Page 9 of Scarred in Silence

“You forgot where your loyalty lies.” His words are chilling. A shiver runs down my spine, merging with the sea that has turned frigid. His blue eyes pierce through me, as if he has put a bullet through my soulless body.

“W-what?”

He closes the distance between us, splashing water as he trudges through the powerful current. He brings his hand up to my forehead, tilting my head back. He moves the flashlight between my eyes.

His jaw clenches, and his eyes narrow.

“What did you take?”

I press my eyes shut, unable to look him in the eyes. I can’t stop. I never will.

“WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU TAKE!”

I flinch at his words. My ears start ringing, as they have since I was a child. Yelling makes my bones feel like I have a million ants crawling in them, fighting to escape.

He grabs my wrist and starts pulling me to the shore. My body feels like it is being tied down with weights.

I look at his frame, and for a second, I don’t see him. I see my father. No. No…

I pull my wrist back, freeing it from his hold.

“Leave me alone!” I stumble back, crashing into the water. The waves crash on top of me, sending my face down into the sand.

Pain erupts on my scalp from a firm grip ripping at my strands of hair. My body is lifted out of the water. I choke on the ocean water, trying to catch my breath. He doesn’t let go. He keeps pulling me. Pulling me to my final fate.

I dig my nails into his flesh, and I let my weight fall into the water below. He will have to kill me before I go anywhere with him. My legs scrape against the rocks as he drags me over them. The burn intensifies when I am tossed into the gritty sand. My leg has a trail of blood running down the side. I watch it as it tints the grains beneath me. Contaminating them with my sinner’s blood.

“You think you can run from me?” He stands between me and the water.

My clothes cling to my body as my body sinks into the sand. He walks closer, kneeling before me. His shaggy blonde hair blows in the wind. He looks different from when I last saw him. He looks… furious.

“Did you forget what I did for you?” His tone is calm, yet harsh.

“N-no,” I say softly.

“I took a fucking bullet for you. Remember?” His last word is clipped.

“I-I know…” Tears threaten my eyes.

He pauses, eyes skating up and down my body.

“You’re thin.”

My stomach twists into knots.

“I—”

“Shut the fuck up.” He stands and scoops me up into his arms. I lie there, frozen in place. What am I supposed to do? He made it clear that day that I would always owe him one thing—my life.

I didn’t ask him to take a bullet for me. He fucking volunteered.

He walks quickly through the beach and up into the empty parking lot. His car is the only one visible.

He sets me down as he opens the passenger door.

I only have one chance…

I start sprinting across the parking lot. My legs are heavy from the pill, the rocks dig into my bare feet, but I don’t stop. My lungs burn from the mixture of air and saltwater.