Page 89 of Arseni

I come to an abrupt stop, my lungs sucking in a gasp as I spin to yell out for Arseni.

And that’s when I hear the gunfire.It’s muted.Just a lightpew.But lethal.

I run for Arseni as he stumbles backward toward the hole in the barrier, holding his stomach.

“Arseni!”I screech, pumping my legs harder.

He looks over at me at the sound of my scream.His heel slips on broken rock as he steps back too far.He grasps at air as he falls

“No!”I run to the ledge and fall to my knees while peering over as Arseni hits the water.“Arseni!”I scream again.I climb to my feet to jump in after him, but Hudson grabs me just as my feet lift from the ground.

I scream and thrash while Hudson hauls me back to the car.

“Shut up, shut the fuck up!”he yells in my ear, his arm wrapped around me tightening.I think he just hates the sound of me crying over another man, but then I hear the car.

I turn to it, waving my arms and begging for help while Hudson tries in vain to stop me.

“Help, please, help!”

“If you don’t shut your mouth right now, I’ll kill them.Do you understand?”

I quiet, but it isn’t because of the threat.It’s because I’m confused.

The car isn’t slowing down.It’s engine revs as it speeds up.

Hudson realizes it shortly after I do, the distraction loosening his hold.I break away from him, heading for the lake but stop short and scream as the car pegs Hudson before slamming the cop car’s backend, metal crunching on metal.The sound is so loud, I feel my heart stop, and I just stare at the stranger jumping out of the smoking car.

No.Not a stranger.

“Arseni?”the man from the party,Luka, asks, his eyes wide with fright.I point a quivering finger at the lake and stumble on words that he doesn’t listen to anyway.

He runs to the side and dives off without the slightest hesitation.I move to watch him splash, Arseni nowhere to be found.

33

ARSENI

Ilike to think I’m a good swimmer.

Maybe even a great swimmer, if I’m feeling especially arrogant.The skill stems from countless hours at the same lake that swallows me up now.It drags my injured body down without mercy, and it’s all I can do to drag my way to the surface.

While I catch my breath, Margot’s screams above my head force their way through the water in my ears.

I suck in a breath to yell, but nothing comes out.My head bobs up and down in the water while my limbs fight to keep me up, water covering my mouth like a gag every other second.I take a deep breath before going under and peer at my wounded abdomen sucking away my strength.It tinges the water around it red.

My eyes shutting, I thrust myself to the surface and gasp in air.I splash as I struggle to stay afloat, but I used most of my remaining strength on getting this one breath.

“Margot!”I yell, half the word swallowed up by water.

What is he doing to her now?What will he do now that he has her?

This is my fault.

This is all my fucking fault.

The last of my strength drains away as I sink, my eyes open to watch the blurry concrete underside of the bridge above.I’ve never felt so hopeless.

But soon, it’s over.