❝fading (pronounced feɪdɪŋ or feyd-ing), verb
to disappear or die gradually.
e.g. the life was fading from her eyes.❞
They weren't speaking to each other. One would think that that would be the first course of action, to speak to each other. At least they wouldn't be wasting their final few moments together. But Ryan just cried, as quietly as she could. This was her fault. Hunter was going to die because of her own stupidity. This was all her own damn fault. She was hurting from the scars Dahlia had given her, and being stuck in the same position for such a long time was giving her cramps. She hadn't eaten anything since the sandwich she had eaten during lunch at school. Surely Lucky was looking after the kids. Oh, if she could see them again...
"My dove, please," said Hunter tiredly after a few hours. "Please stop crying. What's the use?"
She sniffled. "This is all my fault, Hunt. I did this. I... I failed you as a wife. I failed our kids as a mother."
"We can't very well sit here and cry about it, can we?" he said, more gently this time. "Do you think you can shuffle your chair back a couple of feet?"
"M-Maybe."
"C'mere, then."
She managed to scoot her chair back, little by little. Judging by the shuffling from behind her, he was doing the same. Soon, their chairs were side by side, and they could see each other's faces. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "It's because I fought with you that any of this started. I can't believe... Ry, I'm so sorry I didn't trust you."
"I didn't trust you," she said softly. "How could I ever have thought that you'd cheat on me?"
"I thought the same, didn't I?"
"No," she said quietly. "It's because I went to that freaking party. Because I didn't trust you enough to just tell you that I thought I might have been drugged."
He looked into her eyes. "I love you, my dove. More than anything. I'm so, so, unbelievably sorry."
"I'm sorry. This is my fault. And now you're... you're..." She began to cry again, and Hunter looked pained. He leaned towards her, kissing her cheek.
"I'm not going to die," he said softly. "I promise."
"How can you promise something like that?" she whispered.
He didn't answer her, and sighed. "My dove... I... I want you to know just how much I love you. In case something like this ever happens again."
"How will I do this alone?" she whispered. "I can't look after three kids. I can't lose you. You're everything to me."
"You won't lose me. We're gonna get out of here." He looked at the wounds on her neck and eyebrow. "How do your wrists feel?"
"They hurt. Why?"
"Your eyebrow and your neck are still bleeding."
"Oh."
"Ry, you're so pale," he murmured. "You've lost a lot of blood."
"I feel a little dizzy."
He pursed his lips. "Alright, we've got to get out of here. You've lost too much blood, I don't want you getting hurt by them." He leaned forward slightly, managing to nuzzle his nose against her cheek. "We've got to get out of here."
She took a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "What can we do?"
Hunter peered into the shadows. "Can you see anything sharp, maybe? We could try and cut the tape off our wrists."
"Then what?"
"They only tied my chest to the chair. If my arms are free, I can get the rest of it off and help you, too."
"How did they get you?"
"Called me and told me you were here trying to fight Dahlia. I don't know why I believed them. But I came in, and they hit my head with something. Knocked me out. I woke up when Dahlia was calling you."
"Oh, God," she breathed. "Are you hurt?"
"My head hurts like crazy, but that's all. Now isn't the time to worry about me. Let's just get out of here."
"Alright." She squinted through the darkness. "Maybe there's something on the wall?"
"Doubt it. I didn't see a knife hung here. What else could we use?"
"Something sharp..." Her eyes fell onto a vase on a shelf. "Wait, I have an idea."
"Okay."
She shuffled her chair towards the vase, trying to make little noise. The house had a lot of echo when it was empty like this, and the noises that came from that made her even more scared. She strained her right leg against the tape. It seemed the bounds on her feet were done quite loosely, so maybe if she could get her leg free...
"What are you doing?"
"I'm gonna try and break the vase onto that table," she said. "We'll have a sharp piece of ceramic. It's not the best thing right now, but it's all we've got."
"Alright. Let's do this." He scooted his chair over. "What are you going to do?"
She got her leg free. "Got it," she muttered. "And now..." She kicked the wall with all her might. The vase teetered on its edge, before toppling onto the table with a loud smash. "Okay. I can't cut my own tape, but maybe I can cut yours."
"Alright."
The low table was covered in shards, and Ryan took a piece. Hunter moved towards her so that they were back to back, and she tried to cut Hunter's tape. "Don't worry about being too careful," he said softly. "We just need to get out."
"I'm trying." She cut about halfway, then sighed. "I think that's all I can do. My wrists aren't strong enough..."
"I know, it's okay." He strained, until Ryan heard a snap. "I did it! I broke it!"
"Good," she said softly, trying not to close her eyes. "Okay... get us both free, and then we can find a way out."
"Yep." She could hear him ripping the tape off himself, and her head lolled. She was so tired... if she could just rest... She could feel the wounds on her body bleeding.
She felt Hunter beginning to undo her bonds, and as soon as she was free, she stood up and threw herself into his arms. "Oh, my god," she breathed. "Hunt, I'm so sorry."
