Chapter 25: Elektra

Chapter 24

Elektra

I open my eyes. A pain rips through my abdomen and through my head. I move my head up as slowly as I can; my neck feels like has been damaged, probably whiplash. I don't remember what happened. We were driving along and then...then, I don't remember. The car must have skidded off the road. I put my hand to my forehead; wet, hot blood covers my fingers very quickly. I must have cut my head on my knife, it's the only thing that has a sharp edge that I might have hit.

I look to my side. Jason is sitting, his head against the window. God, is he breathing? It doesn't sound like he is. Oh Jesus Christ, please no. Please. I put my hand to his throat, smearing my blood on his Adam’s apple. Okay, he's breathing. He's just unconscious. Thank Christ for that.

“Jason? Jace? Jace!” No response.  All right, all right. Pressure continues to build up in my abdomen. It's agony, like menstrual cramps exacerbated by intensity. I'm going to die; surely I can't make it through this kind of pain, especially with no idea of what to do. Elektra, pull yourself together. Women have done this, since Adam and Eve gave into temptation, and have survived by themselves. Why did Eve have to listen to the f***ing serpent, the b***h?

I hear a groan from the front seat. The windscreen has been bashed to buggery and there is a pole inside the car. I can't make out where the pole ends...until I hear a groan. I slide forward, moving as much as my body will allow. It's gone through him. Lucas is sitting,  his hands wrapped around the pole, trying to pull it out of him to no avail. It's not a pole, it's a street-light. No. No, oh God.

“Lucas, do not pull it out. Do you hear me? That pole has gone right through so it will do more damage if you try. We'll think of something okay?” I try to reassure him, as much as I can.

He turns his head quickly. “Elektra, you're all right? I thought you were both dead when I looked back.” Blood has stained his teeth. He jolts slightly which forces him to cough. Blood dribbles down his chin. I have no idea what to do; he's f***ed, there is no other way to put it. The last member of my family is f***ed and there is nothing I can do to help him. Another contraction rips through me like a knife, twisting my insides.

“Yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine, I think. Lucas, you just have to leave it for the moment. We'll think of something, okay?” I slide backwards and take a few minutes to try and settle my breathing. I look down. There isn't just amniotic fluid on my jeans. I am covered in blood. I didn't notice how heavily I must have been bleeding. I felt like something wasn't right but that is definitely not good. I groan and take out my knife. Less than useless; I can't cut through a metal pole with nothing but a combat knife. For Christ's sake, anything else want to happen today? Because I mean, have we not had our allocation of s***ty luck for the day? It would seem not. Jason, wake up for f***'s sake! Ugh!

I can't do anything. I don't know what I am supposed to do. I'm scared; I'm f***ing terrified. More and more Risers are approaching from every angle; they're being attracted to the blood. They're like sharks. If we, or should I say I,  don't do something quickly, they're going to get in through the windows. Oh God, what do I do? What do I do? I shake Jason to try and get a response from him. He hit his head on the window. 

Jason stirs and his eyes flutter open. He seems disorientated.

“Jason, hey! Snap out of it!” He looks at me and then slides over to me. He checks the wound on my head. I put my hand on his.

“I'm fine, I'm fine. Are you all right? Is your head all right? You hit the glass-”

“Yeah, I feel okay,” he interrupts, “the baby? Is the baby okay?” Another contraction sweeps over me. I wince, my teeth clenched. Lucas coughs again; I can hear the blood gurgle in his throat. Jesus. He's going to die no matter what happens; there is nothing we can physically do to save. I couldn't save my dad and I can't save Lucas. I can't save anyone. Why did I think I could? 

There's only one thing I can do. One kind thing I can do for him. If I let him stay like this, he's going to suffer. He could hold on for hours, in blazing agony. I take my gun out of my belt and put it against the back of his head, just slightly away from the base of the skull so he can't feel it. He's my brother and I'm about to euthanasia him, like George did to Lennie. Oh God, I can't do this. Jason looks at me with confusion. He looks to the side and gasps. Oh God. Oh God. My hand is shaking and sweaty. My grip is slipping. Jason sighs and takes the gun from me. I nod and throw my head back. I close my eyes. If I block it out, it doesn't have to be real. I'll wake up. I'll wake up and it will have all been some kind of f***ed up dream.

