Page 262 of Unravelling The Beast

“Baby please! Where is your knife?”

He suddenly focuses and speaks, his head swaying side to side.

“Sweatpants.”

I swiftly reach inside his pocket, feeling for it and pulling it out. I flick out the blade and begin to cut through the rope around his wrists, feeling the heat rising in the area around us and the smoke filling my nostrils.

I hastily move onto his ankles, and when he is free, I stand and grasp his arm, trying to pull him up. He roars as he tries to stand, but it's clear that his knee has been damaged and his body is broken.

“Lean on me, baby; I'm going to get you out of here.”

He hobbles as I slowly stroll forward with him, trying to bring him to the door while his heavy torso rests on my back to steady him. Everywhere I look, there are raging flames, and I start coughing from the black smoke filling the space, but as I approach closer to the exit, I start to feel hopeful that I might be able to get us out.

Suddenly, I hear a window shatter behind us and a zip through the air before Arlo presses even further into me with a loud groan.

He instantly collapses to the ground on his back, and I notice that his mouth is oozing with blood.

My broad, panicked eyes scan him, confused about the impact, until I discover he's been shot in the back somehow and the bullet has come out the front.

I drop to my knees alongside him, my teary, startled eyes assessing him before grabbing his wrist and pulling him, urgently attempting to drag him across the floor.

“You need to get up, baby! You need to get up!”

When he just stares at me without moving a muscle or even attempting to move, I shake my head frantically because I can see he has given up, and tears gush down my cheeks as I scream at him.

“Don't you fucking dare!’

When I crawl closer to him and grab his shirt into my hands, he calmly brings his cold, bloodied palm to my face, delicately sweeping my hair away before moving it around the back of my neck. He gently pulls me down to his face, and my tears fall onto his battered skin.

His eyes scan my features before he speaks breathlessly.

“You are so fucking beautiful, and I'm so proud to call you mine.”

My eyes soften as we search each other's for a moment as he continues calmly.

“This is how it ends for me, baby.”

I sob, my wet eyes closing as I rest my brow against his, and I whisper.

“Please don't say that. Please.”

“You're going to be an amazing fucking mom to our kids.”

I shake my head against his forehead.

“You need to get up, please; I can't lose you.”

He begins to speak through a wheeze, and blood fills his mouth.

“Just know that I love you, Cree, and our baby with every part of me, and I am grateful for everything and to have you both in my life. You've made it entirely in the time that I've known you, and I never deserved to gain such an angel. You made me fucking complete again, Wren, and you mean absolutely everything to me.”

I just stare into his eyes, completely oblivious to the mayhem going on around us, while he, too, wells up.

“You need to let me go and fucking live for you and Cree.”

I sob again, my heart shattering in my chest.

“I can't; if you die, I die. I love you so much, Arlo.”

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