Fifth night in the hut. Good, undisturbed sleep that night in the hut.
Peaceful.
No peaceful awakening.
Middle of the night grabbed by the collar of hoodie, hysterically shaken back to life. Screaming voice of the person above me.
Eyes shot open, body stiff, rigid.
Sister's eyes.
Horror, terror. Face drained of color, pale as the sheets, fingers were clawed in.
"Wake up, Cia! WAKE UP!"
Pushed her off of me, couldn't breathe, weight crushing my chest.
Fear coursing through veins, fear audible in voice.
"You need to get up and we need to leave right now!"
Words uttered as if time was running out. Somebody chasing her.
Us.
Our breathing in sync, fast and short., not reaching deep into lungs.
Panic attack.
Her wobbly legs, close to caving in. Torn wide open eyes.
Jumped off the bed, rushed to her.
"Tell me, Neirin. What is going on?"
Wall up, up, up, protecting wall, hindering wall.
Words would bounce off.
Prepared myself.
"Mother is dying."
Hit. Collided. Wall lay in ruins.
Words tore open heart. Invaded brain.
Lost ability to talk, think, move. Zoned out, rooted to ground. Neirin rushing around, screaming.
Tuned out of world. Just a limp body with no control over itself.
Time was not on our side.
Goodbye.
Say goodbye.
SAY GOODBYE!
I will lose my mother.
Ran.
Took off, chasing through woods. Neirin behind me. Highest speed. Blind to obstacles. Slippery, muddy ground.
Sirens of a nearing ambulance. End of woods.
Body came to a standstill.
Backyard of our house.
Ambulance.
Doors closing.
Blue-red lights flashing in my face.
Gaze rested on inside of car for a second.
Heart toppled over itself in chest.
Mother lying on the bed.
Body's skin color not human.
Ambulance drove off.
Legs back in running motion.
Body working on command. Hopped on bike, shoved helmet on, stepped on gas.
No goodbye would kill me.
No goodbye not an option.
"NO, CIA, WAIT!"
Words far away and muffled under barrier around head.
Wailing of sirens damped.
Only stepped on gas more.
Time unknown to me, darkness still settled around us.
Eyes narrowed to slits.
Lights and sirens of ambulance traces for me to follow.
Unexpected, sudden turn.
Unfamiliar path.
Narrow paths that cut like snakes through a field of wheat.
Kept chasing.
Notification on watch.
Don't go into the building, Cia.
Do you understand me?
DO.NOT.GO.INTO.THE.BUILDING.
Revving engine behind me. Headlights of another bike slicing through the darkness.
Neirin.
Ambulance pulled over.
Foreign building, giant and dark.
Freed myself of helmet, jumped off bike.
Ran toward car.
Feet froze.
Mother.
Eyes hadn't deceived. Body black.
Brain spun inside skull.
Muffled crying of a child. Heart-wrenching sound.
Paramedics.
Child in distance, clinging to side of someone's body. Boy's face buried in shirt of unfamiliar person, material soaking up tears.
Brother.
Lain.
YOU ARE READING
Ya'aburnee
FantasyWill you play the dark or will the dark play you? Cia was born with a part of her skin inked. She doesn't know that it makes her one of them until she finds out what the flames on her wrist mean. She is a target. The ultimate machine the Ghost-Re...
