Chapter 17

Sometimes life gives you lemons, what life handed me was a migraine. I stare over the balcony like a spectre, any sign of movement or sound— nothing. He has to go and fall… I could walk down the stairs slowly and safely… but what’s the fun in that? I throw myself over the balcony, half way down my descent I catch myself on a ledge with that knife I stole from Vesper. Then I let go, landing on the ground silently. I see blood on the ground, a scuffle… and a finger… it’s new as well… the finger is a human's… not sure whether it’s Vespers… but it has a mustache drawn on it. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate to laugh. But I don’t. Life is strange, sometimes it’s fine and sometimes it’s ‘holy shit─ I almost died, oh well time to continue’. I follow the blood trail and leave the finger. I’m not even trying to be stealthy, whatever happened was not fun for whoever’s finger that was. I look back up at where Vesper fell from… that must be at least a broken leg… I come to a clearing, a field of flowers─ if I may correct myself, a very small flowerbed behind an apartment block─ adorned with snow drops and… blood… Blood and Blossoms. Disgusting but beautiful. And there’s Vesper… in a pool of his own blood, clutching his hand and a dead NeuroSick. I walk over to him, crouching down next to him, turning him over. He stares at me, lets out a breath and smiles a crooked smile.
“I─” He gasps, then tuts at me before speaking again. “I thought you weren’t gonna come save my ass again.”
I sigh. “Shut up.”
He smirks, clutching his hand. “Make me.”
I stand back up and then turn to walk away.
“Hey─ hey─ wait─ I’m sorry─ don’t leave me! Please─ I don’t wanna die at 19! Please! I’m too beautiful to die and I have so many iconic one-liners to deliver!”
I turn to look at him, begging for his life, it’s kind of pathetic, I walk back over, then grab his wrist, yanking his hand to see his right ring finger is gone. “How did you lose your finger, idiot?”
He blinks at me. “The NeuroSick bit my finger off.”
Oh God─ not again─ I won’t lose someone to a bloody NeuroSick. “You realise that if that isn’t sanitised then 

You could be infected.” I grab a cloth from my pocket and attempt to sanitise his wound and use the cloth to stop further bleeding. “Can you walk?”

He nods, I help him up and then let him lean on me. I set him down outside the building, I rush upstairs as silent as possible then open the locker to find the little girl is gone.