Ghosts ✔

013 • Dana

Dana pushed her hands against the wound, from which the blood was pouring. What should she do? What the hell should she do? Tears blurred her sight at Kip's white face. He looked so pale... was he dying? She tried to keep control of the fear, tried to find strength so she could help her friend, but again and again her thoughts froze, making her stare petrified at the blood gliding through her fingers.

Kip moaned. "Sorry," his lips whispered. "I..."

Dana shook her head, she didn't want to hear his words. She wanted to give him no room to say goodbye, he couldn't give up. Without him she would never survive this hell. 

"I'm going to get help."

She swerved as she stood up, fell and maintained her balance with help of the wall. 

Help. Are you serious, Dana? Where the hell would that come from, huh? 

Maddox – Maddox had to help her. She had to convince him. She started to run, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She felt Kip's blood sticking to her hair. She rounded a corner, saw him just going upstairs. 

"Wait!" she yelled. 

He turned around. She fell on her knees on the ground, grabbing his shoes. "I'm sorry... Please Maddox, spare his life. I will do whatever you want. Please. Please."

She doubted he could hear what she was saying, every word was drenched in suffocating tears. 

He snorted dismissively. "Why do you think I can save him?"

"There has to be someone around with medical skills," she sobbed. "We live in such a remote place... Please Maddox. I can't – I can't lose anyone else."

"You don't need him." He stepped back, pulling his shoes away from her trembling fingers. "You have me. You don't need anyone else."

Dana bent her head, more tears gliding down her cheeks. What else could she say? What else could she beg? "Please," she whispered sobbing. "Please Maddox. You told me – you told me you had changed. Don't become that harsh, inaccessible man again. Please, spare his life."

With a sigh, he sat down at the stairs. His hand cupped her cheek as he lifted her face. "All those tears... they never would have been there if you had stayed with me. If you never had left me. You brought this upon yourself, Dana. His blood is on your hands."

Anger raged through her, trying to extinguish the despair. She wanted to launch herself at him, beat him, scratch him, slam his head against the stairs until his skull was bursting. But it wouldn't help her, it wouldn't save Kip. 

She however didn't know what would. 

She laid her fingers across his as she tried to pour all her conviction into her words. "Please. I know I don't deserve your help, and that he doesn't deserve to live. But please, show him mercy. Please – give me a glimpse of that man that I have fallen in love with a long time ago, who I once loved. Not this harsh shield."

He stared at her. Dana barely dared to breathe. Would he freak out again? Or would he just ignore her? Or had she just reached that tiny remnant of his heart?

His face became softer, for a moment she even thought to see regret in his eyes. Then he stroked her cheek. "Okay, I'll go get the doctor."

Sobbing, Dana hugged him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

She felt his hand move hesitantly between her shoulder blades. She squeezed her eyes. Why couldn't he always be this way? Why was this harsh, insane side of him always dominating? She pulled back a little, laying a hand on his cheek and giving him a kiss – the first genuine, grateful kiss. 

His eyes widened and she saw that he felt the sincerity as well. Slightly frowning as if he was confused, he stood up and walked past her, down the stairs, heading to the door. With wobbly legs Dana stood up as well. She ran back to Kip, and with every step she took she became more and more afraid that she was too late, that he was already gone. 

As soon as she ran through the door, she dropped on her knees in front of him and grabbed his hand. "Kip! Kip!" she yelled, laying a hand in his neck. 

Slowly his eyes opened. He moaned as he lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, then they dropped down again. Her glance moved to the side, to the enormous pool of blood. She took off her shirt, propped it together and pushed it against the wound. 

"Help is coming. Help is really coming." Raking through his clammy hair, she kept repeating the sentence until she heard hasty footsteps enter the room. 

Maddox came in, together with an armed man that usually stood guard at the dock. Relieved, Dana breathed in. She had been right, Maddox had kept a doctor close. He wasn't stupid, he knew he was sharing a house with two people who wanted him dead. 

When Maddox came to stood next to her, her hand slipped into his. Not even to do him a favor, only because she was still afraid that Kip would die right before her eyes. She needed someone's support.

After a while Maddox pulled his hand away from hers, wrapped an arm around her waist and held her close. He pressed his lips against her jaw, next to her ear. 

"Will he survive?" Maddox asked the man. 

Grateful for his question, Dana leaned into him. 

"If he's the least of a fighter, he will."

Dana closed her eyes. A tear slipped between her eyelashes. 

A fighter he was. They all were.

. . .

Hey all! 

When I started translating Runaway to upload it on Wattpad, half of the story was already written, but right now I have run out of chapters. So the time of almost daily updates is over, haha. I'll try to update at least once a week! =) 

Please let me know what you think of the sequel up to now, I know it's a dark one and different from Runaway. Reading back old chapters really makes me miss all the Juice and Dana fluff, haha, but I hope this story has its charms too. 

Thanks for reading!

xx