Part 1
Prologue
Kristin’s point of view
Walking back to the hotel in the darkness
always made me uneasy, but being with Kevin set me at ease and made me feel
completely safe. He always appeared confident and strong, as if no one could
stand in his way. Yet, that illusion of utter protection and strength was about
to be cruelly shattered.
“It’s really gotten dark, Kev,” I commented.
“Well, it’s winter! It gets darker more
quickly.” He informed me.
“Good point,” I replied.
“I think maybe I should have brought my other
jacket. It’s warmer than this one.” Kevin sighed, putting his arm around me.
“Well, I don’t need another jacket to keep me
warm,” I smiled at him. He gazed lovingly back at me.
“I hope the hotel isn’t far.”
Kevin looked about. “Hmmm, I don’t think it
is. We’re pretty near. I remember passing here when we left.”
“That’s good,” I snuggled deeper into his warm
embrace.
But as Kevin glanced around, trying to
remember the way, he didn’t notice the dark figure waiting at the corner.
As we approached the corner, he jumped out.
“Hold it! Give me your wallet!” he snarled.
Kevin ushered me behind him. He’d seen the
knife the thief was brandishing threateningly in front of us. In the darkness,
we could see the man was wearing a black mask and we couldn’t see his face.
Kevin was less than eager to give up his
wallet, containing money, credit cards, his driving licence and an old
photograph of him and his father, as well as personal details.
“Baby, just give him it.” I whispered. I knew
he hated to do it, but I also knew he wasn’t irresponsible enough to risk both
of our lives for the sake of his wallet.
He grudgingly held it out slowly, and the man
was about to take it when the unexpected happened.
A stray cat was rummaging through some
dustbins further down the street, and clumsily knocked one of the lids to the
floor.
Kevin spun his head around in surprise. This
quick movement caused the thief in front of us to plunge the knife into Kevin’s
chest, thinking that, in the darkness, Kevin was trying to attack him first.
“AAARRGGGGHHH!” Kevin screamed in agony,
dropping his wallet and clutching his chest.
The man cruelly forced open a large deep gash
across Kevin’s chest, and then swiftly gave the knife a quick twist, to cause a
great deal of damage.
Even in the darkness, I could see my husband’s
face contorted in agony and he fell to the floor. The stranger left the knife
in Kevin so he could run away quickly, disappearing in the shadows after
picking up Kevin’s wallet.
“Kevin!!” I sobbed, kneeling beside him.
Blood was pouring from his wound. The ugly
looking gash made me feel sick. I knew he wouldn’t last long at the rate he was
bleeding, and he could even have serious internal injures from the way the
attacker twisted the knife.
“Kevin…” I whispered in sorrow.
“Kris…. “ he breathed painfully. I grabbed his
hand and squeezed it tightly.
“Please, hold on, baby.”
“I…. Don’t think… I can….. baby…” he replied
in short breaths.
“Yes, you can.” I told him in a small voice.
I wanted to rush off and get help, but I
refused to leave his side. Yet, if I didn’t get help soon, he’d die.
I saw only one other alternative.
“HELP!!!” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
“SOMEBODY, PLEASE!!!!!”
There was no reply to my echoing call.
Looking back to Kevin, I saw the look in his
eyes was becoming more and more distant. I cradled his head on my lap.
“It’s so cold,” he commented, his voice barely
a whisper.
I put my own coat over him and hugged him
carefully, yet tightly.
“I… I love you, baby,” he told me with great
emotion, tears coming to his eyes, that were glazed over in agony.
“Don’t say that! You’re strong. You can make
it. You can hold on.” I insisted, but I knew I was only lying to myself.
“Kris, tell….” He was cut off as he began to
cough uncontrollably.
My hope became less and less as I saw a
trickle of crimson liquid began to slowly stream from the corner of his mouth.
I was no doctor, but I knew that it was likely his organs had been stabbed, and
that was how the blood got to his mouth.
“Tell… tell the others… I love them. Tell… the
fans……” he wept between shorter gasps of breath.
At this point I was too eager to get help for
him to worry about leaving him. I moved to get up and run to the hotel, but he
stopped me with a weak and shaking hand.
“Baby, I have to get you help!” I cried.
“No, please…… I need you…..stay close to me….”
He begged. A strange calmness had entered his voice, but his desperation was
also clear. I knew if he didn’t have long left, I couldn’t abandon him.
I obeyed silently, only the sound of my soft
crying and of my tears being clear.
He turned his head to me slightly. “Kris….
Come closer…….” He asked quietly.
Too demoralised to ask why, I leaned forwards,
putting my hand behind his head to lift it up.
As I brought his face closer to mine, I
realised what he wanted me to do. I closed my eyes as my lips touched his.
Ignoring the metallic taste of blood, I concentrated on the kiss. It was weak
and lifeless than usual, but I couldn’t blame Kevin.
As we parted, I began to cry harder than
before. I knew he wanted to experience this love, this affection, we had for
each other, one last time.
He began to close his eyes.
“Baby, don’t leave me yet!” I begged.
“Sorry… but its… hard to.. keep….eyes….
open..”
I stayed silent for a few minutes, but was
jerked back to reality as I heard a soft thump next to Kevin and me. I saw it
was Brian, fallen onto his knees in tears, with the four other guys behind him,
also crying.
Kevin looked at Brian. He put his trembling
hand on the side of Brian’s face and smiled weakly.
“Hey…. Cuz,” he greeted.
“Kevin, what the hell happened to you?” Brian
wept sorrowfully.
“Wrong place…wrong ….. time, little cuz…” he
told him. “But I’ll always be with you……. I’ll be…in your….hearts….”
Brian closed his eyes in a vain attempt to
stop the tears flowing as Kevin’s whole body went limp. His hand fell back to
the ground and he let out a final painful gasp, closing his caring, green eyes
for the last time.
***
