45Last chapter! Hope you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writting it :) Also check out my new story 'Destructors' first two chapters are already up!
Chapter 27
Jared turned as he heard the panic in Lyra's voice. Everything happened in slow motion; Jared's confused expression, the woman standing behind him.
The woman pulled a black gun from inside her coat, a sick smile on her face. Lyra was rooted to the spot, helpless and useless. Jared saw her fearful gaze and with wild eyes turned to see the woman before his body shuddered violently backwards. The force of the bullet lifted him off his feet for a second before he slammed down on the dark surface of the road.
Lyra's feet moved of their own accord, falling repeatedly on the ground, fear gripping her beating heart. She collapsed to her knees beside him, her hands shaking as one wiped his hair out of his face, the other moving towards the spreading crimson on one side of his strong chest.
His beautiful eyes moved scanning the sky before resting on Lyra's, he smiled at her.
'I love you.' He whispered, tears filling his eyes, an unfamiliar sense of hopelessness and sadness in his gaze. He brought his hand up to lay against her cheek weakly; she put her hand over his to stop it from falling. 'I'm so sorry.'
'It's not over yet,' She told him. 'Don't you dare leave me, Jared, you aren't going anywhere.' Tears fell from her eyes onto his chest, he gave a weak laugh.
'Lyra, I'm so sorry, for everything I've put you through. I love you more than anything in the entire world.' He whispered, his calm exterior frightened her slightly but his eyes told a different story.
'There isn't anything to be sorry for, don't you worry, you're going to pull through this, you are!' She cried he shook his head.
'I won't, I can feel it.' He said.
'It can't be time for you, just stay with me please!' She shook her head violently, denying what he was telling her.
'The most important thing is that... I love you...' The last word drifted off as he exhaled his last breath, his last tears dripping off his face and onto the road. Lyra hugged his lifeless body into hers as sobs shook her body; the pain felt so real like it was tearing through her as she knelt there helpless in the road.
'Why do you think that you can have what everyone else doesn't?' Asked a cold, blunt voice from above her. She looked up at her in disbelief, the first time she'd seen Melia properly in years.
'What gives you the right to take it away from me?!' She spoke quietly through gritted teeth. 'Why kill an innocent man, when you could have taken my life instead, what did he ever do to you?' Lyra's anger blazed through her being, she got up and stood facing Melia, her slightly taller frame looking down on her.
'I didn't want to make him suffer, I wanted you to suffer.' She said Lyra's hands balled into fists, her gaze turned wild, not understanding her sister's logic. Lyra chose to ignore her, dropping beside Jared with the weight of her emotions tiring her, like a new load had been dropped on her shoulders. Desperation filling her up as she pulled Jared into her lap, cradling his upper half like a baby pulling his eye-lids down, making him look as though he was asleep. She ignored the crowd gathering, how Melia slipped away through the on-lookers, how the paramedics pulled him away from her and when they carried her into the ambulance with him.
She stared at nothing in particular, holding Jared's hand feeling it growing cold, trying to spread her own heat into it, letting him know she was there. She felt distant, her mind blank, not knowing what to do. She didn't even know what they would do with him, but she walked with him, not realising they had put him in a body bag.
A nice young doctor guided her out of the morgue, putting a blanket around her and asking if there was anyone they could call, she didn't answer, she couldn't talk.
She stayed there for hours, staring at the linoleum floor, seeing the feet of passersby cross her vision. She felt numb, this can't be the end, it just... couldn't be the end. It all felt like a bad dream.
Lyra smiled as they walked out of the building and onto the pavement, but for the first time since Jared died, she truly meant it with her whole soul. She was grinning at how natural little Jude looked being cradled in the arms of Garrett as they walked away from Chris' apartment, he probably looked as if he was the father, the way he smiled down at him with such an adoring and loving gaze. But it worried her slightly, like Jude wouldn't realise Garrett wasn't his dad, that he wouldn't realise his dad would have loved him more than anything in the world.
But the boy was oblivious, his wide blue and green entwined eyes staring up innocently at Garrett and Lyra, not even noticing the outside world around them. Love welled up inside Lyra, love for them both, although Jared made his way into her thoughts multiple times throughout the day still. Making her feel a twang of guilt but she knew he wouldn't want her to stay upset forever, he would love that it was Garrett that had looked after them both so well. She assured herself that he was not going to be forgotten.
