Innocent (Stark's Daughter 7)

Chapter 18

"No." He whispers.

I stand up slowly, raising Captain's jumper and I show Zeke the dark red line that scars my skin with the stitches standing proudly. Zeke stands up beside me, his fingers lightly touching my damaged skin.

"Does that hurt?" He mutters, his breath hot on my skin.

"Not anymore."

"Im so sorry i wasn't there to protect you. I let you down and I swear it won't happen again." Zeke mumbles, looking at the ground.

"Zeke, you couldn't have done anything." I point out, standing on my tiptoes to kiss him.

"I could have helped."

"Zeke, sweetie, if something would have happened to you, Hope and Lucas would have lost us both." I point out, my hand locking with his and Zeke nods slowly.

"I didn't know whether to believe the papers or not. I didn't know if you were dead or alive. Please, can you promise me this won't happen again?" Zeke asks, giving me the begging eyes.

"I promise." I whisper, knowing deep down that I cannot keep this promise.

Zeke pulls my hand towards the bedroom as I yawn, feeling exhaustion take control of my body.

After about half an hour, Zeke starts to breath heavily and snore quietly against my neck, prickling my skin. Gently, I pull away and place my bare feet on the ground.

Screams echo in my ears. Women. Men. Children. Brothers. Sisters. Victims. I squeeze my eyes shut, attempting to block out the murderous cries that haunt me.

The wooden floor is cool against my feet as I step into the living room, stumbling slightly. I sit on the sofa, turning on the tv quietly and a random chat show appears. I sneeze suddenly, pulling my hands up and leaning forward.

"Bless you."

I turn to the right, seeing Hope stood behind the bar with a bottle of alcohol in her hands. She pulls her hair back into a loose ponytail and sorts her hoodie so it sits on her shoulders properly.

"Thanks." I mutter, leaning back again.

"Mum, where did you really go?" Hope asks, her voice getting louder as she walks towards me.

"I had to hide from some gangs."

"The ones that made a replica of your suit?" Hope questions.

My head snaps towards her, confusion filling me. Did Zeke show them?

"How do you know about that?"

"I saw the video and i spoke to Coulson because no one would tell me anything." Hope admits, drinking from the transparent bottle.

"There's more then one gang."

"That's going to cause trouble." Hope mumbles to herself.

"It already has, hopefully they'll stop."

"Are you going to tell the media you are home?" Hope quizzes.

"I don't know. I don't know about anything yet." I announce.

Hope nods and walks back to her bedroom, down the corridor and left.

The only sound is the small mumble of the chat show on tv and my breathing. I slide onto the floor, leaning my back on the edge of the sofa, pulling my knees to my chest and burying my face.

The screams fill my mind, flashes of the final seconds of life they felt. Their lips parted in agonizing screams as they try to cry out for help.

I blink slowly, but I instantly see the dead bodies piled high. Quickly, I open my eyes again, tears dripping down my cheeks.