Haunted and Holy

Adam

"Woah," Amber gasped, her voice barley above a whisper.

Zac stood beside her, gaping at the structure in front of them; a tall, foreboding wall with two, massive gates that looked to be made of iron. Beyond it was a building; a one story building that was more wide than high, figures moving around it like ants.

Jaime glanced at them, a smirk curling his lips. "Impressive, isn't it?" He sighed. "But, unfortunately, it's mostly for show. The real entrance is over here."

He led the to the right of the massive gates and opened a side door that seemed to blend in well with a key he had pulled from his pocket.

He stepped back as it opened, stepping in and motioning for them to follow him. They all hurried after him, Tess walking beside her cousin while Zac and Amber walked behind them.

Amber shoved her hands in her pockets, glancing at Zac out of the corner of her eye.

He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes and his posture slightly slumped. Her eyes landed on his arm and she stopped walking, reaching out and grabbing his wrist, pulling the sleeve up.

He jumped slightly as she examined his arm; a long, jagged cut was on his forearm, going from his elbow to his wrist. It seemed to have started to scab over already, but there was some blood still dripping from the wound, which blended in with his black shirt.

She looked up at Zac, who was staring at her with startled eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" She demanded, suddenly feeling a wave of protectiveness and shame and worry wash over her. Why hadn't she caught this before?

Zac raised an eyebrow at her. "It's not that bad; just a scratch. I'll be fine."

Tess and Jaime seemed to have noticed that they'd stopped moving and walked over to them. Jaime whistled when he saw Zac's arm, raising an eyebrow at him.

"That doesn't look too great there, bud," he said. He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out bandages.

"Wait," Amber said suddenly, surprising herself for speaking up. "Let me try something."

She put her hand tenderly over the wound– careful not to touch it – and closed her eyes.

She wasn't entirely certain what she was doing, but it felt like her body was doing all the work; just like when she had stopped the car– an instinct almost.

Her fingers started to tingle and she concentrated harder, the tingling feeling stopping after a few seconds.

Suddenly, she heard someone gasp. She opened her eyes, staring down at Zac's arm, which was now healed. She smiled in triumph. She didn't expect it to work.

Everyone was staring at her; Jaime was looking her up and down, as if looking at her for the first time. Tess's mouth was hanging open, her eyes dancing with excitement and awe.

Zac, however, was staring at his arm, running a hand tentatively over the place his wound used to be, as if making sure it wasn't there anymore.

"What the f-" Tess started to cry out, but was cut off by a shout.

"Jaime? Is that you?" Someone yelled. Amber whipped her head around, yanking her hand away from Zac.

It was a girl, looking to be in her early mid to twenties, jogging towards them. She had bronze skin that gleamed in the sunlight, her brown hair in a braid that fell down her shoulder.

She wore a grey tank-top, black pants, and black combat boots. She had a bulky build, her dark, muscular arms littered with scars. Her features were sharp, her eyes a beautiful brown. At her side was a sword, glittering in the sunlight.