Page 150 of Out for Blood

---

I can feel his grip tighten as he processes the same loss.

But I can’t hear a word, it sounds muffled.

All I can feel is the woman in my arms. The tears on her face. The devastating weight of one word.

Dead.

And all I can do is hold Marie tighter while my heart breaks all over again.

I’m not sure how much time passes.

Minutes. Hours. It all blurs together.

At some point, a member of the rescue crew kneels beside us.

They’re gentle when they take Marie from me.

Considerate.

As if they understand she’s carrying what’s left of my heart with her.

I don’t fight it.

I don’t think I could if I wanted to.

The moment she’s gone, the emptiness overtakes me.

The sobs keep coming.

Violent.

Relentless.

Until there’s nothing left.

No tears.

No screams.

Nothing.

Eventually, I force myself to my feet.

My knees nearly buckle.

I look down.

Blood covers me.

Marie’s blood.

It’s smeared along my arms. My hands. My vest. My shirt. My pants.

Dark stains painted into the fabric.

Proof that she was real, that I found her, that I held her in my arms while she took her last breath.

The thought threatens to split me in half.

---