First Bitten: Chapter 22

“NO!” I scream.

Sol drops to his knees as Jin releases his hold on him, blood gushing out of his neck, running everywhere, soaking into his clothes. He looks at me, panic and confusion swilling around his eyes. Then something in them fades and he drops to the floor.

“SOL!”

Scarlett grabs my arm from behind and tries to pull me towards the house. I stagger back, tripping on my own feet, unable to move my eyes away from Sol.

Jin steps over Sol. I lift my eyes to him to see his sinister ones chasing us down, his sights clearly set on Scarlett.

“GO!” I yell. Turning, I push Scarlett into the house. Then I hear the gunshot.

I spin around.

I see a hole in Jin’s chest where his heart used to be. The gun goes off again. Jin’s body jolts like he’s being electrocuted and I see Nathan striding toward him, gun held high and aimed straight as he empties the clip into Jin’s chest until he drops to the floor with a thud.

Everything pauses to catch its breath. The gun in Nathan’s hand drops, clattering to the floor, then we’re both running to Sol.

I drop to my knees beside them. Sol’s alive. I can hear his weak heart beating but he’s struggling to breathe. I can hear the gargle in his throat as his own blood chokes him. He’s drowning in it. Oh God, no.

“Sol.” Nathan turns his face carefully round to us. I gasp, choking on tears at the gaping hole in his neck. Nathan puts his hands over the wound, trying to stem the blood flow. “HELP!” Nathan cries, desperation and panic overtaking his voice. “HELP US!” Lowering his voice, he moves closer to Sol, “Come on, wake up. You need to wake up.”

Cal and Craig come running out of the house seconds later.

“Oh God!” Cal cries, dropping down beside him. “What happened?”

“Jin,” I say sobbing, “he came out of nowhere.”

Craig reaches down and pries Nathan’s bloody hands off Sol’s neck. The look on his face says it all.

Sol coughs, coming round. “Nate,” he groans.

“I’m here, I got you.” Nathan holds him closer.

Cal’s hands are hovering over Sol like he doesn’t know which part of him to touch first.

Tears drip down from my chin.

Sol coughs again, choking. Blood trickles out of his mouth. His heart rapidly slows, beating intermittently. “Oh no, no!” Nathan grips hold of Sol’s face with his hand, trying to hold him here with his eyes alone. “You stay with me, you hear? You’re not leaving me, you hear me?” A sob breaks somewhere deep inside of Nathan.

Sol’s eyes focus in on him, “Tell Dad … ” but the words never come. And I watch as the life in Sol’s eyes fades, the exact moment I hear his heart stop beating.