"You're bleeding so much," he murmured. "We need to find a way out." He nuzzled his face against her hair and she closed her eyes. "God, I'm so glad to be able to hold you like this."
"Me, too," she whispered. "I've missed you so much, bluejay."
"It's gonna be okay," he reassured her. "We're gonna get out of here, I promise."
She cried softly, and he murmured sweet nothings to her, trying to soothe her. "No, my dove. Don't cry. It'll all be okay."
She shook her head, sobbing. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I'm... I'm..." Her legs felt like jelly, and she collapsed. Hunter caught her before she hit the floor. "Ryan!"
But she closed her eyes.
Hunter lifted her shirt, where there seemed to be a lot of blood, and saw the cut Dahlia had made in her hip before she left. It was worse than she had let on. Now, she was in so much pain that she had passed out. "No, no, come on," he muttered desperately. "Wake up, Ry!" He kissed all over her face, but to no avail. He could still feel her heart beating faintly, struggling with the low amount of blood that she had. Her breathing was shallow, and she was fighting for every breath. Alright, he thought to himself. Then it's my turn to save us.
He carried Ryan to their phones. They were broken to bits. There was no hope of calling the police yet. But he saw their children in his mind. Their little Ellie, a little dancer with maturity beyond her years and kindness beyond anything. Their little Nick, whose best moments were with a pencil in his hand and an idea in his head, who loved and protected everything he stood for. And little Robbie, who was sweet and gentle, just like her mother.
We're gonna get out of here, he thought to himself. We will see our children again. I promise you, Ry. I pinky promise.
He stood up. Ryan's breathing was getting slower, so he kissed her lips once. She usually breathed faster whenever he did that. She stirred slightly, and her breathing quickened again. Her eyes opened for a moment. "Hunt?"
"I'm here," he said gently. "We're getting out of here."
"Hunt... the... cars..."
"Cars?"
"We... we came in cars. The cars... didn't Tulio...?" She passed out again. He tried to decipher what she was saying until he realised.
"The cars!" he muttered. "Tulio parked them out of sight... so maybe the keys are around here somewhere."
He walked through the dark house, still holding Ryan. Every now and again, she stirred, murmuring Hunter's name. He didn't say anything to her, but holding her was giving him hope. If they were together, it couldn't be all bad, could it? At least now he could think straight. He would get to the car. He'd go to a hospital. He'd call the police and Lucky, and then Ryan would be okay. Everything had to be okay.
He heard snores, and peeked into a room. Tulio was fast asleep on a couch, watching some TV show. The volume was moderately loud, and he was in such a deep sleep that he hadn't heard them escaping. To be fair, they were on the other side of the house, and this was one huge house that they were in.
He spotted his car keys on the table beside Tulio. To get to it, he'd need to be very quiet. He lay Ryan down on the floor near the room. He made sure she was out of sight from the doorway, in case Tulio woke up and tried to hurt her.
He snuck in, careful to be watching the floor and making sure he didn't step on anything the way they did in the movies. Tulio muttered something in his sleep and rolled over on the couch. Hunter crept very carefully towards the keys. There was also a glass of what looked to be water. He took that and the keys, and tried to get out of the room.
"Hun... ter..."
Tulio grunted, and Hunter froze. Ryan was still out of her mind. "Hunt... blue... jay..."
"Shut the f*ck up," muttered Tulio. "Whiny bitch." He stirred slightly, then began snoring again. Hunter sighed in relief, sneaking back to where Ryan was.
Her eyes were open, and she reached out weakly. "H-Hunt..."
"It's okay, my dove," he said softly. He put the glass of water down and lifted her away from the room so that Tulio wouldn't wake up. "We're close. We're gonna get out, just you wait."
She nodded. "Robbie... might be hungry..."
"Now, I'm gonna leave you here for a second," he said softly. "Stay here, don't move, and don't make any noise. I'll be back soon."
She nodded again, closing her eyes. "'Kay."
He went back for the glass of water and sniffed it. No, it wasn't water. It smelled like alcohol. That wasn't what Ryan needed, though he wished he could get drunk. He poured the drink down the drain in the first bathroom he saw and filled the glass with water. Then, he went to where Ryan was lying. "My dove?"
"Mmm?"
"I brought you some water. Here. Drink."
She parted her lips slightly, and Hunter brought the glass to her mouth, tilting it so a little bit trickled out. She drank thirstily. "That's... that's a bit better."
"Yeah? Good. How do you feel?"
"Dizzy." Her eyes weren't quite focused. "The places where she... where she..."
"I know," he said. He moved her shirt up again, noticing the sheer amount of blood on both their clothes. "It looks bad. But it'll be okay. We're gonna get to a hospital now."
"N-No... Hunt, the kids..."
"Lucky's got them, remember? She wouldn't just leave them. It's gonna be okay."
She nodded, her eyes closing again. "I'm so scared," she breathed.
He hesitated, then said, "Me, too. Trust me. I'm... I'm terrified."
Her eyes opened again. The clear, greenish blue of them gave him courage, and he smiled gently. "Hey, we're almost home. I promise."
She reached up to touch his cheek. "I believe you." She tried for a smile, though it looked horrifying with the blood on her face from her eyebrow. "Almost there."
"Exactly. Do you want some more water?"
She shook her head. "You should drink a little, too."
He took a gulp and was surprised at how much clearer his thinking was once he was rehydrated. He took another. "Alright," he said. "That's enough for me. You need it more than I do."
She reached for the glass, helping Hunter feed her some water. She coughed, then groaned. "O-Oh..."
"Are you okay? Did you choke?"
"No... I just..." She closed her eyes yet again. "It's so... cold..."
Hunter slipped his jacket off and put it around her. He was left in a plain white shirt, and he felt cold, but that wasn't important. Ryan was vulnerable. She stopped shivering slightly, sighing. "Better. That's... that's better."
"Let's keep going," he said gently, lifting her again. She winced, but stayed quiet.
"Hunt my... my chest hurts."
"I know," he said. "I can feel your heart beating. You've lost too much blood, Ry."
"Blood," she breathed. "Losing blood. Yeah."
He kissed her forehead. "I know it's hard, but try and stay awake. Tell me about your day at school today."
She told him, sounding slightly slurred and confused, about her day. About how Dahlia had first shown her true colours. About how Lynette had shunned her. About how her whole day had been consumed by the need to tell Hunter the truth. And how glad she was that it wasn't the truth at all.
He listened to her, asking her questions to the more vague parts of her story. He was fully aware of how fast and weakly her heart was beating, and how it seemed weaker and weaker until he could barely feel a pulse at all. Her skin was cold and clammy. She was shaking, and her face was in a constant grimace of pain.
While he listened, he looked around the house for a door that wasn't locked, a window that wasn't too hard to open and break out of. But to no avail. It was no wonder Dahlia hadn't been worried about them escaping- it seemed impossible at this point.
"My dove?"
"Y-Yeah?"
"You've been here before. Tell me... what's a place that we might be able to leave out of without making too much noise?"
She closed her eyes, trying to think, but sighed. "I'm sorry, Hunt," she said. "I can't remember anything about that party. My memories are so fuzzy..."
He sighed. "I don't blame you. It's okay."
They walked around a little more. Hunter kept asking Ryan about everything he could think of. Funny stories about her family from years ago, the times she had spent with the first Polka, helping Phoenix look after a wolf-dog, and her students. She told him about how Peter planned to ask Lola to the prom in a couple of years. She just kept talking. But he could feel her getting weaker, hear how she was struggling to breathe. She was in some serious pain.
He noticed a silver key hanging from a hook. While Ryan talked quietly, he picked it up and went to all the doors he could remember had locks on them. The key didn't fit in the first three, but then fit into the fourth door he tried. "Ry, we're getting out!" he whispered.
"Good," she breathed. "The kids must be worried about us."
The door opened, and a cold, icy breeze washed over them. Hunter checked his watch. It was three in the morning, but that wasn't a problem now. Get to the car, then to a hospital, he thought. Ryan needs help.
His heart raced as he walked around outside, looking for their cars. They were in the back somewhere... surely... in the garage?
"Ry, do you know where the garage might be?"
"Maybe... front of the house?"
"Yeah, you're right. Let's check."
The garage was there, but the door was remote controlled. "Damn it," he muttered. "Okay... do you think it's possible to lift this?"
"M-Maybe."
"I'm going to put you down for a moment."
"I'm sorry. I'm not exactly light. You've been carrying me around all night."
"No, darling," he said, though she was right. She wasn't heavy, but carrying anything for several hours makes one's arms very sore. "I'm going to try and open the door."
"Okay. Do you need help?"
"You're too weak. Don't worry." He pried his fingers under the garage door and opened it with the remaining strength that he had, which wasn't much. And sure enough, there was his beloved car, and Ryan's, too.
"We're free!" he whispered, lifting her again. He looked at her, noticing that her lips were turning blue. He needed to hurry. He put her in the front, did her seatbelt up, then got into the driver's seat, starting the car. Her breathing was getting slow again, so Hunter kissed her quickly, making her open her eyes. "What...?"
"We're getting out of here," he whispered, before putting his foot to the pedal and driving out as quickly as he could. His head was pounding in pain, and he could tell he was close to passing out. But he needed to stay awake. Passing out now would kill them both, especially since they were in a car. An accident would kill them. He couldn't let that happen. Their children wouldn't grow up without their mother. He'd make sure of that.
He finally got to the hospital, and Ryan was passed out, her face pale and her lips blue. Her heart was beating faintly. He ran into the emergency room.
"Help!" he tried to yell. "Help, please, my wife... my wife..."
As people ran to help them, Hunter collapsed, holding Ryan's hand. As he blacked out, he felt her pulse flutter, then stop entirely.
"No," he whispered, trying to stay awake. "Ryan... Ry..."
And everything went black.
*A/N: So many people who had never voted on any chapters before voted last chapter.
But none of them commented.
...
And you all thought I wouldn't do it.
VOTE, COMMENT AND FOLLOW!!!!!!
Nethii <3
PS: of course I didn't forget to update what are you talking about*