𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐨 - h.p

3. dementors

And with a glacial pang of pain like the stab of a dagger, she felt the shot too. In the same spot, coming with the same pain.

She watched silently as her mother shrunk to the ground, no longer with the light of life in her eyes, no longer with the flowing movements of ethereality. Stiff and simple. 

Something snapped in Chloe's body as her fingers came to life again.

A dark and rusty pool of blood around her mother's fallen body, her heart sinking to her stomach like an open ship filling with water, everything possible that could make a sound was now replaced with an ear-piercing shrill in her ears, and a sillage of crimson blood lingered above her head.

The brontide began to be drowned out by her uproaring scream as she heard only one thing:

'take her away, take her away, take her away.'

Chloe woke with a harsh, sudden jolt, and loud bangs from the luggage falling. She practically leapt from Theo's lap as the train came to a halt. Frantically breathing, she turned to look out the window which was now being splashed loudly with many drops of rain.

Another nightmare. Although this one wasn't as bad as the usual ones she had. She's had so many different nightmares of the same scenario, all with small niceties, each one having slightly different detail, she's not sure she can even fully remember what actually happened that night.

"Are we here?" she asked, suddenly feeling cold.

"We can't be, we haven't been moving for long," Daphne inquired, trying to peer out of the dark, foggy window next to her as she held Ivy in her cage, who was also shaking and letting out short hoots every now and then, as she softly pet her, "it looks like there's someone out there, though."

Chloe turned to look out the window too as an eerie aura filled their compartment and everything suddenly went dark. Nothing felt real at this point, nothing felt there. She felt like she was still in her mind dreaming, like the world around her was slowly dissolving away.

A wisp of grey, silver and black could be seen floating near their compartment. Flapping shadows of what looked like ripped cloth cast around the walls of the train. It passed the foggy door as the four of them could fully see what it looked like.

A grey, death-looking creature floated past the glass door, covered in a dark cloak. Chloe only saw a glimpse of its hand, or what should be its hand, before it passed.

Bony, scabbed and slimy.

It moved sluggishly yet elegantly, as if it were striding down an aisle. The very slow movements and the sinister, unnatural aspect the creature had caused harsh goosebumps to rise on Chloe's clothed arms as her fingers started to feel numb and heavy.

The four stayed deathly silent, not daring to make a single sound in case the creature heard them and attacked. Their mouths shut, chests still, breaths held.

She could feel the dementor near her, although it was on the other side of the door. She started to feel... weird, was the only way she could describe it.

Her vision became blurry and darker as she scrunched her eyes shut to see clearly again. Her consciousness became dizzy as she slowly leant back in the chair to stop herself from falling over. She felt like a part of her soul was leaving her, as if it were being sucked out.

The intense freeze penetrated through her skin and into the darkness of the inside of her body. She felt as if there were ice flowing in her bloodstream, frosting in her bones and wintry glaciers shifting through her. She felt her heartbeat catch inside her chest, not beating but not staying still either.