The Corrupted (Completed - editing)

Chapter 27 - "Beautiful Miracles"

"Alright," Jason says, sitting down in front of me, "Let's take a look at that ankle."

A giddy nervous excitement bubbles up inside of me as the bandage is slowly unwound, eventually revealing my pale skin underneath. The purple and blue bruises had disappeared almost completely, and my ankle was no longer the size of a golf ball.

"Well," Jason says, a small smile on his face, "It's still slightly swollen, but –

"YES!" I jump up, my fists raised in the air. "I'm free. I'M FINALLY FREE!" I run out of the van, yet still being careful not to step too much on my recently healed foot.

I observe the surroundings of where we had stopped, noticing the dusty road from which we'd come. We seemed to have been in a rural area, for a particular reason. Gun shots suddenly erupt from the back of a distant shed, as a swarm of black birds flutter out from the trees, speeding towards the sky. A few birds drop lifeless from the air, as if they'd decided to suddenly stop breathing.

I rush over to the shed, an anxious confusion overwhelming me. More gunshots echoed through the air as I finally reached the cause. The crew were all standing a fair distance away from the shed, with targets lined up all along the back wall. Fallon stood in the centre, a rifle resting carefully in her arms.

"Hey, Eve!" Zoe shouts, approaching me, "Come join us!"

I smile, walking over to a long line of assorted weaponry.

"Go ahead. Pick one, or use your own if you like." A voice says behind me which I could instantly identify as Dex. "We're going hunting after a bit of aim practice."

I turn around to meet his gaze, surprised to see a small smile on his face. "Alright," I nod, turning back towards the weapons. I look over each of the weapons carefully, deciding it was best for me to leave the guns alone. Instead I turn my attention to the sleek daggers, tritons and bows. Something immediately catches my eye.

I reach out for a black glossy crossbow, with a quiver beside it. Picking it up carefully, I admire the detailing along the barrel. I turn the crossbow over, admiring the grooves until I reached an unusual point at the end of the barrel. Engraved in careful lettering were two letters intertwined.

'MW' it read.

"It was Flynn's." Dex says quietly, as I stare in disbelief at the crossbow in my hands. In some way, this connected me to Flynn. Anything that could bring me closer to him was... was everything.

"You think he'd let me use it?" I say, turning to face Dex. The sorrow disappears from his face and is instead replaced with a small smile.

"Of course, Eve." His eyes linger on the crossbow a moment longer, before returning his gaze to mine. "He loved you a lot, you know. He was always talking about his old life, his little sister who was his best friend." Dex gaze softens, while I feel myself go rigid.

"He never stopped looking for you, Eve. Never stopped thinking about you." Dex picks up the quiver, handing it to me. "He'd be so proud of you."

I let out a small sarcastic laugh, slinging the quiver around my shoulder, "What for? Being a mess, having a breakdown every ten minutes?" I shake my head, staring at the floor.

"No," Dex says, his voice immediately forcing me to look up, "He'd be proud of your strength."

I stare at him for a split second before dropping the crossbow to my side and pulling him into a hug. I feel his muscles tense against me, yet slowly relax. "Hey, if I knew it was crossbows that got you this affectionate, I'd show you weaponry more often."