World Ashen

Chapter 7 - Jensen

"Wake up, man, wake up," someone yelled faintly in my ear. I woke up screaming. The person clamped their hand over my mouth.

"Hush it," another voice said sternly. I never bothered opening my eyes because I was unprepared.

"You're—" the first voice began, but the second one cut them off.

"Quiet, let me tell him," the second one yelled.

Suddenly, a female's voice cut in, "both of you! Shut up for God's sake."

"Why don't we both tell him?" A second female's voice suggested, much softer than the others.

"What's going on?" I asked, sounding slurred.

"Well, you're missing an arm," they all said, which I found barely audible.

The news shocked me into silence.

"It's okay. You can look now." Unwillingly, I opened my eyes. My right arm was missing. They cut it from the shoulder serving as a stump. My dad's brother and his wife with Jace and Amy stood there, so I asked where Piper and Ash were.

"She's—" Amy started, but Piper interrupted her.

"Jensen, oh my God," Piper yelled, running over. She fell over while trying to hug me. I said nothing as tears rolled down my cheeks and onto the white sheets covering my legs.

"Before you ask, I got the turmeric," Uncle Shane said as the bedroom door opened and four men and two girls entered the room. I recognized a little over half of the group. Cayler carried Kenneth, and the others followed.

"Uh, Cayler," I drawled. August eyed me.

"These two men are Dan and Wyatt; Wyatt is my cousin. Dan, Hellia, and Mary-Anne are just friends."

August shrugged, seeing the others. She glanced over at me as my hand flew to my covered left eye.

"What—" I started, but someone cut me off.

"Your eye scared shut."

"Why didn't you leave it be?"

"It healed like that, so I made an eye patch."

"I would've been fine."

"Jensen," Jace said, sounding too much like Dad, "your eye is closed, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Relieved to be called by my name, I sighed. "So when I was looking for turmeric, I got kidnapped, and the guys kept calling me Roger. The Roger I had met at the diner..." Mary-Anne looked at me, startled, so I stopped talking.

"You know each other? You knew Roger?" Cayler asked, looking at me, then glancing at Mary-Anne.

"Yeah. When Desi, Jace, the kids and I were at the diner near Piper's, some guys brought in Roger who seemed beat up. Jace and I tried saving him, but we couldn't. Why?" I said.

Mary-Anne took off her glasses, sobbing. "A group called Metal Fire had kidnapped Roger, and he had escaped. This other group found and tortured him because he used to be with Metal Fire. That explains why others called you Roger and not Jensen." Thinking about Roger made me wonder about my cousins and Angel, so I asked. My answer was Angel Metal Fire's men had traumatized her. Not talking, but she would be okay.

I shot up from my lying position and went to stand, but fell against my twin brother and girlfriend. "Don't tell me; is my leg or foot missing too?" I asked. Piper shook her head.

"August, can you check on Kenneth? He got hurt while fighting Dad," Cayler asked, voice trailing off. The red-haired woman nodded and said goodbye to Wyatt as she rolled over to Cayler to take Kenneth from him. Wyatt was blushing as August left.

Cayler laughed. "So, Wy. You being sweet on August over there?" Hearing this, I bit my lip and hoped they wouldn't start fighting.

Wyatt yelled, "you're sweet on Kenneth, Cale. So what's the problem?"

My friend held his hands up like he was surrendering. "Nothing. I was just asking a question." There was this awkward silence, so I just asked Piper and Jace if I could see Ash. The nine-year-old boy sat at a small table in the bedroom he stayed in.

"Hey, buddy. How ya feeling?" I asked as Jace and Piper sat me down beside Ash.

"I'm doing amazing," Ash said. This shocked me and my brother greatly. I wasn't sure of what to say without sounding vulgar. Silence filled the room, but Ash's coughs followed soon after. Ash reached for a small bottle on the table and drank some clear syrup. "Well, that's good," Jace said after Ash stopped coughing. "Are you aware you might not be alive tomorrow?"

Ash nodded. "I'm fully aware, Jace. That's why I'm wanting to have a good life while I can." I stared at Jace in shock, but he avoided making eye contact with any of us. With one eye, I saw tears sliding down Jace's cheeks. August stuck her head through the cracked door. "Kenneth is ready to be seen. He'll be alright. How are you feeling, Jensen?"

"I'm feeling excellent," I said sarcastically. The pain was excruciating.

"Love, you look like you're going to faint," Piper said, as a wave of nausea hit me. Piper and Jace carried me to the white bedroom and laid me down on the mattress. Piper laid down with me and snuggled close. "Happy New Year's Eve. You'll marry me, right?"

I laughed, "of course, I just didn't know when I'd ask, but I guess I don't need to since you basically already proposed."