That won't happen to you

Chapter 41

"I have to go for a minute," Lou muttered to Ahsoka and disappeared from the room.

The young Togruta remained sitting, confused.

Lou ran to the next best room and slipped inside.

Her entire upper body ached terribly. Especially badly her shoulder.

"Not now. Not now." she muttered, coughing.

Red splatters decorated the floor as she stood back up with pain written in her face.

She didn't stay standing for long. She stumbled barely two steps backward, away from her blood, when her legs decided they could no longer hold her, and she fell to the ground.

Again she had to cough, and again red dots speckled the floor afterwards. This time more than before.

It stuck there on the ground shining and sparkling, of fascinating, horrible beauty, as if smiling at her.

As if it was telling her, don't worry when you're dead, the pain is over.

She coughed again, covering the red with more red.

"Poodoo," she cursed softly and rasped as the next cough caught in her throat.

After a few seconds, however, the blood from that one came out as well.

It was already more than before and formed a small pool on the floor.

The pain ate deeper into her guts, and almost robbed her of the air to breathe.

She held her shoulder and continued to cough.

Alone in this dark strange room, on this strange ship.

It was the longest of these cough attacks so far.

And she got the dull gray feeling that this one wouldn't pass as easily as the others.

"Don't worry, Lou. You can do it" she muttered to herself "You can..." another cough ".... do that"

The ground was so red by now that the blood had lost its mesmerizing quality. Or had it grown stronger?

She didn't know for sure, though she was strangely interested.

When she coughed again, she had the feeling of being torn in two, and that her lungs were burning up.

A soft, choked whimper escaped her still brittle lips.

She wanted to go home.

To go back to being the little girl who knew no suffering.

But that was not possible.

And even if it had been possible. She had set herself a task.

She had promised herself she would watch over Ahsoka.

Oh, and she never broke any of her promises.

Never.

She struggled back to her feet as a new wave of pain swept through her body, forcing her back again.

"Get a hold of yourself Lou," she hissed, angry with herself.

Recalled the memory back to her mind as Ahsoka, right after the electric torture, stood back up, looking for a way to freedom.

And Lou drew will from that memory.

And from that will, she drew strength.

The strength she needed to stand up.

But again, it was not enough.

She coughed hard, and fell back. Landed in her own coughed up blood.

Slowly everything drifted away from her.

It became cottony. Unreal.

As if through glass.

It blurred, grew darker and darker. Quieter and quieter. Colder and colder.

"Who is in my quarters?!" was the last thing she heard.