Blood in the Dirt

Chapter 32

Gino woke everyone but Andrea, and the two who were supposed to be looking after her were posted outside of her door until she woke up. Andrea didn't realize how exhausted she was until she woke up mid-afternoon. She had slept for almost 18 hours, but she still didn't want to get out of bed.

She sat up, and watched the sunlight pour in through the windows. The room was cold, so she pulled the soft covers back over her arms. She was about to step onto the floor, but her leg was freezing so she pulled it back underneath the bedding.

She laid back onto the pillows and exhaled loudly. The sheets had a lovely aroma, and she rolled over onto her stomach so she could take in the scent. It didn't smell like anything in particular; it just smelled fresh.

"No! No, no, no, no!" A voice screamed. She bolted upwards, and looked around the room. No one was there. She forced herself out of bed, and ignored the cold air raising goosebumps on her arms. She went to the door, and opened it a small crack.

Zain and Regus were playing a card game, but she didn't know which one. Although, it didn't take an expert to notice that Regus was losing, and badly.

"You're cheating! You have to be!"

"I'm playing the same game as you are, just with more brains."

Andrea snickered at Zain's comment, which caused the two to raise their heads. She closed the door in a hurry, and dove back into bed; she didn't want them seeing her in her undergarments. She heard the door unlatch and watched through one eye as Zain crept into the room.

"Andrea?" he whispered, almost too quietly for her to hear. "Are you awake?"

"No." she said.

He stood up straight, and shifted all of his weight onto his left hip. He crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Oh really?"

"Really."

"Okay, I guess I might as well just eat the ice cream I got you then."

Andrea shot up. "Don't you dare!"

"Well, since you're up I suppose you can eat it." He smirked, and then left the room, leaving her alone to change into her armor.

She began to strap the daggers to her waist as usual, but she felt a wave of pain shoot through her skull. She cried out in pain, and fell to the ground. Regus and Zain burst into the room. She was in a heap, grasping her head between both of her hands.

"Andrea? What is it?" Regus dropped to his knees beside her, but she didn't even know he was there.

She was lost inside of her own mind, and memories were flashing through her vision. There were too many to make sense of them all. Aldo...Helstan...Theodore...Roberto... Her whole life was coursing through her brain at that one moment, and she couldn't stand it. It felt like her head was going to implode, and hot tears shot from her eyes.

It never ended, and the pictures began flashing faster and faster until finally, they stopped.

A single picture popped into her head, and she knew she would never forget it.

"The blood...there's so much blood..." she murmured.

"Andrea, what is it? What's going on?" She could tell he was trying so hard to be calm, but his hand that was meant to steady her was shaking worse than hers.

She went silent. The picture began to fade. Her vision returned. Regus's strong arms lifted her into the air, and he carried her to the bed. He laid her head down on the pillow, and Zain was at her side with a glass of water.

"Are you alright?" Regus asked, his green eyes gazing in frantic movements across her face.

She nodded her head yes, but she knew that she was far from alright. The image was not longer right in front of her, but it was engraved into the back of her mind. She would never forget it.