Hellfire | Hayley Marshall

Chapter 22

Eisa had a panic attack.

She lost track of what was happening. Somehow, she got closer to the altar, which was covered in blood. Somehow, she fed on Klaus, who wanted to heal her from her wolf bite.

Her lips were red, and her strength was returning. Yet, her lungs felt like they might explode. Her legs began to shake, which to her, made no sense. She slowly sank down beside her brother, staring at the lifeless body. Hayley's eyes had been closed. Eisa didn't need to touch her to know that her skin was cold.

Without meaning to, she started to breathe faster. She put her hand on her chest, fearing her heart might burst out. It hurt. Parched. Sweaty. Shaking. Swaying as if she might throw up. She covered her mouth with her other hand, trying to muffle the sound of a breathy sob that escaped her. Her eyes burned as tears spilled out of them. She turned away, not able to look at her any longer.

"Eisa," said Elijah gently, kneeling beside her, taking both her hands. "Eisa, you're not breathing. Follow my lead. Inhale—"

She let out a scream, ripping her hands away from his, to pull her shirt up to cover her face. "No!" she gasped, trying to stand, but it felt as though the ground was not there. Was she floating above it? "No— no— I don't want to— you can't make me."

"Eisa, you must breathe."

"I DON'T WANT TO!" she screeched, showing him her already bloodshot eyes. "Why, Elijah? Why—" she panted, "why the bloody hell— should I breathe? I can't— it hurts— she's not... she's not alive... it's my fault..." she tripped on her own feet, crashing to the ground. She slammed her hands against the ground, shaking her head. She didn't even feel as though she could move on her own.

Elijah pulled her up, holding her in his arms as he sat on one of the pews, stroking her hair. She was still struggling to breathe, and a part of her wished it to continue. If she died, she would not feel this pain anymore. If she died, she wouldn't see Hayley again.

And yet, she couldn't die. Not only was she a vampire, she was an Original. A panic attack wouldn't even kill a human.

"Please, stop," she moaned out, holding her head as she beat her fists into it. "Please, stop the pain... I can't... I can't turn it off, Elijah, I can't..."

Elijah shook his head, gulping back a sob of his own. This was the first time Eisa had ever even tried to turn her humanity off.

And she couldn't.

"Oh my god," she sobbed, covering her face once Elijah finally managed to get her imitating his slow breaths. "She's— she's dead. Why is she dead? What— what happened?"

"Cassie," said Klaus weakly. "She... she corrupted the spell. My blood was used to link the wolves to me. The Correas— Guerreras, whatever they bloody are— used my strength to keep from turning when they triggered their curses. She did it all. She orchestrated the attack on the witches, controlling the minds of those vampires. She and Francesca bombed the Bayou. Cassie told Marcel about the moonlight rings. She told him where to find Jackson and Oliver. She and the other Harvest girl— they did it all. They took the baby... they killed Hayley..."

"Where did they take the baby?" asked Elijah, helping Eisa to her feet. She refused to look at Hayley's body as Klaus laid her on the altar.

"I expect she's in the Lafayette Cemetery," said Klaus. "Eisa, take Hayley to the Compound—"

"No," she said, shaking her head and staring at the floor. "I can't touch her. I can't look at her. We need to save your daughter. I... I will not fail her the way I failed her mother."