Unspoken

Chapter 37

Red.

My clothes and his become stained with red, mainly where the Taser hit. I don't understand. I look into my father's eyes and find that his are looking back into mine.

But they're not at the same time. They are blank, so distant I would think they're on the coast with the oceans instead of beside me in the middle of the City.

As his body begins to crumble to the ground, I know that that's not true. He has left his body for good.

And it was because of me.

I can't hear anything around me except for a soft ringing of shock in my ears. After the pop of the Taser, my hearing stopped working. All I can do is see. I see his blood splattered on my own clothes, on his clothes, and pooling around his lifeless body. I see his wide eyes, full of shock even though there's no one in there to feel such an emotion. I see the people standing stiller than the statues at the City Museum, staring our way because they don't understand what just happened; nothing like this has ever happened before.

Someone grabs me from behind and begins to pull me as the sound starts to return.

The first sound my ears catch is a sharp shriek. It takes me a moment to realize that it isn't anybody's shriek around me.

"Dad!" I harshly scream through the air. My throat already aches with how much I've yelled. I begin to have trouble forming the word and wail into the air. The sobs are so harsh that I'm no doubt wasting word after word.

Free Speaks mill through the crowd to keep them quiet. Some Tasers sound around me as people begin to scream, then are attacked. They're dying.

I can't take my eyes away from my father's body as I'm picked up from around the waist and hauled away. I work to break from the hold. Whoever grabbed me sets me down and turns me to face him; Brody. His eyes look as troubled as my own. His voice trembles as he speaks to me.

"Taeo...stop screaming. We can't leave the street if you're screaming--they'll find us. Your dad...wasn't supposed to die. Just pretend for a minute he isn't yet. We have to run."

I'm about to take off the way we came when a voice behind us says, "Step away from him, Brody."

I turn carefully to find Beau is pointing a Taser at me, right at the spot I'd pointed my own at my father.

Brody steps in front of me. "Move or I'll shoot you, too!" Beau yells, putting his fingers on the trigger. "Michael said Taeo doesn't make it back alive. I can take anybody down to make sure that happens."

All the blood drains from my skin. Brody tenses at the news, but quickly regains himself and pulls his own Taser out to point at Beau. "You're a coward, Beau."

A Taser sounds from the other side of Brody. He shoots just afterward.

Beau crumbles before Brody's bullet hits him; someone else has shot him. Salt and blood starts to form a stench in the air.

Someone shrieks.

I look around Brody to find that Baya is clutching her shoulder, which is now flowing with blood. Hawk comes up behind her and throws his arms around her waist. He picks her up in one motion and starts toward our ally. "Let's go! Leave the dead weight."

Brody pulls me after him. Baya works to quiet her cries in front of us as we hurry away from Circle 1. I want nothing more than to comfort her, but I'm so broken I don't even think I can comfort myself.

--

There it is. All the anticipation, and here we are. So what do you guys think of this turn of events?

Vote, comment, etc! I'm especially excited to hear what you guys have to say!

And don't you worry, plenty more is coming your way! We have 20 or so more chapters to go!

Alisha :)