Chapter Thirty Two

“We’ll meet again…” Blaze tells me. The last words she says to me. I try my hardest to believe her, but I know it’s not true. I hope she survives, I hope Rippir makes it out, I hope Fabians happy, I hope I can see my mom, at least one more time, as for Coral, I’ll see her someday, and I hope she forgives us for not being able to save her.

“Come on, Mark! Let’s go!” Rippir yells at me as he dodges dead bodies.

“Rippir, we have to go back for her!” I scream as the smell of smoke begins to fill my nose. I begin to turn around to break for it, but Rippir turns me around.

“Mark, we have to go. Now!”

“But she’ll die!”

“No, sh-she won’t,” Rippir chokes out with tears in his eyes “and if we want to survive, we have to go!” He howls.

Rippir then grabs my hand and bolts in the opposite direction of Blaze. This is such a hard decision, and I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to forgive myself. Blaze is going to die, and I’m leaving her there like a piece of meat in the middle of a pack of wolves. But I know I’m no help to her either. I’d jeopardize the only chance she has of living, because I’m simply a useless impurity that has brought flaw to every plan they’ve ever made. If Blaze heard that, she’d disagree, she’d stay and talk to me until I feel better, until I know what I’m worth. That’s what I love about her. She has her own problems, her own past, but she works to make the present better for everyone else. And Coral, coral made it better. Coral made me feel a lot less alone…. She was human, like me. I feel so bad for her, getting dragged into this mess. She didn’t deserve to die, she was only 15. F*****g 15…. She can’t even get back to her brother. And Fabian, f*****g Fabian. He left us for the fallen, he abandoned us, and I’m so angry with him. I’m angry that his beanie isn’t with us, that his purple tips aren’t singeing off in the flames with Blaze. I’m mad that he left, but I’m glad he got away. At least I know one of us is safe.

“Mark, hurry up, we’ve got to get you out of here!” He screams, I try and pick up my pace, which lasts for about half a minute before I fall.

“Mark! N-no Marky! Get up!” But I can’t. My ankle feels broken, my arm is bleeding, There’s a branch making itself at home in my upper left thigh. But I can’t go! I have to make sure that Blaze is alive! I have to see mom! I have to make sure moms okay! I’ve caused her so much stress, grief, pity, I have to go back to mom.

“S**t! F**k! F**k! S**t! What the actual f**k do I f*****g do?!?!!?!?!” Rippir rambles, walking quickly around the perimeter of where we are.

“Mark, Mark I have to I’m sorry!” Rippir begins telling me as he edges closer. I know exactly what he’s talking about as I reach into my pocket and take out a gun. Rippir is going to kill me. But I won’t let him, I won’t let him hurt anyone else, I’m not done yet. I need to see mom, I need to see if Blaze is okay. I begin shaking and rapidly firing at Rippirs legs to try and maim him. After about 5 pistols, I hit his left calf. I go shoot again, but there aren’t any pistols left.

“Mark, it’s okay, I’m here. I love you. And I need to do this! Okay? You’re not going to make it! And I’m the only person who deserves to kill you! They don’t deserve it! Mark, you’re worth so much more, and I’m the only person who deserves to feel your warm blood ooze through my fingers! Mark, I need to..” Rippir says before he jabs a knife into my stomach. My ears begin ringing, a metallic taste makes its way to my mouth, my breathing becomes heavier, the metallic taste is what I smell, along with smoke. I begin screaming, then coughing, my sight goes fuzzy, I see mostly black, but I know, Rippirs still here. Because somewhere in that crazy fucked up mind of his, there’s a boy, who just wants to end my suffering, because through everything that has happened, he truly does care.

“You know, I’ve always thought my schizophrenia was a curse,” I cough out, “I always thought it was something that defined me, that ruined me, that damned me. But I realize now, I’m not damned after all. Those kids who bullied me, there’s nothing they could say now that would hurt me, because you guys picked me. You chose me. You let me see you, love you, and not anyone else. I know my worth, and although this schizophrenia has brought me through hell and back, I’m glad for it. I’m glad because I got to meet 4 of the most amazing people, 3 of which happened to be demons, and all 4 of them have brought me through a wild ride, but it was all worth it. You are all worth it. So Acheron Eugene Rippir, it was a pleasure to be stabbed by you, it was a pleasure to be chosen by you, and it was a pleasure to be loved by you. Now I know it all real, it’s all here. And I’m not crazy after all. So a thanks to you and the others for teaching me, and showing me the bittersweet reality that we have.” I push out, as my breathing slows down and I feel my inner organs begin to shut down.

“I’ll tell them, Mark, I’ll tell them”, Rippir croaks, as I begin to feel my eyes slowly tiring more and more.

“And Rippir. It took Blaze 23 steps to get to that cabin, we’ve taken 84 steps since then, she’s 107 steps behind you, so go get her, I’m out of the way now. Tell her  I lov-”