PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)

APRIL 16, 2003
QUINN'S HOUSE

The silence on the boat was almost suffocating as the three of them settled into their respective spots, tension filling every inch of the small, cozy space. The air was thick with the unspoken weight of everything they had just been through, like ghosts lingering between them, brushing against their skin, cold and unsettling. The night's events hung over them like a storm cloud, and Alexis still couldn't shake the image of the mall-the sharp, metallic smell of fear, the adrenaline pulsing through her veins, and the horrifying realization that she had narrowly escaped death.

They hadn't even had time to process, to truly understand the gravity of what had just happened. All Alexis knew was that she was alive, but she could still feel the chill of death hovering close, as if it had grazed her and decided to linger, waiting for another opportunity.

Quinn moved with quiet purpose, grabbing a blanket from a small stack near the corner, the fabric soft and worn from use. He offered it to Lucy, gesturing to the couch that served as a makeshift bed. "You can just sleep here," he said gently, his voice a soft murmur in the silence.

Lucy nodded, taking the blanket with a small, tired smile. "Thanks," she whispered, clutching the fabric as if it could protect her from the dark thoughts lurking in her mind.

Alexis, standing a few feet away, hesitated for a moment before pulling off her hoodie. She reached over, holding it out to Lucy, her hand steady but her heart racing. "In case you get chilly," she offered, her tone soft, almost vulnerable. It was a simple gesture, but somehow it felt like an act of defiance against the fear, a way of saying, We're still here. We're still alive.

Lucy took the hoodie, her eyes filling with gratitude, and offered Alexis a small, appreciative smile. For a moment, the three of them stood there in silence, the weight of unspoken words pressing down on them.

Quinn noticed the sad, haunted look in Lucy's eyes, and he felt a pang of concern. "Are you okay?" he asked gently, lowering himself onto the couch beside her. Alexis joined him, sitting down on Lucy's other side, their presence a silent comfort, a barrier against the darkness.

Lucy took a deep, shuddering breath, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched the hoodie. "The security guard... he wasn't supposed to die," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. The confession seemed to hang in the air, echoing off the walls of the boat, sinking into their skin.

Alexis's eyes widened, her heart skipping a beat as Lucy's words registered. She glanced at Quinn, the look on his face mirroring her own shock and horror.

"I made the Sweetly Slasher even more deadly," Lucy continued, her voice thick with regret. The weight of her admission seemed to press down on her, her shoulders slumping as she tried to carry the guilt alone.

Alexis felt a shiver run down her spine, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She could hardly believe what she was hearing, but the fear, the guilt, the pain in Lucy's eyes told her this was real. This nightmare wasn't just a bad dream. It was their reality.

"Wait, wait..." Quinn stammered, struggling to process what Lucy had just said. "Only serial killers get nicknames." His voice was strained, like he was grasping for some kind of logic in the madness. His eyes searched Lucy's face, as if looking for reassurance, for a reason to believe this wasn't happening.

Alexis looked at him, her lip quivering as she tried to hold herself together. She felt like her world was crumbling around her, like the floor was giving way beneath her feet. Lucy was from the future. She knew things, terrible things. And if the Sweetly Slasher was real... if people were going to die...

Her mind raced, thoughts colliding with each other in a chaotic whirlpool of fear and disbelief. "No way... this can't be happening," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Lucy nodded, her gaze dropping to the floor. "Yeah, he... he kills-" she began, but Quinn quickly interrupted her, his voice sharp, almost desperate.

"No, n-no, don't. Don't tell us," he insisted, his tone firm, bordering on pleading. He knew that any knowledge could change everything, that the delicate fabric of their reality was hanging by a thread. Knowing too much could unravel it all.

But Alexis couldn't stop herself. She leaned forward, her eyes locking onto Lucy's, desperate for answers, for something to hold onto in the chaos. "Except... do they ever catch the guy?" she asked, her voice trembling, the question spilling out before she could stop herself.

