DAHLIA
"What the hell just happened?" Lee asked, looking very worried.
"He's burning up" I said, placing a hand on Red's forehead.
"Oh shit. I think I know what's wrong with him" Lee said, his eyes wide with panic. I watched him grab Red's arm and began to take off the bandage on his arm.
We all let out a horrified gasp. His wound looked somewhat red and inflamed. "Okay, this is bad" Tori muttered.
"I can fix this but he'll need medicine" I said.
Lee clenched his jaw.
"Tell me what you'll need. I'll get it" he said.
"Lee, you know it's risky" Vanessa said.
"So, what do we do? We let him die?" Tori spat, glaring at her.
"I was just going to say that he has to go with someone" Vanessa said, her face pale.
"I think we should tie her up and gag her. She won't be able to do anything, that way" Axel said, leaning against the wall.
"Woah, you're actually.... standing" Lee said, a look of surprise crossing his features.
"Yeah I guess. For now, I can't stand for long periods" Axel said.
"Right. C'mon Lia. Let's move him to the bedroom" Lee said. We both managed to move him to the bedroom and place him on the bed.
I wrote down the drugs he would need and Lee left with Tori.
"Can I help?" Vanessa said.
"We don't trust you. You might make this worse" I said, fighting the urge to lash out at her. I was so frustrated and scared. The more I stared at Red's infected wound, the more worried I got.
Axel walked in with a bowl of water and a towel.
"Is he going to be okay?" He asked as I placed the damp towel on Red's forehead.
"I hope so. Is the knife ready?" I asked.
"Yeah" he said, taking out a knife whose sharp end was red hot.
"What if this doesn't work?" I said, tears filling my eyes.
"You can do this, Lia" He said, handing the knife over to me. Just then Red stirred, his eyes opened half-way.
I stroked his damp hair, pressing a kiss to his head.
"Lia?" He croaked, his eyes falling shut.
"I'm right here. You're gonna be fine, I promise" I whispered.
"I trust you but why the hell are you holding a red hot knife? Are you going to stab me or something?" He slurred.
Axel smiled.
"No. You wound is infected, I'm just going to-"
"Wait, don't say it. I know I'm yours but do you have to imprint your name on my skin?" He whispered.
I laughed.
"Shut up, Red. Why are you so funny?" I mumbled, tears filling my eyes.
"I'm trying to make you feel better, Lia. I can feel the waves of panic coming from you" he whispered, wincing slightly. I wiped away my tears, warmth invading my heart. He was in pain but that didn't stop him from trying to make me feel better. My beautiful man.
"It's working. I feel better" I said, nodding.
He smiled.
"That's good" he slurred.
"Arch, it's going to hurt really bad" Axel said.
Arch smiled groggily.
"I know, I can take it"
Axel held his free hand.
"Okay, do it" Red croaked, his eyes slipping close once more.
Taking a deep breath, I pressed the knife onto his wound. He stiffened, his grip on Axel's hand tightening.
I took it off and he clenched his fist. Even with his eyes closed, I could tell that he was hurting badly. I gave the knife to Axel and he left to heat it up.
I started to dab Red's feverish skin with the damp towel. "How are you feeling?" I asked.
"Awful. I feel so weak... it's like every ounce of energy left in me has gone down the drain. Then, there's this annoying pounding in my head that's not helping my vision. And there's the ache deep in my bones. I've never felt so awful" he croaked. I sighed, brushing his shoulder length hair away from his face.
I brought a glass of water to his lips with my hand supporting the back of his head. He drained the glass and I placed the empty glass on the table. I held his hand, pressing a kiss to his forehead.
"I love you" I whispered softly. His lips curved into a half-smile then, his features relaxed. He'd passed out again and I didn't know if I had to scream or cry.
***
LEE
"He's going to be fine, Lee" Tori said as we walked into the drug store.
"I know. He's strong, he'll pull through. I'm just worried about...".
"Vanessa?"
"I mean, what if she didn't-"
"No. She definitely did it. Don't you see it? She's hiding something? She wants us dead" Tori said.
"We still have to consider the fact that she might be telling the truth" I said.
We got to the drug section and purchased the drugs.
"Here's your change, handsome" the cashier said, smiling coyly.
"Hey, take your eyes off him. He's my boyfriend" Tori said, glaring at her.
"Oh, sorry. He's just too hot"
Tori went red in the face.
"Hey. Easy, girlfriend" I said, pecking her on the lips.
The cashier looked away and I chuckled grabbing Tori's hand. We got out of the drug store only to bump into three armed men.
I recognized the tattoos on their forearms.
Scorpion's eye organization.
"If you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be" I said, moving forward but was stopped by one of the men.
"Wait. We know you. You're The Grim" the taller one said. I narrowed my eyes.
"Uh- not today, big guy. Not today" I said, driving my elbow into his face.
"Get him!" The shorter one yelled. Tori swung her fist into his face, blood gushing out of his nose as he doubled over.
"Quick, get to the car" I said to Tori who nodded and ran forward.
I kneed the last guy in the groin and ran to the car.
"Seat belt on" Tori ordered and I laughed before buckling them in place.
"Yes, mommy"
Tori smiled and drove off.
"That sucker punch of yours was pretty badass" I said to Tori who grinned.
"What can I say? I've got the best teacher" she replied and I laughed.
"Phew, that was close" I sighed, leaning back on my seat.
***
AXEL
"I'm sorry about everything that has happened" Vanessa said from the entrance of the kitchen. I sighed.
"I want to believe that you're not actually a psychopath who plans to murder us all in a very subtle manner. So, tell me the truth.....did you actually plan the fire incident?" I said.
Tears filled her eyes and she began to fiddle with the hem of her baggy T-shirt.
"No one trusts me. No one believes me, so why should you?" She said.
"It's because I think you're not just a pretty face. I think you're not all that bad"
"You don't know the half of the things I've done. I'm an ex-assassin. I'm not just bad, I'm horrible. Red knows it too. That's why he broke up with me"
"He doesn't hate you, I know that. Why else would you still be here?" I said, folding my arms.
She scoffed.
"I'm not a very happy person. I thought I could make new friends but Dahlia already hates me. No matter how much I try to be good, I'm just never good enough. I tried to start a conversation with Dahlia and I messed it up. I don't know.... I guess, being the villain suits me better" .
"You don't know that" I said.
She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Fine, you want to know if I did it?! I'll tell you. Someone connected some sort of bomb to the gas and while I was taking it off, I cut the pipe. I don't know if it was an accident. But, I had to get it out and shut down the damn bomb! They know you guys are here! It's only a matter of time before they show up here! I don't know how they found out. No one would believe me anyway" she said and stormed off. I stared at the door, my mind reeling. It didn't make sense.
A bomb?
Right here in the kitchen?
What if she was telling the truth?