A gunshot rings out. I open one eye; no, this is real. This is real. Lucas is slumped over, still impaled. I feel tears threatening to spill. The pain inside of me and the events of today have left me physically and mentally exhausted. This is it. This has to be it. This world is so full of death that I have come to expect no different. I would prefer death; Helene didn't deserve to die...Danny didn't deserve to die, for all his flaws. I never loved him, I was never in love with him. I used him for my own gain and he did the same; it was a relationship of mutual gains. No one deserved to die. None of them did. I wish I had done more. I regret what I cannot change, which is useless. I regret everything.

Risers are approaching from every angle now; the gunshot has drawn them from miles to this ditch. This is it. This is how we die. In a grungy f***ing ditch, surrounded my cadavers and broken dreams....fantastic. When I pictured how I'd die, I never imagined it quite like this. I thought I would die on my own terms. I thought I'd eat a bullet or overdose but never did I think about getting torn apart while in labour. This was the worst case scenario. Jason has noticed. He takes my hand and breathes heavily.

“Jason?”

“What?”

“If this is it, I want you to know...I wouldn't want to be with anyone else.”

“Well if we are going to die, might as well go out with a bit of style,” Jason clears his throat and smiles. He wipes his hair out of his eyes and  the beads of sweat. I don't like this one bit. Not one bit.

“What do you mean?” I ask, sliding down to try and release the pressure in my back. Jason just smiles and looks me in the eye. He puts his hand on my cheek and smiles.

“I am done for...I got bitten, Lex. I might as well go out fighting, if this is it. What better way than to go out for the girl I love? I want you to know this. You are the love of my life, Elektra Daniels. I could not die without you knowing but...now you know.” He moves closer to me, placing his lips against mine. This feels right; he presses against me so gently. How could I have been so stupid? I've always loved Jason and now, I'm going to lose him. Oh God.

He pulls away and looks at me. 

“I am going to distract them. You just need to run and get somewhere safe.” He slides towards the door. I grab his hand.

“No, please,” my goodbye catches in my throat. Everything I want to say. I can't do it. I can't lose him. If I don't make his sacrifice worth something, there is no point. I can't run. I can feel the baby. I am going to give birth in this bloody ditch, if I even survive that long. I can't do this; I don't want to. He puts his hand on my stomach and smiles.

“You and bump are going to be just fine without me. Believe me, it would be my pleasure to die for the both of you” He kicks the door open and slides towards the exit.

“Jason, wait,” I try and control the sobs coming from inside my chest, “I have always l...-” A Risers come from behind Jason and bites a chunk out of his neck. Blood sprays me. Then another grabs hold of his arm and another rips into his leg. He screams as they drag him out of the car.

I cover my mouth with my hand. I can hear his screams as they tear him apart, like some kind of wild animal. He knows that his screams will protect me; it will draw all of them to him. He continues to scream, blood-curdling screams. I can't deal with this.  My legs feel like they have been paralysed. I have been paralysed by loss and fear. 

Finally, he stops screaming. He must be dead or his vocal chords must have been severed. Everything I have been through with that man and now he's gone. Ah, I feel like I need to push. I can't move. I can't do it. The door. I try and reach it but a contraction stops me short. A Risers reaches into the car, just centimetres away from my face. I slide into the other door. Oh God. Oh God. This is it, this is how I die. I don't want to fight anymore. I'm in agony. I have nothing left so what is the point anymore.

I feel like I need to push. I have no reason to hide anymore. I don't want to live without Jason. I can't live with the other part of me, my soul mate. He was the one person I could not live without and now, it seems I won't have to live without him for long. Death doesn't scare me anymore; in this world blighted by death, the only comfort is dying on your own terms. 

I let myself scream, from the top of my lungs.