Lucy met her gaze, her eyes filled with sorrow and regret. She shook her head, her voice soft, almost defeated. "I mean, my mom was always certain that it was Ethan. Supposedly, he had alibis for all of the murders, but..." Her voice trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, the implication hanging in the air.

Alexis and Quinn exchanged a look, a silent exchange of fear and disbelief. They were in over their heads, tangled in a nightmare that seemed destined to consume them. This wasn't just some distant, abstract horror. It was real, and it was here, creeping ever closer.

Lucy's voice dropped to a whisper, her eyes dark and haunted. "I mean, honestly, these murders destroy this town," she said, her words heavy with a bleak certainty that sent a shiver down Alexis's spine.

Alexis swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to steady herself. But one question clawed its way to the surface, refusing to be silenced. She took a shaky breath, her voice barely audible. "Lucy... you said to Quinn when you got to the mall not to let me out of sight..." She hesitated, the weight of her own words pressing down on her. "Was I supposed to die tonight?"

Lucy looked away, her gaze dropping to the floor, and Alexis felt her stomach drop, a sickening realization settling over her. "I-I was supposed to die?" she stammered, her voice thin and breathless, the words tasting bitter on her tongue.

Lucy nodded, her face filled with regret, and Alexis felt a wave of nausea wash over her. "In the donut shop... Quinn wasn't even there," Lucy murmured, her voice laced with sorrow and guilt.

The horror of it all crashed down on Alexis, her hands shaking as she tried to process Lucy's words. "So... if I never intervened and if Quinn didn't stay with me... I would have died?" Her voice was barely a whisper, her mind reeling from the revelation.

Lucy nodded again, her expression somber, and Alexis felt a tear slip down her cheek, her mind grappling with the weight of her own mortality. "Oh my God," Quinn muttered beside her, his hand running through his hair as he tried to make sense of it all.

Quinn's voice broke through the silence, filled with a desperate determination. "Lucy, you can't stop this," he told her, his tone firm yet laced with sadness. Alexis sank back against the couch, her mind racing, her heart heavy with the knowledge of how close she had come to death.

"I'm sorry. It's just... whatever was supposed to happen has to happen," Quinn continued, his voice wavering as he tried to convince himself as much as her. "I mean, I'm so glad Alexis is alive... I don't know what would happen if s-she died..." He paused, his voice catching on the word, and Alexis felt a pang of emotion as he struggled with his words. "But we should be focusing on fixing the machine, getting you back," he finished, his tone tense, almost pleading.

Alexis turned to him, her eyes blazing with anger and frustration. "Quinn, I almost died tonight!" she yelled, her voice cracking with the weight of her fear and disbelief. "She didn't come back to 2003 to stop this. I would be dead!"

Quinn frowned, his jaw tightening as he tried to hold his ground. "I-I know, but-" he started, but Alexis cut him off, her voice thick with pain and desperation.

"Do you even get it, Quinn? This isn't just some puzzle to solve! I almost died tonight! If it weren't for Lucy... if it weren't for you..." Her voice wavered, a mixture of anger and vulnerability that she couldn't hide.

Quinn's face softened, his frustration melting away as he took in her expression. "Alexis... I know. I know," he said softly, his voice barely more than a whisper. He reached out, hesitating for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around her as if to shield her from the horrors that lurked outside.

Alexis felt herself collapse into his embrace, her anger giving way to a raw vulnerability. She clung to him, burying her face in his shoulder, her body shaking as the weight of everything crashed over her. They stayed like that for a long moment, wrapped up in each other, finding comfort in the simple act of holding on.

Lucy watched them, her heart aching with the knowledge of what she had brought into their lives. She wanted to fix it, to make it all go away, but she knew that some things were beyond her control. All she could do was bear witness to the pain, to the love, and to the fierce determination that burned between Alexis and Quinn.