'Lyra.' Came a blunt voice that sent shock and horror in a wave through her body. She stood still, not wanting to look at the person who sounded way too close to her than she'd have liked. Garrett stopped beside her, concerned, asking what was wrong. Lyra got the courage to lift her head, to find herself glued to those eyes through the throng of people on the pavement.
'Garrett, please, take Jude and leave.' She told him, pleading in her voice. He gave her a confused look, but didn't budge.
'What's-' Garrett began, hugging the boy closer into his arms.
'Please!' Lyra told him before starting forward, making her way closer, their eye contact never falling. She shoved people out of the way, her footsteps feeling heavier than they should.
'You didn't call the police.' Melia stated when Lyra was close enough to her, Lyra's jaw clenched; she made a conscious effort to speak.
'I was too busy focusing on the life of my husband being taken away.' She told her bitterly. 'I would have taken you down myself if I hadn't been so distraught.' Melia laughed.
'Sure, little sis, I would have liked to see you try. After all you never used to be able to.' Melia smiled condescendingly at her. 'I remember how you used to hide in your duvet like it would protect you.'
'It cushioned the blow.' Lyra replied, hatred overwhelming her. Melia's eyes flicked to something behind her.
'Is that your son, and your boyfriend?' She asked a glint of something in her eyes. Lyra spun around to see them standing quite a way behind her, looking at Melia in shock.
'Garrett! Get out of here!' She screamed, fear filling her up, she'd never be able to live with herself if they were hurt, just like Jared.
'Hang on, he's the bloke from-' Melia said, cutting herself off when she realised who he was. 'And yours and Jared's son...' Lyra took no chance this time, running at the woman, but Melia was too quick for her, grabbing her wrists and pulling her towards her.
Lyra struggled against her, tears splashing down her cheeks, her emotions too much for her to handle. Lyra was still no match for her older sister.
'Still too slow.' Melia said disappointedly, her grip like a vice around Lyra's small wrists.
'You can't have them!' She screamed in Melia's face, who stared at her in shock, feeling the gaze of the mass of people around them bearing down. All Lyra wanted was to get the most precious things in her life away from this murderer. 'You killed him!' She screamed at Melia. 'You shot him...' She sobbed.
'Of course I did, I had to make it fair.' She told her, as if it was obvious.
'How is that fair?!' She shouted in Melia's face.
'Why did I get the crap life and you get the life that everyone wants?' She asked her rhetorically.
'Karma, maybe? Because you're a bitch, abusive and up-yourself?' Melia stared down at her surprised. 'How could anyone love you?' Lyra hissed. With that, Melia threw her to the floor, earning more stares from the passing people, some stopping to watch others gasping from the public display of violence.
When Melia was about to send a forceful kick into Lyra's gut, Garrett grabbed hold of Melia, dragging her back and restraining her.
'What the-' Melia started.
'Don't you dare touch my girlfriend!' He told her aggressively.
'Where's Jude?' Lyra asked vacantly, gathering herself up from the ground.
'I left him back at Chris' with him.' Garrett said as Melia strained against him. Lyra stepped forwards, doing a body check to see if Melia had a weapon on her. She pulled out the small black gun from her pocket, took out the rounds and chucked it in a dumpster in an alleyway.
'Do you want to call the police?' Garrett asked as Lyra put the live rounds in her pocket, so that Melia couldn't get them back.
'No.' She said, not looking either of them in the eye.
'But, Lyra, she's a murder-' Garrett gave her a puzzled look.
'I know she is.' Melia just stared at her.
'Send me to jail.' Melia told her, fear in her eyes; Lyra looked up at her, frowning at her request.
'You want to go to jail?' Lyra asked her, unsure if she heard her right.
'Yes... I was ready to give up my life when I pulled the trigger on Jared... I have nothing left.' A tear fell down Melia's cheek.
'Then you should go back to where ever you came from and suffer with your guilt and loneliness for the rest of your life,' Lyra told her with a clenched jaw, her face hovering near Melia's. 'And think yourself lucky that I haven't something worse to you. You deserve so much worse than this.'
Garrett let Melia go and followed Lyra through the on-lookers, not looking back at the woman staring after them. Garrett put his arm reassuringly around Lyra's shoulders, making a familiar warmth ripple through her before she felt a soft kiss on the top of her head. Knowing she was walking away from something for good.
Thanks to everyone who's reviewed/alerted/favorited this story, it means a lot to me! I hope you'll support me in my other stories too :)
Special thanks to Curlysquirt95 and thenutrunningthenuthouse for reviewing almost every chapter !
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