Chapter 13: Too late.

“Don’t move!” a loud voice shouted.

Damien’s throat went dry. He spun around and saw flashlights shining in his face. It's the cops.

Lyra froze, her hands shaking. “No… no, this isn’t fair.”

“Hands up, all of you!” another officer barked.

Jack raised his arms slowly. “We’re screwed,” he muttered under his breath.

Maya’s eyes darted left and right, her lips trembling. “I told you… she’s here. She’s already here,” she whispered, almost to herself.

But before Damien couldn't ask what she meant, cold metal cuffs snapped around his wrists. He couldn't belief he was getting arrested, the officer shoved him forward.

They were dragged outside, sirens flashing red and blue against the hospital wall. Damien’s throat felt dry, his staggered forward slowly. All he could think was, this is the worst night of my life.

The police station was quiet, too quiwt for a normal station. Damien sat on the hard bench inside the cell, his hands rested between his knees, and his eyes scanned through the cell.

“This is bad,” Jack said, pacing the small space. His sneakers squeaked against the floor.

“No kidding,” Damien muttered, his eyes burned.

Lyra sat with her back against the wall, hugging her knees tightly. Her voice was sharp. “They don’t get it, they don’t know what’s coming.”

Maya sat apart from them, tracing invisible shapes on the bench with her finger. Her face was pale, and her eyes looked lost.

Damien leaned closer to her. “Maya, what did you mean before? When you said she’s here?”

Maya shook her head quickly. “Not now.”

Before Damien could push, the sound of keys rattling came, the officer opened the door

“You kids are lucky,” he grumbled. “Someone came for you."

Damien blinked. “Who?”

Jack’s mom stepped in. Her arms were crossed, and her face was cold.

“Jack,” she snapped, her voice cutting through the air. “Out, now.”

Jack winced but obeyed, his mom turned her glare to the rest of them. “You should be ashamed. Sneaking into a morgue? Do you know what kind of trouble this could cause? If the press finds out, your lives will be ruined before they even start.”

None of them spoke, Damien lowered his head in shame.

Back at home, Damien’s mom was waiting in the living room.

The moment he walked in, she crossed her arms. “Damien. Sit.”

He obeyed, his chest tightening.

“Do you know that I got a call from the police, I had to tell Jack's mom to bail you out.?” she asked.

“I… I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

“You weren’t thinking.” She rubbed her forehead, her hand trembling. “You could have ruined everything. What if something worse happened? What if...” She stopped, her eyes filling with tears. “You’re all I have, Damien, stop making me afraid every night.”

The whispersed “I promise… I’ll be careful.”

She shook her head, sighing. “Be careful isn’t enough, grow up.” Then she walked to her room, leaving Damien alone with the weight of her words.

He sat there for a long time, his fists clenched, fighting the ache in his throat. He wanted to tell her the truth, but he couldn’t. She would neve believe him.

The next day at school was worse, everyone stared. Whispers chased Damien down the hall like shadows.

“That’s them.”

“They got arrested.”

“Creeps.”

He tried to ignore it, keeping his head down, but the shame pressed against his skin.

At lunch, he found Lyra and Jack at their table. Jack looked half-dead from lack of sleep, lyra stirred her juice without drinking it, she looked worried.

Damien dropped into the chair. “We’re officially the freaks now.”

Jack gave a tired laugh. “We were already freaks.”

Lyra glanced up. “Let them talk, none of it matters.”

Damien lowered his voice. “Do you think Maya was right about the bodies? About the blue skin?”

Jack nodded slowly. “If we can’t prove it, no one will believe us. But we can’t get caught again.”

Before Damien could answer, a soft voice came.

“Can I sit here?”

They looked up, Serena stood with her tray, smiling shyly.

Damien blinked. “Uh… yeah. Sure.”

She slid into the seat right beside him, her perfume gave a light and sweet smell. She gave him a warm look. “I feel like we are already friends.”

Damien’s face heated. “Y-yeah… maybe."

Jack raised an eyebrow, smirking faintly, but said nothing. Lyra, however, just sat there looking. Her hand tightened on her spoon. She forced a thin smile but her eyes stayed locked on Serena.

The table went quiet, heavy. Damien tried to break it. “So… how’s your first week going?”

Serena’s smile brightened. “Good, better now that I’m with you guys.”

Damien’s chest tightened again. He glanced at Lyra’s glare and quickly looked away.

The day dragged on until the final bell. Damien walked to his locker with Jack and Lyra.

“Maya might be overthinking,” he muttered."

Jack shook his head. “She’s rarely wrong.”

They reached the courtyard when Serena appeared again, smiling brightly. “You didn’t forget me, right?”

Damien smiled back. “Of course not.”

She laughed softly, but then stopped. Her smile faded."

She clutched her throat, a cough ripped out of her chest.

At first Damien thought it was nothing, but then blood splattered on her palm.

“Serena?” Lyra gasped, rushing forward.

Serena coughed harder, blood dripping from her lips, staining her shirt.

Panic spread around them, students screamed, some running, some staring.

Damien grabbed her shoulders, his voice shaking. “Hey, breathe! Stay with me!”

Her body trembled violently, her eyes widened in terror. Blood bubbled out of her mouth."Damien......"

Jack cursed, spinning around. “Somebody call a teacher!”

Damien felt her weight sink against him, her body growing heavy. “No, no, no,” he whispered, his voice breaking. “Don’t do this, Serena.

Please.”

Her lips trembled. She choked, gasped one last time… and then her body went limp.

Damien stared at her, his arms shook as he held her lifeless form. His chest hurt, his throat tight.

The courtyard was silent, everyone staring.

Serena was dead.