Dominance

Chapter 17: I Really Need A Hug

All the heavy despair and darkness gone, Sara jolted awake, snapping back to reality with a grin.

"I did it!" She cheered to herself.

That smile did not last, however. As Sara took a quick confused glance around, she could see all was not well.

The last thing Sara remembered, before being stuck in a depressing void, was being on the road. Traffic. GRC personnel swarming them. Fights breaking out. A fenrin shredding into people. The heat of a random explosion.

But none of that was here where Sara currently was.

It was practically bare in the room, except for the moderately flat foam mattresses she was propped on and some tables and chairs that were pushed and stacked up against one wall.

It was also glowing Twister's vibrant blue. And held up against one of the walls from the force of Twister's energy shield was Norman, desperately rasping for a breath.

"Wha- Norman?!" Sara stuttered in surprise.

But Norman could not muster an audible reply. He could only let out a wheeze as his lungs continued to crush against the pressure. His teeth were gritted tight and, for the first time, Sara noticed the slightest point of his canines. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth.

As Sara's body responded to get up and help him, she noticed the figure lying beside her.

Currently in his human form, Twister's expression was strained into a grimace. His eyes were closed, but still tormented in his nightmare. His breathing was quick and harsh. The cowlick of his blonde hair was pushed back from his forehead which emphasized the devoid of coloration in his face.

Sara flung herself over Twister. His naked body was covered in the ugliest, itchiest, brown blanket she had ever seen, but she was still thankful he was covered regardless.

She shook at his shoulders and called his name, and when she got no waking response she did it again with increased volume and enthusiasm.

Sara tried a different approach and knelt over his head. She slapped the sides of his face and held it tight, yelling his name even louder.

"Twister! WAKE UP!"

Norman thudded to the polished concrete floor as the glow of blue suddenly disappeared and Twister's eyes flew open. His pupils were initially huge, and then slitted, before transitioning back to normal.

Sara let out a loud relieved sigh as she heard Norman cough and then groan on the ground in the background. He wasn't dead. That was good.

Twister's breathing became less coarse but he was now making an expression that Sara couldn't decipher.

The face still cradled in her hands looked weary but vacant. Twister's line of sight bore straight through Sara and she edged a little closer to him as his mouth suddenly twitched.

And then he hurled.

Sara recoiled back and shrieked, as a dark shade of warm yellow bile oozed and dribbled down her hands. She felt her own stomach starting to turn as she frantically wiped her hands on her shirt before any puke could start running down her arms.

"Ew, ew, EW!", she cried.

"Sara?" A concerned and familiar voice spoke out from the doorway.

Congregating in the hallway was a group of people.  They peered in, silently watching the drama unfolding. All of them unfamiliar. Except one.

In front of them all, her short hair tied back into tiny pigtails, stood Ashlee. Her mouth was agape in bewilderment. Her pale blue eyes darted around the room, trying to piece together the scene.