Strong Together (Rayla x Callum)

Darkness and Nightmares

A chill swept through the night like a cold dread. The ground was sluggish and damp. The black clouds loomed over the sky like a dark terror. The trees above lurked, like an ominous shadow. The rain patted on her hood as she trudged through the mud. Rayla pulled her hood tighter on her head to protect her from the rain.

"Water again," she shivered.

The thought of shame and regret came to the front of her mind again, but she pushed it back trying to forget. Don't think, she thought, keep it together.

She blew into her hands to try to keep warm. She tried to look around, squinting her eyes, but it was pitch black. It was even hard to see her own hands in front of her.

"I need to find some kind of shelter," she whispered thinking she is getting way too comfortable talking to herself.

She heard a quick snap in the trees. Her ears twitched, and she started walking faster. The cold chill was biting her skin as she walked.

Her foot got caught on something and she lost her balance. She fell face first into slushy mud, then lifted her face up and tried to wipe it away with her hands and sleeves.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea. No, I need to do this. She picked herself up from the ground. I have to do this, I must protect my friends. I must protect him. Lightning cracked through the sky snapping her out of thought. She continued to keep walking. Then finally she saw it.

"A cave! Perfect," she said, walking faster now.

She slipped into the cave like a shadow, a soaking wet shadow, in the dark. Rayla sat up against the cave wall and huddled close to herself, trying to keep warm. She shivered a bit but her mind was not focused on the cold.

"I'm sorry Callum," she whispered. She closed her eyes and dozed off.

...

    Her eyes flicked open, but she couldn't see anything. She rubbed her eyes trying to see better but nothing worked. Am I just blind now? She tried to feel around, but the cave wall was gone.

"Hello? Anyone there," she called, but there was no answer.

There was a small glowing light that shone on her face all of a sudden and there was a lit up room towards the light.

"I guess I'll go that way then," she says to herself as she walks toward it.

Once she made it to the room she looked around and it was big and empty. In front of the door there was a staircase going down to the room. This room seemed... strangely familiar.

She walked down the stairs and three large things of ice appeared in front of her. She reached out and touched one of the ice sculptures, it was so cold that it was hot on her fingers. She stared at it with a shock of fear in her eyes.

"Runaan!" She said as she backed away from the ice.

He was trapped there with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. She ran to the next one and saw her parents trapped inside. The look of horror spread on her face.

"No," she yelled as she started banging on the ice.

She glanced at the third one and froze in complete fear. She started backing up from it but a force pulled her forward.

"No! Stop, get out of my head!" she screamed with her eyes closed.

She opened them and saw Callum inside. He was still and silent like a lifeless statue. She stared at his eyes which were closed. It seemed as though he was trapped between life and death.

"Callum," she said with tears streaming down her face.

His eyes started turning darker, and they started crying black blood while they remained closed. Her face turned pale. His eyes shot open and it was all black like a soul trapped in darkness.

The ice shattered into a million pieces, then everything turned black and she felt like she was falling through a dark void.

Rayla jerked awake in the cave gasping for breath. She looked around trying to figure out where she was. She put both of her hands over her eyes and started crying.

Keep it together, she thought to herself. She wiped her tears away from her face. She turned her head to look at the opening of the cave and the sky was getting lighter. The sun was starting to rise and she knew she had to get moving soon.

Viren is still out there and she is the only one who believes he is. She is the world's only hope. For now she must get some rest, she leans her head against the cave wall and stares up at the dark ceiling.