+ marks the grave {Completed}

Chapter 80

•~••~•~•~•*change in POV*•~•~•~••~•
I tried.
I tried to keep my mask up,
To stay neutral,
To assert dominance.
But my heart tried harder.
It tried so hard,
So hard that it won my movement over,
So hard that instead of asserting dominance, I embraced her in a tight hold.
The gun was empty.
I knew that.
But still. Even before I heard the click I found myself reaching out to take it from her.
She had no right to take her own life.
Her life belonged to me.
I shouldn't have given into temptation.
But she looked so broken.
She looked as if all her purpose was gone.
Even in the densest of situations,
My heart still managed to win me over.
But it wasn't only my heart,
Even though she was angry,
Even thought she was crying,
Even though she was shaking,
Even though her fist were folded, waiting to meet my face,
She hugged me back.
All the walls our minds built up,
Broken down simply by love.
Amber's knees buckled, and I found myself carrying her back to my room.
Jason was in the cave as I made my way up.
He looked stressed to say the least, most definitely thinking about Kent's wellbeing.
Kent was like a brother to both him and I.
But we couldn't do anything for him right now.
He's fully capable of handling the situation at hand with his own two.
Amber was in no state of mind to worry about her brother in any case.
Bringing him up would only add stress to the party.
"Where are the others?"
He looked straight at me, masking his emotions on the way up.
He was startled at Amber's condition but it wasn't his place to worry for her.
"Tom and Cooper are packing the bags,
Tyler is sleeping,
Franklin is watching over Maggie,
Evan is getting some native food in before we leave and Brad just walked out to get a call."
"We leave in 30."
With Amber in my car, Tom in his with Tyler, Brad in his with Cooper, Franklin with Maggie and Evan with Luke, boarding the yacht should be no problem.
Our vehicles would come up after us on the second cargo trip.
One trip was loaded dried goods and the other fresh.
The capacity for dried goods was far larger with the growing market for legumes and starches.
After offloading, the cargo vessel would then be loaded with root, vine and tree vegetables.
The fresh trip usually composes of three to five medium sized yachts, all of which is supposed to carry fresh goods such as dairy products and assorted meats.
The shipment specifications come directly from the governing body of the port and environs.
A treaty states that in exchange for the south providing passage to and fro, the north will be blocked off from allowing persons to legally move from the north to mainland and person of northern origin can not seek housing or work in the south.
If the Vipers were to dishonor this treaty, the drug import and export would be negatively affected.
The exchange of food as well as materials would cease, causing the populations to adapt to the sudden change.
A great proportion will not succeed.
With less food, the birth rate will go down and the death rate will go up, leaving the islands natural increase in shambles.
To say the least, the treaty must be honored.
Even if it puts us at the great disadvantage.
It was what was agreed upon by my grandfather when he was once in his youth.
He treasured his companion so much that even when he betrayed him, stabbed him I the back, he still considered him above all else.
And that was what led to his demise.
A demise in which was surely not a tradition that I myself shall follow in.
Unlike my grandfather, I won't allow my closest ally to be conniving and deceitful.
If so be it, whether it be Kent, Jason Brad or any of the others, I would personally take their lives.
Chances of betrayal coming from my circle was near zero.
These guys were handpicked.
I grew with them.
They were all like my brothers.
Figuratively and almost literally.
My father was indirectly their father.
Our home was the north.
And as I opened my room door, getting Amber there was the only thing on my mind.
Her head was buried in my shoulder while small sniffle-snores filled my ear.
I needed her to come with me.
I needed her to agree to coming with me.
My conscious couldn't take much more of this.
She had to go whether she'd like to or not.
But deep down I wished she'd agree to it.
Deep down I wanted her to want to go with me.
I didn't have the right to want that.
I killed her lover.
But life was unfair,
And all unfair games play over.
I hope that someday she gets all the revenge she needs.
I'll even give her the sword to pierce my heart.
But for now, my happiness came first.
All the years I've waited must come to an end.
Looking down at her, I couldn't see the problem.
I had everything she could possibly need.
I'd make sure that she heals up well, both mentally and physically.
I'd put her first always.
I'm taking her home.
And with that thought, i gently placed her onto the bed and moved towards my closet.
I folded some hoodies, t- shirts, track pants and rammed the essential toiletries into a medium sized black duffel bag.
I took out a few shirts to pick from to change and threw the one i was wearing into the laundry basket.
I made a quick run to the fridge and loaded in some rock solid candy bars and juice packets.
On my way back I saw them blurred movement of a quick turn.
The bag of snacks fell onto the floor as I dashed into the room, throwing myself down just to catch her about to kiss the floor.
"Urhmmmm-"
"Wah??- who... Eh?"
She fought her eyes open and they went wide immediately.
"Why are you naked!?!"
I sat us onto the bed as laughter built up inside me.
"We were- you know..."
I taunted her.
I didn't think her eyes could've opened any wider.
Amber smacked my chest.
"We did not."
"Oh yes we did."
It was more of a tease now.
"Hey stop that."
She bent her head down, breaking eye contact.
My thoughts flashed back to the incidents she had in the past.
My heart softened.
I gave her a kiss on her forehead causing her to look up.
"You're safe with me Amber."
I saw her walls fall down.
"Am I really?"
"I won't let anything happen to you."
Her gaze locked on strong.
"Will you take me to the north by force?"
I didn't want to lie, but I wanted her to come along peacefully.
"I won't if you don't want to come along..."
"Really?"
She sent me a skeptical glance.
"Yes really
Will you come along?"
She looked away.
"Will you bury him?"
"What?"
"They brought his body back right?"
She was worried about Luke?
What would it take to get her off of him?
"Yeah."
"Will you bury him then?"
We won't have time.
"We can't carry the body across..."
"What time will we leave?"
"In about twenty minutes."
"Where will we bury him then?"
"If we all chip in we can probably dig a hole in the central cemetery before we go."
"Lets go then."