Land of the Dead

25) Sanity level: low

Max reacted a split second late and started peppering the room with bullets. Rose hid under the table Victoria lay on and burst into tears; Alice crawled over to the other room and Kat hid behind a small chair that had been flipped over in the corner of the room. Lily was struck several times in the gut but remained in an upright position, before collapsing onto the ground, earning a high-pitched squeal to sound from Rose's dry and aching throat.

Jett knocked the gun out of Max's grasp and lodged the sword into Max's stomach, twisting it a couple of times. He heaved the sword upwards, cutting open his belly and dislodged the sword. Max doubled over.

Jett proceeded to stab him one last time, in order to make sure that he was truly dead, but paused at the sound of his sisters screaming.

"STOP IT!" Alice ran out of the connected room, cutting open her leg on a shard of thick, sharp glass. She couldn't feel the pain that branched out throughout her leg and rammed herself into Jett, tackling him in a hug.

"STOP!" Alice collapsed on the remains of Max, dragging Jett along with her. Crimson blood sprayed everywhere as she held Jett in her grasp. She stroked his hair.

"Please, stop. I get it. I really do, I'll change, just stop." Tears dripped down her cheeks, leaving a clear trail behind. She couldn't change, and she knew it.

"Oh my goodness, just stop."

Jett brushed her thick, blonde hair to the side. He pressed Dave's gun against her neck, but she didn't realize.

"You said you couldn't feel anything." His whisper was barely audible.

"Which means in the end you'll be okay."

Alice whispered gently. "I'll be with Slate then. And mother and father. And sister. I'll be with everyone up there."

Jett's hand shook slightly, his finger resting on the trigger. He couldn't make out what was going through his insane mind at the moment. Did he have the power to kill his own sister?

Again?

Both of them would be gone. All of his family would be gone. He would be the only one left if he took her life. Jett took a deep, shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry." He murmured as he raised the gun to his own forehead and pulled the trigger.

• • •

Ivy sat on the ground, clearly shocked beyond words. Slowly she raised her hands to her eyes and rubbed them furiously. Flynn looked just as nervous as her.

She reached out to lock her hand in his own, but hesitated. Flynn saw this and looked away, sadness penetrating his own milk-chocolate brown eyes.

"I...I need to know this first..." Ivy gulped. "Is...i-is this real or fake?"

Flynn looked up, and suddenly a smile overcame his features. "Real."

Ivy raised her hands to her mouth. She couldn't believe what he was saying. She always thought there was somebody out there better for Flynn, but instead, Flynn chose her. He chose her because he thought she was perfect.

Ivy placed her hand in Flynn's own.

"Yes!" She croaked. "Yes, yes!"

Flynn helped her up onto her feet. "Quickly," he said, still smiling at her. "Let's escape, together."

They ran at full speed across the open field. Zane shouted after them, having realized they'd made a run for it a moment later. He chased after them, waving his gun in the air. He couldn't shoot them from that distance.