MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Seventy-One: The Ghost Walks Away
---
The days after Michel's death were quiet. Too quiet.
The house was still being rebuilt. The windows were boarded. The walls were patched. The garden was dead. The steps where Jay and Keifer had sat were gone. The corner where Lyra used to stand was empty. But the silence was heavy. The silence was waiting.
Jay stood at the window of the study, watching the street below. Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers.
"She's out there," Jay said. "Watching. Waiting."
Keifer pulled her close. "She'll come back. When we need her. She'll come back."
---
The call came at midnight.
Alex was walking home from Lyra's grave. He went there every night. He stood in front of the stone. He read her name. He touched the cold marble. He whispered words she would never hear. He walked the same streets they had walked together. He passed the corner where she used to stand. He passed the minimart where she used to buy coffee. He passed the alley where she had first held his hand.
He didn't see the man following him.
The street was empty. The lamps were flickering. The fog was low. Alex stopped at the corner. Lyra's corner. The one where she used to stand. The one where she used to watch the street. The one where she used to wait for him.
He closed his eyes. He saw her face. Her blank face. Her empty eyes. Her small smile. Her hand in his. Her voice in his ear.
"I love you," Lyra had said. "I love you."
He opened his eyes. The corner was empty. The street was dark. The fog was thick.
The man stepped out of the shadows.
He was tall. His hair was dark. His eyes were black. His face was hard. He was holding a gun. He was smiling.
"Alex Choi," the man said. "I've been looking for you."
Alex didn't move. His hands were empty. His face was calm. "Who are you?"
The man laughed. It was a cold sound. "My name is Ram. I worked for Michel. I watched him die. I watched the woman in the mask kill him. And now—" He raised his gun. "Now I'm going to kill you. I'm going to kill all of you. One by one. Starting with you."
Alex's hands were at his sides. His face was blank. "Then do it."
Ram's finger was on the trigger. His eyes were on Alex. "Goodbye, Mr. Choi."
---
The shot came from the rooftop.
Alex heard it before he saw it. The crack of glass. The whistle of air. The sound of something moving too fast, too close. Ram's gun fired. The bullet hit Alex's leg. He fell. The pain was white. The blood was warm. The street was spinning.
Ram fell beside him. His face was pale. His hands were empty. His chest was red. The woman stood behind him. Her gun was raised. Her mask was black. Her eyes were steady.
She had shot Ram. But Ram had shot Alex.
She looked at Alex. At the blood on his leg. At his pale face. At his hands reaching for her. She stepped forward. She stopped. She turned away.
"Wait," Alex said. His voice was weak. "Please."
The woman didn't turn. Her back was to him. Her hands were at her sides. Her mask was black.
"Please," Alex said again. His voice was cracking. "Please. I need to see you. I need to know. I need—"
The woman's hands were shaking. Her shoulders were trembling. She didn't move. She didn't turn.
---
Jay arrived with Keifer. Percy was behind them. Aries was beside him. Care was running, her bag open, her hands ready. Cole was beside her.
Jay saw Alex on the ground. The blood on his leg. The woman standing above him. Her mask was black. Her face was hidden. Her hands were shaking.
"Lyra," Jay said.
The woman didn't turn.
Jay walked toward her. Her steps were slow. Her voice was steady. "Lyra. Look at him. Look at the man who loves you. He's been waiting for you. He's been coming to your grave every night. He's been standing in your corner. He's been—"
"He's not my boyfriend," the woman said. Her voice was low. Her voice was familiar. Her voice was breaking.
Jay stopped. "Then look at him. Look at the man who loves you. Look at the man who has been waiting for you. Look at the man who—"
The woman turned. Her mask was black. Her face was hidden. Her eyes were visible. They were sharp. They were steady. They were familiar. They were wet.
"I'll see what happened," she said. "I'll see if he's okay. That's all."
She knelt beside Alex. Her hands were on his leg. Her touch was gentle. Her hands were steady.
Alex looked at her. His face was pale. His eyes were wet. "Lyra."
She didn't answer. Her hands were on the wound. Her mask was black. Her face was hidden.
"Lyra," Alex said again. His voice was stronger now. "Please. Let me see you. Let me—"
Jay moved. She was behind the woman before anyone could stop her. Her hand was on the mask. Her fingers were on the edge. The woman didn't move. Her hands were on Alex's leg. Her body was still.
"Lyra," Jay said. "Please."
She pulled the mask.
---
The mask fell.
The face behind it was pale. The eyes were dark. The lips were thin. The cheeks were hollow. The scars were white on her skin. The hair was short. The face was the same. The face was different. The face was Lyra's.
Lyra Kulkarni.
The street went silent. The world went still. Everyone was staring. No one was breathing.
Alex stared at her. His face was white. His hands were shaking. His eyes were wet. "Lyra."
She looked at him. Her face was blank. Her eyes were not. Her hands were on his leg. The blood was on her fingers. The wound was deep. He was bleeding. He was hurt. He was looking at her like she was a ghost. Like she was a dream. Like she was everything.
"Lyra," Alex said again. His voice was stronger now. "You're alive. You're—"
She stood up.
