Witnessing the car burning, Madison now could imagine how the books told the death of Ca.s.sie"s parents.Levi, on the other hand, was astounded to everything that happens. And now, he pats Quinn"s right shoulder to ask.
"What we should do now, brother Quinn?"
Still weeping, Madison plead. "Please, don"t leave her alone! We can"t leave her here!"
"I could never do that or will either. But where we can take her safe? We are not familiar in this place," Quinn retorted.
"And what happened next?" He asked.
"Where is the nearest hospital here? We are clueless on this part." Levi asked, reflecting the story in the book.
"Someone is coming, brother Quinn! We must leave now," Levi then notices a pick-up truck arriving, then parked next to the car they rode.
"I know. But—"
"It"s Martin!"
Madison recognizes the man stepping out of the car, but not the other one from the pa.s.senger seat. That man keeping an eye at the other car crashes on the sideways when they heard gunshots.
It seems, someone survives from that crashed and now shooting at the newly arrived men. Meanwhile, Levi and Madison talk about this opportunity to leave.
Quinn kneels on the ground. "Go, you both leave first," he told them.
"What? Are you going to stay? You can"t do that, brother Quinn!"
Quinn looks up at Levi, then glance above the road where gunshots continue. "Am not. I will follow sooner, so just leave now," he persuaded them.
Madison and Levi exchange glances then nodded at each other. They went to hide in a distance and peeking; watching keenly at Quinn.
He stays behind to make sure that Ca.s.sandra was safe. He cannot just leave her here.
"Ca.s.sandra, can you hear me?" Quinn combs the hair that covers Ca.s.sandra"s face.
The young girl moaned. She tried to open her eyes but the daylights blinding her. Quinn could see her eyelid moving, then halfway she forced to open her eyes.
"Who— who are you?" Stammered, she asked; having difficulty breathing.
"Ca.s.sandra, stay awake! Please!" he begs.
"Quinn?" she takes a deep breath, chasing air. "Is that you? Why did you?" the little girl somewhat surprised and confused. She was talking about Quinn on the phone earlier, then why there is Quinn beside her?
Putting her down on the ground gives him a heavy heart to just leave her here. However, he does not come from this life, which never exists anymore in his present and past life according to Levi and Madison. But it feels so real. Her soft, fragile body, he could feel how real she in his arms.
"Ca.s.sandra, please, stay alive!"
"Quinn?" After she says his name, she lost consciousness.
His heart throbbed; feeling strange calling by someone from the life that doesn"t exist anymore, but he has the real one back there.
He must not become distracted and concerned about all he experienced right now.
Martin is now approaching them, and he notices the gunshots are over.
"Ca.s.sie!"
The guy coming down the cliff, creating longer strides toward them.
He immediately asks. "Who are you? How is she?"
"Please, take care of her. Don"t let her die."
While telling this, Quinn rose from the ground and turn around; fighting the tears from his eyes.
"Tell me, who are you? Did you save my niece?" Worried about Ca.s.sie, Martin asked the man he saw earlier holding her. Martin kneels on the ground and checks her pulse.
"I have to bring her to the hospital! Her pulse is weaker."
"Please, let her live. Soon, someone will look for her." He said before he walks away.
His steps are heavy, feel like; a part of him left behind. He doesn"t know how long he has been walking in this forest. Until he feels a hand was grabbing him.
"Brother Quinn, are you okay?" Levi is shaking Quinn"s shoulder after he wasn"t waking up.
He heard someone asking. Quinn blinks his eyes a few times before realizing that they went back. He reaches his head when he notices the blood on his hands.
Then that was real. He thought. Quinn"s face twinges and anger registered all over his face.
Madison and Levi watch Quinn, still sitting on the floor for a little longer now. They heard him groan in frustration till he cries out but control his voice.
Yes. Quinn felt so much frustration. Even if it"s not real but for him, that was like a reality. There is no doubt. The blood on his hands and clothes is real.
And that fragile body bathing with blood and feels losing a life is the person he loves in this life.
"Wait, we must make a fire!" Madison suddenly remembers this. "Levi, get more woods!"
"Huh? Where? Why?"
"Just do it!" Madison began to start a fire in the fireplace found in the living room.
Levi confused, but still went to the kitchen and search for the door Madison instructed him. He opened the storeroom and greeted a s.p.a.cious base where stored random stuff, he spotted the firewood pile up. Levi picks up the wood. When he came back, he helped Madison to set big fire as she requests.
"Now give me your coat, Mr. Williams!"
"Why?" Levi who asked.
"We must burn his coat. We should bring nothing that has a trace of the people from the life that no longer exists in this world," she firmly informed him.
"Is that so? Why is that?" It was Levi who asks the random questions.
Madison sighed. "I don"t know why… this is unclear to me yet, I want the answer either. And more information about this thing that I could do."
"Truthfully, I do not understand everything why this is happening," she added.
Quinn lazily took off his coat and handed it to Madison. Once again, he stared at his hand stained with blood. How is this all possible? Quinn keeps looking at his hand when he felt the tap on his back.
"Go, and wash your hands, brother Quinn."
Saying this, Levi escorted him to the washroom. Quinn entered inside and wash his hands. He was gaping at the water, which now turns red. Still feeling overwhelmed, he clenches his knuckles and watches his reflection in the mirror.
He found traces of blood on his face when Ca.s.sandra tried to reach his face.
"What happened to her after then? What is the whole story on those books?" His mind occupied when he was back to his senses hearing Levi"s knocks on the door.
"Brother Quinn? Are you all right?"
Quinn opens the door, but he stays silent and with a serious gaze he looks at Levi straight eye then asked. "I want to know what the h.e.l.l is going on, Levi."