Realm of the Rogues

Chapter XXIV

I walk determined past the counter inside the motel and proceed down the hallway to the rooms. Instead of re-entering our previous room, I continue down the hall. A couple of rooms down I hit the jackpot - or at least the best that money can buy you at a scummy motel.

I push the cracked door open to reveal two separate queen-sized beds. So the guy lied to us... Just as well that he is dead, I think to myself. I throw myself on the bed furthest away from the window. Even though I know that the vampire guy would probably find us anyway, I still don't want to stay the closest to the window. I have already been bitten, now it's Kai's or Hera's turn to be on the receiving end of our stalker relationship. I know it's selfish, but honestly, I struggle more than them if I should say so myself.

I close my eyes as I hear Hera jump up into the other bed, and immediately I am out cold in deep slumber...

I open my eyes to find myself sitting on the floor in the middle of a big bright room. I can't even see where the walls are around me. I rub my eyes, trying to figure out where I am and how I got here. As I look up again I spot something. A bit to my right, and quite far away I can see some kind of flickering lights. I take an extra glance around me, to make sure that everything else is still as it was before. I spot no danger but I still proceed with caution towards the flickering lights.

I hold out my hand as I feel that I have lost my ability to sense depth due to the immense brightness of the room. To my surprise, I feel something tingle in my fingertips on the hand which I am holding out towards the abnormality. I realize that it is a small rift of shimmering colors, a lot closer than I had first anticipated. I put my head closer to the thing. It looks very similar to the auras that I used to be able to make out through Heras's eyes.

I push my entire hand into the aura thing, and suddenly I am completely absorbed by it. I gasp for air, as I feel my body being squeezed and crushed under a wail of dark colors. All heat exits my body and I feel numb with a big empty hole in my chest. I try to reach my hand up to my chest, but I can't feel anything. As my sight starts to disappear I maniacally look down to see my heart outside of my body, and in the hands of someone else, whose face I cannot see. The last sense to leave me is my hearing, and right before it does, I hear a female stranger's voice say "Thank you for your cooperation".

~~~~~~~~

I wake up screaming and in a cold sweat. My eyes fly across the room, not able to focus on anything, which simply put me into a deeper state of panic. I feel the adrenaline roaring through my body, making me unable to ground myself and figure out where I am. I try to stand up and move my body, but as I start lifting myself, I am suddenly being pinned down to the bed by my shoulders. I freak out once again, but then I feel something on my cheek. I steer my focus to this sensation and realize that it is the breath of Hera, who is the one standing on top of me and holding me down. 

The panic starts to loosen its iron grip on my intestines, and at last, I feel like I am back to life. All I can think about is the sensation of finally getting above water and taking in a deep breath, right before you would have drowned. That is the clearest I can describe, what I have just experienced.

As Hera observes that my breathing slows down and I am more collected, she steps down from my upper body, allowing me to sit upright in the bed. I put my elbows on my knees and let my head fall into my hands. I take a few slow and deep breaths, trying to force the last bits of adrenaline out of my body. I lift my head and shake it from side to side with my eyes closed. As I open them, I immediately make eye contact with Hera, who is sitting patiently by my side. I put my hand on top of her head and stroke her a bit.

"Thank you," I say with an exhausted voice. I throw a glance over my shoulder to Kai, who is laying on his bed, with his upper body lifted, supported by an elbow in the mattress. I nod as to say that I'm okay. He just sighs exhausted as a response and throws himself on his opposite side to go back to sleep. I furrow my brows, not sure what to think of his response.

I've had nightmares before. A lot, actually. They usually surround death, but that is just as much as I can remember. I don't think I have ever experienced a nightmare this vividly. The feeling of me dying is still painfully clear in my mind. I desperately try to shake the feeling out of me but am only left with a dreadful feeling of imminent danger. I try to pinpoint what the danger is, but to no avail. 

I begin to panic again, as I have no idea how to get rid of this awful feeling. I weigh out the possibilities, and the only thing that makes sense at this moment is that the vampire is on his way to kill us, or at least me. I feel an overwhelming need to run for my life.

I almost jump up from the bed and don't even care to turn around as I practically yell "Come on!" to Kai and Hera. They look confused, Kai even more so, as he has just woken up again. I don't take the time to explain, as I feel like a ticking bomb is inside of my chest. Instead, I just leave the motel room and run out onto the streets, not sure where to go next.