Virals Pack: Reborn

Chapter 109: Snap

And then it happens.

The moment I let myself breathe, the moment my mind and body registers that it's relatively safe...everything suddenly hits me full force. 

A slew of emotions stampede through me, slamming with an invisible fist directly into my chest. I jolt upright, and am suddenly overwhelmed with extreme physical pain as my still-injured body screams in protest. 

I double over, and my abdomen protests even louder. It feels like I'm being torn apart both internally and externally. The pain in my head, my chest, my body feels endless. My face contorts in a soundless howl of agony, and for several seemingly infinite moments I cannot breathe.

I can't breathe. Everything hurts.

I am going to die.

SNAP

One moment, I am simply me. And then I become More.

My eyes fly open in shock, and everything comes into focus with razor-sharp clarity. Everything still hurts, but somehow the pain becomes secondary as my senses are assaulted with whole new levels of input. I can smell the salty sea breeze from outside and the warm, fuzzy scent of Mr. Midnight as he slumbers a floor below me. I can hear my guardians downstairs, conversing in hushed tones about my recovery plan and their worries for my wellbeing. 

My mouth is suddenly overwhelmed by the taste of rust and blood, and I realize I must have bitten my lip hard enough to break the skin. As the enhanced taste of my own blood registers, my brain starts to pitch into another downward spiral...

A howl breaks me from my thoughts.

At first, I think it came from outside, but then an indescribable presence becomes apparent in my mind. 

PACK. SISTER. BOND.

The words come through more as impressions than dialogue, but I understand somehow. More words start to flow through my head, with concerned yet recognizable voices attached to them.

Holy crap...Katrina???

Are you ok? What's going on??

How did you tap into the pack network? How did you make us all flare??

What the H-E-double-hockey-stick is going on???

QUIET. A voice, Tory's voice, cuts through the chatter.

A pause. And then her voice gently drifts into my brain, Katrina...are you alright?

I try to think, I try to communicate, I really do...but then my brain starts swirling again as I wonder if they can hear my thought processes and how much I don't want that, and suddenly I'm trying very very hard just to breathe again.

Hey...hey...everything is going to be alright, just try to breathe. Tory's voice once again filters in almost like I am hearing it, but not quite.

The boys are...offline now, for lack of a better word. I hope you'll forgive my intrusion, I could sense your distress spiking again. 

I try to think again and wonder if she can hear me, if she can hear all my thoughts as they drift by.

I can't tell if you're trying to talk back right now or not...but your stream of consciousness does not fully transfer over while we are flare-linked. That would be extremely overwhelming to have that constantly with a pack our size, not to mention it's probably better we keep the majority of our thoughts to ourselves. There is a hint of bemusement at the end of her statement.

I close my eyes and attempt to conjure a message and send it back along the link, but I am met by patient silence which presumably means I missed the mark. After taking a deep breath, I try again to conjure up a singular Thought to push back her way. Reaching out mentally into the void, I see a glowing blue line stretching outward towards the sea. I try to send my message towards the line...

...Hello?

Hello! It's nice to hear your voice again, even mentally

I try and respond again, but the link wavers as I fumble to reach for it. Frustrated, I grab for it like a lifeline and try to connect with it. To my surprise, the string becomes a tunnel...and suddenly I'm no longer in my body.

I can see the bunker as not-my-eyes flash open. I witness the three boys gape at not-me. I can feel the shock and wonder as not-my-mouth opens and gasps out "...how??"

Snup.

Like a rubber band snapping, I am violently thrown back down the tunnel and reconnect with my body precisely as it crashes off the bed onto the floor. I lay there, dazed and panting. After a thunderous approach up the stairs, my two guardians burst into the room and take in the sight of me on the floor peering up at them.

"Katrina! Are you alright??"

Here we go again. I think to myself, but do my best to chirp out a breathy little "Just fine!"

I try to right myself, but grimace as sitting up aggravates my already mildly reinjured body. Darcy quickly rushes to my side and helps me sit, then stand, then settle back into bed. 

"Are you sure you should be staying up here? We can still situate you downstairs so we can keep a better eye on you."

"No thanks" I gently decline, unable to explain that I did not want to risk them witnessing my new apparent superpowers, "I just sat up a little too fast, that's all."

"Very well..." Neither of them seems too convinced, but they thankfully drop the matter and leave me to my devices. Bless them and their respect for boundaries. As they exit my room I feel the weight of the last...however long...hit me. I slump down in my bed exhausted, and barely have time to tuck myself under the covers before sleep takes over. 

In my dreams, I run with a pack of flesh and blood wolves. The moon hangs large and low in the sky, and I can see as clearly as if it were daytime. I can taste the salty sea breeze as it brushes past my face, and I tip my head back towards the star-studded sky to let out a joyfully wild howl.