Page 107 of Delirium
“He’s okay,” I agreed. “He didn’t get shot.”
“No, he didn’t,” Atlas added, but it wasn’t enough.
I needed to see him, to make sure he was okay, and I couldn’t do that right now. I couldn’t just march up there and demand to see him, to make sure with my own two eyes that there was no harm done.
“Are you okay?” Atlas asked while I kept squeezing the radio, keeping it to my chest. “Phee?”
“I need air,” I grunted. “I need air.”
Fuck, I had to get out of the car. I couldn’t just sit and do nothing.
“Shit,” was all I heard from Atlas before I opened the door, threw the radio back inside, and got out into the cold. My hat was inside and so were my gloves, but I couldn’t feel the cold. I couldn’t feel anything but the gnawing worry that wouldn’t let go.
I looked toward the warehouse, trying to hear anything, but we were too far away from them to hear what was going on. The gunshots had subsided, and as the wind picked up, I couldn’t hear the footsteps coming closer to me, until an unfamiliar pair of boots stepped right in front of my line of sight.
I slowly pulled up, ready for whatever the other person had planned for me, but as I straightened, my eyes landing on the young face of a man I met not too long ago, the fight-or-flight instinct slowly died out, followed by surprise.
“Ash?”
Blue, hollow eyes stared back at me, following my every move. I had no idea a person could change this much in the matter of a month. His black hair was longer now, curling around his ears, but the way he held himself, with caution and distance, killed me.
I did this. It was my fault.
“Hey, Ophelia,” he murmured, a small smile dancing on his lips, but there was no trace of the boy I met. There was no trace of the softness he had back in Emercroft Lake. This harsh armor he wore was no doubt a consequence of whatever they went through with Judah and Logan.
“H-how are you?” I asked, not knowing what else to say. What was I supposed to do? Apologize? I was pretty sure he didn’t want to hear my apologies, and if he was here—
“What are you doing here?” I asked then, looking around, trying to see if anyone else was with him.
“I’ve had better days,” he grunted. “But I’m alive, I guess.”
I guess. That simple statement shook me to my core.
“Ash—”
“Ophelia!” Atlas roared, stopping right next to me. “Ash? Buddy.” He smiled, going straight for him, engulfing him in a bear hug. “What are you doing here?”
“I guess the same thing you guys are doing.” Ash shrugged, stepping away from Atlas. I didn’t miss the flinching as Atlas hugged him, or the way his eyes got that faraway look as if he was remembering something. “We found out that Judah was hiding here, with Belladonna.”
“Who is we?” Atlas asked, just as another voice called out to me.
“Birdy!” Cillian yelled out. As I took a step to the side, I saw him running toward us, with a big smile plastered on his face.
“Kill!” I screeched, rushing toward him, careful not to slip and fall on the frozen ground. “Holy shit!” I harrumphed as I all but jumped into his arms, holding him tighter than necessary. “What are you doing here?”
“Judah is here,” he explained. “Or at least he was.”
“Yeah, Belladonna is here as well.”
“I know.” He nodded. “At least we think she is. We can’t be sure, but this is the last place Judah was spotted. We left this morning and came here.”
“Only Ash and you?”
“And me,” a man added, approaching us from the other side of the road. The long black coat he wore covered most of his body, but I didn’t miss the way Cillian shuffled from one foot to the other, shielding me with his body, as the stranger came closer to us.
His blond hair was slicked back, his pale blue eyes drinking me in, making the situation so much more uncomfortable.
“And you are?” I asked. I had no time for niceties and small conversations.