The boat was quiet as Alexis slipped away to change. Her mind was buzzing, replaying the night's events over and over, as if her brain couldn't accept what had happened-what almost happened. She felt the weight of her own mortality pressing down on her, the memory of that split-second when everything could have ended still clinging to her like a dark shadow. Her hands shook slightly as she pulled on a fresh shirt and a pair of soft, loose shorts, trying to steady her breathing.

She took one last, deep breath before stepping out, letting the dim, quiet atmosphere of the boat's interior wrap around her like a cocoon. Her footsteps were soft as she walked down the narrow hallway and paused at Quinn's door, barely cracked open with a sliver of warm light spilling into the dark. She hesitated, clutching the doorframe as she tried to gather the courage to walk in, to let herself be vulnerable with him.

Pushing the door open, Alexis saw Quinn already lying in bed, the dim light casting soft shadows across his face. His eyes were closed, but his breathing wasn't quite even yet, his body still restless, unsettled from everything they'd been through. She could tell he wasn't really asleep.

He stirred as he heard her approach, his eyes opening slightly, catching sight of her standing in the doorway, wrapped in the soft glow of the hallway light. Without a word, she walked over and, feeling his silent invitation, slipped under the covers beside him, finding a place next to him that felt like it belonged to her.

She turned on her side, her back pressed lightly against him as she stared into the dark room, her mind still racing. The silence stretched between them, comfortable yet charged, as if they were both waiting for the other to break it.

Quinn's arm moved hesitantly, hovering for a moment before he wrapped it gently around her, his hand resting just above her waist. He could feel the tension in her body, the faint tremor in her breathing, and he knew she was holding back. She was scared, and maybe for the first time, he truly understood just how deeply.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, his voice a gentle whisper that seemed to melt into the quiet around them.

For a long moment, she didn't answer, her silence stretching out as she tried to find the words. Finally, she whispered, her voice thick with emotion, "I almost died tonight."

The words lingered in the air, raw and vulnerable, and Quinn's heart twisted at the pain in her voice. He tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer, pressing her back against his chest as if he could shield her from the memories that haunted her.

"I know," he murmured, his voice rough with his own emotions. "I know, Lex."

The nickname slipped out, soft and familiar, and it seemed to bring a flicker of comfort to her. She let herself relax into him, her body molding against his as she let out a shaky breath, her eyes closing as she allowed herself to feel the safety of his embrace.

"I was so... scared," she admitted, her voice barely a whisper, as if speaking the words out loud would somehow make them real all over again. "I thought... I thought it was over."

Quinn rested his chin against the top of her head, his voice steady and warm. "You're safe now," he assured her, his hand gently rubbing soothing circles on her side. "I won't let anything happen to you. Not ever."

Alexis let out a soft, trembling sigh, the warmth of his touch grounding her, easing the lingering tension that clung to her. She'd been strong for so long, carrying her fears and her pain alone, but here, with Quinn holding her, she allowed herself to let go, just for a moment.

The darkness around them seemed to soften, the memories of the night fading into the background as his presence enveloped her like a shield. She closed her eyes, letting herself sink into the comfort of him, her fears quieting under the steady rhythm of his heartbeat against her back.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," she whispered, her voice barely audible, a confession slipping out in the silence.

Quinn's arm tightened around her, his hand finding hers beneath the covers, their fingers intertwining in a silent promise. "You'll never have to find out," he replied softly, his voice filled with a fierce, quiet determination.

They lay there in silence, wrapped up in each other, the unspoken words lingering in the space between them. And for the first time that night, Alexis felt a sense of peace settle over her, her fears fading into the background as she drifted into sleep, safe in Quinn's arms.

ASH SPEAKS!

i love quinn and alexis so much. they're my favorite book couple i've written. they're so sweet and understand each other in so many ways

PLEASE DONT BE A GHOST READER!!
COMMENT AND VOTE! IT HELPS US WRITERS STAY MOTIVATED:)