20: Betrayal

The man lunges at Carson, but Carson easily dodges him. He growls and spreads his wings. A sudden wave of energy ripples away from him and smoke fills the area. When the smoke clears, Carson is covers in tattoos of a language I can't read from here. The words seem to glow and his hair, completely black now, is spiked again. He hisses at the man and the man runs. Carson relaxes, turning normal again. He falls to his knees, holding a ripped piece of my clothing. He punches the ground.

"That bastard!" He shouts. He thinks I'm dead, but as more soldiers surround him, I know it's not safe to even twitch a finger. He stands up, facing everyone. "You killed her! She didn't do anything...! She was an innocent! You...you took away her future...! My future...." His shouts turn into weak whispers. The men blink, confused.

"We can't find her." One says. Carson's head snaps up, fast enough to hurt your neck. There's hope in his eyes. Another one laughs, and points a gun go Carson's head.

"But you'll do for now." He grins. I tackle Carson, getting hit in the ribs with the bullet. I scream and fall next to him, but it's worth it. The gun clicks as the bullets run out. I saved a life. More importantly, I saved a life that I love. And for a change, it wasn't my own. I smile at the sky, sighing. Carson leans over me, holding my wound. The hope in his eyes is gone, and he's shaking.

"No!" He screams. "Don't die on me, Tay! Don't you dare leave me!" He demands. I shake my head and look at him. I stroke his cheek, and exhale. I've been through so much...I just wanna sleep. Sleep sounds amazing right now. My eyes dont leave Carson's, but my hand falls. His mouth moves but I can't hear him. He's crying. Don't cry, Carson. It's okay. A different gun is held to Carson's head. This wakes me up. I sit up and shove the gun away, tackling the man. A breeze rushes through my hair and a growl come from somewhere inside me. My wings spread involuntary, and my eyes narrow. I press the gun to the mans arm and pull the trigger. He screams as I grab Carson's arm and run.

When we get far enough away, Carson turns to me and leans his head against my shoulder, catching his breath.

"I thought you were dead..." He whimpers. I tilt his head up but he keeps his grip on my shoulders.

"It's okay, Carson, it's alright." I assure him. He looks at my ribs, and shakes his head.

"No, it's not alright! You have a bullet in you!" He hisses. I smile, wobbling. He steadies me and wraps up my wounds, the worried look never leaving his face.

"And I took the bullet for you." I whisper. He clenches his jaw.

"Don't ever risk your life for me." He demands. I frown.

"But I love you." I whisper. He freezes, staring at me. There's a look of awe in his eyes.

"Say it again." He says. "Say that exact thing again."

He looks at me in awe, but his eyes filled with pain.

I chuckle.

"I said I love you. So suck it up." I say, punching him in the arm. He laughs.

"I can defiantly manage you loving me. But I can't stand even thinking about you dying for me." He says, letting me go. I sigh.

"I'll be okay." I nod. He clenches his jaw.

"If you end up dying then so is every Dark Corners member I know." He growls. I bite my lip.

"That must be a lot of people, huh?"

A look of pain and shame lurks in Carson's eyes when I remind him of his betrayal.