Page 108 of I Will Mend You

“It’s alright, I understand.”

“He overheard them saying extras would be arriving soon, and Delta and Dolly would leave in a helicopter for an event. We decided to escape before they got the chance to shoot the main footage.”

“So, the men we captured were newcomers to the shoot?” he asks.

I raise a shoulder. “Well, I killed half the crew.”

He stops dead in his tracks, looking me full in the face, making me shift on my feet and stutter out an explanation of how I hid in a closet to ambush one man and fought another to the death in the jungle of weeds.

His eyes shine with admiration I don’t deserve. I didn’t kill the third crew member—that was Grunt, who shot him before carrying me off to escape.

“I saw you dart into the forest and then double back to steal the bus,” he says, his voice breathy with awe. “That was the opening we needed to gun him down.”

“You kept reminding me he wasn’t to be trusted.”

Xero taps the side of my head. “One day you’ll realize the strategist who helped you escape that asylum wasn’t me. It was all you.”

A lump forms in my throat. I swallow, not quite believing his words. He wasn’t there to see me when I was paralyzed by terror or bumbling and crying my way through that labyrinth of peril. I needed Xero to bark at me to keep moving.

I continue walking in silence, letting him hold on to the blood-spattered image of an action heroine. Eventually, we pass a fire exit that leads to another hallway lined with doors. The walls here seem to close in, and the air becomes colder, heavier, and charged with the weight of an impending confrontation.

My steps drag with dread. Xero’s hand remains a steady anchor in mine, his presence keeping me grounded when my spirit longs to float into the ether.

I follow him to the one at the end, which he unlocks with his handprint. My heart pounds like it’s punctuating a death march.

The heavy door creaks open, releasing a stench of sweat and despair that makes me gag. I clap a hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp. My stomach churns, every instinct screaming at me to retreat, yet I force myself to step inside on trembling legs.

A lone figure kneels at the back, his head bowed, with hands clasped as if in prayer. The flickering bulb casts eerie shadows, making him look almost ghostly. Despite the dim light, I recognize him in an instant.

My mind flashes back to the asylum. Bitterness clogs my throat, and I freeze, trapped by memories.

I force myself to move forward on wooden legs. With each step, my resolve dwindles, leaving only the man’s whimpers and pleas for mercy. If Xero hadn’t arrived with drones, that could easily be me, begging Delta and the others to stop. My heart resonates with his cries, transporting my mind back to the agony he and the others made me endure.

“Xero.” My voice is a shaky whisper, inaudible over the pounding of my heart. Every shred of courage that had broughtme this far evaporates, leaving me feeling small and powerless. “I’m sorry.”

I step back, bumping into his solid frame.

When he turns me around, I expect to be crushed by the weight of his disappointment or the annoyance he displayed when I recoiled from the human centipede underneath my old house. But all I see is understanding. “It’s too early. You don’t have to do this now.”

Tears sting my eyes, blurring my vision. I blink, and they spill down my cheeks. “Thank you,” I whisper, my voice trembling with gratitude. “Can you hug me like you did at the asylum, please?”

He pulls me into a comforting embrace, his warmth enveloping my senses. His strong arms form a protective barrier against the debilitating memories.

“You’re not alone, little ghost,” he murmurs into my curls, his voice filled with sincerity. “I’m here for you. Always.”

I lean against his chest, and the stench of sweat and despair is replaced by the familiar, comforting smell of Xero. The cell and its horrors fade away, and I lose myself in the rhythm of his steady heartbeat.

For the first time since I can remember, I let down my guard and release trembling sobs. The numbness around my heart shatters, and I let loose.

Xero places a kiss on my forehead, igniting a flicker of hope. It’s fragile, barely visible in the darkness of my soul, but it glows steadily like an ember, ready to ignite into a flame. With Xero by my side, I know that I can face whatever comes next.

FIFTY-SEVEN

XERO

I didn’t expect Amethyst to be able to kill that man. Her trauma is too recent, and her emotions are too raw. Seeing her friend doing so well must have pushed her into wanting to slay her demons before she was ready, but healing takes time.

Amethyst now sits in the kitchen, eating the warmed up arancini balls. Over lunch, she barely finished two, but now she’s managed four. Her improved appetite is a step forward.

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