Into the Light

165

I was stuck in a place so dark and thick, it felt like I was trying to claw my way out of black goo. I knew that I was unconscious. I was aware of that. I knew that my friends and I had been in a battle with the demon witch, Lilith. The last thing I remembered was hearing Anna say that she would give herself over to the witch, if Lilith let us live. After that, there was nothing. I struggled to open my eyes, to become present in the moment, but I couldn't even hear anything but the loud buzz of total silence. What had happened? Were the others still fighting, while I was just laying here taking a fucking sleep break? I had to wake up. To make sure that my friends were okay. But, how are you supposed to force yourself to wake up from being knocked unconscious? Another memory started to push it's way through the haziness in my brain. Lilith screaming something, then aiming those deadly hands of hers towards me and my friends. I remembered hearing Anna's loud scream of despair. I felt a piercing pain in the center of my chest from that one. I had to tell her that I was okay. Then the memory changed, as a bright, almost too bright, light started to form behind Lilith and her deadly hands. Oh my God! NO! I remembered now. I remembered watching as Anna threw herself in between us and Lilith. I remembered watching, frozen from whatever hold Lilith had over me, as Anna threw her own hands out towards us. I remembered the golden hues that shot from Anna's hands and covered me. It had felt like a warm blanket on a cold winter's night. Comforting. Safe. Then, I remembered her eyes, as they locked with my own. I remembered the relief that I saw in them...then I watched the light burn out, as she was hit from behind. She had to be okay. I needed her to be okay, more than anything. I had to wake up! My eyelids felt like cement had been poured over them, but I struggled against it with everything in me. Finally, after a few exhausting moments, they cracked open. I groaned against the light and the sound that threatened to overload my senses. I expected to hear fighting. Screaming, yelled spells, grunts of pain. Something. Instead, all I heard was an intense ringing in my ears, like someone had fired a gun too closely to my head. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, so I rolled my head in that direction. Didn't think that I could handle sitting up just yet. I saw Sam crawling over to Kat, who was struggling to sit up. I let out a sigh of relief, knowing that they were both okay, or alive, at least. I looked away from towards where I knew Anna would be. What I saw made my heart drop into the pit of my stomach and my blood freeze. She was lying on her side, on the damp forest ground. She could've been sleeping, if her legs weren't bent at that strange angle, or if...if her lifeless eyes weren't staring unseeingly straight at me. "No," I whimpered, begging myself to wake up from this nightmare. In the corner of my mind, I registered the fact that I had also seen Lilith lying a few feet away on her back. I didn't know if she were alive or dead, but I really didn't fucking care either. I ignored the stabbing pains all over my body, as I started crawling towards Anna's lifeless body. My ribs felt like they were stabbing my lungs with each breath I took. This was even worse because my breaths were erratic and sped up. "Anna," I whispered, pulling myself towards her on my elbows. "Colby-" Sam said, but Kat shook her head at him. She lay her head over onto his shoulder and he held her close, as they watched me struggle to be next to the woman I loved. When I finally got closer enough, I gritted my teeth against the pain, and pulled myself into a sitting position. When that was done, I started pulling on Anna, trying to get her lifeless body into my lap. There's a difference in moving someone who is simply unconscious, than someone who is no longer living. The weight is off. Even if you're unconscious, there is apparently still some form of muscle memory that is helping to move your body. When you're dead, that's all gone. That's why they called it dead weight I guess. I managed to her her head into my lap and stared down at her beautiful emerald eyes. A sharp gasping sob escaped my mouth, as I placed my hand over her eyelids to close them. "Oh God," I moaned. "Why did you do that? Huh? WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!" I screamed at her. "Why would you do that?" I sobbed directly after. Water dripped down onto her face, confusing me for a moment. Was it raining? Then, I realized that it was my tears. Tears were streaming down my face, and dripping onto hers. For someone who never cried, I was bawling like a newborn baby. This wasn't fair! After everything that we had been through, after all of the bullshit we had endured to bring her back, to save her and protect her, I ended up losing her anyway. Her life had been stolen from her for a second time. I felt my heart splinter, with little pieces chipping away with every memory that passed through my mind, until there was nothing left. An empty gaping hole where my heart used to be. I placed my hand on the side of her head and tucked her thick raven hair behind her ear. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you, Anna. I will always love you," I whispered, then leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, one last time. She was still warm but there was no life left inside of her. "Colby," Katrina whispered. I looked up and met her tear filled gaze. "I'm so sorry." I nodded and looked away, towards the direction of Lilith's body that was lying under a large mangled tree. Did she just move? I narrowed my eyes and concentrated on her body. Again, there was a movement, a slight twitch of her foot, with her hand coming up a little then dropping back down. The bitch was still alive! "No," I muttered, and stumbled to my feet.