Trigger warnings: brief gore (is there a single chapter without gore? Nope T-T)

Am I dreaming? Have I already died and gone to hell?

Without wasting another second, Sky lunges at the man holding me. The force of his iron grip on my arms almost tears them from their sockets. Instead, I brace my knees into the floor as his hold rips from me. I land forward on my freed hands. The man's screams reverberate off the walls. I can only imagine what she's doing to him.

Moreover, I don't know what is happening with her. Okay, I have an idea, but I don't want it to be true. And as the man's screams turn to choked gurgles, my hands give out. I fall on my side to avoid crashing on my already smashed face. Sweaty chills cover every inch of my skin. Struggling to breathe, my vision floats in and out of darkness. I strain to watch Sky. Even in whatever form she is in, I need to make sure... that she's okay.

I'm stupid. I was careless, reckless. Fucking weak. Pathetic. I gave in to those pills. I shouldn't have taken them. What good am I in this useless condition? I should be protecting Sky. I shou-

A gunshot rings out. I want to shout, to get up, but I can't do either of those things. My body is paralyzed, as if frozen inside a glacier. A crash ensues, together with the familiar gucky pop of an arm or leg being violently detached. Al's strained screams bring a level of pleasure in me. Summoning the remnants of my depleted strength, I turn my head to the right just to watch.

Sky is standing over Al, whose torn arm is still attached to his body by a thin thread of flesh. I catch a glimpse of his face stricken with terror and... awe. His mouth spreads into a smile. Why is he... wait... He mentioned that Thunder Corp. was trying to create super soldiers... No, I don't want to believe it, but there's no other explanation. The blue lightning bolt on her cheek, those glowing blue eyes, her strength, savagery...

Is Sky the success of their inhuman experiment?

The thought shoots me in the heart with the force of a bullet. My sweet, precious, amazing girlfriend...

Hot tears blur my vision, the first tears in a long time. Sky leans down and grabs his head with both her hands.

Al gasps out, and I strain to hear his words. "You--- exactly what-----been... trying -- achieve."

Sky leans down with a grin, or it a scowl? But her voice is clear... haunting. "Good luck in hell."

Sky tears his head off, strings of gooey flesh and blood pouring out the bottom. His esophagus gets dragged along, dangling out like a piece of meat. The eyes and mouth widen, opening and closing before stilling.

That's when I notice that Jack is frozen to the spot, his eyes stricken with fear and horror. Instead of the robotic look he's had since I saw him. His back is pressed against the wall, and a wet spot stains his crotch area.

If this really is Jack, then he's become a fucking coward.

Sky is drenched in blood, her pink hoodie now tainted a dark red. Her eyes are still blue, and the veins in her hands are glowing the same color just like the bolt in her face. She holds Al's head by the scruff of his hair and faces Jack, who flinches.

"Please don't, Sky," Jack whispers, raising his hands in surrender. "I can help you. Take you back to the lab. Get you all fixed up. Like new."

No, this is not the Jack I knew. He never raises his hands in surrender, no matter what. And he never acts this... stupid. Because as soon as he said those words, Sky throws Al's head right at him. He ducks in time, only for her to reach him in a flash. She impales his chest with her bare hand. He gasps, eyes going wide when she twists her arm. With a quick jerk, she pulls out his heart. Even from the ground, with my blurry view, it visibly beats in her palm.

The heart's surface pumps up and down. Jack falls to his knees before face planting on the hard floor. His body twitches, the soles of his shoes clicking against the hardwood floor decorated with a growing pool of crimson red. I expect Sky to eat the heart, but instead, she watches it. Okay, and so do I, as its beat gradually slows down, little by little, until it finally stops.

Something crawls up my throat. I cough. Dark red blood spits upward before splattering back on my face.

"Ari!" Sky exclaims. Her dim footsteps rush up to me. Hopefully she isn't bringing that heart along with her- "Hey, hey, shh."

She sits beside me, extending her right leg while tucking her other one under her, and then cradles my head in her lap. Her warmth immediately embraces me, and as my body violently shakes, she takes my hand and intertwines her bloody fingers with mine. My brief episode settles down, and as soon as my vision clears just enough, I glance up at Sky.

Her eyes are no longer blue. Instead, the welcoming sight of her sweet mocha brown eyes swimming with concern and panic greets me. Her mouth is partially open as shaky pants flow out of it. I should be the one helping her, assuring her that everything will be okay.

"What happened... Sky?" I manage to croak out.

"I... I don't know," her voice trembles, tears glistening on her face under the pale light. "I just... I saw that they were going to kill you and I... don't know what came over me... Aria... I'm scared..."

"Hey, it's..." I cough a little more and swallow down the iron coated bile. "It's okay." Pain shoots in my chest, making me gasp a little. "But you have... t-to go."

