Enemy Of The Stake

Chapter 2

"Lucie, I'm gonna need you to open your eyes for me, okay? I know it's tough, and everything probably hurts like hell, but you just have to push through it. It'll all be over soon." A melodious voice filled my ears, different than the one I heard before I died.

No. Not died. It was clear from the ever-present pain in my appendages that death did not greet me today, but rather passed me over for some other poor soul.

I felt my back against a soft carpet, a delicate hand placed on my stomach. "Lucie, open your eyes. Everything will be alright if you just look at me right now. Please, just look at me." The voice was firm but dipped into fear at the end. Desperation.

I used what little strength I had left to peel my eyes open, the face above me blurred, purple hair smearing into brown skin. Bleeding into a muddy, foggy mess. My head instantly throbbed with a stabbing pain. I couldn't breathe. My eyes squeezed shut again, craving the escape of darkness. The tranquility of the area between sleep and death. I now knew what people meant by their peaceful descriptions of nearing the end. I didn't see any lost family members and wasn't greeted by my childhood dog at the pearly gates, but I also felt no fear. Felt no worry. Felt no pain.

But now the pain had returned, and it had come back with a vengeance. A curdling sound filled the air, the sound of my blood spilling partially out of my mouth. Blood that was blocking my throat from taking in necessary oxygen. No matter how many times I struggled to swallow, more came up, filling my airway once again.

"Lucie, I swear, if you just keep your eyes open I will make everything better." The hand now gripped mine tightly. I could feel it shaking in my loose grip, the nails digging slightly into my pale skin. 

My heart quickened as I flashed back to my fingers breaking within a less loving hand. Her hand wasn't even holding onto my broken one, but fear still automatically filled my already rushing bloodstream.

"No, no, no." She panicked, gently stroking my face. Her hand smeared some still-wet blood across my cheek. "You're okay." She quickly corrected herself, "You're going to be okay. Please, just let us help you. Open your eyes and let us help you." Her voice shook more with each word, struggling to escape from her tightening throat.

"Luciette." There it was—a voice like cold water poured onto your skin. Calm, yet somehow more jarring than the panicked one. "Luciette," he repeated. "We need you to open your eyes. We can't fix you if you don't open your eyes." His voice, so sure and steady, was a stark contrast to the yell he let out when he found me. Though he didn't touch me, his words froze my body, halting my shaking. The pain was still there, but somehow, it felt a little less intense.

Bit by bit my eyes flickered open, the brightness of the room attempting to force them to shut once again. But I fought, even harder than I physically had before. Knowing that there was a real chance that if I didn't, I would be slipping away from them forever.

I would never hear their voices again. I don't know how I ever thought I'd be okay with that. How I ever could've thought it'd be fair to leave them behind? For one of them to discover my body, lifeless and cold, broken and surrounded by my own crimson blood. 

Everything shifted into focus faster than it should've, jarring me even more. My eyes darted around in a panic, unable to fully set themselves on a single detail. There were multiple bodies surrounding me, all looking down at my mangled being. I recognized them all, but fear still filled me as I also recognized the location I was still in. My carpet is pink in some spots, red in others, and forever stained. Pieces of my furniture were broken from the fight, antiques passed down from generations before me, and pictures had spilled glass onto the floor. My doorway was still empty except for a single man standing in it.