CHAPTER TEN.
▬ ▬▬ ▬ ▬ ▬
"BORN TO DIE"
THE NEVER LEAVING DEATH TERM WAS MIXED TO AMY'S HAIR BULB, EXTENDING OVER HER BODY. The ghosts that used to live on her head turned into silhouettes, standing like columns, their piercing eyes on her as they watched the scene in front of them with bated breath.
Her father was at the front, yet his face was blurry; even her imagination wasn't enough to define a man she never met. Her uncle was standing next to him, and Amy for a moment felt happy because the Winters brothers were finally united even though it was only on her head.
Kate Schmidt's ghost had joined them, but her eyes were flickering between the brunette and her own lifeless body that laid a few steps ahead.
Simon's eyes lost their focus.
"Amy!" He yelled as he pushed her out of the way just in time. She fell to the ground, the brutal cracking sound followed. Her defeat shattered before breaking into pieces and mixing with the tense air like dust.
It all happened too fast.
She watched Simon hold the Nightwing killer, at least he tried to. The ax stuck to his arm, the blood splashed and Simon grunted in pain. The vision of Simon laying on the ground with an ax on his head crawled to her brain, splitting her heart into little pieces.
"No!" Amy screamed, her legs kicking the killer with the strength she could collect from every inch of her soul. Taking the icepick she had in her pocket, she stuck it to the killer's leg. The Nightwing Killer stumbled, almost falling to the ground, and thereby giving them enough time to recover.
"Come on!" Simon shouted, helping her stand up. She threw herself to him as soon as her feet met with the ground, letting him carry her away.
Josh threw her arm over his shoulder, balancing the girl between Simon and himself. Weary and numb, Amy wasn't able to hide the shades of pain from her face, every ache reflected her pale face. The Nightwing Killer was following them and Amy's broken leg wasn't really help as the trio ran.
Amy had never broken a bone before, yet she would say -maybe because of adrenaline or shock of seeing a dead body- there was no pain. It was a needle pricking to her skin compared to the thunderstorm inside her chest.
"I got it." Simon mumbled as they turned the corner. "You keep Amy safe and away, you hear me, Josh?"
"I'm not leaving without you." Amy argued as she limped to the other corner. Simon took out her sweater, throwing it to the opposite way to gain some time, Amy was left on a camisole. "Don't leave me."
"I can't lose you too." Simon whispered as he briefly pressed his lips to hers. "Go!"
Amy barely had time to give one of her icepicks to him as Josh pulled her away forcefully. The bangings and crackings followed along with a female scream that could easily shatter glasses.
"Crystal." Amy breathed out, as she clung to Josh's arm. "No, no. Go save her! Please, I beg you. I beg you." Josh hesitantly looked at her, his eyes watered. He was still in the shock of seeing the dead body of the girl he loved. "Josh, please!" Amy pleaded as tears fell from her cheeks as if they were fallen stars.
Kate was gone.
Simon was fighting with the Nightwing Killer.
Crystal was screaming for her life.
Amy had a broken leg.
Matthew was nowhere to be seen.
A singing sound broke the violent voices, the sweet melody echoing in the market. "Josh, shit!" Amy whispered as she pulled him towards a corner.
Ruby Lane looked around, tilting her head as she searched for blood. Simon's trick was successful as Ruby went for the sweater she had worn, now on the ground.
A hand grasped Amy's shoulder, she yelped in panic. She was totally defenseless and ready to be embraced by the rough hands of the death. "It's me." Matthew whispered to her hair as he caressed her cheek. He followed where her hands rested, furrowing his brows "I got her, go."
Josh ran, desperate to find his sister. Matthew held Amy's body with no difficulty. They turned a corner, getting into an empty hall. "We need to find Crystal." He instructed as he swiftly walked, carrying Amy with him. "We need-"
Matthew was never able to finish his sentence as a bang on his head made him fall to his knees, thereby dropping Amy. She grunted with pain, hands on the ground, her chin resting on the icy marbles as she looked at the scary so-called kid.
Billy Barker hovered over them with his stupid -yet scary- mask. His little hands were curled around his baseball bat. Before Billy Barker could raise his bat to hit Amy, her friend recovered fast. Matthew's body clashed with the killer's, both struggling on the floor. Amy crawled towards the bat, supporting herself with her hands to get up. The pain started to move in her chest like greased lightning, making her gasp for breath.
It was hard to balance herself with a broken leg, still, the adrenaline gave her the strength Amy never thought she had. Hitting the kid's head with his own bat without hesitancy, she let out a war scream. She was tired, numb, and angry. The anger was a fire that was feeding on her energy, igniting every hope she had. Amy yelped when Billy Barker grasped her ankle, the bat slipping from her fingers.
"Go!" Matthew shouted as he caught and held the bat against Barker's neck. "Amy, run!"
Amy didn't need to be told twice as she limped in the hall. Her eyes caught of Deena, drowning Sam. She didn't know what happened to the original plan but she didn't care.
