Cursed with Power

Chapter 7

I awoke to a beeping sound, unable to move even an inch of my body. I groaned. I knew what that beeping noise meant. I was in the hospital. Again. 

But it's not yet time for my monthly NHD checkup! Then, could it be... do they know?

My head throbbed as I tried to recall how I'd ended up in Merwinsden's again. They'd said something that had gotten me enraged. I'd felt power. A lot of it. And they'd seemed so terrified of it, of me. And there had been blood. My blood. 

Suddenly, I heard voices. They were hushed, as if the speaker was afraid of voicing her words. Acting purely on instinct, I closed my eyes and calmed my body, doing my best to appear unresponsive and asleep. Unfortunately, the volume of the speaker didn't change and I was only able to make out two words.

"-must die"

A cold shiver traveled down my spine. I felt paralyzed as the true weight of the danger I was in sunk into me. They could only mean me and even if they weren't, I wasn't going to take any chances.

I need to get out of here. But what do I do?

My whole body was literally chained to the bed. My head was the only part of my body that I could freely move and that wasn't going to be much help. All I could do was lie there, racking my brain in vain for a way out. Suddenly, I noticed a shadow on the white curtain to my right just as ominous footsteps sounded, growing louder as the person they belonged to drew nearer. 

The footsteps sounded like drumbeats of death in my ears. My heart pounded in my chest and my throat felt constricted. Unwillingly, I felt tears spring to my eyes, for the very first time since everything I'd undergone.

Is this it?

Everything felt surreal, as if it was a scene straight out of some horror movie. I loved horror movies but this, this was too much. I'd already been through hell and back. I'd given up on all hope of living. I'd been so happy when it had all ended. I'd thought that the worst had passed. But of course, of course life just had to dash any hope I'd had of being happy for a moment. And now, I had ended up surviving only to face death again and be powerless to stop it.

The figure drew back the curtain and at the sight of the person advancing towards me, I put out last flicker of hope that had stubbornly refused to be extinguished. 

So, I was right.

The figure was a doctor. And in his hand, he carried a syringe, poised and ready to be plunged into my skin. A nurse followed him. He took one glance at me and drew back, his movement almost imperceptible. A look of disgust flitted over his face, mixed with fear. And in the blink of an eye, it was gone, replaced by a stoic expression as he looked to the doctor. Dr. Matthews nodded at him and he exited, probably not wanting to be near me any longer than absolutely necessary.

 It's over. 

I wanted to grip the bedsheets and scream, but I could only watch as the doctor knelt down and took hold of my arm.

I glared at the needle, hating it for getting to decide whether I lived or not.  Unbidden, angry tears rose to my eyes. I didn't force them down. I wasn't going to waste my precious last moments suppressing my emotions.

I glared harder at the needle, while a headache penetrated my skull and my eyes burned. The needle came within five millimeters of my skin. Four. Three. Two. One. 

And... nothing?

The needle wasn't going in! Dr. Matthews stared at me, alarmed. He looked just as thunderstruck as I felt. The needle slowly moved away from my arm, inch by inch, even as Dr. Matthews struggled against whatever was pushing it back. 

What. The. Heck.

I had not a single clue as to what forces were at play. All I knew was that I mustn't move my gaze away from the syringe even though my head was bursting. The doctor stared at me in alarm and a look of absolute terror passed over his face. Dropping the needle, he backed away from me and ran as fast as his legs could possibly carry him. 

My head felt as though someone had banged it with a hammer, but adrenaline coursed through my veins, keeping me alert. Power surged through my body in an exhilarating, endless supply as I jumped to my feet and leaped out of the bed. All of my bounds slid off like water, making me wonder how they'd ever constrained me. With no time to lose, I sprinted out of the ward and straight out of the door. 

"STOP THAT GIRL! SHE'S AN UNNATURAL!"

I still didn't know what an 'unnatural' was but there was no time to ponder. All I could do was run as fast and as far as possible.

A new strength surged through me. I was running so fast that it felt as if I was flying. On and on I went, easily losing my pursuers as if they were infants, not fully grown adults. 

After some time, I started tiring out. Panicked at the thought of getting caught, I started looking around me, trying to find a place to hide. 

Suddenly, I saw a house, blackened and ruined as though because of a fire. Without stopping to think or analyze, I sprinted straight inside and crouched behind a ruined bedpost, my heart pounding in my chest.

Please go away please go away please go away

I chanted the same mantra inside my head, my insides stiff with fear. Finally, I realized that no one was following me and crept out, dizzy with relief. 

I tiptoed into the bathroom, too used to being cautious to notice what I was doing. It was in much better condition than the bedroom, but it was still a sorry sight. I wondered what had happened to it. Suddenly remembering the wound on my forehead, I spun around looking for a mirror. 

It was broken and some of the shards still littered the ground. I picked one up to check if I was still bleeding.

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at the mirror shard. My throat constricted and the whole world seemed to fade away into darkness. Shocked, I dropped the shard and backed away with my head in my hands. 

What was THAT?

 Before I could come up with a plausible answer or pick up the shard again, someone slammed me hard into the wall. I felt cold, hard metal poke me in the back as the person effectively kept me pinned to the wall.

A menacing voice whispered in my ear, "Why are you here?  

*evil laughter* Yeah, that's a double cliffhanger ! Enjoy!