Hazel- On the Run

Chapter 24- She's Back

Chapter 24: She’s back

The four teenagers gasped in pain.

Alice crumbled onto the ground. She was still weak from her near death experience and the force that Mercedi was pushing onto all of them made her buckle.

Aimee was on her knees, holding her head in her hands.

Melanie had knelt down in a position much like meditating. There were no obvious signs that she was feeling the pain, but if you looked closely you could see tears running down her face.

Conrad knelt, trying to hold his upright position as well as he could. A look of concentration occupied his face.

“You won’t get away with this,” he said strongly, not letting any pain into his voice.

“The things people say when they’re about to die…” Mercedi said laughing.

Mercedi came into view and the triumph on his face was evident.

He knew he was going to win the battle.

Conrad made a move towards him, the expression on his face deadly.

“You don’t want to do that.” Mercedi warned, waving his finger at Conrad.

The teenagers cried out in pain as Mercedi increased the force.

“You shouldn’t even try…” Mercedi didn’t get to finish his sentence.

“Try what?” Another voice entered the room.

All the people in the room turned slowly to see a girl standing in the doorway.

Light came from behind her, casting a ghostly shadow onto her pale face.

The others in the room looked at her shocked. A few mouths hung open, others just stared.

Silence hung in the air.

Mercedi broke it first.

“Where did you come from?” he stuttered, his confident air having disappeared completely.

His plan had been fool proof. How had she escaped?

He had seen her, he had been there… she was dead. How was she back?

“You don’t know as much about me as you thought you did. I didn’t even know what I was capable of,” the girl answered, moving further into the room.

With each step the girl took, Mercedi backed away from her.

“Hazel.” As he formed the words in his mouth, he couldn’t believe it. His mouth turned dry.

“I see you’re glad to see me,” Hazel said. “You see, we have some unfinished business that you so rudely interrupted. You won’t get away this time.”

She continued advancing.

Hazel saw her friends looking hopefully at her from their crumpled positions on the ground.

“I suggest you release my friends,” Hazel said sternly.

Mercedi looked squarely into Hazel’s eyes.

“You aren’t going to win that easily,” he said.

“If you won’t play by my rules, then I’ll have to play by yours,” Hazel said.

“I don’t understand,” Mercedi said. “How are you alive? You were dead.”

“I told you that you didn’t know much about me. Your attempt at trying to kill me just made me stronger.”