Her hands fell away from his leg. Her face went blank. Her eyes went cold. She stepped back. One step. Two steps. Three steps. Away from him. Away from the blood. Away from the man who loved her.
"Lyra," Jay said. "What are you—"
Lyra looked at her. Her face was blank. Her eyes were not. They were wet. They were breaking. They were saying goodbye.
"Please be careful," Lyra said. Her voice was low. Her voice was cracking.
Jay stared at her. "What? What are you saying?"
Lyra looked at Alex. At his pale face. At his bandaged leg. At the blood on her hands. At the man she loved. The man she had left. The man she had to leave again.
"Take care of him," Lyra said.
She turned. She walked away. Her steps were fast. Her hands were empty. Her mask was on the ground.
"Lyra!" Alex screamed. His voice was raw. His hands were reaching for her. "Lyra! Please! Don't go! Please!"
She didn't stop. She didn't turn. She walked into the fog. She disappeared into the night.
---
Alex tried to stand. His leg gave way. He fell. Care was beside him. Her hands were on his shoulders. Her voice was steady.
"Alex. Alex, stay down. You're bleeding. You—"
He pushed her away. His eyes were on the fog. On the place where she had disappeared. "Lyra! LYRA!"
Jay ran. She ran into the fog. She ran down the street. She ran to the corner. She ran to the alley. She ran to the end of the road. The street was empty. The fog was thick. The night was silent.
She was gone.
Jay stood in the middle of the street. Her hands were empty. Her face was wet. Her heart was pounding. She had been there. She had been right there. And now she was gone.
She walked back to the group. Her steps were slow. Her hands were shaking. Her face was pale.
Keifer was at her side. His hand was in hers. "She's gone."
Jay looked at him. "She's gone."
---
Alex was on the ground. His leg was bleeding. His face was wet. His hands were empty. He was staring at the fog. At the place where she had disappeared.
"She was right there," Alex said. His voice was broken. "She was right there. I saw her face. I touched her. I—" His voice cracked. He stopped.
Care was beside him. Her hands were on his leg. Her face was calm. "Alex. Alex, look at me."
He didn't look at her. He was staring at the fog. "She was alive. She was alive this whole time. And she left. She left again."
Care's hands tightened on his leg. "She saved you. She came back to save you. She—"
"She left." His voice was empty. "She left and she's not coming back."
---
Percy stood at the edge of the street. His face was pale. His hands were shaking. Aries was beside him.
"She was alive," Percy said. "She was alive and she left."
Aries took his hand. "She had to."
Percy looked at them. "Why? Why did she have to leave? Why did she have to—"
"Because she's protecting us." Aries' voice was steady. "She's been protecting us this whole time. And she'll keep protecting us. Even if it means leaving."
Percy looked at the fog. At the place where she had disappeared. "She came back for Alex. She came back to save him. She—"
"She loves him," Aries said. "She loves him and she left. Because she loves him."
---
Care was in the ambulance with Alex. His leg was bandaged. His face was pale. His eyes were on the window. On the fog. On the place where she had disappeared.
Care took his hand. "She's alive. She's out there. And she's watching. She's always watching."
Alex didn't look at her. "She left."
"She left to protect you. She left to keep you safe. She left because she loves you."
His face was wet. "I love her. I love her and she left."
Care squeezed his hand. "She'll come back. When it's safe. When it's over. She'll come back."
He looked at her. His eyes were empty. "What if it's never over? What if it's never safe? What if she never comes back?"
Care didn't answer. She didn't know.
---
The night was ending when they left the street.
The fog was lifting. The sun was rising. The city was waking up. Lyra was gone. The woman in the mask was gone. The ghost had walked away.
Jay sat in the car. Keifer was beside her. His hand was in hers. Percy was driving. Aries was beside him. Alex was in the back, his leg bandaged, his face blank, his eyes on the window. On the fog. On the place where she had disappeared.
"She was right there," Alex said. His voice was empty. "I saw her face. I touched her. She was right there."
Jay turned to look at him. "She's alive. She's out there. And she's watching. She'll come back."
Alex looked at her. His face was wet. "She said take care of him. She said please be careful. She didn't say she loved me. She didn't say she was coming back. She just—"
His voice cracked. He couldn't finish.
Jay reached back. She took his hand. "She loves you. She's always loved you. She came back to save you. She came back because she loves you. And she'll come back again. When it's safe. When it's over. She'll come back."
Alex held her hand. His face was wet. "I'll wait. I'll wait for her. I'll always wait for her."
Jay squeezed his hand. "I know."
---
The sun was rising over Manila. The city was waking up. The war was over. Michel was dead. Ram was dead. Lyra was alive. And she was gone.
Jay looked at the window. At the light. At the place where Lyra had disappeared.
"She's out there," Jay said. "Watching. Waiting. Protecting."
Keifer pulled her close. "She'll come back. When she's ready. When it's safe. She'll come back."
Jay leaned against him. "I know."
She closed her eyes. She saw Lyra's face. Her blank face. Her empty eyes. Her small smile. Her hand in hers. Her voice in her ear.
"Please be careful," Lyra had said. "Take care of him."
Jay opened her eyes. The sun was bright. The city was waking. Lyra was gone. But she would come back. She had to come back.
---
END OF CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE