Chapter 91

River stepped out of the burning ruins, his arms cradling Sage's unconscious body. 

He knelt down and gently laid Sage onto the cold ground. His fingers brushed against Sage's soot-streaked face. He was so worried he thought his heart would leap out of his throat. 

"Ziggy? Hey! Wake up, baby. Come on..." 

Thankfully, Sage's lashes fluttered, his brows furrowing before his eyes slowly opened. For a second, he looked dazed and confused but then fear flooded his expression as he took in their surroundings. His fingers instinctively reached for River. 

"R-River?" Sage's voice was hoarse from the smoke. "What's happening? Where-" 

"There's no time to explain anything," River cut him off hurriedly and his hands wrapped around Sage's face. "Ziggy, listen to me. You need to get on that bus. You have to leave with these cops. They'll take you somewhere safe." 

Sage took in his words but something felt off about the words. He pulled himself up and gripped River's shirt tightly in case his worst fear came true. "You're coming too, right? You're...you're leaving with me, right? Let's go quickly before-" 

"Ziggy?" River swallowed hard, forcing a tight smile. He knew this would break Sage but he had no choice. "Ziggy...I'm not...not coming with you. You have to go alone." 

Sage flinched so hard from those words that for a moment he could only stare at River in terror. His heart stopped beating for a second and water gathered at the corner of his eyes. 

"W-What do..you mean you-" 

River's heart clenched so hard it felt like it would stop beating right there. His eyes stung from holding back his tears and let out a weak smile to give Sage courage. He lifted a trembling hand and cupped Sage's cheek, wiping away the tears that had started to fall. 

"I thought I could be fearless," River began in a hushed voice. "I thought I could be cold, heartless, tough...but I could never be weak." His lips curled into something bittersweet as he gazed at the boy in front of him...the only light in his dark, ruined life. He exhaled shakily. "But you know what weakens me?" 

Sage sniffled, hiccupping through his sobs. "W-What?" 

River didn't answer at first. He just stared at Sage, memorizing every tiny detail, his trembling lips, his tear-streaked face, the way his shoulders shook as he tried to hold himself together. Then, without warning, River leaned forward, pressing soft kisses to Sage's damp cheeks, tasting the salt of his tears. 

"Your tears," he whispered, his lips hovering near Sage's lips. "They make me weak." 

Sage pushed River back and wiped his face furiously. "T-Then I won't cry," he rubbed his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie. "I don't want to make you weak." 

River let out a soft chuckle, Sage was breaking his damn heart. "Oh, baby..." He took a deep breath, then cupped Sage's face again, tracing his thumb over his lips. "It's too late for that. I've been weak for you since the moment I chose you." 

Sage let out a choked sob. "Then don't let me go. River, I beg you! I don't care w-who you are and what you did. Just p-please don't send me away from you. Come with me-" 

"No," River bit his lip, his chest tightening painfully. "I can't do that." His voice broke but he still smiled, a dying star clinging to its last bit of light. 

The bus engine roared in the distance. They were running out of time. 

River's hands trembled as he placed them on Sage's shoulders. He wanted to hold him for a little longer, wanted to take in his warmth that he's feeling for the last time, his scent which he'll never get to sniff again and the feel of his body against his own. But if he stayed, if he let himself have even a second more, he wouldn't be able to let Sage go. 

So, with every ounce of strength left in his breaking soul, he pushed Sage toward the guards. 

Sage stumbled back, eyes wide with betrayal. "RIVER, NO! You have already made me suffer enough! Don't be so cruel now. I want to be with you. I love you!!" 

River clenched his fists in restraint, swallowing the lump in his throat. He reached forward, brushing a final, ghostly touch against Sage's cheek. His lips twisted into a sad smile. 

"In our next life. I'll find you first." 

"I fucking hate you! I want to be with you in this damn life!!" Sage let out a heart-wrenching sob and lunged forward, trying to grab River's hands, but River had already turned to the guards. 

"Take him," River ordered emotionlessly. "Get him out of here safe no matter what." 

The guards hesitated for a moment before grabbing Sage's arms. 

"NO!" Sage screamed, thrashing violently. "Let me go! RIVER!" 

River turned his back, blinking rapidly as tears finally began spilling down his face. He couldn't bear to see the pain in Sage's eyes...the agony of losing him. 

The bus doors slammed shut but Sage was still screaming and crying. He slammed his hands against the window as the bus started moving. 

River watched, frozen, as the bus drove farther and farther away, taking his world with it. He stood there until the very last second, until Sage was nothing but a blurred shadow behind the glass. Until his voice faded into the chaos. 

Then, finally, River fell to his knees. 

His body shook harshly as the sobs he had been holding back tore through his chest. He buried his face in his hands, shoulders trembling as the weight of it all crushed him. 

He had lost him. 

He lost the only beautiful thing in his life. 

