A/n: UPDATE!

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Chapter Ninety:

Rays of sun shone from the skies as dawn approached. The sky was beginning to fade from a dark plateau of black and had streaks of light purple appearing from the east as the night began to blend with day.

It was much easier to see and the sharp, cold winds of the night had calm down to a soft breeze as Lucas and I tried to run but just couldn't.

By this point we were exhausted and my legs shook barely able to hold my body weight. I was on the verge of collapsing as my legs spasmed before me. Lucas was no better as we now walked at a slow pace going from a sprint, to jog, to now walking.

I hated how slow we were going and that Lucy and Shaun would catch up in no time. I could tell they were close by Lucy's laughing from behind me growing louder and louder with each passing minute.

"We-" breathed Lucas heavily as he had lost his breath. "Have-"

He had a coughing fit as he paused momentarily leaning on a tall rock. His clothes clung to him like a second skin and his face was drenched with sweat. With one hand, he brushed his dark hair back and it instantly froze in place due to all the sweat coating his hair allowing it to stick.

Dark bags hung below his eyes as they rose to mine and I was sure I did not fair any better.

"To keep going."

He coughed as I nodded pausing in my steps. My legs instantly felt relief as I stopped moving but still they ached from standing and running for too long with no rest.

My eyes stung as sweat dripped into them and with the back of my hand, I wiped it along my drenched forehead. "We can't do this anymore."

I saw Lucas want to object but he knew as much as me that we aren't going to last running. But also, in the state we were in, we were not going to last in a fight either.

"I-," I breathed out as I felt panic rise in my chest and my breathing fluttered. "I- I don't know what to do anymore."

I don't want to die. Was silently hanging around us, taunting us when there really was nothing left to do.

Glancing behind me, I saw the pair only a hundred metres off. They appeared to be hardly puffed as Lucy smiled along with Shaun. Lucy looked up to me and made eye contact as she drew closer now walking leisurely over the sharp rocks.

The grin on her face widened as she winked and she shouted out.

"Almost here sweetie."

Glancing back to Lucas desperately, he pushed off the rock. "We are not going to be sitting ducks waiting for them to come and finish us up."

Nodding, we took off at what we tried to make a fast pace, but was hardly a fast walk. It was as if in no time that I could suddenly here pounding footsteps behind me grow louder and I knew. That despite all night, they had finally caught up with us.

One moment I was standing, the next my balance was lost as a force crushed into me from behind forcing me to place my hands out in front of me as I attempted to protect myself from the sharp rocks.

Lucy giggle from above me as my hands instantly tore from the contact with the rocks and blood formed on my skin as a cry of pain left my mouth. I hissed in a breath as my hands burned and immediately Lucy was above me sending a flying punch into my face.

My cheek ached as my head slammed back onto the rock below me, a headache instantly rising from the harsh impact. Lucy sent another two forceful punches onto my face and I felt the air leave my lungs as her last punch was directed at my right grazed cheek causing me to see stars.

I was too weak to raise my arms to defend myself and heard a loud ringing noise around me which I could not identify. It was impossible for me to get out of her hold with my legs as she grabbed a fistful of my hair and raised my head to hers.

I opened my eyes and it took a moment for the light to register around me as my vision slowly become clear as I blinked frantically. After a few more moments, Lucy's blurry face suddenly pulled together and I saw her wide toothy grin as she cocked her head to the side. Her green eyes had brightened as she took in the obvious terrible state of my face.

"Oh Bryce," she teased as she cooed with a sarcastic frown. "Oh, sweet, strong, Bryce, what happened?"

I barely reacted. I couldn't. My face only pounded with a constant throbbing pain as I could barely register what was happened. I tried opening my mouth but it barely moved as I felt my usual small lips swollen causing a harsh, irritable, throbbing pain.

She laughed at my state and brought her hand up flicking my nose. I let out a whimper from the pain causing her to laugh louder. 

"Not so strong are you now? Bryce?"

She let go of my head and I let out a sound of pain as my delicate, weak head struck the ground harshly behind me. I felt concern grow as I ignored her growing laughter and realised that I could not hear Lucas and Shaun fighting.

Suddenly, Lucy gripped my shoulders frightening me. Her hands gripped them tightly causing more pain to burst through me. "Get up."

She hauled me to my feet and as soon as I was up I almost collapsed from how weak I felt. Lucy sent another punch into my face causing me to almost topple over as I lost my balance and my vision grew blurry.

"Oh, no you don't," threatened Lucy as all I could see was the blurring image of the rocks below me as my head pounded. "Stand up and stay on your feet, Bitch."

