The Badass Protector

Iris

I PARKED the car at the top of the hill-a park and a perfect place for a short hike for couples.

The beautiful scenic landscape was decaying and abandoned. The twinkling city lights that were supposed to be breathtaking were gone, and nothing but a gray and dusty dead city from the top.

The chains of the tree swing set creaked and sounded like a horror movie, but we were not here to be horrified. This would be the last view we wanted to see-the last sunset we were ever witnessed-to watch the sun as it disappeared from the horizon.

“Wanna go out?” I asked Colt, who was blankly and silently staring through the windshield. “You haven’t said a word since we left. Blame me, please? We still have a gun. You can shoot me-” And that, he made a snap at me.

“I don’t want you to die with me.” He gulped, eyes filled with regret and grief. I knew he was frightened, just like I was.

“Well, I don’t want you to die either,” I made a point.

“I’m not ready. I’m scared, Iris.” I saw the truth in his eyes, and it was killing me that no one could stop death.

“So do I.” I squeezed his hand-it alarmed me when it was surprisingly hot. “Are you okay?”

He sniffed. “No point in lying. So, no. I am not.” He swallowed hard. “I feel hot. I mean, I feel like I’m burning and melting inside. I think it’s already started, twig.” The word twig made my heart flutter as it already stuck as his endearment for me, but right now, all I felt was despair.

I cupped his face and looked him in the eyes. “God knows I’m scared as well, Colton, but we’re in this together.”

Colt was right-he was burning up and sweating, and his eyelids were swollen and red. The bruises had gotten worse and started to bleed when they should stop already.

He laughed, trying to be amused. “You sound like we are going into a heist.” He then squeezed my hand and pressed it to his lips. “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me, Iris. I’m glad I met you and made a move. Otherwise, I would have regretted not doing it before I died. I had the best short life with you, twig, and I will forever cherish what we shared together till the day after.”

“Will you please stop saying something like that?” I wiped the tears from my face.

“It’s now or never, baby. For these past couple of weeks, you shared the life with me that I thought would be impossible with the world falling apart around us. You allow me to feel something that was only in my imagination. You made me whole again.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as they started to water again. My heart was bleeding, and I felt helpless that I couldn’t do anything to stop it.

“You are the best thing that ever happened to me too, Colton.” I pressed my lips into his. “I’m glad to be there with you.”

His breathing was suddenly shallow.

“I’m tired,” he whispered and let his heavy lids flutter closed. “But I want to watch the sunset one last time.” He licked his dry, swollen lips and leaned back against the seat.

My eyes burned with tears as I watched him slowly taken away from me by the virus, and I couldn’t help him.

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I sniffed and cried helplessly.

It was tearing my heart apart. I shook there, silently crying as Colt started to draw a deep breath.

“I know you’re crying, twig. Please, don’t do this to me. It’s already hard for me to go knowing I am hurting you. Don’t make it harder.” He tried hard to speak. “My throat feels like I swallowed shards of glass. It hurts, but I wanna hear your voice.” He took a long deep breath. “Talk to me, Blue Iris. Tell me something.”

“I’m here. Let me tell you a story.” I blinked back the tears and took all the strength I had left into words. “When I first met you, you scared the living shit out of me.” I sniffed. “But I was also surprised to see the most beautiful eyes staring back at me. Your stare alone gave a shiver.” I looked at him. “In a damn good way, though. I thought you were the tough, most badass, and the hottest guy I’ve ever met. You made me feel special, Colton. You made me whole-”

The blood flowed from his nose. He wiped it unconsciously, making him still upon seeing it. “Shit. You know what your name means, twig?” he murmured sleepily.

“No. Tell me what my name means, please?” I begged just to hear his voice. I wished I could listen to it over and over again until I let go of my last breath.

“Hmm. The flower, blue iris. It symbolizes faith and hope.” He coughed out. It was fresh blood.

God, don’t, please! Don’t take him away from me. I need him. God, I want him more than the air I breathe.

I was not ready to let him go.

I shook and hiccuped to cry, slamming my fists against the steering wheel until I couldn’t breathe.

When everything seemed to be alright, we were tearing apart. We were losing each other, and it was going to be a quick death, and I was not close to being ready for this.

I took my gun and glanced at it. I’d rather die first because I couldn’t take it as I watched the man I loved bleed to death beside me.

“God, please…” I pressed my head against the steering wheel helplessly as I didn’t have the guts to look at barely breathing Colt and pull the trigger.

“It’s okay, twig.”

“No, it’s not. Nothing is ever okay, Colt.”

“I’d rather you call me Colton.” His voice was getting weaker and weaker.

God, I’m not ready for this. I am not ready to let go of what we have.

But I didn’t have a choice. I wished I could trade my life and save him instead, but this was not some fantasy story. This is real, and I am losing Colton in a heartbeat. And I was also dying.

“Damn it!”

Then it suddenly hit me hard. My world spun and stopped momentarily.

I quickly turned the rearview mirror toward my face and checked myself. I looked okay. My eyes were still blue. I patted my neck with the back of my hand, then to my forehead-I was not sweating. I’m not feverish.

I was not bleeding.

My breathing is okay.

I felt good. Really good.

I am good. I am really, really good.

What the- Colt did not infect me. I am not infected.

Oh, my God!