Shock covers her face."What?? I'm not leaving you, Aria. I'm not-"

"Baby," I say gently, cupping her face. She puts her own hand over mine, brushing my knuckles with her thumb. "You have to. With your... changes, they'll be after you. And... they know who you are... they'll be here any second."

"I'm a monster, aren't I?" she whispers.

"What? N-no, you-"

"Aria, I... I killed four people. I-" she chokes on a sob. "What does that make me?"

"You killed them for what? To save me, right? That's the opposite of a monster. Baby..." I swipe the flow of tears from her cheek. "You're amazing. You're the sweetest being on this... whole planet. And I know you'll preserve your beautiful soul."

She sobs, burying her face in my chest. I place my hand on her head, pressing my lips on her warm hair. "How, Aria?" she asks, her voice muffled against me.

"Because you're amazing and sweet... just like a cupcake."

She sniffles and lifts her head up to glance at me. Her face is tainted with tears. Ones that I never wanted her to experience . Not with me. Not now. Not ever. "I can't leave you, Ari. You're... We are a team. Remember what you said? Together. Forever. Always."

I brush away a few wet red hair strands from her eyes. "And I'll always be with you no matter in what form . Here on earth or..." I take her hand and gently place it on my chest. "In here. Do you feel that?"

She takes a shaky breath before silence still as death looms over us. Thrum thrum. Thrum thrum. Both our hearts are pounding in perfect synchrony, each beat matching the other as she looks at me, a new batch of tears cascading down her angelic face.

"My heart is always beating only for you. You gave me the best two years of my life, more than what I deserve, and in life or death... I'll always be in your heart. If you'll have me."

Her lips tremble. "Always, Aria. I'll always let you in."

I force out a smile, as painful and numb as it feels. "Then do me one last favor, cupcake. Run. Take Adala with you, run, and don't look back. And when it comes down to it, fight with everything you have."

"But-"

"Promise me, Sky. Please." my voice breaks at the end. "Please, Sky."

A few seconds pass before she nods. "I promise, Aria."

Leaning down, she catches my mouth with hers. I weakly return the kiss, my energy completely depleted by this point. I want to grab her by the back of her neck, sink into her, feel her body one last time, but even those thoughts are not enough to summon an ounce of life force needed.

She must have sensed it, because she pulls back and presses her warm lips against my cold forehead.

"I love you, Aria."

"I... love you too... Sky." my voice drops below a whisper. "Take... my knife from... my pocket."

Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, she pulls out the camo hunting knife from my pants. The one I've always used, and which I've carried with me as a good luck charm.

"Turn... It over," I say softly. She does, exhaling sharply before looking at me.

"You..." She bites her lip. "You had our initials engraved..."

"Like I said baby... Together. Forever..."

"Always." She finishes for me.

With a snot-filled sniffle, she stands up and tucks the knife into her pocket. She picks up the gun from the ground and checks the safety (thank God) before stashing it in her pants. Glancing back at me one last time, she turns and doesn't look back as she rushes through the entrance leading to the garage. Adala barks twice, then the faint slam of a car door, and the barely decipherable sound of the garage opening and closing.

I'm all alone. I close my eyes, letting my body relax as much as I can despite the intense pain burning me as if I'm in hell. Which is exactly where I'm headed. Guess I have to get used to it.

Memories flash through my mind: that first time I met Sky at the cafe when the barista threw a hot pistachio latte at her and I gave her a piece of my mind, to when I had one of my episodes and Sky held me through the night, to her giddy excitement when she learned how to open my knife.

Meeting her opened up my best self, one that has been buried under six feet of hard concrete for years. I discovered what real love actually feels like. When you love someone so much, that just seeing them smile with joy, hearing their laughter, and watching them do the simplest things fills your heart with fluttering butterflies. When, even after two years, you never cease to gaze at them with admiration. And they never fail to steal your breath away with a single word or look.

The two years with Sky are the only time I've actually lived. Where I didn't need to kill people, or torture myself. When I didn't need to feel or inflict pain during sex to complete my satisfaction. Just her gentle whisper or soft brush of her hands along my skin was more than enough.

She's one in a million. And I know that she'll retain that sweet side no matter what.

After five, ten, maybe thirty minutes, pass (I don't know how long), the whirring of a helicopter appears above. I must have missed it when it was still in the distance. The house creaks as heavy footsteps run on the roof. A window breaks in the living room. Or is it... the kitchen?

Too late, Thunder Corp. Motherfuckers. You'll never have me again.

And with that, the darkness welcomes me with open arms, embracing me and extending its icy dead hands into the furthest parts of my mind, releasing me from Earth's confines.

I love you, Sky. Forever. Always.

The End...

Are you sure, Mila? Is it really the end?

Word Count: 2024