Slowly, Lucy stepped backwards and I had no choice to follow. One of her arms wrapped around my neck, and the other was around my waist. I might have been able to escape this position in any normal situation. But in the state I was in, minus the for sure concussion I have and how weak I felt from running all night, there was no way I could do anything.

Instead, I looked up trying to see if Lucas was alright. It took me a minute for my eyes to settle and be able to see a little clearer than before through my now swollen eyes. Dawn approached faster and everything became clearer as there was more light now.

I could see Lucas just a few metres away on the ground below Shaun. Shaun had some blood coated through his golden hair and at first I thought it was because he was injured, as his hand was spotted with bright blood.

But it took me a moment to realise that the blood was Lucas's and Shaun must've dragged his bloody hand through his golden locks leaving streaks of blood.

But what truly terrified me the most was that when Shaun stood, Lucas laid unmoving. 

"Lucas!" I screamed out.

At least, I thought I did, but when he did not react I realised my words come out as a whisper as my throat burned. I must have been screaming before when Lucy first attacked me.

Shaun laughed from in front of me as I watched myself be dragged away from them.

"What was that, Bryce?"

I was confused as I saw I was being dragged further away from them, but not towards the hill. But as I felt and heard a loud wind current, I realised that Lucy had dragged me close to the edge of the cliff.

Glancing to my left proved to be very difficult as my neck was in pain from the assault and the headlock she had me in, but I could see that we were about a metre or two from the edge.

I felt my heart leap as I looked back and saw Shaun in front of us, about five metres away with a gun pointed at my head. My breath left my chest as I truly processed the scene in front of me. My head was laid back on Lucy's left shoulder as her right arm was circled around my neck and her left was around my waist.

Weakly, I tried to move from her grasp but she only tightened it, squeezing harshly on my neck as a breath of air left me in a gasp. She laughed cruelly through clenched teeth as she strained herself to keep me in her hold.

"Nice try, but don't even think about it," she whispered in my ear, her breath cold as she laughed softly.

My eyes went to Shaun's as he held the black handgun in front of him firmly, his finger resting on the safety lock. His eyes were firm but I could see a sense of hesitancy in them as he stared at me in Lucy's grip.

When I opened my mouth to try and use it to my benefit, I watched it fade as if he turned a switch and instead his eyes hardened as a smirk rose to his lips.

"Shaun," I started in a small whisper which sent me into a coughing fit from the burning in my lungs.

I know he could not hear me but he could read my lips as it formed his name. His smirk only grew.

"You don't have to do this," I said louder, loud enough for him to hear.

Lucy's grip on me tightened in warning, but I had nothing left to lose. I saw Shaun pause for a moment as his eyes scrunched in uncertainty. My eyes drifted to something I barely noticed and I saw Lucas lying a few metres behind him fidget his foot softly as he moved slightly.

Following my gaze, Shaun knew what I was looking at and let out a loud laugh as he shook his head. "Don't even bother, he is dead."

But as he moved more I knew he wasn't. 

At least . . . not yet.

But I showed no indication, even though I couldn't even do anything with my face that throbbed in pain and ached harshly sending pulses that riveted through my whole body.

"Why?"

That was the only thing I could say. Through the pain it hurt to even think and I fought to keep my eyes open as they drifted in and out of focus. It was when I felt my adrenaline pumping that I was able to stay awake more, but there was nothing to help with the pounding of my head that left me unable to think straight at the moment.

Shaun raised a brow and went to respond, but stopped when Lucy stomped harshly on my foot causing me to jump and yelp.

"You know why already, Bryce. Stop stalling." I felt her head turn as she looked at Shaun. "Shoot her already.

I saw Shaun's eyes soften with love as he looked to Lucy from behind me. I felt myself grow sick at the sight and the daring sound of him switching off the safety on his gun and drawing his other hand to help support his stance left a new soft of horror to go through me.

I had been in life and death situations before. 

But not one like this.

I have stared death in the eye and still managed to walk away, unscathed and always kept moving.

But this time . . . it was different.

I had no control over this. I could barely stand as I stared down the gun that aimed for my head and had my body restrained. Not that I even needed to be restrained. If anything, Lucy holding me was the only reason why I still stood.

"Take one final look, Bryce," Shaun said as he glanced around us. "Have your final words."

Lucy scoffed from behind me but shook her head, "Fine, give her some dignity."

I paused for a moment trying to think on what to say for my final words, but as I felt my tears burn and blur my vision as I looked to Lucas barely conscious on the ground behind Shaun, to the sky that was streaked with gold and purple, and a single image of my family appearing before my closed eyes, I opened them and looked at Shaun.

