Consuming Fire

Chapter 25

His hand was closing around her throat, squeezing, tightening, taking away her breath with every beat of her heart. Hunter stared up into those oyster-gray eyes, feeling his cold breath ripple over her skin like a breeze over an iceberg.

The chill. The isolation. The darkness. It suffocated her, pushing her deeper into the caves of death where nothing could save her.

"You will never leave this place ..." the doctor whispered.

Hunter squirmed and shook her head violently.

"You will never speak to anyone but myself for the rest of your life ..."

No!

"... You and William will listen to each other scream in pain and misery ..."

Please, stop! 

"... Every day and every night until you take your very ... last-"

"NO!"

Hunter bolted upright in bed, her chest heaving, morning sun beaming down on her through the window and the crinkle of the pine trees. She squinted, wiping her hair away from her eyes and off her sweaty forehead. She looked around at the quaint cabin room and the empty bed that Imogen and Fearne shared beside her and tried to relax.

It was just a dream.

But the dreams hadn't stopped. Ever since she was rescued only four days ago, Hunter had put on a brave face for everyone around her and tried to relax, not thinking at all about ICE and Dr. Wolfe. But it didn't stop the fear from seeping through the cracks.

Hunter flipped her bed sheets over and walked to the bedroom door. From there, she could hear someone in the bathroom and the sounds of retching. Hunter's stomach churned – she had heard that sound too often lately.

She knocked on the door and it swung inward to reveal Will, leaning over the toilet bowl, his face pale and his eyes sunken. He could hardly keep any food down.

"Want some water?" she asked.

Will shook his head as he leaned over and puke poured from his mouth again. Wincing, she went to leave him alone when she caught her reflection in the bathroom mirror and stopped.

She looked ghostly. Hunter hadn't really glanced at herself closely since she was rescued, and of course there were no mirrors in ICE. She used to have such vibrant red hair when her fire was strong, coursing through her veins, and her eyes glowed like the sun. But now everything about her was gaunt and dull and with hardly any light at all.

"We'll get better soon," croaked Will.

She looked down and caught him watching her.

"I hope so."

"So do I," he moaned.

Hunter turned away from the bathroom and went downstairs.

"Is that Will throwing up again?" asked Chantal from the kitchen. Hunter glanced outside where the younger ones were playing by the lake. Joshua sat on the sofa reading a book and there was music from outside: A classic Queen album that had apparently become their favorite. Such normal, trivial things.

"Yeah," Hunter sighed as she poured herself some ready-made coffee. "I'm worried."

"He'll heal," said Joshua from the sofa. "His stomach just has to get used to the real food. He lived on artificial nutrients and chemicals for his entire life, not to mention the lack of surgery lately. His body needs a proper routine."

"He's right," said Chantal. "It happened to most of us. Took about a week to get used to it."

Hunter went to sit down by the window with her coffee. Her heart still thumped from waking up heaving. She stared out the window, feeling restless, as though she were missing something.