Another female scream echoed, hitting the walls and marbles, splashing the true color of dread; crimson and this time Amy found the source.
Crystal was struggling with Skull Mask squeezing her neck. She gasped for breath, desperately hitting his arm. Her feet were barely touching the ground, and she had little energy because her hands idly hit Skull Mask's arms.
Amy searched for a weapon, icepicks weren't really the best choice it would take time for her to reach them with a broken leg. Amy looked for the vodka, which was now lying on the floor. She reached for it, tears forming in her eyes due to the pain of her leg. She spilled the bottle towards Skull Mask, slowly stepping back.
"Come on," She whispered to him. "Come and get me!"
Skull Mask's grip on her friend lessened as he dropped her friend to the floor, and reached for Amy. She stepped back as much as she could until her back hit the wall. "Crystie, now!"
Crystal dropped the lighter to the Skull Mask, pulling her friend away from him. They didn't stay to watch him burn as they ran to opposite way.
The blood was dripping from Crystal's stomach, her hands pressuring the wound. Her eyes were half-closed as she coughed blood. Amy helped her take off the jacket, throwing it away. Although they didn't have Sam's blood on them anymore, they were already on the killers' way, therefore targets of them.
Amy's eyes flickered to the alcohol section that wasn't so away from them. She rose slowly and grasping the shelves to support herself, taking deep breaths as she walked to the section in order to clean her friend's wounds before it was too late.
"Don't." Crystal whispered after her but Amy ignored her pleading.
She inhaled sharply when she reached the section, eyes searching for vodka. Taking the vodka again, she came back to the hall she left her friend. "Crystal?" Amy asked as nobody was there. The silence was unsettling.
"Amy!" Crystal's shouting echoed. "NO!"
No." Amy breathed out, the vodka slipped from her hands before breaking into pieces under her feet. "Crystal! Where are you?"
The sounds became more incoherent while Amy wandered in the halls. Echoes made it impossible to find her friend. Tears prickled her eyes, dread moved in her veins like acid.
"Crystal!" She shouted, slightly turning her head to back only to see the Barker boy following her. She picked up the pace and turned to a corner, trying to find her friend. Her steps were independent of her thoughts. She turned her head again, exhaling when she saw that Billy Barker finally stopped following her.
Her body collapsed with someone, Amy stumbled on her feet, grabbing the closest shelf to balance herself. She turned her head, looking in front of her. "Crystie." She breathed out, looking to the hands holding her. "NO!"
Her screams echoed in the empty market as the Nightwing Killer stuck his ax to her stomach. The pain made her tear up as she tasted blood on her dry mouth, the sour taste traveled to her throat. Her weak hands hit his shoulders, trying to break free. The Nightwing Killer threw her to the ground, her head harshly hitting it. "No, no!" She cried more, even her voice was weak just like her body.
It was funny how everything seemed to happen on the wings of the wind when she saw Kate's dead body, or when they were attacked.
But now, it all happened in a snail-pace.
Amy didn't want to die. Not like this. But he didn't stop, her pleadings were in vain. All she could do was to watch him sticking his ax to her chest over and over. She coughed, blood spreading to her face. She felt numb and vulnerable. She counted 6 wounds, right going into her chest. But her mind became blurry as he went on.
She never knew her father but she knew one thing; the last thing both daughter and father saw was the same person. The same monster.
Would she meet with her father in the afterlife? Would stars inject her soul, turning her into a bright light in the darkness? Or would she be alone in there? Forever and always?
The answers scared her, more than the ax going through her heart. She wished she had talked with her mother. She last saw her in the Goode Meeting. She wanted to hear her mother's soft voice, and inhale her sweet smell. She wanted – no, needed her mother. What was the last thing she said to her? Amy couldn't remember.
Amy closed her eyes, darkness was safer than the sight in front of her. It wasn't long after that her scream turned into quiet sobs, her plea for him to stop turning into the one for him to finish it.
Did her father die this slowly and painfully? Tears wetted her cheeks after they burnt her eyes.
Then, it all stopped.
Amy dared to open her eyes as the Nightwing dropped his ax to the floor. Her eyes wandered in his movements while she coughed more blood. The killer reached towards her neck like a leopard, which was getting ready to break its prey's neck.
The ax wasn't enough, now he would choke her to death?
His rough hands grasped the metal necklace, snatching it from her neck forcefully. He held it towards his face as the heart shape circled. He tilted his head while he watched it, like a baby's first time seeing a mirror.
It only lasted a minute. Then, he threw the necklace to the ground, reaching for his ax again. The ax was raised, and Amy didn't blink this time.
"NO!" Crystal's voice echoed as she ran towards them. She jumped to the killer's back, hitting him a few times with the icepick.
Icepicks were a lifesaver.
"Crystal, jump!" Matthew.
Her friends. They came. They found her.
Matthew threw himself to the killer, both struggling on the floor. Please, let my friends live. Please, let them live.