There is nothing crueler than love left unfinished. But Sage didn't leave alone. With him, River also sent away his heart, his soul, and his every reason to be alive. 

Some loves are too beautiful and pure, to survive in this cruel world. And River's love for Sage was one of them. 

It was a love that would never be completed. A love that would live on only in the echoes of what could have been. Some loves are meant to bloom. Some are meant to be burned. 

And as River closed his eyes while his tears still falling, he whispered one last promise into the void. 

"I'll love you forever, Ziggy. Even if you forget me." 

▪️▪️▪️

Jaxton sat slumped against a crumbling wall with Ira sitting securely between his legs as he wondered. 

How the hell did things come to this? 

Just this morning, everything was normal. Ira threw a fit because Jaxton stole his last pudding cup like always. It was supposed to be just another day.

And now? 

Now they were trapped with no way out and surrounded by fire and destruction. 

Ira moved slightly in his lap, his fingers brushing against Jaxton's wounded arm. "Your hand...does it hurt?"

Jaxton scoffed, forcing a smirk despite the sharp pain. "Tch. I don't feel anything. I'm way stronger than a crybaby like you." 

Ira sniffled but let out a weak chuckle, smacking Jaxton's chest with little force. "Even when we're about to die, you're still teasing me. You're so annoying." 

Jaxton wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him closer to his chest. "Even after we die, I'll keep teasing you," he promised, pressing his chin over Ira's head. 

Ira let out a broken laugh. "So even in death, you won't leave me alone?" 

A deafening explosion shook the ground beneath them. The building groaned, dust and debris falling from above.

Ira flinched violently, letting out a soft whimper. His smaller body shaked against Jaxton's. Instinctively, Jaxton curled around him even more, shielding him from whatever came next. 

"Never," Jaxton whispered, his lips brushing against Ira's messy hair. "I'd never leave you alone. Not in this life and not in the next." 

Silence settled between them. 

Jaxton let out a slow exhale, rubbing Ira's back. "You know, I always thought that you were brave. Picking fights with guys twice your size, running your mouth like you had an army behind you." 

Ira hiccupped through his tears. "Y-Yeah?" 

"But I know you, idiot," Jaxton said with a tired smirk. "You're not fearless. You're just reckless and too stubborn to admit when you're scared." 

Ira's grip tightened on his shirt as his cheeks turned pink. "I pretend to be strong because I was sure that you'll always protect me." 

Jaxton smiled, pressing a firm kiss to the top of Ira's head.

They sat there while waiting. Waiting for the walls to cave in, for the fire to take them. 

But then Jaxton's head snapped up when he heard a noise. Someone was moving behind the collapsed exit. 

Ira's breath hitched. "Jax...what was that?" 

The sound grew louder. Then, through the thick dust, a small opening formed. And two dark figures emerged. Jaxton immediately shoved Ira behind him thinking it might be something dangerous. 

Two guards in black gear looked at them, scanning the scene. 

One of the guards lifted a radio. "We found two more kids. Come on kids, we don't have time!" 

Ira, teary-eyed and pale, hopped over Jaxton's shoulder and whispered in his ears. "Jax...I think we can still make it out." 

Jaxton chuckled, his grip tightening around Ira's small hand. He looked back at Ira and nodded with a big smile, his dimples on display. 

"Then let's get the hell out of here."

▪️▪️▪️

Wagnar's lips curled in irritation, his fingers twitching as he watched Antonio's lifeless body slump onto the cold floor. 

Lia smirked, wiping blood from his lips with the back of his hand. "You look nervous, old man." 

Wagnar's jaw tensed, but his voice remained eerily calm. "Kill them both." 

The room was instantly filled with gunfire and the sharp clang of metal against bone. 

But they were foolish if they thought that they were any match of the deadly weapon they created themselves. Like a force of nature, he ripped through the men before him. A bullet grazed his arm, but he didn't even flinch. His foot slammed into the nearest soldier's chest, sending him crashing into two others. His hands were coated in fresh blood as he grabbed another by the throat, lifting him with inhuman strength before snapping his neck in one motion. 

Lia was just as ruthless. 

A knife was thrown toward him, but he ducked, dodging with ease that made his enemies hesitate. He twisted the wrist of the soldier who tried to stab him, breaking it with a sickening crack before shoving the blade into the man's throat. Blood gurgled from his lips as he collapsed. 

A gun was aimed at Alpha. Lia reacted before he could think...grabbing the barrel and twisting it away, using his momentum to drive his knee into the attacker's ribs. He stole the gun, turned, and fired. The bullet buried itself into another man's forehead. Bodies poured and pooled at their feet. 

It was an execution. 

All while Wagnar watched in dread, his grip tightening on his cane. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. 

Another man lunged at Lia, but he spun, wrapping his legs around the attacker's neck and using his weight to slam him into the ground with a brutal snap. Alpha's knuckles were torn open, his face splattered with red as he ripped through men like they were nothing. 

