Sparkling Cosmos {A Torchwood Story Two} [COMPLETED]

26. End Of Days

Evelina's POV

I can't sleep - the Rift won't let me. I barely move a muscle, scared that if I do, the burning in my body will become worse.
It feels like a disease, the Rift spreading through every part of me and curdling in pain. It burns me, inside and out, constantly.

I don't know what's going to happen next. And I'm scared.

Owen's POV

Evelina's body heat is radiating off her in waves so big I can barely stand to be in the same bed as her. She's like an active hob.
I want to touch her, to cuddle her, to tell her it's okay even though we know it's a lie, but I know I shouldn't.

Despite that, quietly I rearrange the bedsheets to come between us so I can reach her through the material. I delicately lie my arms round her middle, and even though she's still hot enough to keep me awake with worry, I can just about bear holding her.
She relaxes her shoulders at my touch like she was waiting for me, and that alone makes me want to scream and stomp and break everything in this room.

Because, no matter how she spins it, I did this to her.

I don't know if poor Evy manages to get some sleep but I certainly don't, staying wide awake with worry all through the night until the sun rises over the bay water. She kept twitching and murmuring, something she's never done before. I think the Rift is doing something overnight.

My concerns are met with a plethora of screams coming from far away, and immediately Evelina opens her eyes.
"Oh God," is all she can say before she begins to struggle getting out of bed. My mouth falls open.
"Uh, what are you doing?" I ask pointedly, my voice muffled by my retainers, putting a hand on her shoulder and trying to force her back into bed. "You literally couldn't spend five minutes without blacking out yesterday."

"Yeah, and I know why - get off, Owen." She wrenches away from me and manages to stand up before her legs crumple. With a gasp I lean forward, but she actually starts crawling out of the bedroom, towards the telly in the kitchen. Fuck, that woman is strong.

I walk after her in just my boxers. I'm about to ask her what she's doing, when the TV turns on and the news shocks us both.
On the screen, a blonde woman working for BBC News tells us about a string of attacks, but of course they're not attacks, or any form of terrorism like people think.

No, we can deduct that for ourselves when we watch footage of UFOs hovering over the Taj Mahal, Middle Ages soldiers defending ground in London, Cavaliers and Roundheads sighted in Bute Park of all places - among many, many others.

I'm rooted to the spot, unable to even pay attention to Evy's whimpers.
This is all my fault.

My phone rings back in the bedroom, and I dash to it and flip it open.
"You seen the news?" comes Jack's lilting cadence, and I scowl though he can't see me.
"Of course I have; Evelina can feel it all. We're watching it right now."
There's a silence while he thinks what to do. I'm afraid that he doesn't know. "Get into the Hub now. I need to see what Evelina is like."
"Okay," I agree and snap my mobile shut, playing with it in my hands. I look across the flat to her lying on the carpet watching the screen.

We're fucked.

~∆~

We're the first to come in, apart from Jack who seems to live here. We drove again, Evy hanging onto my arm as we walk to the front door of the Hub. Along the way people stopped to ask if she was okay, but they were kind of deterred when multiple people from the Stone Age began running and grunting at them. I had to stop one of them from pushing an old lady into the bay.