Categories > Celebrities > 30 Seconds to Mars > These Immortal Streets
Chapter Eighteen
Present Day
All of the memories shot in and out of his head like a terrible nightmare he wasn't sure he had the strength to wake up from. All of it was etched into him so painfully he could scream. He could never get release from any of it, from the pain or the anger that accompanied it whenever he let it come on.
He remembered waking up in the hospital, clothed in some dingy robe and smelling flowers. He saw the lilies on the table and something hit him like a sharp agony inside. He could hear people outside talking and yet he didn't care. He looked about himself before getting up. He tied the robe at his waist and carefully got out of bed. People called out to him but he ignored it all and slowly found his way to a small room where he knew the nurses would be. She had told him that his daughter had died from the fever while he had been gone. She also told him that his case was one to be considered a miracle, surviving that fire like he did. Everything around him had been burnt as well as the clothes he was wearing. Only he had made it out. She had helped him leave the hospital unnoticed. She was the last mortal he had ever gotten into contact with.
He hated that his eyes were dry as he stared at the headstone. Hated that the memory of his daughters life over 100 years ago couldn't build an ache in him. He had gone on so long feeling nothing he wasn't sure how to do it now. But the memory of his small girl, of her beautiful face and innocent eyes still haunted him. Maybe if he hadn't gone to find Tomislav, she would still be alive. Maybe if he had stayed with her she would have made it and nothing would have turned out the way that it had. There were so many things he would have done differently, so why couldn't he go back to change it?
The wind whistled past him. He shivered a little due to the cold and tightened his coat about his body. It was so dark he could barely see but he knew his way around, even through the cemetery he hadn't visited in so long.
He turned away from the headstone, ready to go back home. But once he turned around he saw Scarlett standing there. There were tears in her eyes, the faint moonlight showed him that. Her hair blew about softly in the breeze and she was also affected by the cold the same as he was.
"I followed you." Her voice was weak on the whispered winds like she was unsure if she was even wanted near him.
He didn't answer. Why would he? The confusion of everything that had happened had collided with the aggressive memories of the past and had managed to crush him so completely. He could see her and he hated her for what he was suffering from now.
"Jared whatever Shannon told you isn't true..." She walked towards him cautiously. "Let me help you." She reached her hand out and lightly touched his arm.
He looked down at her small hand and repressed the need to fall so completely into the feeling her skin gave him. It enveloped him into a sort of breathlessness. He tightened his jaw and lifted his gaze to hers. "How would you do that?" He asked quietly, the night taking most of the audibility of his voice.
She held his blue gaze and tightened her light grasp on his arm. "Just trust me."
He swallowed almost nervously over how easy he was ready to fall into her. He hadn't eve contemplated the other possibilities and yet he was already silently giving into her. Why would he trust Shannon anyways? What could really happen to him if he trusted Scarlett? Hadn't it been Shannon who had told him he was going to die?
Gently he placed his hand over hers and he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to find something to doubt in them. "I do." He replied, unable to make up his mind if this was the right thing to do or not.
Present Day
All of the memories shot in and out of his head like a terrible nightmare he wasn't sure he had the strength to wake up from. All of it was etched into him so painfully he could scream. He could never get release from any of it, from the pain or the anger that accompanied it whenever he let it come on.
He remembered waking up in the hospital, clothed in some dingy robe and smelling flowers. He saw the lilies on the table and something hit him like a sharp agony inside. He could hear people outside talking and yet he didn't care. He looked about himself before getting up. He tied the robe at his waist and carefully got out of bed. People called out to him but he ignored it all and slowly found his way to a small room where he knew the nurses would be. She had told him that his daughter had died from the fever while he had been gone. She also told him that his case was one to be considered a miracle, surviving that fire like he did. Everything around him had been burnt as well as the clothes he was wearing. Only he had made it out. She had helped him leave the hospital unnoticed. She was the last mortal he had ever gotten into contact with.
He hated that his eyes were dry as he stared at the headstone. Hated that the memory of his daughters life over 100 years ago couldn't build an ache in him. He had gone on so long feeling nothing he wasn't sure how to do it now. But the memory of his small girl, of her beautiful face and innocent eyes still haunted him. Maybe if he hadn't gone to find Tomislav, she would still be alive. Maybe if he had stayed with her she would have made it and nothing would have turned out the way that it had. There were so many things he would have done differently, so why couldn't he go back to change it?
The wind whistled past him. He shivered a little due to the cold and tightened his coat about his body. It was so dark he could barely see but he knew his way around, even through the cemetery he hadn't visited in so long.
He turned away from the headstone, ready to go back home. But once he turned around he saw Scarlett standing there. There were tears in her eyes, the faint moonlight showed him that. Her hair blew about softly in the breeze and she was also affected by the cold the same as he was.
"I followed you." Her voice was weak on the whispered winds like she was unsure if she was even wanted near him.
He didn't answer. Why would he? The confusion of everything that had happened had collided with the aggressive memories of the past and had managed to crush him so completely. He could see her and he hated her for what he was suffering from now.
"Jared whatever Shannon told you isn't true..." She walked towards him cautiously. "Let me help you." She reached her hand out and lightly touched his arm.
He looked down at her small hand and repressed the need to fall so completely into the feeling her skin gave him. It enveloped him into a sort of breathlessness. He tightened his jaw and lifted his gaze to hers. "How would you do that?" He asked quietly, the night taking most of the audibility of his voice.
She held his blue gaze and tightened her light grasp on his arm. "Just trust me."
He swallowed almost nervously over how easy he was ready to fall into her. He hadn't eve contemplated the other possibilities and yet he was already silently giving into her. Why would he trust Shannon anyways? What could really happen to him if he trusted Scarlett? Hadn't it been Shannon who had told him he was going to die?
Gently he placed his hand over hers and he looked deeply into her eyes, trying to find something to doubt in them. "I do." He replied, unable to make up his mind if this was the right thing to do or not.
Sign up to rate and review this story