The Passing

Chapter Twenty-Three

There's something in the subconscious that comes alive when my body is transported through the thick black abyss my parent's figures reside in. They stand on no ground, there are no walls to lean against. But, they look down at me. My body lays flat, as if along a solid surface, but nothing can be felt beneath my skin. Actually, I can't feel anything at all.

"Kimila, can you hear me?" Jane's voice ripples through the abyss, like a soft echo down a long tunnel, only I'm stuck on the other side. More voices, too faint and jumbled to make out coherently, follow after hers, mixing and colliding with the white noise of this place.

"Jane!" I shout, but my voice fails before I can even let out a J. I turn to my mother, concern entangling with my brows.

She slowly shakes her head. "She can't hear you, Love." her airy voice can only do so much to give me relief, now. "You should rest while you can."

"Am I dead?" my hoarse voice sounds unfamiliar. I reach for my throat, but neither of my arms can move, not even in the slightest bit. Panic slithers around my neck like a snake, the blood rushes to my ears like a long, low hiss. God, I am dead! My parents step closer, leaning and peering down at me like a fish in a puddle of water.

"Not yet, Love." my father smiles, and instantaneously, my sense of touch is revived and more noise from the outside comes through the tunnel. Both my parents look up, their faces illuminated by a beam of light in the distance. A light so bright yet forgiving, you can't help but stare.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Click.

An unfamiliar voice cuts through like static. Loud and authoritative. "HEY what do you think you're doing?"

Metal scraping metal, and a click I know better than my own voice. A bullet entering the chamber. "Let her through." Sav.

More guns are drawn, bullets loaded.

The once calm atmosphere of the black abyss shifts, matching with the energy of the light. Hands wrap around my arms and something yanks me to one side. Excruciating pain shoots up into my shoulder, and I am transported through the tunnel, straight into the light.

Despite the fact there is less light here than there was in the first room, I am still temporarily blinded as I come to. My entire skull throbs with an immense amount of pressure. Jane's medicine is wearing off. If I don't get more soon, I can only imagine what kind of symptoms I'll be experiencing. Collecting what little energy I have left, I sip on air as I get about half an inch off the table before leather restraints stop me. Straining sore muscles, I crane my neck as I look around; this room is barren, save the metal table and heavy duty restraints they tie me down with. Jerking my hands and feet, I push the limits of the restraints just to find I can hardly move at all.

"You have no idea what you just did." Alondra's voice booms from outside my room, her anger reverberating through the halls and into my room.

"I didn't know they were going to do that! They were just trying to help their own." James' voice comes bubbling up in a useless attempt to defend my name. "Allie, we didn't even know she was—"

"Bitten?" Alondra forces through clenched teeth, cutting him off before he could finish his own sentence. Both hands instinctively fly over where the bandages once were placed carefully over my bite. However, my shaking fingertips find nothing more than scabbed and scarred flesh, the bandage completely gone. I close my eyes, guilt sinking into the pits of my rotting body. This isn't how they were supposed to find out.

James continues. "I'm just as shocked as you. I thought I knew that girl in there." I know if I could see him, he'd be shaking his head.

"I'm sorry, but there's too much going on here. I don't believe you, and quite frankly, after what you and Elijah did, I don't trust you either." My father's name catches me off guard. How does she know my dad?