36. Rose #2
"I-I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant. Isn't that what you always wanted?
I'm pregnant." The words tumble over themselves on my tongue to escape and I can barely catch my breath.
This might be the only way I can save Beatie and my mom.
If I can get Mathew to leave with me right now, then everyone I care about, Kon included, will be safe from this monster.
"You're pregnant?" His narrow eyes drift down my body. "Bullshit."
"It's true! I fucked with the test in the cafe so it would be negative because I…
well, I thought I was being clever but I see now.
I see I was wrong to lie to you. I was wrong to do anything but stick to our deal and I'm sorry.
But it's true. I'm pregnant. And I'll leave with you right now, I swear I will.
We can go and we can just… we can wait. The baby will come, and then you'll have Kon's baby, and you can do whatever the fuck you want to get revenge on him for killing your brothers.
That's what you want, right? Revenge on Kon? "
I'm making this up as I go along but what choice do I have? Die here or die in nine months, it's all the same in the end.
Mathew's arm wavers slightly and he looks back up at my face. "Prove it."
"Take me to the pharmacy. Buy a test. Buy all the tests.
I'll prove it," I gasp. "I will. Right now.
Let's me and you go right now and you'll see.
If—if I'm lying you can just kill me and then come back here and kill them, but I'll show you that it's true.
You need me. You need this baby. How else will you avenge your brothers?
How else can you really make Kon suffer? "
I've never prayed before but suddenly it's all I can think about, swearing on everything and anything that Mathew believes me enough to leave with me right now.
Thankfully, he lowers the gun, convinced.
"Alright. You come with me. And if that test shows anything but a positive, I will kill you and then I'll come back here and I'll rip your sister to fucking pieces, you hear me?"
Every muscle is so tense that I can't even lower my arms so I just nod. "I hear you."
"No!" Beatie suddenly surges up from behind me and grabs my arm, dragging me toward Mom with all her strength. "You can't go with him! You can't!"
"Beatie—"
"You can't go! You can't leave us like Dad did! You can't leave me again!"
"Beatie, I have to, sweetie. It's going to be okay, I promise."
"No!" Beatie screams in my face and digs her nails into my forearm. "You can't leave! Not again! You said you would stay with me!"
"Beatie, honey—"
"I hate you!" She suddenly pushes me away, and as quick as a whippet, she ducks under my arm and charges at Mathew. "You said she was happy there and she'd forgotten me but you lied to me! You lied! You're a monster! I hate you! I hate you!"
Mathew, caught by surprise, barely has time to react before Beatie collides with him and he growls in anger.
She grabs his arm and the gun glints in the light while Mathew raises his hand and punches her hard in the face.
"Get the fuck off me you cunt!" he yells, punching her again when he fails to dislodge her grip. The second punch does the same, and I'm frozen in horror as Mathew then switches his gun to his other hand.
"No!" Terrified that he'll shoot her, I lunge across the room and tackle him without a care.
We collide with a crack and Mathew stumbles hard into the wall thanks to the combined weight of my sister and me.
I have to get the gun. It's the only thing I can think of as a sudden new path cuts through my mind.
Get the gun and kill Mathew.
Both my hands seal around his forearm and I slide one hand down to his fist that's locked around the gun.
Strength surges from places unknown as I fight to keep his gun aimed at the floor while doing everything I can to pry his fingers off the weapon.
Beatie's beating him with her small fists and he's wrestling us both, surging off the wall only to collide back with it thanks to our struggles.
"Get the fuck off me!" he roars, tossing his body from side to side. As he twists, his elbow lifts and crashes hard into Beatie's jaw.
The blow sends her collapsing back down on the floor with a grunt and she rolls twice.
Mathew's hand then flies around and collides with the side of my head so hard that my teeth rattle, but I don't give up.
"Bitch, get the fuck off!"
He grips my hair with his free hand and wrenches my head back so hard that something cracks at the top of my spine and pain lances through my entire body.
It's enough to stun me momentarily and my hands slip against his wrist.
Mathew wrenches his arm free of me and shoves me away with all his strength.
My heel catches on one of the raised floorboards.
Tripping backward, I catch the back of a dusty, moth-eaten couch to steady myself as Mathew lifts the gun and aims it straight toward me.
"Rose!" Beatie's screams fill the room as Mathew opens fire.
Gunshots right through the air like short, sharp explosions and Beatie's screams are deafening, but the pain doesn't hit me until I topple over the couch and land in a heap on the other side.
It's like he punched me hard from across the room and all the breath trapped in my chest escapes in one long, pained rush.
Heat rapidly spreads across my torso and my thumping heart suddenly fills my ears, blocking out the chaos of more screams and further gunshots.
He shot me.
The bastard actually shot me.
I use the last of my strength to roll over onto my back while that tight heat spreads through my body like wildfire.
I can't breathe.
I try, but something catches beneath my ribs like my bones have locked together.
Everything grows hot and cold at the same time, and when I blink, a tear rolls down the side of my head to my ear.
I tried.
I tried so hard to keep everyone safe and I failed.
I blink slowly and suddenly the crumbling ceiling is blocked from view by the shadow of a face.
I know that face.
A face holding gray eyes that warm the darkness around me like slivers of moonlight.
Dark strands of hair curve across his forehead and those eyes crinkle with deep worry and concern, while an achingly warm hand cups the side of my face.
More pressure is added to my body and my lips part with a touch of blood coating my lower lip.
"Rose!" Kon's voice is distant, and his lips move slowly as if they're lagging behind what reaches me.
"I—" Words catch in my throat as far too many things wrestle with one another in the limited time I have left to say anything. "I-I'm sorry…"
"Rose! You are okay! You are going to be okay, you hear me? Look at me, Rose. I am here. It is going to be okay!"
I blink slowly and the drumming in my ears grows infinitely louder.
"Rose, look at me!"
Darkness is peaceful in the end.