Finding Life | Finders Keepers #2 ✔️

6. The Day We All Die

Blythe

A war with the Shadows. A gang who was known for their ruthlessness, who was known for killing their own, and who was known to cut out every snitches' tongues and serve them in a platter to those same people. It had been a long thing coming, something waiting to break out. We just never anticipated that it would end like this.

I would have never anticipated that I would be hours away, unable to get there in time and help them. If I did, maybe I'd make a difference, maybe I'd be able to actually save Nathan.

Antonio told me the full story when we were now inside the house, in my room, and had stopped crying. It was all about Nathan's family. They've already figured out his identity and it as finally confirmed that the break at the car was tampered with, and the Shadows' leader paid the police to look away and say that it was just an unfortunate accident. Luckily, Nathan's sister, Rosalie, survived the crash. Since then, she has never been safe.

Though Nathan treats me like her sister, Rosalie, we never really talked much. Maybe a little light conversation when she was still a member but when I started taking high school seriously, all my connections with everyone slowly went away and I only contacted the people who I needed to contact.

She'd gotten captured and her boyfriend, a former Shadow boy, had the idea to warn Nathan and tell him all the layout of the building before they finally devised a plan and attack the premises. It was promising at first, but then, there were about five people that came after Nathan and him. Antonio was able to put the three down but Nathan—

"He was able to shoot one," his voice breaks as he speaks. It hurt so much to hear about it, to hear him like this but I needed to. It was crucial for everyone to know what was his cause of death. "but the other one lunged at him and he didn't see it. I was about to rip him off but before I could, he had two bullets in his chest. I held him in my arms. I held him like he was my child and I watched him bleed from his mouth, and tell me to take care of everyone. Then, he's gone."

Everything aches as I shut my eyes and imagine it.

"Rosalie's in her room with Luke, the boyfriend. She hasn't woken up yet and I can't—" he chokes back a sob. "I don't know what I'm going to say to her. I failed to protect her brother. I failed to protect your brother."

Without saying anything, I open my eyes and wrap my arms around him. I didn't know what to say. I wanted to reassure him, to tell him that it wasn't his fault but it was mine. It was mine for not being there to protect him, or to protect Rosalie just so everything could've been avoided.

The night went on but it was anything but peaceful. The wind howled as it passed through the leaves and the rain poured straight for God knows how many hours. None of us could sleep. We were all mourning for those who died and I knew, immediately, that everyone blamed themselves for everything. Everything had hurt in me. I was unable to walk and tend to those who are injured.

Instead, I shut my eyes, listening close to the crying women just beside my room. It was Nathan and Chloe's room.

And I knew Chloe and Rosalie are in there, holding one another.

The need for me to hug them was there but I was still stuck in my seat by the opened window. And so I did what I could do.

I scream with the wind. I scream for our members who died and I scream for Nathan who always protected his family no matter how much pain it would cause him.

The morning was dreadful. I couldn't bring myself to get up. Antonio had to help me sit up and stand. Though he's the one that's injured, he treated me like he's healthy and I'm the one that's been beaten almost to death.