Hidden Moon

C H A P T E R 21

THE DRAGON AWAKENED

CORA

Nadia scrambled to her knees and, with blood coating her hands, she tried to close Dylan's wound. The wonders it did to save me back then did nothing for the dying woman in my arms.

"Please, please," she cried over and over when even she has lost confidence in herself, "why can't I heal you... Why can't I? I told you I'm a no-good healer. I can't handle the tough cases. The damages to your organs aren't mending. Your bleeding isn't stopping. I'm of no use, Dy!"

"It's alright, Nadia," Dylan put her hand on top of the trembling woman's hands that tried to plug the hole in her abdomen with no success.

Dylan was losing blood faster than the rain was falling and soaking my clothes through hers. Her skin felt colder to the touch.

"It's fine. It'll be ok," she took my hand off her face and brought it to her lips to kiss. "Don't worry. It's okay."

"Don't you die on me!" My voice shook the harder I tried to hold back sobs. My throat hurt at squeezing down my cries. "We haven't started yet so don't go rushing to the end."

"You won't be rid of me yet," she chuckles. "I'm just taking a short break."

"Don't effin' close your eyes you, old oaf," Nadia, whose pupils were glowing bright blue, was putting her all into helping Dylan. "I'm coming through, Dy. Hold on."

The long gashes on Dylan's arms and the wound on her head were closing up. What remained was the wound that Nadia dealt her. She was going to make it. She was going to be ok soon enough.

"Dy-"

Suddenly, I felt a slimy rope-like thing wrap around my throat and pulled me away from them. Suspended up in the air, I did what I could to loosen it but to no avail. Either it breaks my neck or I fall and break my bones were the only options open but I sure won't go without a fight.

With effort, I chance a look upon my captor and nearly passed out. I choked on my strangled scream for what I thought of as a rope was the monster's elongated tongue coiling around my neck. Its bloodshot eyes were the only human features discernable as the rest of its face was hideously morphed. Its torso was severed and showed long live worm-like insides moving. Its wing-arms flapped against the wind and rain and continued to drag me higher.

The scent of its decaying flesh reaching my nostrils was suffocating. Struggling for a few minutes took so much and exhausted me. I felt my head about ready to explode and my veins near rupturing.

Through the tears welling in my eyes, I saw things unfold in blurry slow motion; Haliyah fighting for all of us, doubly troubled as she struck them down one by one to get to me. Nadia, who had a hard time holding a crawling Dylan down, was worried for me and then bewildered at the injured woman's strength when she succeeded to get her off her back and stand. Wobbling and clutching at her wounded midsection, Dylan hurried to save me.

My eyes were about to close when a flash of gold whooshed past. I heard the most hideous shriek before my stomach plummeted at the sudden drop in height. I felt the noose around my neck tightened as the beast fought to keep me hostage but it lost against its injury, I was freed and soon to meet my end, a bad fall.

Faint from limited air, I was nearly unconscious when I was finally released, free-falling. The practice of closing one's eyes when scared didn't make a difference, I was scared all the same. Rather than the shrieking monster hit with a golden spear, I would rather look at the red thundering clouds as I take my leave.

Or maybe, I'd love one last look at Dylan.

There was nothing to play for my last moments. The cameras weren't even rolling and the tapes of my life up until now had nothing to show.