A/N: Just wrote a quick scene for a book club contest themed "loneliness" and decided to use Edlyn's emotions if she were to lose the fight against Anabella and, thus, all of her loved ones, so I figured I'd post it here as well. Enjoy :)
Breathe.
You need—
You have to breathe—
Damn it!
Breathe!
I gather as much strength from my burning muscles as I can and raise my head.
She's going to catch you.
I force my legs to move again, pumping my arms beside me to gather speed.
My lungs scream for air, but I can't breathe, nor can I stop—she's coming.
Laughter, slow and maniacal, reaches my ears, and my heart nearly leaps from my chest—
She found me—
Adrenaline floods my system, strengthening my legs to continue running for my life despite my inability to breathe.
"Edlyn," a melodic voice calls to me, echoing down the dark tunnel. The lovely sound sends cold terror shooting down my spine and through my veins. "I told you I'd find you, didn't I? A good mother always finds her children."
I can hear a smile in her voice as she gets closer. I scramble in the opposite direction, my hands fumbling over rocks as I climb through the tunnels away from her. I have no idea where I'm going, I can't see—
"My dear, why are you running?" she asks. "You've lost."
I've lost.
She's right. I have.
Syfi and Celeste. Rurrous, Peter, my grandfather. Mariena. Estelle and Drina.
Alec...
All dead, all murdered by this evil, malicious, blood-thirsty woman, just to get to me.
Me.
She killed them in order to reach me, because I was too afraid to give myself up when I had the chance. When they could have lived, even if I had to die.
But I was too much of a coward, too terrified of what she'd do to me, and now I'm alone—
Peter told me what she'd done to him, I couldn't—
"Found you."
Every ounce of fear and the animalistic instinct to run with everything I have leaves, replaced by the desire to lay down and close my eyes.
I don't deserve to live. I don't want to. Not without my friends, my brother, my grandfather.
I give in.
The floor of the cave tunnel is cold and damp, but it won't matter soon.
Soon, maybe, I'll be with my friends again—with my family again.
I don't deserve it, but...maybe...