Page 437 of Eternal
And maybe most people would give it a few hours, chalk it up to being busy, or stubborn, or pissed, but my heart had this pressure on it, like it knew, like it was already preparing to shatter.
So I tracked her.
She’d never turn the location off, not for me, and it led me to a property I didn’t recognize, some oversized estate on the edge of nowhere, fireworks going off in the distance, laughter bleeding out into the sky.
The main house was full.Loud. People dressed nicely, but she wasn’t there, I knew that immediately.
I followed the signal, out back, around the side, a dependency, shut tight, the kind of place you wouldn’t even glance at if you didn’t know.
I pushed it, quietly and fast, there were bodies, two men, armed, shot clean… They were still warm.
And that’s when I saw it, the bullets, matte black casings, custom, engraved with a faint iris etched on the rim.
Hers.
I moved faster, heart punching my ribs, and found a door half-cracked open.
Inside, chaos, a desk overturned, albums everywhere, blood. So much blood.
Andher.
At first, she was standing. I swear to God, she was still standing… back to me, shoulders heaving, clutching something like she was trying to finish a job.
And I smiled. Relief,stupid, fleeting relief, because if she was on her feet, she was okay.Right?
Then she turned.
And the smile fell clean off my face, her hand was pressed to her stomach, the gloves I gave her were soaked through, a pool of red was spreading at her feet.
And then she collapsed.
My body moved before my mind could process it. I was running, shouting her name, dropping to my knees before she hit the ground. I caught her barely, enough to stop her head from hitting the tile.
“Hey…HEY! Stay with me,” I gasped, voice cracking, already shaking her gently. “Look at me, partner. Look at me.”
She was so pale, she blinked slowly, eyes unfocused, blood on her lips, albums still clutched in one arm like she refused to let them go.
“Damir…” she whispered.
And my whole world broke apart.
She’s bleeding too fast. I’m holding her face in my hands, desperate, my fingers smeared with her blood.
“Baby…no, no, no. Breathe, okay? Look at me.”
“What happened,Azra…What the fuck happened?”
She shows the albums around her, “A little boy… He didn’t mean to shoot me… He was scared… reallyscared.” Her lips part, a trembling breath escaping. “I found them,” she whispers, her voice cracked, eyes glassy. “The photos. The proof. It’s all there, please, take them, finish it.”
I shake my head, throat tight. “You're going to finish it. We’ll do it together. You need to hold on.”
She laughs, weak and shaking, tears trailing down her temple. “You’re so stubborn. I’m losing too much blood…”
I press my hand harder against her side, but it’s no use. It’s all coming out.
She’s slipping through my hands.
“I had a surprise for you,” I choke out, trying to keep her awake. “You can’t go. Not yet. You didn’t even see it.”
