MY CURSE TO CARRY

MY CURSE TO CARRY
Chapter 177.

Claudia's pov.

A light at the end of the tunnel, minute but still present, all along my vision had been clouded, when I finally opened my eyes, I came face to face with Warren, a smile stretched across his lips, “There you are,” his voice weak.

His lips busted, blood trickled down the side of his face and still he smiled, when my eyes went downward, I saw a big gash in his stomach and my hands sticking into the wound.

I choked out a gasp as my hands began to tumble, my knees weakened, buckling under me because I couldn't take what I had done.

What exactly had I done?

Despite his injuries which I had induced, Warren, with his hands supported my descent as we went down together. Both on our knees I slowly pulled my hands out of his wound and it was covered in his blood.

“I'm…..I….” I didn't know what to say as I stuttered incoherently, the tears pooling at the corner of my eyes as a lump formed at the back of my throat.

Warren shushed me groaning as he was visibly in pain but still chose to smile through it, “I know….you…don't have to say anything,”

I can fix it, I can fix it, there has to be something I can do.

I placed my shaky hands on his abdomen and tried to heal him but nothing worked, no matter how hard I tried, gritting my teeth hard.

Warren raised my gaze, “I'll be fine, I am fine,”

My gaze shifted from him to the others and once again, I was appalled by the chaos I had caused and I remembered how this had come to be.

The dark magic, it was taking over me, making me do things that I wouldn't, that I didn't want to.

They still seem to fight against the mutants which had not paused their attacks in the least, despite their leaders being gone.

My breath came out in gasps, and my heart hammered against my ribcage so much so I could feel the blood rushing in my veins.

In that instant, I'm reminded of a prophecy  that was meant to come to pass, one which had the chosen one cover the earth in blood.

I had to make a choice.

“We would figure this out together okay?” Warren asked but I knew there was nothing I could do.

He wasn't a part of the prophecy and this all fell down to me. I needed to fix this.

I thought I could escape it, I thought I could play fate at its game, but I realised I had lost, there was not much more of a painful choice than choosing a family I had just gotten and myself.

A bitter feeling settled at the pit of my stomach as I stared into Warren's eyes with a sad smile, shaking my head gently, “We can't unless……”

“Unless what?” His brows knitted.

A confused expression replaced his smile, one I had come to adore so much, one which made me feel safe even though the world was falling apart around me, even though I had betrayed him and called him out a lot of times.

His smile still remained, unchanged.

“I'm sorry Warren,” I managed to choke out, “But I have to do this……alone,” 

Warren shook his head, chuckling as though I had cracked a joke, “You can't be serious, we can do this together you don't have to do this alone,”

The tears pooled even more at the corner of my eyes ready to spill, “That's not how this works this time Warren,” 

Caressing his cheeks gently, “You've always been there for me, always, but now I have to be there for you,”

“You are already here for me, we are here together, whatever it is you are planning, you need to stop,” 

I smiled gently as I let my gaze scan the small field that we had been trapped in, everyone fighting for their lives, the spell hadn't been completed and the world counting on us, on me.

“This is my cross to carry Warren, it has always been and I realise…..now, that I can not run away from it, it was only best I embrace it and do what's expected of me, to do what's right,”

Warren was still not convinced, but his injuries wouldn't let him, his pain was my pain and I couldn't see him suffer anymore.

“I need you to understand Warren, that I am not just doing this for anyone, but I'm doing it for myself, it's something I must do and I need you to understand that, please,” I begged.

I needed him to be on my side because to be honest, all I wanted to do was run and hide, let the world burn, but I knew what was right and I just needed someone to stand by me when I did it.

To follow through with my choice that I had made.

After a long minute of staring into each other's eyes, Warren finally relented hesitantly, although still worried, he wanted to respect my decision and I loved him for it.

I scoffed at the realisation.

I loved him.

Not once I had gotten to say it to him, and all the time he always expressed his feelings for me. I pulled him close and pressed my lips against his, the tears finally escaped and slipped down the side of my face to my lips.

The salty taste as Warren and I kissed.

The kiss was soft, with everything that we had lost, that we had felt, what we had held onto for all our journey, what I couldn't express.

Ironically, it might just be the last time I would ever get to feel this way, the last time I might spend with him, that last time to feel him against me, his warmth, his presence.

We separated an inch away from each other and I couldn't help whisper the words I had held onto for so long.

“I love you Warren,”