"Oh my god, oh my god." Crystal repeated on her knees. She caressed Amy's dark hair and her pale face. Her own face was covered in blood, and Amy knew her long enough to see the pain in her cloudy eyes. "Okay, it's okay. We got you."
A figure turned to corner, frowning with the sight. "A- Amy."
"Simon." She choked on her blood, coughing. Simon practically threw himself to the floor, his hand pressing the many wounds. She grimaced in pain. "I- I am sorry. I am sorry."
Amy wanted to say a lot of things. She wanted to say 'it is okay' and 'it is not your fault'. She wanted to say that she was sorry for his best friend. But she was too tired, her eyelids felt heavy, and her face was as empty as a canvas.
"Hey," Simon gently patted her cheeks. She couldn't focus on anything. Everything felt blurry. "Don't close your-" He breathed out, his eyes watered. "your eyes."
She tried to nod but her head was held by Crystal. "You are going to be okay." Crystal spoke but it felt more like she was talking to herself.
"We are going to survive this." Simon nodded, tears were falling from his cheeks. Amy wanted to reach him. "We will read comic books together just like we used to in sixth grade. I'll take you to a date. Like a Sunnyvaler shit date." Amy laughed but it hurt. "I'll get a good job, and give you a proper ring."
"From the moment we sat besides each other at fifth grade, even when you left me for 2 years and erased me from your memory, every single memory I have with you lives in my head vividly." He bit his lip to stop his sobs. "Because it has always been you, Amy Winters."
Amy didn't know if it was the sweet words he spoke or the wounds that made her hold her breath. All she knew was that she liked that plan. A lot. She wanted to live. She didn't want to die. Not like this. Not when she wasn't even 18 yet.
Simon put his forehead against hers, she swallowed closing her eyes. "You punched Jacob Harvey in the fifth grade on the father's day because he made fun of me for not having a father." She whispered, gasping between the sentences. "You stole a comic book for me on my birthday in the seventh grade." She wanted to keep her eyes open but every single eyelash was clinging to one another, forming an inextricable knot.
"Don't." Simon cried. "Please, do- don't leave me."
She held her pinky finger towards her friend. Crystal took it, a sob leaving her mouth. "I will find you in every life and everywhere." Crystal promised as she collapsed next to her. "See you on the other side."
Those were the last words she managed to hear before the world went black. Simon Kalivoda survived. But his best friend and soulmate couldn't.
Amy was right from the start. The Winters name was cursed.
Amy Love-Winters died. Just like Louis Winters did.
Sam finally died, all the killers turned to nothing but ashes as if they were not even there.
Deena was trying to get her girlfriend back to life with her brother on her side. "Everyone is dead." Josh whispered, the tears made it hard to see. "Kate, Amy."
Just a few halls away, Amanda Love-Winters laid on the floor. Simon crying over her lifeless body, while Crystal shaking her friend in the hope of bringing her back. Maybe she would wake up?
Matthew Goode froze at the sight.
Amy's one hand was still on Crystal's, the other resting on her stomach where the all wounds were. Her eyes were closed, sending her to the infinite darkness. Her lips were parted, painted to burgundy red of blood. Her skin was covered in that red, it reminded Matthew of the paint she used to do.
Little Amy would always draw her father's lifeless body. She'd paint his body with the same red that now rested on her own body. Teresa Love took her to many doctors, wondering if her daughter carried the broken pieces of the event she never experienced. But all said the same; Amy was comforting herself with drawing a peaceful dead to Louis Winters.
If it weren't for the red, Matthew would say she was sleeping. The girl lying in there was his girl, his Amy. The same girl who cried with him in his mother's grave. The same girl who held him when he first fell. The same girl who was his everything.
The old memories took over as his body moved on its own. He pushed Simon out of the way as he kneeled next to her. His hands reached to her heart as he applied pressure. He repeated the action a few times, then pressing his lips to hers, blowing the air.
"Come on." Matthew repeated the act, his hands on her heart. His quiet tears were fire and brimstone. "Come back to me, Amy."
Crystal's sobs turned to screams as she watched the others approached. Sam Fraser was alive. But her friend wasn't. Her eyes resembled trees that survived a fire with turning to ashes.
"Come on!" Matthew repeated, his movements were swifter. His face was as desperate as his tone. "Amy, wake up!"
I want her back, his mind screamed, even the demons on his head were scared of the voice and ran to different ways, Bring her back to me.
First, her caramel eyes opened, and then she breathed. More blood spread to her face as she coughed. Candlelit eyes were fixed to the ceiling as she breathed mother nature, injecting it into her soul.
Amy Love-Winters came back to life for the second time.
💀 🩸 🦴 😈 🔪
𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓'𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆:
i lowkey hate this chapter?? idk, i hope you guys liked it <3
so, yes i have decided to save them
only 1 chapter is left and then 1978 starts and i have so many ideas!
also, i'd like to drop this:
(skull mask had no chance against them)