On the Run [a.i. au]

18. Man Down

Ashton's POV — March 3, 2015

Waiting.

It's one of the things I've never been good at. After my dad left, I couldn't stand the thought of waiting for things to better. I tried to make things better for myself on my own terms. Then, I got in too deep.

And that's how I got here. How I ended up sitting in the hospital while the two people I loved most in the world were dying because of my impatience.

The two doors in front of me are shut, since no one can see Thalia and Michael. They just got out of surgery, and I was told that it was unclear if either would make it.

The thought of them dying and being shipped back to their homes sends tears in my eyes. It's all my fault. All this is my doing. I'm responsible.

After what seems like an eternity, a doctor exits one room. I stand up quickly, making me dizzy for a brief moment. Nonetheless, I rush toward him.

"Will they make it?"

With a blank face, the doctor pulls me to the window, where I see my biggest fear becoming a reality.

"I'm sorry. We've done all we can for this one."

As I gaze into the window, I watch a flatline appear before my eyes.

"No," I mutter as a tear slips down my cheek. "No. No! NO!"

I crash to my knees in front of the door, praying to God that I'm not seeing this. That I fell asleep and this is just some awful nightmare that I can't seem to wake from. This can't be happening. No.

More and more tears fall down my cheeks and splash onto my hands as I let out tears of agony and frustration. How could this happen? How?

Wait... I know how.

"Ashton Irwin?" I hear a voice call faintly.

Sitting up, I wipe my eyes furiously. "Y-yes?"

A man I've never seen before pulls me to my feet and puts my hands behind my back. I jerk away from him.

"What do you think you're doing?" I ask him menacingly.

A cop appears, almost out of nowhere, with Calum in handcuffs. "You are under arrest for murder. Both of you."

*March 2, 2015*

As Thalia leads us farther away from Adelaide, my mind is spinning. There are so many things going on at once, and I don't even know which one to deal with first.

First, there's Thalia. The other night was... perfect. I can barely remember how everything led to it, but I remember everything about her. The taste of her skin, the feeling of her heart racing, the sound of her voice. Nothing has ever brought me that much true happiness. The only issue is that I don't even know if she feels the same way. She's got her guard up, and it bothers me because I want her to trust me. Perhaps that's how she feels with me, though.

Next, there's Michael.

When I asked him to help us back in Port Augusta, I knew that there was a chance someone would find out about it. At the time, I didn't care. Looking back on it, though, I should have. Because of my recklessness, he's running from Stone Skull with us.

Which brings me to my third issue. Stone Skull.

They've been after me for over a year. It was inevitable for them to find me eventually, but honestly, I thought it would've happened sooner than now.