Before the Fall

Chapter Fifty-Four - Lost Hope

Aster

I didn't want to believe it.

Didn't want any of it to be true.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, a little niggling doubt tried to come forward, but it was smothered by the overwhelming grief in my heart.

My tear-filled eyes stared in horror at the gruesome images in front of me, all of them in horrific color.

Mangled bodies, burned, bloody, and bruised. Bodies of the men I felt had become my friends.

Poor Hoseok, draped over the steering wheel of a military truck, his eyes open and empty of all light.

Taehyung's body crumpled on the ground, bloody, with a clean bullet hole through his forehead.

Jimin, Jin, and Yoongi suffering similar fates.

Then there was poor Jungkook, his legs bent unnaturally below him, as if he had been shot when he leapt from the side of the truck.

Li shuffled those photos aside and one more, one that set my body into shock, was of Namjoon. His head laid back against the seat, a bullet hole through the side of his head,  his eyes open with tears streaming from them. In his hand was his weapon, his finger still loosely holding the trigger.

I felt like every part of my world that I had left, that was worth living for was just ripped away from me and destroyed. My hands trembled as I pushed the photos around, staring at the different scenes and trying to make sense of it all. I couldn't see well through my tears, and I was grateful for that.

Those scenes would haunt me for as long as I lived.

I sobbed, curling over into myself. I wept loudly and deep, broken wails came from me.

Why did the last friends I ever had in this world have to be taken from me in such a violent way? What happened? How did it happen? Who could have done it?

Ideas raced through my head and I suddenly quieted, sniffing, wiping tears off my face with the backs of my hands. I looked up at Li and I asked the one question I wanted answered right then.

"Wh-what h-happened?" I felt my heart racing, my chest tightening as I awaited his answer.

He clicked his tongue and sat back against his chair with a heavy sigh.

"Namjoon committed suicide, Aster. He went feral and killed all the other members before turning the gun on himself. It appears he tried to make it look like an accident."

I stared at Li like he had four heads. Namjoon? Murdering his brothers? It was unfathomable!

"The best thing you can do, Aster, is let them go. They're gone anyway, but let them go from your heart. They weren't going to care about you like you thought they would. They were simply using you as a fun distraction. They weren't capable of caring about anyone else but themselves. I saved you from that, Aster."

I listened to him speak, but at some point along the way I stopped believing anything he said. I wasn't sure how much he knew, or how much I should say, so I kept my lips shut.

"You are my responsibility now, Aster. I will take good care of you. Go back to your room, rest, and I will see you at dinner."

Room? It was a prison cell, not a room. I kept my eye roll to myself and stood to my feet, still a bit shaky from the shock of seeing my friends dead.

I had to keep my wits about me. Namjoon wouldn't want me to waste my life so carelessly. I had to stay alive.

* * *

Li

A few weeks went by. Aster had become much more pliable, obedient, and submissive to me. I even contemplated removing the shock collar from her, but I wasn't quite ready for that yet. She still needed to prove herself worthy of being free.

I sat across from Aster over a picnic lunch, on a large blanket underneath the faint fall colors of the trees around us.

A crisp breeze was lilting around us and I watched her pull her cardigan tighter around her. Her white tail danced with the breeze and her ears twitched at the smallest sounds.

"Aster, be a dear and hand me the grapes."

"The...grapes?" Her eyes blanked for a moment and I smiled.

"Those green things right there?" I pointed to the grapes casually and gave her a sappy smile as my thanks when she handed them to me.

"Want more tea?"

She smiled and shook her head. "No, not right now."

"It's getting cold, and your cup is empty. Let me go ahead and refill it." I poured the rest of the brown liquid into her cup and smiled as she took it into her hands.

"If its still warm, I suppose it will help keep me warm as well."

I grinned and looked out over the trees going through their color changes in anticipation of the fall season. "I do love fall, don't you?" I smiled back at my little kitten.

"Mmm," she purred, smiling sweetly at me over the teacup.

"Aster, may I ask you a question?"

"Sure, General."

"What did your father used to do for work?"

She set down her teacup and looked like she was pondering very deeply for a moment. Her mouth opened and then shut again, opening once more and then clamping closed just as quickly.

"I...I think he...no, wait..." she sighed in frustration.

I smiled and reached over and patted her hand. "It's okay, it's not important."

"I...no, I want to remember. I just...I seem to have forgotten."

Her eyes slid downward and her face settled into a deep frown.

"I'm just trying to learn more about you, but don't worry. I feel like we haven't really ever gotten to talk in such a relaxed way." I popped another grape into my mouth and chewed it happily.

"Didn't you tell me your husband's name was Xander?"

Her eyes jumped to mine, her face showing perfect confusion.

"Husband? I'm not married, as far as I know. Who is Xander?"

I smiled and shook my head. "Sorry, I must have you confused with someone else."

She shook her head and smiled coyly. "General, please, try to focus on me right now. Please dismiss any thoughts of anyone else."

"Certainly," I cooed before turning my eyes back to the trees.

Everything was as beautiful as those trees.

* * *

AN: Thank you for over 2k reads! 💜