Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Now

It felt awkward standing in the sun, but there wasn't even a cloud in the sky.Such bright weather almost added a touch of cheerfulness to the place, making every blade of green grass alive and every bouquet of flowers colorful.It's just that there are too many grays here, and the rows of stone monuments look so terrifying.The three steles before me were brighter than most. Martin.Emma.Darren. The name on the tombstone and the date beneath it seem like yesterday to me. Dodge coughed next to me, trying to clear his throat and keep his face away from me.Even though his friends were buried nearly a year ago, like me, he was visiting their graves for the first time.His parents wanted to send him, to cheer him up, and to keep him in their sights, and they'd been with him since he opened his eyes, but he refused.He refused because I was persona non grata.No matter what Dodge said in court or what the judge said when he signed the release order, to them I was guilty.In their eyes, it was me, the chief culprit, who made their son unconscious for a year.I can't blame them, even my own parents have always looked at me with suspicion.

I sighed heavily and out of the corner of my eye I saw Dodge turn his head in my direction. "Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, knowing he could see, because I wasn't sure I could talk.To stand here and watch their names etched deep into the speckled granite makes their deaths real.I mean, I know, I know they're gone.Just knowing and feeling are two completely different things.Today, I feel it. Dodge reaches out and rubs my back.The warmth of his palms came through the thin cotton T-shirt, and I couldn't help but smile, but my eyes were still on the front.I know his touch is mostly out of friendship, but the gesture still thrills me a little.Half and half.Just like us; we've been through so much together, our relationship is no longer just friends.But that's all, no further.But, that's fine.At this moment, Dr. Peterson's voice still echoes in my head. This place is so vast and full of freedom, and my ability is only enough to deal with this relationship.

And friends, which I'm already grateful for. Besides, we have plenty of time.In a week's time, we're going to college together, where we're going to major in archeology, which we were supposed to be taking last summer.It was as if the events of the past twelve months had never happened. "Can I go?" I asked softly.I hope he can agree.I don't like being here.It was empty and lifeless.I don't feel any connection to the three people at my feet.Wherever they are, it shouldn't be here. "Let's go." He said, we turned around one after the other, walked along the winding path among the rows of tombstones, and walked towards the exit.

I have something to say to Dodge, but I haven't said it.But I know I really should say them.I know I have to say it, and it's best to say it now, without delay.Without talking, I could never really let go of all of this. I walked up to him and our shoulders touched. "Thank you." I said. Dodge looked at me in bewilderment, and I met his gaze.We slow down. "Thanks for what?" he said at last. I took a deep breath. "Thank you for supporting me and standing by my side. You could..." I couldn't continue, but I forced myself to continue, "...You could have left me alone and let me stay in that ghostly place."

Dodge's bewildered smile froze on his face.We've been keeping our camping stuff out of the way, and I could tell he wasn't eager to talk about it at the moment. "You don't have to help me," I said.Because he really didn't have to.Everyone doubts me, everyone thinks I should be hanged.In this case, he didn't really have to do that. He smiled again, this time without the slightest hint of distress. "Then what else can I do, abandon you?" That's what I'm afraid of.I should have had faith, but after a year in that hellish place with no hope, it was not easy to maintain it.

"We're in the same boat," he said, "me and you." "Yes." I murmured, "We are together." We continued walking through the desolate cemetery without speaking.It might seem disrespectful to chat in this place.We walked forward, Dodge frowning, staring down at the road. "There's something that's been bothering me," he finally said, as we walked through the gates of the cemetery. "You said we went swimming together—" I looked at him curiously as we walked, and nodded slowly. Nod, what does he mean by that? "But you went after Martin. You two took the side road to the main road. You watched him beckon the old couple to stop and give them a ride. That's what we agreed to say." He said. Looking at me with sharp eyes, I froze.

"I—" I said, but couldn't continue.Dodge put out a hand and grabbed my upper arm tightly.I didn't try to break free; even if I wanted to, I couldn't. "Things did not go as planned," I reminded him. The book Dodge threw in front of me looked rather old.The spine was cracked, and the writing on the leather cover was so faded that I had to look closely to see it. "Blood Dust," I read, "Dark Human Sacrifice." At this moment, I was lying on his double bed, looking up.Dodge sat at the desk, turned the swivel chair around, and faced me, his eyes glowing with blazing light. "Where did you find this book?" I asked.

"Bought it online. The guy has a shop in London that sells druid-related stuff." "Oh." I opened the book, and immediately there was a smell of dust from the pages, and I couldn't help wrinkling my nose, "The style of writing is very interesting, it looks similar to "Macbeth." We have been reading "Macbeth" ", it took a lot of effort to understand Shakespeare's language, "Can you understand?" "Mostly," Dodge replied. I looked away from the densely packed small print. "enough?" "Enough." He nodded.

The smile on my face turned into a big grin, and then, I giggled. "Are we really going to-" I didn't finish my question, the idea was so overwhelming after all. "Yes." Dodge confirmed. "Can you imagine what that would be like?" There was a delightful shudder down my spine, every nerve twitching with excitement. "Actually, you don't need to imagine." Dodge promised, "Anyway, it will be my birthday soon..." I saw. Saw that moment.that moment.At that moment, the light disappeared from his eyes. I saw it and enjoyed it to the fullest.

I felt a rush of power through my body, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I reached out my pale hand and closed his eyes.The bruises on Martin's neck had begun to spread. No, not Martin's neck.He's not here anymore.It's a corpse.That thing was just a corpse.A lifeless corpse.Just like Dodge said. Before this, we walked with Martin to the stone cairn - which seemed the most suitable place.A mound for burials.a tomb.Ancient, used for sacrifice. "Now, remember," whispered Dodge, "remember what we agreed upon." "He hitchhiked away," I replied, "I saw him go."

"Darren got it." His voice was soft, suddenly coming from the darkness behind me. I was so startled that I turned around quickly and saw that the flashlight illuminated Dodge's face, and his expression was very gloomy. "What?" I asked timidly, although I heard what he had just said. "Darren. He found out." My heart stopped beating for a beat, and then started beating wildly. "How do you know?" I whispered. "He found Martin's stuff and the book at the bottom of my knapsack. He went to Ishizuka." Fear suddenly enveloped my body, but it was quickly replaced by anger. "Why did he go through your bag?" "I don't know. Maybe it's suspicious?" Dodge shrugged. "I overheard him telling Emma about the discovery. They're going out tomorrow to call the police." "So how do we do it?" is a much more pressing question. "Do what we have to do," Dodge replied. "You deal with Emma. I'm responsible for killing Darren." His gaze was firm.Firm, and excited. Dodge puts a finger to my lips. "It finally worked." The finger left my lips, and he ran a hand through my hair, behind my ear. "You did a great job." Yeah? "But you're hurt," I blurted out, "if nothing happens to me with Emma—" "You're doing great," he said again, ignoring me.He smiled at me. "We did it. It's just as we said it was, right?" Not quite.I hate mentioning those names, it's just... "Darren...and Emma." My best friends.her boyfriend.They are not in the plan. "They shouldn't be meddling in their own business," he told me, without any sarcasm or regret in his words. "That's true," I said, "if they stick together all day like they usually do..." I reached out and cupped his face, and he smiled at me.Suddenly we were kissing, tongues intertwined, panting.Right there in the cemetery, we kissed deeply.I stood on tiptoe and approached him eagerly. "It doesn't matter anyway." I whispered, putting distance between us. "We did it." There was a demonic light in his eyes, full of excitement, exactly the same as mine. "We did," he agreed.