ring.
"Yeah?"
"Can you make it to medbay? It's urgent."
"On my way."
What happened?
Why would Franklin call me out of the blue?
Did something happen to Maggie?
Only one way to find out.
I gave Amber the water.
"I need to go check on the guys, will you be alright here on your own?"
"Yeah sure."
Her mind was clearly somewhere else.
Her eyes her jumping across the room.
"Make yourself at home."
She nodded.
I backed away and took the hall to the left, making my way to the bay.
Bracing myself for the worse.

•~••~•~•~•*change in POV*•~•~•~••~•
"Is he dead?"
My ears were was attentive as ever.
My eyes still couldn't open.
"Almost."
But I could wiggle my toes.
Big improvement.
I got a feeling other than pain in my jellies.
I was almost dead?
But I seemed to be improving...
"So why are you still giving him blood?"
That voice sounded like Drew.
I was stirred awake by the hushed whispers but then the talking volume just got higher and higher.
"Because- wait what do you mean?"
"Why. Are. You. Still. Giving. Him. Blood.?"
"You want him dead?"
I imagined a look of disbelief on the speakers face.
"Bro...isn't that like crossing the line?"
That line was crossed from the time Tyler shot to kill.
"Wasn't getting Amber kidnapped and tortured crossing the line Brad?"
Oh so this was a dispute between brothers.
But where was Kent?
He swore to kill me if the plan wasn't flawlessly executed.
"But father-"
"FATHER IS CRIPPLE. IM IN CHARGE.
He put her through hell."
Well I'll be damned.
Drew's father was crippling?
Why did he speak of him like that?
I really wanted to see the look on everyone's face as everything went down.
"I know but-"
"But what? Why should he live!?"
He sounded out of breathe.
"You don't have the right to take some ones life Drew. It isn't right."
What a humanitarian, iconic?
Sinister laughter was heard.
"You didn't have the right to kill all those people either Brad.-
NOBODY in this room has the RIGHT to tell me not to kill this piece of shit."
I heard a twirl of foot movements as he started his second sentence.
He spoke only truth.
I may have caused pain to Amber but these guys killed and plundered.
Their gang members.
Nothing good comes from their petty squabbles.
Nevertheless, I was very much a piece of shit.
Nobody spoke.
"I want him dead."
Footsteps receded.
"Father wants him alive."
No response.
I heard someone else clear their throat.
"That was not what I called you for Drew,
It's about Maggie."
Maggie?
The footsteps stopped.
"What about her?"
"She exhausted herself too much.
Her condition is worsening at an alarming rate, and might not sur-"
"Do what needs to be done."
"I'll call father to arrange a ferry to take her over in an hour."
A ferry?
To take her where?
Most likely the north.
South used the ARACHNE//$$-
Were they moving Amber too?
Was she safe?
Why was Drew here?
Did he bring Amber?
Did Amber get hurt?
There was so much I wanted to know.
There was so much I didn't know.
But did I deserve to know?
No.
I deserved death.
And that was what was in store for me.
Drew would be the executioner.
He could give her so much more than me.
He could make her so much happier.
He could provide so much more than me.
He could do so much more for her.
He was so much more fitted to receive her time, love and affection.
But could he love her more than me?
Never.
Not even if the moon turned purple.