Thirty † Rest in Peace

Shock filled up Kat's chest. More tears leaked from her eyes, her throat going tight with the sobs she couldn't let out.

She didn't wipe her cheeks, though. She couldn't. The spiral of disbelief within her didn't allow her to do much else. She just watched, speechless and hurting, as Calix touched the gash on his cheek and had his fingers come away with an unmistakable trace of red.

All kinds of dark emotions flashed in his face. The transitions were subtle, but Kat felt them moving with her like sceneries changing in a train window. From paralyzing incredulity that slackened his features to painful realization that made his eyes glisten. Then came defeat. Resignation.

He fell to his knees, his breathing shallow and labored, his damaged fists digging into the dry grass.

At that moment, Calix seemed more like a ticking bomb than ever. Even with all the intensity emanating from him, Kat could tell that he was shutting himself in, closing himself from anyone and anything. He was trying w