The Deep End of Everything

Chapter 6

Ariya

     Surrounding me is a bright blue sky with giant, fluffy clouds.  The long, green grass beneath my feet goes on for miles all around and sways gently with the warm breeze.  It's a beautiful sight, but it feels eerie, it feels wrong.  The colors are too vibrant.  The land is too empty. 

     I feel alone.

     In the distance I see someone with their back turned to me.  I open my mouth to call to them but no words come out.  The figure turns slowly, revealing the face of Teilo.  The cut on his jaw has grown and is now the length of his face.  It drips blood and with every drop that hits the ground the grass around it starts to wither. 

     He starts walking to me but every step he takes seems to make the world dim.  The vibrant colors all fade until they're nothing but bleak greys.  The warm breeze has turned into a hot wind and I feel my body overheating.  My skin itches from the sweat that has formed all over me. 

     Now, Teilo's face is just mere inches away from mine.  I can see the pain and sorrow clearly written in his eyes.  A single drop of blood rolls down onto his chin.  I reach up to wipe it away but the second my finger touches the blood my hand withers just as the grass did.  I stumble back, staring as my whole arm starts decaying.  When I look up, Teilo's blood stained face is nearly all rotted away.  My eyes widen in fear and I try to scream as I fall silently to the ground.  No matter how hard I try, no sound comes out of my mouth.  In fact, everything has seemed to have gone quiet.  All I can hear is the pounding of my heart. 

     I don't dare look up at Teilo's face lest I see his rotting flesh again, so I keep my eyes fixed on his feet.  His body lowers into a crouch, leveling himself with me but I slam my eyes shut before I can even glimpse his face.  I want to scream again when I feel a cold hand grab my chin and tilt it upwards.  Though there's no use yelling, I do anyway until my throat feels raw.  Still, the silence remains.  The hand grips tighter and I hear the faintest whisper.

     "Am I so terrifying to look at?"  The voice asks.

     I suck in a breath at the familiar sound of Wes' voice.  When I open my eyes a cry escapes me.  The face I see is Wes', but pale and sickly just like mother looked when she died.  There's no life in his eyes when his cold body slumps against mine. 

     I startle at the feeling of my shoulders being gently shaken.  I shoot up, breathing heavily.  My body is sticky with sweat and I can feel myself trembling. 

     "It's all right, it's all right,"  Wes says, eyebrows furrowed in worry.  "Bad dream?" 

     I nod my head, still trying to calm down.  I scan my eyes over Wes' face making sure all his features are intact.  The colorless version of Wes is nowhere to be found.  His eyes are the deep brown I remember, and his skin has a warm undertone noting the blood inside of him is still moving.  My heart is still beating fast and I'm scared that at any moment he could return to the lifeless body from my dream.  I can still feel the cold touch of his body.

     "You look unwell, are you ill?"  Wes asks, sitting on the edge of the bed.

     "No, I'm fine." 

     He doesn't seem convinced.  I know he wants me to tell him what's wrong but I don't want to think about it.

     "When are we leaving?"  I ask, hoping he'll take to the change in topic.

     He drops his gaze to his hands.  "I'm not sure we can."  He grumbles.  "At least not yet."

     "What?  Why not?"  I'm starting to feel panicked again.