Ashen Reign

Chapter 7 - Revised

"Becca?" Hailey called out breathlessly into the darkened room. Papers were strewn across the floor and chairs were toppled over. Wooden splinters scattered across the ground. Hailey swore under her breath "Becca?" She called out again, pushing toppled furniture to the side as she crept further into the post. As she approached the steps leading upstairs, a faint thump came from above. Within seconds, Hailey found herself running up the stairs; each wooden step threatening to give in beneath her weight.

The second floor was shrouded in darkness. She instinctively reached for her sword sheathed around her waist, but her hand froze. She was drenched from the rain and far from the reach of the sun, and yet there was warmth lapping at her feet through her sandals. She could feel her body trembling. She knew what it was. She'd been through too much to not to, but the thought of looking down still terrified her.

Taking a steady breath, Hailey forced herself to look at the blood staining her feet. She'd never really been squeamish, but she couldn't help, but scream. Mere inches away, Joel's body lay strewn across the ground. His pale eyes unblinking. His body limp. Blood still seeping from a tear in his shirt.

Hailey frantically scanned the room. She was here. She had to be.

It didn't take long for her to find a small form backed into a corner, her arms wrapped around her knees, her body rocking back and forth, her hand still clasped around the blood stained knife, and her eyes frozen on the corpse mere feet away. The hair that once bounced with her every movement, now clung desperately to her face, blood splatter replacing her always prominent freckles.

"I didn't mean to.." Her voice was barely a whisper. "I didn't think he... I thought I could..." Hailey flung herself onto the ground next to Becca; her arms wrapping around her distraught friend.

"Becca. Becca listen to me." Hailey attempted to make Becca meet your eyes. "It's going to be okay, we're fine." Becca shook her head and let out a sob.

"NO it's my fault! This is all my fault! I killed him! I killed us! I killed the Guard! I've fucked everything up!" Tremors wracked at her body; her knuckles white from her grip on the knife. This wasn't good.

"Becca sweetie, listen." Hailey tried to steady her voice. "Let's not worry about that right now. We just have to get the barrier back up. It's going to be alright. But you have to be strong right now. You know the ashen take advantage of emotions like this. You have to be strong okay? Just breathe." Becca still refused to look at her.

"..can't" Hailey could barely make out her words.

"Can't what?" Hailey gently pressed her. "Be strong? You're the strongest person I know Beck." She squeezed Becca's shoulder.

"No." Hailey fought back the urge to scream. She knew this was hard for her. It had to be. And she hated seeing Becca like this, but they weren't safe. And every moment they wasted, another ashen that got through their downed defenses. Another opportunity for the ashen to corrupt the weakened mental state of her friend.

"Becca please, we need to get the defenses back up. Just let go of the knife okay?" Hailey reached for the knife Becca clutched so desperately. Before she could grasp it, however, Becca lashed her arm out. Hailey tumbled onto her back at the sudden movement. Becca's eyes finally met hers. All light had abandoned her emerald eyes.

"We can't just FIX the barrier." Becca shouted wildly. "There is no FIXING IT." Her eyes darkened further with each word. "You should know better than anyone that we don't have the strength to put the barrier back up. You're the head of the Guard for a reason. You may have the strongest faith out of all of us, but your faith is in yourself. Not the Guardians. And right now? Tell me. Do you really think you can do this?" Hailey bit the inside of her cheek. Becca was right and Hailey knew it, but that didn't make accepting the truth any easier. After a moment, Becca spoke again, her eyes boring into the floor, the knife still clutched in her hands.