Page 53 of Shattered Love

Sprinting past the deceased guards, we aimed for the train, the back door open, people that had slipped through piling into the interior. Murphy hopped up first, grabbing the twins from Elizabeth’s hands before yanking her up as well.

Mina was hoisted up next, crawling into the cabin of the train and pulling her knees to her chest, shock immobilizing her. Sasha clambered up, batting Murphy’s hand away.

Someone shoved into my back, the crowd pushing closer and closer, and I spun on my heel on instinct. But it wasn’t a civilian, it was a guard and I was too slow; the gun raising before I could blink.

Suddenly, my body was shoved aside once again, this time towards Aiden’s waiting arms. He climbed into the train, pulling me up with him. I faced the mouth of the train car, searching for the familiar faces.

Horror gripped me when I spotted Warner, battling with the guard who had almost shot me. Rainer wasn’t faring much better, taking aim after aim as he rushed for the lip of the train.

“Daddy!” The small voice screamed, her lungs having to burn with the effort.

But it wasn’t Stephanie’s voice I heard, mine echoed in my head as I saw what she did. A guard with perfect aim, sending a bullet deep into Emmanuel’s chest. His body fell limp to the ground, feet stepping over him, not a care for the father, the husband, who had sacrificed his life.

A choked sob came from Elizabeth and Murphy turned them all away, ushering them further into the train.

My focus didn’t stay on Emmanuel’s for too long. Not when two men were still outside, fighting to get on. They had the upper hand, taking down men and women alike as they headed for us, but there were too many people.

They pushed and pushed, their faces set in determination as they raced toward us. My feet jostled beneath me, my body pitching forward, but Aiden’s arms were there to catch me. The train was moving.

Everyone in the vicinity realized what was happening. Several people, guards and civilians alike, made a last ditch effort to hop onto the train, but it wasn’t the two men I hoped for.

I struggled against Aiden’s hold, kicking my feet into the air as he pulled me back. But I couldn’t stop, couldn’t leave them behind.

“Let me go,” I yelled, pulling against Aiden’s arms, but he never released me.

My movements grew sluggish, energy draining from me as my gaze locked onto Warner and Rainer. They were merely two men in a sea of people, all of them left with no options, but they were the only ones I cared about.

Rainer looked solemnly at me, his gaze passing over my shoulder, and I knew Murphy was at my back. My gaze switched to Warner, a smirk dotting his lips, and then the asshole, the absolute asshole, he winked.

They didn’t chase us down. They accepted their fate. But as the image seared itself into my brain, I knew I’d never be okay.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

We had made it onto the train. We were headed for the bunkers, our one chance at survival. Hope tried to bloom in my chest, but it was impossible, not when two holes stunted the growth, torn into me by the two men left standing on the platform.

The wheels moved quickly on the tracks, Warner and Rainer growing further and further away until they faded from view. A solid crack split my heart and I couldn’t contain the sob that broke free.

Tears streamed freely down my cheeks and then two strong arms were around me, pulling me into a warm chest. Murphy murmured against my head, wetness dripping onto my hair and I knew he couldn’t contain the tears any more than I could.

I peeked up at him through blurry eyes, uttering the words, “They’re gone.”

He nodded in agreement, biting his lip to stem the sobs. The rest of the group surrounding us weren’t fairing much better. Lucas and Stephanie were inconsolable in their mother’s arms, thinking of their father.

I shared in their grief, knowing the pain of watching your father killed before your eyes. But it was different. They were too young. Too innocent to experience this grief. I wanted to hold them in my arms, to wipe away their pain, but I couldn’t even control my own.

“This isn’t fair,” I choked through another sob, my chest heaving as I tried to get air into my lungs.

How many times would I think that in the next few months? At this point, it had already been thousands. It wasn’t fair that my parents were dead. That Alex was dead. It wasn’t fair that the twins would never see their father again. That so many people had been left on those tracks, no chance at surviving what was to come.

And it wasn’t fair that I lost more people I cared for. I wanted to yell to the sky, beg for a different story, a happy ending that I always thought I’d find. This wasn’t how my life was supposed to turn out.

“Alessia, you need to take a deep breath,” Aiden urged from my side, and I realized I was hyperventilating, unable to calm myself.

Murphy pressed a hand against my chest, placing mine on his, breathing deeply. The motion was soothing beneath my palm and I gathered my breath, imitating the movement. Moments later, my chest was calm, my breaths less erratic.

But my heart was another story. You couldn’t fix something you couldn’t see. And I knew that from now until my last day, I would be a broken shell of the woman I once was.

After the tears finally faded, our group convened in the back corner of the train. There were probably around sixty people shoved inside, fitting together like sardines in a can. But no one complained about the squeeze, too aware of the other option. We could have been the ones stuck on the tracks, left behind.

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