It was like watching a nightmare unfold. 

Wagnar took a step back. His enemies were winning and he was losing. But that was until... 

From the darkened entrance, a figure stepped forward. With hundreds of gunned men who surrounded the whole place. 

And the person who appeared as Wagnar's saviour was none other than his own son. Nick.

His hands lazily stuffed into his pockets. Dozens of armed men standing behind him which turned Wagnar's scoff into a cruel snarl. 

Meanwhile, Alpha and Lia kept fighting and they were winning if it wasn't for a gun slamming against the back of Alpha's head. Lia turned sharply to help him, but before he could react, a sharp kick struck the back of his knee, forcing him down. 

Guns were pressed on both of their heads. Lia glared up at Nick, who was watching him with a lazy expression. 

"Looks like the little rebellion is over," Wagnar let out a soft chuckle, walking forward to Lia and grabbed a handful of his hair. "So you want to play a game? Let's play then."

Lia hissed, wincing in pain as Wagnar gripped his hair harder. He let go of his hair and turned to Alpha and did the same to him, grabbing a handful of his hair. "Don't worry, it also includes your precious Alpha too."

"You son of a bitch-" Lia began, only for Nick to kick him in the ribs.

Wagnar smiled, his fingers slowly running through Alpha's hair. "Have you played Russian Roulette before? I do enjoy a game of luck and chance."

Nick grinned, pulling out his revolver. Lia's breath caught in his throat, his body tense as Wagnar walked back toward his son. "How about we make it more interesting, hm? Instead of the bullet being in only one head...let's make it two. What do you say?"

Nick gave him a mocking salute and gave two guns to Wagnar. He walked back to Lia and Alpha with a sadistic smile, crouching down and pressed the barrel against the side of their heads.

"I'm so touched by seeing your love story that I can't make my heart to pull you lovebirds apart," he said sarcastically, grinning wider as Alpha's lifeless eyes pierced holes in his old face. 

Wagnar laughed, spinning the barrels. Lia's eyes were fixated on the gun in front of him. "So, I'm giving you both a gift as my blessings." He extended the guns towards them. "Take these guns and shoot each other. Pierce each other's hearts out."

The guns were forced in their hands. The cold metal of the gun felt heavier than it should have. Lia's fingers curled around it, his breathing slow and controlled, though his heart pounded so rapidly that he thought it might tear through his chest. Across from him, he looked at Alpha who was kneeling and facing him. 

Between them, Wagnar stood, his smirk triumphant. "Go on. Show me how strong your love really is." 

Lia sucked in a sharp breath and pointed his gun at Alpha without hesitation. Alpha was shocked for a while but looking in Lia's dull eyes for a while he did the same. As if a silent conversation was going on between them through their gaze. 

The world around them seemed to fade as they could only see each other. Their fingers rest against the triggers. They should have been afraid but they weren't. 

Because maybe this was indeed the best option for them to be with each other. If they don't do it themselves, Wagnar was there to do that for them. He would keep them apart, rip them from each other's arms, destroy them in ways worse than death. 

But now? Lia smiled faintly. Now, no one could separate them anymore. 

Their love...this love that had defied fate, defied Wagnar, defied everything...would not end with one being left behind. 

Alpha smiled back at him, his silver brown eyes filled with something unbearably soft. "L-Lia..." He finally called out the name he was dying to say after getting his memories back. 

Goosebumps erupted all over Lia's body. His grip on the gun tightened and his gaze locked onto the man in front of him, his Alpha. His Will. 

"Yes?" 

"You'll find me after death, right?" Alpha whispered out a silent plea. 

Lia's lips trembled as he felt his heartbeats increasing. "You don't even have to ask because I'll find you in every life." 

Alpha drank his tears back. It wasn't the place to cry, it was a happy moment. They're finally going to be together. 

"One," Lia started the first countdown as he extended his free hand and Alpha put his own to intertwine their fingers. 

Their fingers curled around the triggers. 

"Two," Alpha took a deep breath.

"Three," They both took their last breath. 

BANG! BANG! 

The sound echoed through the place. 

Two bodies collapsed but two smiles remained. 

So much happened that day. The bullets pierced through two hearts, stopping their breaths at the same time ending their lives. 

But not their love. 

That day, some lost their lives. Some lost their lovers. Some were torn apart before they could say goodbye. 

And some...some held hands even as they fell, their fingers entwined in death as they had been in life. 

The walls of Sunford crumbled, but the echoes of pain, of love, of everything stolen and everything fought for remained. 

There were those who escaped and then there were those who never made it out. 

But somewhere, in another life...in a world untouched by war, by cruelty, by fate itself... 

Lia and Alpha would find each other again. 

And this time, their hearts would beat freely. 

Only for each other.

=THE END=