Unrequited

His eyes were large and round as he stared up at her, and Cassidy was sure that he was silently begging for her to stop, pleading. She smiled down at him as her hand stroked the side of his bloody face, fingers tracing over his skin.

"You have only to say the words, Matt," she said. "And then I will stop."

He opened his mouth, but instead of sound coming out, there was only blood bubbling from his lips and down his chin. He coughed, gagging as scarlet flecks flew through the air.

"That's hardly what I want to hear."

His eyes looked panicked, dark with rabid fear, but it was almost physically impossible for him to speak by this point, she knew. She could see him trying, mouth opening and closing, and she thought that he might be mouthing the words, but couldn't be sure.

She brushed his blood coated hair from his face, and he cringed away from her touch, his eyes roaming about as if searching for something that might save him, end the agony. But they were alone, as she had taken careful precautions to make sure. She didn't want anyone interfering, especially not that bitch.

Her face darkened at the thought of Serena and her conniving, superior attitude. Oh, she thought that she could protect this wreck of a man, but where was she now? Where was she when he truly needed her, when he lay near the brink of death, desperately trying to speak the words that would save his life?

Cassidy giggled, and she leaned closer to Matt, her dark hair hanging just above his face. "She's not coming this time. I made sure of that. I have her running around in circles trying to find you, but you'll never be where she expects."

He coughed out another gurgle of blood, and her smile widened as she straightened up, reaching for the object that lay beside her, a screwdriver. She was most fond of using everyday objects like tools and silverware. They were easy to find and numerous.

Matt tried to pull himself away, his mangled hands inching across the ground as he searched for purchase to lever his body. Cassidy grabbed a handful of his shirt and heaved him forward. His eyes rolled up into his head for a moment, and then he leaned forward and vomited. He sagged against her, his body trembling from weakness and fear.

One hand took a fistful of his hair, and she tipped his head backwards until he was looking straight up at her. The other hand held the screwdriver. She flipped it around in her fingers a couple times, making sure that he was watching, letting him know that she was in complete control, and then she brought it closer to his face. He shrank away, coughing out a cry that brought more blood spilling from his lips.

"It's okay," Cassidy murmured. "It will only hurt for a little while."

She twisted his head around and lowered her weapon until it hovered just in front of one of his fear-crazed eyes, his pupils just small pinpricks in a wash of cobalt blue. He made a sound deep in his throat, an animal sound, something produced by his terror, and then she pushed the screwdriver down.

His scream filled the room, and he thrashed in her arms, only making the damage to his eye all the worse in his panic. Finally, he stilled, and Cassidy pulled the screwdriver free as she watched the blood drip down his face.

"You see?" she said. "Not so bad. Now, just one more to go."

He jerked in her arms as he tried to heave himself away from her, but by this point he was too weak to do much more than mildly thrash about as he made that animal noise again, tears tracing paths through the blood on his cheeks. Cassidy positioned her tool over his face again, tightening her grip on his hair, so he couldn't turn his head.

"S-s-s."

She froze and leaned forward, her eyes brightening. "Yes, come one, Matt. Speak."

His mouth opened. A moment passed and then he said, "St-stop."

She smiled. "Very good. See, it's not so hard to talk? Now, you know what to do."

She placed the screwdriver beside her, freeing her hand so that she could caress the side of Matt's face again.

"I..."

"Yes?"

He coughed and twisted in her arms for a moment before becoming still again. "I..."

"Go on."

His face scrunched up with the effort he was exerting to speak. "I...love you..."

Her face lit up, and she gave a small, exuberant cry. She released her hold on his hair, and his head rolled backwards. "Yes, yes. That's right. See, that was easy, wasn't it? Now--"

She stopped when he lifted his head up and whispered one final word, "Serena."

Cassidy’s whole body turned rigid as her expression froze on her face. Matt stared up at her and twisted his lips into a bloody smile before his head rolled backwards again.

“No,” she practically hissed as she snatched up her weapon again, although she knew that by that point it was too late. Matt was far too still, his remaining eye far too glassy and empty. “No, no, no!” She stabbed him in the chest, bone crunching. She pulled the screwdriver out and then stabbed him again. Out, stab. Out, stab. Her eyes were livid with anger.

“How dare you?” Out, stab. “How dare you? How dare you?”

She pulled the screwdriver from his chest again, holding it in her trembling hand for a moment before flinging it away. She buried her face against Matt’s bloody chest, fingers tightening into fists around the shreds of his shirt until her hands ached.

And then she began to cry.