Ch.29
"No one knows how the flames started in these quiet and settled homes. As you can see the firemen are fighting this blaze with all they can. We here on the scene are hoping that there was no one inside these homes currently. Its still unclear, a few brave firemen have entered the home not long ago- Oh! Yes! They are coming out now with what seems to be a dog from one of the homes. She seems to be frightened and have poor breathing. They started working on her as we can see but the question still stands.... Where is the owners of these homes?"
.
.
.
I finally found my place in life. It wasn't as an assassin. Neither was it being a vessel for feelings I shouldn't have been born with. As a killer of so many people it should've been impossible for me to be this flawed. Yet here I was, staring at my reflection in hate. Feeling my emotions bubbling up faster then I could stop them.
My place in life is here, right now. Staring at the gun Kevin held clutched tightly in his grasp. His angry eyes matching my own as his breathing betrayed his calm expression. A soft laugh left me as he raised the gun slowly, pointing it at me. The blood dripping off my fingers making the soft actions shout loudly. I felt my legs grow weak as I took in the sight clearly. The love of my life was pointing a gun at me, it felt unreal.
"Winter.....Drop the knife." His voice was shaking, and I wanted to comfort him.
The sound of the bloody blade hitting the patted carpet reached my ears letting me know I did let it go. My hands felt numb as I clenched them at my side. Soft clogged coughing started up below me catching my attention.
Dropping my eyes, I took in the sight of Dean bleeding out. His hands gripping my jeans tightly as he tried to gasp around the blood bubbling up past his lips. I ignored his weakening grasp to look across the room at Smoky, unmoving in her own blood. The gun Dean had now was in Kevin's hands, pointed at me. Even after having her returned to me from the fire she still was gone shortly after.
"Winter what....what did you do?" Kevin sounded in shock.
I snapped my eyes back to Kevin quickly. For a moment I thought he was blind. "What did I do?....Dean killed Smoky! He shot my fucking dog!" I took a step forward out of Deans grasp yet stopped as Kevin waved the gun.
He shook his head as if I wasn't making sense to him. "No you...you sent her at him, he protected himself." He seemed to keep repeating that to himself and it was pissing me off.
"He came at me with a gun...he...he tried to kill you in that fire." My voice stayed steady, sure of itself. "He wasn't going to stop until I was dead, or you were."
Kevin ran his free hand down over his face as the cheap lamp in the corner of the motel room flickered. The action putting him more on guard, causing his hand holding the gun to look unsteady. The room was a mess, the evidence of me and Deans fight shown clearly. The door was busted in and hung off the latches. The dark carpet slowly turned a deeper red the more Dean bled out. Kevin stepped over the broken glass from the mirror while trying to keep his balance. His trembling grew, and his tears slipped free. I never thought I would live to see Kevin cry, I felt like my heart was ripping apart.
"You said.....you said you wanted to stay here because of the fire....not because you were being hunted! That I was! T-That the fire must have been an accident...." His voice grew soft at the end of him speaking, causing me to tense up.
I was sure anything I said now would only make it worse, but I knew I had to try. "He set the fire and came here to kill me with a gun Kevin. Lets just-"
The motion of Kevin shaking his head quickly made me stop speaking. It was clear he was done listening to me. "Why though Winter? Why did he want to do all of that to you?" he looked to be full of questions. "How....where did you learn that stuff?"
I had a choice, to tell the truth or run away. I knew I had a choice, yet I couldn't see a good out come from doing so at all. "He's sick....he's always been sick....and I trained myself."
I felt in control, as I always should. My place in life was perfect right here and I felt that for once. Kevin looked too shocked to decide on if I was lying or not. I wasn't the only one who saw this. Dean took his chance in his last moments and reached into his inner jacket pocket. As the tension in the room built, he pulled a recorder free, tossing it to Kevin's feet after. A frown quickly fell on my face while Kevin reacted and pointed the gun at the recorder in reflex.
Looking at Dean he turned his blood shot eyes up to me before smirking. The cold action staying on his face as his last breath left him. I pulled fully away from his dead body and turned my attention to Smoky. My chest filled with guilt as I moved over to her side and bent down to rub her still body. She really did protect me until the end and I felt that I could've gave her more.
"You can't be serious. You're the police chief's son for crying out loud."
"Don't mock me Beast. You think I care? I've been at this for weeks now and I finally have you in my sights."
"I feel so honored to have your attention. Save me the drama speech. Let's just talk for now, I'm too tired to actually hurt you at the moment."
"Talk about what?"
"Why did you kill Joey? It's been bugging me."
"None of your business."
"I think it is. You did kill him right after I beat the shit out of him."
"He was an easy target."
"If you say so. What are you getting me for my birthday?"
"What?'
I stood up from Smoky slowly, as Kevin and I listened to voices floated around the room. Dean was recording our conversations, sneaky boy. Turning slightly to look at Kevin he stood still as he listened to the recorder. My tongue got caught in my throat as his dark brown eyes moved to lock with my green ones.
"Just end it."
"I only wanted the blade."
"Why don't you just kill me?"
"Well then I would be too bored without my bff. I'm not going to give you want you want."
Kevin seemed to not want to believe it was my voice, yet he could clearly hear it was. It was like fate was laughing at me. The world gave a life of blood and then Kevin. Yet now it was all being ripped away. The darkness and disgust rippling through his eyes were enough to pull my breath from me.
The sound after was of Dean alone in a soft tired voice. "These are the conversations I've been having with Winter. All of these are here. The boy who I thought was my friend. He is the midnight beast and I....I am the new killer. This recording will be for anyone who finds me....who finds me dead before I can kill Winter. If you find this please....please tell my dad I'm so sorry.....and please....Kill Winter Johnson before he kills more...."
He stopped the recorder and slowly tilted his head at me. "Winter what is this?" He took a step closer and as bad as I wanted to touch him, I was starting to feel trapped.
My own reaction was to take a step back from him. "He's delusional Kevin..."
The look of disbelief crossed Kevin's features quickly. It made my chest sting and eyes start to water. It was clear now to me that I had lost him. "Delusional? So delusional he went through all of this to kill just you? Am I so delusional to see you both start fighting like something out of a fucking movie?"
I kept my eyes on his even as I stayed very aware of the gun in his hand. "You don't understand."
"I don't!? He called you the midnight beast! The psychotic killer that's been going around murdering everyone for years! Stop lying to me Winter what the hell is happening!?" He was reaching his limit. His hands shook and the finger on the trigger was seconds from pressing.
I could've moved before he could. I could've picked the knife back up and killed him in seconds. Yet I couldn't. Kevin was my heart, the reason I still breath and I couldn't even stand the thought of killing him. He held the key to a killer's heart and I had to tell him the truth. I had to stop lying and give him a choice. He should have a real chance at normal love instead of this lie I built us on.
The stinging in my eyes quickly turned into falling tears. I knew there was a chance of me dying by his hands, but I would rather it be his then anyone else's. "I'm sorry Kevin....I'm so sorry." I spoke low but was sure he heard me.
Kevin watched me and swallowed thickly while shaking his head. "No....no no no no...." He blinked away his tears before shifting to move closer to the broken door. "You can't be....You're Winter....my sweet Winter."
I stayed my ground and shook my head at him slowly. "I am Kevin I really am....but I am...also the beast."
Kevin gazed at me silently as he took in my confession. His eyes then scanned the broken and destroyed room. Emotions swirled around his eyes and face faster than I could catch them. When they settled his mind looked made up and his grip on the gun went steady.
"Winer Johnson....you're under arrest."