"I'll leave this world with dignity and no regret behind, with the thought that I had never lied and never killed with the intention of it. That despite everything my humanity remained and I lived a life with love and trust without an evil heart, but bare witness that if you make it out both of this game and of life. That it will be you who is criticised and is damned for both the sin and misdeeds you bring."

Silence was left hanging as the wind picked up slightly creating a loud noise taunting me of the death that laid before me.

Lucy let out a chuckle as Shaun stayed frozen from in front of me, his hand on the gun and his finger resting on the trigger.

"That was beautiful, Bryce," Lucy taunted sarcastically as she gripped me tightly. "Too bad it didn't change anything."

I felt her nod to Shaun as he readjusted his grip on the gun and fixed his stance, keeping himself pointed at my head.

"Three," he said.

My eyes glossed over him for the final time, time slowing down for me. His once golden hair now streaked with blood. His bright green eyes now dull as he half closed them and concentrated on me. The stubble on his cheeks now almost grown to a beard that coated along his jaw and chin.

"Two," he counted.

My eyes drifted to Lucas who had barely rose on his arms. His eyes were wide as I saw him fully process what was happening. He could barely react as everything went just so fast, yet so slow. His dark hair brushed back, his sculptured, beautiful face streaked in blood and covered in bruises, his electric blue eyes and soft lips.

My gaze shifted back to Shaun's, I saw him begin to mouth the word one and suddenly, everything came crashing down on my as time sped up.

"One."

I reacted without thinking.

I briefly heard the sound of the gun ringing as Shaun fired his bullet.

But what I did not process was the fact that just before he shot the bullet, I had shifted my weight to me left foot and twisted my body to the left using the last remaining strength in my arms and legs.

Lucy, not predicting this, was forced to follow my movement as her arms were held in a tight grip on me, and I felt the splatter of cold blood along my back and the back of my head.

Faintly, I heard a scream as my ears ringed with the loud shot of the gun so near and felt the grip on my loosen as Lucy's body leaned against mine. Turning with her arms still around me, I saw that on the right ride of her head, just above her ear, a whole only a few centimetres wide had formed just now and had blood spurting from it.

Her eyes which were once bright green were now hazy and white as a creamy colour spewed from them. Time slowed again as I glanced to my left where Shaun stood screaming.

He had tears trailing down his red face as he grew angry and screamed. I watched him as he screamed at me but I could not hear or register what he was saying through the ringing of my ears. 

The only way I knew that he was talking to me was the fact that his lips moved fast and harshly in my direction and I watched as he raised his gun towards me.

Taking a slight step back, I turned to face Lucy as I felt her slip from my grip and watched silently as she slid from the cliff side and fell into the dark forest below us, taking a final look at her now bright red hair and soft beautiful features as she fell.

Glancing back to Shaun with his gun pointed at me, his arm shook as he continued yelling but I still could not hear. My head pounded and my vision blurred slightly as I tried to process and refocus on Shaun.

As I watched his finger begin to slowly pull down the trigger, his body suddenly went flying and I flinched as the bullet he fired barely missed me and I managed to catch myself before I fell off the cliff. 

Quickly moving forwards, my hearing came back to me as I saw Lucas standing just where Shaun was, and Shaun fell slowly. He was yelling but suddenly, he became silent as a loud crunch noise filled the air, his head striking a sharp rock that stuck out at a sharp thin angle.

I felt myself flinch as I saw his head slide further into the sharp rock as it became imbedded into his head, the slick noise of the blood being squelched was heard.

Glancing to Lucas, I watched him fall to his knees as I tried making my way to him.

I was in pain, and sore from everything, but slowly I made my way to him as he slowly made his way to mine and finally we embraced, falling into each other.

He clutched me tightly as I held him tight to me despite the throbbing in my arms and the pain radiating and taking control of my body.

We stayed like that for a while as the sun rose and we relaxed for a bit.

For the final time, I glanced towards Shaun's body as a pool of blood grew beneath his head and his eyes turned glassy, before I turned back into Lucas's embrace, his arm around my shoulders, and my arms around his neck as I rested my head in the crook of his, staring into the distance behind him.

"We've all got both light and dark inside of us," Whispered Lucas softly. "And it's with that fact that we have the choice to be either the good within us, or choose the bad. But it is those choices that will haunt us for the rest of our days, and always make us second guess the decisions we make. But what we always forget is the fact that we still have the chance to think back to those decisions. That everything we had chosen, every decision we had made, as led to this very moment in time, where we are still alive." 

I smiled softly as I leaned into him tightening my embrace.

"It is only now that we decide that if the decisions we made were worth it."