The Rising {#Wattys2015 #JustWriteIt #Horror}

---Chapter Seven---

"Kora, stop!" Jax yelled, grabbing my shoulders from behind and yanking me to a halt. I turned and glared at him, my eyes full of tears. "You don't understand, Jax!" I screamed. "I just killed my own sister!"

Jax stared at me, his eyes sad. "You were doing her a favor." He said carefully. "A favor!?" I asked with a hysterical laugh. "A favor!? Killing my sister was a favor!? Well maybe to you it was, but it sure as hell wasn't for me!" I dug my fingers into my hair and pulled, frustrated and afraid.

"That's not what I'm saying at all!" Jax said, sounding taken aback. "You didn't do a favor for me or yourself...you did a favor for her. Better she died a good sister than a murder, isn't it?"

"Yeah...but now I'm a murderer." I pointed out, though I was starting to calm down. Jax stroked his chin like he had a beard (even though he didn't...obviously) and looked at me thoughtfully. "No, Kora, I don't think that's the case at all. It's not murder when it's for their own good. No no-don't shake your head-just think about it. If...you know...putting someone to sleep for their own good was considered murder...wouldn't some doctors be murderers? Because they cut off peoples' life supports when they're dying?"

"That's different than jamming a knife into someone's chest, Jax." I growled, my heart breaking at the very thought.

"Well...it's close to the same situation...in a way. She was dying, Kora, and you knew it. She was being torn apart on the inside. There was nothing you or I could do to stop it...so we had to end it."

"There's not difference between stopping and ending though!" I yelled, my voice growing hysterical again. This was a bit more than I could handle. Jax tried to pat my shoulder, but I pulled away from him, tears rolling down my face.

"There's a difference," Jax said when I refused to look him in the eye. "The difference is...well...usually when you stop something it can pick itself up again. You stop the flu from spreading for now. You stop your kid from acting up again for now. When you end something...it's almost always permanent."

I turned to look at him, his face blurred because of the tears in my eyes. He nodded once at me, like he was trying to convince me that what he said was right...or trying to convince himself.

"Jax, I don't have anyone left." I choked. Jax stared at me, a look of scandalized disbelief written on his face. Then he grinned widely. "You don't have anyone left?" He asked me, raising his eyebrows. "Well, girl, you have me! I'm standing right here, solid and human! SEE! CAN YOU SEE ME OR AM I JUST A GHOST!?"

I wasn't sure if he was trying to fire me up or make me laugh. You could never really tell with him.

Whatever the case, his words calmed me down a bit. I sighed and allowed him to pull me close.  I stood against him for a moment, and then I felt something wet hit the top of my head. I looked up at Jax, who was relatively taller than me, and discovered that he was crying.

He shot me a watery smile when he caught me looking. "Hey...I know I'm kind of dating you and all...but Jackie was...oh this is going to sound ironic. She was like a sister to me."

When I continued to stare at him, his eyes became wide and horrified. "Wait! No! No no no no! I didn't-I mean-It's not like-GAH! Sorry! I'm so forward and...ah crap." He stammered.

I started to laugh, and he looked at me, confused. That just made me laugh harder. "Jax! I can't believe-you think-I was worried about-the dating thing!" I said between gasps of laughter. Jax relaxed a little. "So you're not?"

I was laughing so hard now my ribs hurt. "Jax, we both like each other, okay?" I said once I have calmed down. "We can get along and all that. Really. You've cheered me up now, you happy?"

Jax grinned. "Hell, yeah, I'm happy! Even though I was hoping my words of wisdom would have made you-never mind." He said hastily when he saw the incredulous look on my face.

---

Jax and I continued to walk away, trying to escape my dead sister and whatever had possessed her. I knew one thing for sure: I did not want that beast in my body.

My body is a temple, and I don't need this thing tearing it down like it did to my sister.

And I was definitely worried about Jax. Now that I wasn't sobbing my eyes out or worrying about my sister, I noticed that he was limping, and every time he took a deep breath his hand flew to one of the wounds on his side.

"Are you okay?" I asked slowly, know the answer before I even opened my mouth.

"I'm fine, Cupcake. Just-" He gasped a bit and bent over. I scurried toward him but he flung out an arm to keep me away. I glared at him but he didn't see me, he just kept his head bent.

After a moment he stood up straight again. "Just a little sore, my dear." He said stiffly. I wanted to sleep him for trying to shake this crap off like it was a scratch, but I knew he didn't need any more pain.

"Maybe we should stop, Jax." I said nervously. I was well aware that we hadn't gone far enough at all, but I also knew how hard it was to walk around when you could barely breath right.

"Nah, I'm okay." Jax said lightly, stepping around me and continuing to limp off. I stared at him, anger bubbling in my stomach, before trotting after him.

As if my nerves hadn't been wrought out enough.

---

The sun was rising by the time Jax and I spoke again.

"We-need-to stop." Jax wheezed, collapsing on the sidewalk and putting his head in his hands. Again, I resisted the urge to slap him. "I told you that you needed to stop at least two miles ago!" I snapped at him.

Jax looked at me from between his fingers. "I wasn't tired then." He excused himself.

"I don't give a crap!" I yelled, stamping my foot angrily. "You would have been better off stopping!"

Jax lifted his head and sneered at me. I stepped away from him, taken aback by his behavior. Jax didn't sneer...at least not at me.

"You would have preferred me to have gotten us killed?" He questioned me, his eyes glowing furiously.

"You would have gotten us-" I began, ready to argue my point, but Jax cut across me.

"Oh yes I would have." He said. "And I'm not bringing us both down. I'm not ready to give up yet."

"Both?"

Jax's eyes grew a little softer as he looked at the baffled expression on my face. "Kora...you wouldn't have left me, if the monster came and found us. You would have stayed and died to."

"So what?" I asked heatedly. Jax shrugged. "Well, I couldn't have you dying for me now, could I?" He joked. I rolled my eyes. "Yeah well, your little problem still hasn't changed, because I'm not moving."

Jax shrugged. He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly his eyes widened. "Jax, what is it?" I whispered hoarsely.

Jax fell forward on the concrete, face planting on the road. I would have laughed if there hadn't been a monster standing behind him.

The monster hissed at me. Blood pumped out of a fresh wound in Jax's shoulder. The monster stood poised over him, ready to strike the killing blow.

That's when my instincts kicked in.

It happened so quickly, I couldn't tell you exactly how it all went. I only knew that at one point I was jumping in front of Jax and the next I was pinned on top of him, claws going all the way through me.

I screamed in pain as I felt a horrible tug on my insides. I looked up through a haze of pain and watched the monster pull something out of me.

Probably my guts.

And at that moment, I knew it was over. I knew I was going to die.

"I love you...Jax..." I rasped.

"You...too..." Jax whispered back.

Pangs stung my stomach as a heard slurping sounds from the monster behind me. I let my body relax a little.

This was it.