Ascendance

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Gasping, I shot upright waking from my dream.  Inside of my subconscious mind I dreamt of my mother, her sweet face was full of misery. We were floating in what looked like a long room full of water with mirrored walls. I was only a few feet away from her as we clawed our way through the waves trying to reach each-other but it was useless. No matter how hard I tried to move towards her I couldn't, it was as if there was something pulling me down. The strangest part of my dream was neither of us gasped for air. We easily breathed in and out as small bubbles formed in front of our mouths, just floating and staring at one another through the taunting water.

 Suddenly, panic spread across my mother's gentle features, I watched as she grabbed her chest. Her body began to float upwards and away from me again, she reached for me with her fingertips as she drifted away from me ever so slowly. With much more force I thrashed out violently at the water around me. I was fuelled by my longing to be in her arms again even if it was only a dream, yet I was unable to move.  Screaming and kicking out at the tranquil blue that seemed to mock my pain, I witnessed my mother being absorbed by light above me as she left me alone in my subconscious mind as well as in reality.

That's when I awoke, after she was gone and I was left isolated. It all felt so real though, the physical pain I felt after dreaming such a horrific nightmare made me want to burrow myself into my bed at home and never leave it again. However, I was no longer upset, I was now angry. I was ready to take my vengeance out on the evil that had torn my mother and me apart. The evil that had led me to discover things I didn't want to know, I was quite content before not knowing about the people with abilities that walked the earth. I wished I could go back to being oblivious to it all, I wished I could go back to my old life.

"Hunter, let's go." I ordered, driven by my rage. I wanted to get to these people or elementals as they were called, as soon as possible so I would be able to save my mother from the demons that had taken her. "Hunter," I nudged him.

"Eden, it's half four in the morning. Go back to sleep." Hunter mumbled as he looked at the bright red digits on the alarm clock beside him, before he pulled the covers over his head with a grunt.

"Fine, you stay and sleep. I'm going to find my mother." I said it with no emotion. It was hard for me not to break down but I knew I had to remain strong and firm so he believed me. Hunter was the last person I wanted to think I was weak otherwise he'd never let me go with him to save her.

After much hesitation and a few curse words mumbled, Hunter threw his legs over the side of the bed and stumbled his way to the bathroom. As he showered I yanked on a clean pair of denim shorts, I didn't want to meet the elementals with dirt, blood, and grime covered all over my clothes. I began to wonder what Hunter had been thinking when he packed my bag because there seemed to be no suitable tops for the desert's heat. After searching through endless amounts of jumpers and sweatshirts, I still couldn't find any remotely suitable t-shirts so I remained in my black cami and pulled my sneakers over my ankle socks.

During my time waiting for Hunter to shower and change I had enough time to sneak out to the vending machine that was placed along the side wall of our room, I tip-toed out of the room, trying to be as quiet as I could so Hunter wouldn't freak out over me leaving his sight. However, as soon as I stepped foot out of the tasteless room I felt as if I was being watched.

The hair on my neck began to rise again oh-so familiarly and my eyes darted around the blank desert that surrounded us. I could only see as far as the moving horizon that appeared to be lifeless in the night and there was no sign of a soul besides myself and the elderly man that was working late in the office. Still being cautious of my surroundings I inserted my money to the faded machine and pushed with much needed force at the button for a bottle of water.

"EDEN!" Hunter shouted as I bent down to pick up my bottle from the bottom tray.  He was so loud I could hear him inside of our room.

"I know, I know! I'm sorry, I was just thirsty." I mumbled loudly as I walked back to the room. "There's no need to shout like that." Strangely enough, the door was left open and I could hear a lot of commotion inside. Thuds and bangs became louder and louder the closer I got to the lime paint.

"Eden, my jacket pocket!"Hunter barked at me as I reached the doorway. I watched as Hunter tackled a man to the floor with a big impact and began to brutally punch him repeatedly. There was no way the red haired stranger could stand a chance against Hunter, even without him using his special ability.  Hunter's iron like fists continued to meet the lanky man's nose as they struggled against each other.

Instantly I ran towards the chair in the corner of the room where Hunter had left his jacket and around the two bodies fighting. I rummaged desperately through the pockets until I felt a lump of cold metal. I grimaced as I pulled it out revealing a dark metal pistol. I'd never held a gun before in my life, the heavy weapon made everything seem to pan out in slow motion as I raised it hesitantly. I knew what I had to do yet I still didn't think I could handle it.

"Eden!" Hunter barked again as the man overpowered him with a dagger in his hand. It was just like the one I had ended my first attacker's life with. Without thinking, I raised the gun much more quickly and pulled back the deadly trigger. The bullet flew at the speed of light into the man's back.

I can't really recall what I was thinking at that moment, but I do know I was terrified.  I stood there frozen with the pistol still pointing at the dying man's bleeding body on the motel room floor. Moments passed and I remained speechless, not wanting to let in the guilt and shame that seemed to be suffocating me from inside. I surprised myself with how easy it was for me to kill these men and that was really disgusted me. 

"Eden," Hunter spoke calmly and rationally as he stepped towards me and removed the gun from my clenched fingers.

"He's dead too, I've killed two men," I muttered staring at the body on the floor in disbelief. "I'm a monster."

"No, they're the monsters." Hunter cooed as he wrapped me in his arms in a kind of awkward way. "It will be okay." He repeated trying to comfort me. I pulled Hunter closer, not wanting to let go as I continued to look at the red haired man's carcass. I wasn't sure how I'd managed to pull the trigger but I did, it was as if there was a part of me deep down that wasn't as innocent as I thought. Although I never wanted to do it, I did and that must've meant something.

"I don't know how much more I can take Hunter." I whispered so quietly I didn't even think he heard until I felt his head nod on my shoulder.  I couldn't be alone in this, I needed Hunter in that moment. I feared that without him I would crumble.

"I'm sorry."  He said. "Go to the car, I'll get the bags. You were right, we need to get moving."  He handed me the key to the car before he wiped his damp hair on the end of his red t-shirt he wore, unfazed as I staggered past the body and towards the car park not looking at the new stain on the now bloody carpet.  I struggled to find my breath as I walked towards the Hummer. No matter what Hunter had said, I was still a monster. Two men had died because of me. The demons inside of them had taken over their bodies, they'd taken over these men's lives so when I killed the demons, I killed the men too. They could've had wives and children. Families would have lost their, dads, sons, uncles, brothers, husbands because of me. Everything was because of me.

 With that thought still running through my head, I did finally break down. Every part of me that wanted to be strong,  which wanted to take revenge was gone for that moment. At that moment I was back to being the weak, naïve teenage girl that I truly was. I crumbled to the sandy parking lot floor as I sobbed. I didn't want to be a monster; I just wanted my mother home with me. Nostalgia sickened me as I remembered how my mother would rock me in her arms when I was sad, she would sing a sweet song and rub my back until the tears stopped falling.

 But I wasn't sure if my tears would ever stop falling at that time. The guilt I felt was eating me alive, I couldn't kill any more people and I wouldn't. Just because I was dealing with creatures from hell, that didn't mean I was going to sin enough to join them. Tears still fell endlessly as I looked up at the sky, watching the sun rise and a new day begin as I rocked myself with my knees pulled close to my chest, I didn't think I could survive like that for much longer.