" What's going on?" Alison broke the loud silence.
Before she could finish, Kyro felt the weight of her question settle like lead in his stomach. He stepped forward, but the words didn't come immediately. Amber walked over to the chair opposite Alison and sat down, her shoulders visibly tense, the weight of the moment pressing on her.
James turned from the window, a flicker of hope in his eyes that quickly died when he saw their faces. "What's going on?" His voice was soft, hesitant, but his eyes were full of unspoken fear.
Kyro looked at Amber. She nodded slightly, giving him the silent permission to speak, but they both knew how hard this would be. The truth was a jagged pill they'd have to swallow together.
"Micha's been hurt," Kyro finally said, his voice low but steady. "She's in surgery right now."
Alison stood up quickly, her eyes wide. "What? What happened? How...?" Her hands shook as she reached for Amber, her face pale and stricken.
Amber swallowed hard, trying to find the words. "She was stabbed. Last night. Someone—anonymously—attacked her. We don't know who."
The room went still.
James's eyes narrowed, his body tensing as if preparing for a confrontation. "Wait. What do you mean, 'someone attacked her'? Who would do that? Why?"
"It wasn't random," Amber said, her voice flat but filled with an edge of disbelief that didn't quite match the terror she felt inside. "It was deliberate. Micha was targeted."
"But why?" Alison's voice trembled as she sank back down into her chair. Her face was pale, eyes wide with confusion, hurt, and fear. "Micha doesn't... she doesn't have enemies. Not like this."
Kyro's eyes flickered to Amber before he spoke. He wasn't sure if he was ready to give them all the truth, but there was no avoiding it now. Micha would want them to know.
"We don't know who did it," Kyro began, his voice low but certain. "But it's someone who seems to know her."
Alison's eyes widened. "What do you mean 'know' her? Are you saying Micha was being stalked and that there is a murderer on the lose?"
Amber nodded slowly. "Yeah. Micha didn't tell us everything, but I—I think she knew the person. She told us to run- nothing else."
James clenched his fists. "This... this is insane. Who would do that? Who—"
"It doesn't make sense," Amber cut in, her voice sharp. "I know. Micha's one of the most private people I know, I don't know what this is."
Kyro stepped closer, his voice almost a whisper now, as though he feared even saying it out loud would make it too real. "The attacker knew what they were doing. They knew exactly where to find her, and they knew how to hurt her. They wanted to hurt her..." His assumptions made absolute sense.
Alison gasped, her hands clutching the edge of the chair as if she might fall over. "Is she... is she going to be okay? I mean, how... how bad is it?"
Kyro hesitated. "The doctors said they're doing everything they can."
There was a long pause, and then James let out a breath that he'd clearly been holding in. "Micha's tough. She's tough as hell. She'll make it through."
Alison's eyes flickered with something close to desperation. "But how do we—how do we make sense of this? How do we—"
"Right now, all we can do is wait." Amber's voice was quiet, a soothing contrast to the tension in the room. "We can't change what happened, but we can be here for her when she wakes up."
Kyro nodded, his jaw tight. "We're going to find out who did this. We'll figure it out. But right now, we need to keep it together. Micha's going to need us."
Alison wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, nodding. "I... I just don't get it. Micha didn't deserve this. None of us did."
James stepped forward, placing a hand on her shoulder. "None of us did. But we'll get through this. We'll be here for Micha when she wakes up. We're not going anywhere."
Amber stood up, her eyes already distant, as if lost in a thought that none of them could follow. "I just hope she wakes up. We don't know if it's safe to—"
The sudden beep of a heart monitor interrupted her. A single, sharp sound. It seemed to freeze the room.
The distant sound of a door opening broke the fragile stillness, followed by the click of heels approaching —this time, a nurse stepped in, her face calm but serious. "You're here for Micha, right?"
Kyro, Amber, Alison, and James all turned, waiting for the nurse to continue.
Alison stood first, the knot in her stomach tightening, and Kyro instinctively turned to face her.
"Is she—?" Alison's voice cracked, but she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Is Micha—?"
The nurse's eyes met hers, and for a moment, the silence between them felt endless. Her face was unreadable, a mask of professional calm that failed to hide the sadness creeping into her eyes.
"No," the nurse said, her voice soft but firm. "I'm afraid Micha... she didn't make it."
The words landed like a heavy blow, the air thick with disbelief. Alison blinked, feeling her world shift beneath her, the ground suddenly unsure. She took a shaky step forward, but Kyro caught her arm, his grip tight but gentle.
"What do you mean?" Kyro's voice was low, controlled, as if he were testing the truth of the words.
The nurse didn't answer immediately. She took a breath, her eyes moving between them, as if struggling to find the right words.
"We're preparing to take her to the morgue for an autopsy test," she began, "but whoever stabbed Micha was precise. All wounds targeted her vitals, the biggest blow being the stab on her neck, hitting the artery."
She paused, glancing at James shocked expression. "I'm so sorry. This is... this is a lot to process, I know."
The words didn't seem to sink in right away. Micha was dead. Micha, who had been their anchor in the chaos. Micha, who had been there when they needed someone to hold onto. Micha, who had saved them all so many times, even when she hadn't realized it.
James' face paled. He took a step back, his lips trembling. "This doesn't make sense," he whispered, shaking his head. "Micha... how could someone just—" He broke off, unable to finish the sentence.
Kyro closed his eyes briefly, his fists clenched at his sides. He didn't speak, didn't move. Alison could feel the tension radiating off him, could almost hear the storm brewing behind his calm exterior.
"What happens now?" Alison asked, her voice shaking despite her best efforts to remain steady. "What do we do now?"
The nurse, whose name tag read Naomi met her gaze. "For now, you grieve. Micha's death will be thoroughly investigated, as the police are on their way here and we will be doing everything we can to find the person responsible. But until then..." She hesitated again, her words clearly weighing on her. "I'll be here to support you all. As best I can."
Alison's eyes blurred as the first tears of the night slipped down her cheeks, unnoticed. Micha's face flashed before her mind, that mischievous smile, the way she had always been the one to step forward when the group faltered.
Amber gasps, disbelief, shock and despair written all over her features.
It finally takes a toll on her, she closes her eyes, welcoming the darkness that seemed a better escape from reality.
Kyro is quick to hold her collapsed body, the nurse quickly guiding them to the ward to tend to her.