Duplicity [h.s]

81

Aven Brooks

I wanted to scream but I was so paralyzed in fear.

Standing in front of me was the star of all my nightmares, someone hidden behind a cheap Halloween mask that could be purchased at every costume store in America. With his head tilted slightly to the left and gloved fingers wiping the crimson blood off the sides of the blade, I felt doomed. My brain was triggering that instinct to run in order to survive but my heart was only thinking about one thing.

My eyes flew down to the floor, catching the same shade of red seeping from the back of Niall's white shirt. He laid on his side in pain, a fresh stab wound just slightly to the left of his lower back.

In human instinct, I crashed to my knees in front of Niall instead of running to my safety. Pure grief took over me when I understood my accusation was wrong and now he was severely injured. Right at the killer's feet, I didn't care to flee like he expected. My only thought was now on Niall and being at his aid.

I could not and would not leave him behind to die.

"Aven run!" Niall coughed with the painful wound to his back, the right temple to the floor in his curled up position. I instead threw off the green flannel to use as something to stop the blood pouring from his back. My hands were stumbling in chills, my throat aching right at the back.

I sit my back against the wall and reach for him.

"I'm not leaving you." I grab him by the underarms, sliding his upper body onto me so his back was against my chest and the back of his head was resting on my shoulder. He grunted in pain at the harsh transition.

"He's going to...kill you too if you stay—" Niall stammered in pain, wanting me to flee so one of us could get out of this alive.

Niall was in so much pain that he couldn't walk let alone run. I couldn't carry him nor drag him away fast enough from the murder standing right in front of us. And in addition to all that, I don't even know how to get out of here. He's going to bleed out if I didn't apply immense pressure to his wound. We had no choice but to stay here in this spot, together. I wasn't going to leave him.

"Then we're both dying," I whisper, my hands fumbling as I finished propping him up and resting his back against my chest. I took the green flannel and shoved it up between us, pressing it against the wound to slow down the bleeding.

In benumbing shock, I look up at the killer standing right at our feet. He was just staring down at us, gawking at me as I completely let myself come faced with death. He stood tall like a chilling shadow, the blood-smeared knife down by his side. Tears were spilling rapidly from my eyes and I was trembling against the wall, the back of Niall's head on my shoulder as I held him in aid.

"I'm not r–running anymore." I try to speak clearly through my shaky voice, staring up at the skeleton mask. "If you're going to k–kill me, then do it. But I'm not leaving him to die and I'm not letting you get the thrill of the chase any l-longer."

He stared down at me in silence, standing right before our feet. His dark eyes glued to mine behind the mask, too shadowed in order for me to see the colour.

I fearfully pull my eyes away and just focus down on Niall who was losing a lot of blood. His eyes were shut and crevices on his forehead represented pain. I kept the thick flannel tight against his back wound, knowing it was probably hurting him but at least it was stopping some of the blood from spilling out.