“There could be some in there,” I cry while pointing to the building I left standing.
Clay frowns and then he sighs out before speaking.
“Araya, these buildings are-”
“I’ve got a stretcher,” Grayson interrupts.
“I’ll help you,” Hale adds, and then they load him up while whisking him inside.
I cling to Brazen’s hand as they lower him to a table, and then I hear the clanking and banging as everyone begins turning the place inside out in search of blood left behind from nomad travelers.
“Fuck,” Hale blares as he slams another door to an empty cabinet, and I just sob all the harder as I hold the gurgling full blood in my arms.
“Call it in! Have them bring us blood,” I cry out.
Brazen’s hand barely makes it to my arm, and he leaves a bloody trail as it slides to my face. He’s dying, but he’s trying to comfort me with that sweet, gentle touch.
Solemn eyes cast their hopeless burn to the floor, too afraid to show me their endless pits of pity as I wait for someone to make the call.
“I said call it in!”
Clay shakes his head, his eyes finally meeting mine, and I see the despair, the dread, and that pity everyone else was sparing me.
“He doesn’t have that kind of time. A blood drop would take at least three hours. He may only have thirty minutes left,” Clay says in a reluctantly hushed tone.
“No,” I sob out, and my forehead presses to my full blood’s as my tears pour onto his face.
His blood gushes out harder as it pools all around him, and I climb onto the table to tuck his head under mine while holding him the way he always has me.
“Araya-”
“Get out!” I blare while interrupting Hale. “All of you… get out!”
My screams almost echo through the hollow facility showing no remorse for being the bleeding grounds for my full blood. The walls rattle when I start shaking from my suppressed cries, and Hale looks to the others.
“Go on ahead. I’ll stay and carry her back,” he whispers.
“I’ll stay too. The rest of you should take the bodies for burning, and explain to Stringham officials what happened,” Clay murmurs in a near whisper.
Hale ushers everyone out, and then I see his trembling eyes as he walks out and shuts the door to give me the privacy I need.
“Don’t… cry, baby,” Brazen wheezes out, his comfort still trying to find me.
My tears fall out all the harder. He loves me so damn much, he’s more worried about me than himself even now. He’s so fucking incredible he’s tending to my emotional break despite his own excruciating pain.
“You can’t die. The blood drop can be here in three hours. Just hold on,” I say as the tears burn against my cheeks and my chest becomes too heavy to expand.
“Baby,” he coughs out while stroking my cheek. “I need a favor.”
“Anything,” I wail out.
“Let me do this… let me… on my own terms. I… I don’t want to… go out like this,” he murmurs, his eyes fading all the more.
“What do you mean?”
His lips stroll along my arm, and then they move to be just above my breasts. His teeth threaten to break the skin, and I cringe when I realize what he wants.
Why is he asking me for this?
