But he grabs a hold of my ankle and stops my progress. I roll over so I can pry him off of me. Kicking my foot out, I try to connect with his fist so he’ll drop the knife, but I’m not successful. He brings the knife down, nearly hitting me in the chest. I’m able to twist at the waist, rolling the top half of my body away from the incoming blade and knocking him off balance.
I stand up, but Reed roundhouse kicks, knocking my leg out from underneath me before I can get my footing on the steps. When I go down, my back cracks against the wooden step, and it knocks the wind out of me.
“I’m going to enjoy this…” Reed utters with a maniacal smile on his face as he lunges for me.
When he lands on me, it hurts more than it should have. I try lifting my arm to fight him off, but I can’t. I can barely move at all. And that’s when I feel the fire licking its way through my abdomen. Slowly, Reed gets off of me, but I still can’t move. Trying as hard as I can, I look down at my stomach and watch as crimson paints my white dress shirt red.
Reed reaches down and grabs my shirt with both hands, dragging me up the stairs.
The last thing I picture before my world goes black is Chloe, standing in front of the sunset, overlooking the Aegean Sea.
She’s never looked more beautiful than she did that night.