Days of Decay

Chapter Twenty Six

"Thorne?" Max questioned, lowering his weapon immediately.

You see him too, Asha thought. There he was, and he was smiling, though very weakly.

Everything flooded back, every thought and feeling blew up inside her; she knew what she had to do. She had wasted her time with him before, now she was getting a second chance, and she wasn't going to ignore it.

Her feet took to the ground and she shot straight into his barely open arms, knocking him backwards a few steps. She encased him in a tight hug, wanting to feel how real he was, and he was real. He was alive and he was in her arms, right where she wanted him to be.

She realized then that she was crying because a sob came uncontrollably from deep within her, a happy sob, but a sob all the same. His strong arms held her against him for a moment before they both came apart, arms interlocked, taking in relieved breaths. 

Asha burst into a smile and her hands shot up to hold his face, tiptoeing up to his level. She looked him straight in the eyes for a brief moment and her heart soared out of her body.

Their gold shade shone beautifully in the moonlight; they looked yearning, grateful.

Asha closed her eyes and pulled him towards her. She pressed her lips against his deeply, tears rolling down her cheeks. His hand ran up the side of her face and tangled into her hair, holding her against him.

His kiss was warm and gentle, yet ferocious and demanding.

Finally.

They eventually drew apart slowly, their hot, heavy breath mingling in the small space between them. Asha held her eyes closed as she lived fully in the wake of the kiss. Finn had both his hands around her face now and he kissed her forehead gently before resting her head against his heaving chest. She melted into his embrace becoming oblivious to the world around them.

She was thrust abruptly into reality however when he suddenly collapsed right from her hold. He didn't reach the ground though, because she instantly grabbed him and held him up as best she could. He was awake but he was struggling under his own weight, whatever he'd just been through must have taken it all out of him.

"Max!" Asha cried.

Max and Daisy promptly ran over and joined Asha, making it much easier to lift the battered boy. Asha let Max take most of his weight and instead ran alongside, studying the injuries that he had sustained.

Under the eerie glow of the moonlight, Finn's skin burst in a thousand different bloody tones. His clothes were coated in thick mud and grass, they were ripped in all different directions. There was also something that Asha somehow missed before. There was a huge, dark red bloodstain on his chest. His shirt wasn't ripped there which could only mean one thing.

He'd fought to the death, and he'd won.

The foursome careened into the church, not taking enough care of the noise, but also not really minding because they were all too preoccupied with getting Finn inside and safe.

"I'm okay," he reassured with a quiet, breathy voice.

"Clearly," Asha replied, pointing for Max to take Finn upstairs.

"Finn!" Piper was now on their tail, her face bright at the sight of the boy they thought they'd lost. "I'll go and get the medical bag!" She added before she disappeared her room.

Asha ran ahead of everyone to the door to their bedroom. She flung it open and clocked Kit downing the rest of Daisy's wine. His eyes widened and he quickly got himself up when he realized who they had with them. He jumped out of the way so they could put Finn down on the mess of blankets.