The Amplified : Fire Blight (Book 1)

Chapter Twenty Two - Truths and Transgressions

Adam helped me out of my pit where Stephy and Ellie watched us emerge, Juan held Meg in his bulky arms, letting her lay in them like a ragdoll. Adam led me through the carnage to the road where two armoured trucks were left, everyone helped Juan put Meg into one of the trucks but I stayed away with the fear of hurting her. I glanced down at the dried blood on my hands like maroon gloves that cracked as a moved my fingers, slowly the drum of my heart got louder. Drowning my surroundings as my ears filled with a booming off-beat pound of my heart. Thump. Thump. Thump. My heart fought its way through my chest, like a boxer trying to punch its way through a brick wall, each thump only seeming to get louder. I could feel the hands move me around before seeing Adam going me to the passenger seat, still, the thundering beat owning my headspace like prowling lion as if a murderous personality wasn't bad enough. Didn't even notice we had started, I didn't notice that I was trying to rub away the blood on my hands with my thumb. Even as flakes wafted to the floor of the truck the crimson stuck to my palms no matter how hard I tried.

"-she's still breathing right?" Adam's voice pierced through the veil of silence.

"Barely." Stephy frantic voice was layered with fear and exhaustion. "The wound won't close up."

"It needs to be cauterized," Juan's voice rang behind. "or she'll bleed out before we get her anywhere."

The truck ran silently as they realized what I felt gazes fall upon me. Thump. Thump. Thump. My chest heaved but no air felt like it was coming in. "I can't." were the only words I could manage.

"Oliver, she's going to die. You have to." Stephy called out aggressively.

"Please, don't make me do it." I tried to say without completely falling apart.

"We won't make you do it, it's fine Oliver." Adam's cool tone was a soothing tune that filled the hostile air. "But if you can't do it I will, so I need you to take the wheel. Can you do that?" he asked calmly.

"Yeah, I can." I mustered. Adam let go of the wheel allowing me to grab hold, he swung his legs over the center console and launched himself into the back. I lugged my legs into the driver's seat and planted my foot on the pedal as the car started to slow down. Adam slid backwards as the truck accelerated. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry." I said frantically, the thumping grew worse and worse.

"It's fine. Just keep the car steady okay." Adam said reassuringly. A metallic tinge filled the air with the crackling lighting, a soft blue glow grew from behind me filling up the dim grey inside. Following that, a heart-shattering shriek filled the metallic air completely silencing the beat of my heart but the sound was far more painful. The wail continued on without any end, it was the only sound that I could feel coursing through my body, filling in the gaps in my head. It felt like my senses were being dulled like a marker, my arms weakened against the steering wheel, feeling the weight of the truck sway to the left. I caught myself and held the wheel steady, the disorienting howl still in the air raking at my broken mind. In the rear-view mirror, I could see Meg's contorting colourless face as Adam's bright orange fingers steamed as he seared her skin together, her autumn eyes filled with pain as they peered into mine begging for help. Wails simmered down to soft mutters in the fluttering sound of the wind rushing in through the open window. Even with the silence of the screams, I could still feel them in my head. Her high-pitched squeals still managed to ring in my brain, almost worse than the unearthly beat of my heart against my chest.

I felt Adam's calloused hand on my shoulder that pulled me away from the pit of anxiety I was edging, his fingertips were glowing orange underneath a thin layer of blood. Before I knew I was handing him the steering wheel and crawling back into the passenger's seat. He would glance over at me, looks that I could catch from the corner of my eye, as we drove away from the cemetery. Meg's breathing was rough but stable, my sister kept her attention on her the whole time. Juan cracked his knuckles anxiously, going from finger to finger, pushing down on each with force until the out of sync pop reverberated through his hand allowing him to move on the next one, Ellie had her hand on my sisters back trying to comfort her as she continued to try and heal Megan. Inside me I felt like I was trying to rebuild pieces of myself that had been forced apart by Revilo, so much so that time had slipped so seamlessly around me, not giving me a chance to process. I really didn't notice what was happening around until we were parked in the parking lot of a bricked building that extended the length of the parking lot with two glass doors towards the center of it but it was only slightly off-center. Juan jumped out of the truck and took Megan in his arms with Stephy helping her into his hands. Ellie went forward to the doors and proceeded to try and pick the lock in the door.