Chapter 122
- Josh -
The warehouse reeked from all the broken things—hot metal, dust, mildew, and the perfume of the woman mirror demon. There was frost gently coating everything. Becky did her best with her powers to restore things almost back to the way they were.
Becky lay on the floor, propped against the jagged rim of the crystal ice coffin. Her breath was shallow, and the wound in her chest still bled. Becky expended a great deal of energy fighting the demon and restoring reality. I don't think she has any more energy to heal herself.
"Damn it, Becky, I feel so helpless. Just let me help you!"
I realized a long time ago she couldn't hear me, but that didn't stop me from pleading. I pressed my head where she lay.
Every inhale became more shallow and strained. Her lips were blue-tinged where the cold kissed them. Her hair stuck to her face from the sweat and frost that slowed to melt. For each passing moment, I feared she wouldn't breathe again.
"Ow!" —My arm burned—a dull throb underneath the area where the prosthetic met my flesh. The pain was nothing compared to when I was in the Abyss and my life was twisted upside down. The arm would light sometimes on its own, answering to the powers woven in it and around it. It was as if it had a mind of its own at times.
I'd never expected what it did next.
The light in the arm began to pulse at first, then a cyan blue light ran up my veins of my limb—a lightning burst. The divine arm hummed under my skin like an animal trying to be released from a cage. I watched as the cold froze across my skin. I had to admit the frost burned more than any flame I had held before.
Just when I thought the ice was going to freeze me to death, it exploded and shattered the crystal ice coffin.
The ice didn't melt or dissolve; it just detonated—shards flew outward in a glittering halo. The world was soundless at first, then a rush of air.
I lunged, Becky's body pitched when the crystal blew, she fell to the ground as the light was leaving her eyes for a second. I grabbed her before she could hit her head on the floor.
"Good." I breathed a sigh of relief.
She was warm, but she was burning up. I lifted her and began to take her out so we could get her treatment. She lay deadweight on my chest and held my shirt like it was a lifeline. She tried to clear the fog behind her eyes; her breathing was still very ragged.
"You told me—" I hesitated, not able to find the right words. Memory of her voice floated in my mind: ("This ice will not be undone unless I do it...or die"). She told me that before the battle. I'd felt relief when I was released. I didn't think any further than that she was trying to keep me safe and protect me.
Watching that thing break without her hand in it made a cold knot tighten in my chest.
She slowly blinked with a large amount of effort, trying to focus and find me through the fog. "Josh..." Her voice was paper-thin.
"Don't...let go." The words slipped through my lips against my command.
I pulled her closer in my arms without thinking. The smell of smoke and battle clung to her: the weight of exhaustion sank into my bones. But I would not put her down for the world.
Becky pressed against my chest weakly. "I...I can—walk..." She weakly insisted, with every syllable she trembled.
I absolutely expected this from her. On a normal day, she would have shoved me and stubbornly refused my help. And on a normal day, I would watch her rage against the storm with her banner high in protest. But not here, not today, not now.
"You're not walking anywhere until someone looks at you properly," I said, my voice cracked, my speech sounded rough. I ignored the prideful twist in my stomach—she was stubborn and always had been—And I left her anyway, knowing this could happen. Her small resistance died in the curve of my shoulder.
I never held her this close before, even when we were dating. I swear to treat you better, no matter how hard you push me away again. And I will make up for my sins, I painfully placed on you.
"I love you, Becky," I spoke softly enough she couldn't hear me, even if she was awake right now.
Micah, James, and Evan were already waiting at the mouth of the warehouse ruins, their faces pale with adrenaline and their faces coated with shattered dust. Baby and Duke hovered between them — less a body than a shimmer, for guardians that had studied every dark for us aforetimes. They must have sensed something was off and got everyone out.
Micah's jaw dropped when she saw me carrying Becky in my arms.
"Josh?" Evan's voice is small. Meant in a 'Are you sure she's okay' manner.
"Yeah, she's hanging in there. I swallowed. "She—she needs a medic. Now!"
Several miles from the shelter, we raced as fast as we could on foot. As we walked in the cold night, the city seemed oblivious to our personal war.
The streetlamps did not look ordinary anymore. The ones that would light with solar power since the blackout. People were managing, and some began working on older electronics. The shelter light glowed in the distance, a promise of endurance. My hands didn't stop shaking until we were a few blocks away from the shelter, fully coming into view. Warm lamps and people working hard.
Inside, the makeshift infirmary, the smell of herbs and disinfection stung my nostrils. Volunteer moved in a practiced calm when they saw Becky's bloody body in my arms. They neatly and efficiently snapped to haste. A bed was moved under us, blankets unfurled, and a kind hand took over.
They didn't have an operating room, just so battery powers lights, candles, and lamps. I sat there with my arm weirdly hot as they peeled off clothing and checked for cuts. Becky's lids fluttered; She looked at me once, there was something in her eyes like an apology and defiance captured in that look.
I heard myself saying things I had held in, burning me from the inside out, rushing out before I could think.
I spoke softly. "Becky—you're not weak at all! You're the strongest person I've ever known. I was wrong to shut you out. I thought by carrying this weight alone, I was protecting you. I was scared. I lied to you...To everyone, a lot." The words came out too fast, a sprawl of confessions. "I won't shut you out again. I'll stand with you, by you. I'll tell you the truth from now on—all of it— and I'll stop thinking I can do this all by myself, because Becky...I...I need you.
She didn't answer.