"Wide awake, getting half-past zero
It's getting heated so I leave the windows open
Preoccupied with a late-night B-roll
Right now, laying here with you is heaven
And I've been a hero
Helpless
I'm in hell
And I've cried up and down in these hallways
Blamed myself"
Credence sings in between cut-short breaths. He stops, breathes in deeply, and continues singing.
"Bad luck, I don't wanna be home at midnight
Sun's up, I don't really wanna fight the daylight."
He finishes and runs his fingers through Naira's hair as she rests on his chest. "She was sent to Blackgate prison, they still haven't figured out her punishment yet, but I'm sure it'll be death," he assures her while she looks up at him. "After you passed out, Bellstrum had you rushed to the hospital. They didn't know what was happening, and you weren't looking too good," Credence continues as he repeatedly blinks as if to push tears back. He clears his throat. "So, they had some Wiccans come in to examine you... and well, they couldn't do much," he says in a low tone.
"I feel alright. It's just a little hard to breathe... and I feel sleepy. But I'm alright," Naira says while raising her pale and emaciated arm. Credence gently slips his fingers between hers and lowers both their hands onto the cover. She rests her head back down and catches sight of her blackened fingertips, a detail that alarmed her upon first inspection but didn't sicken her anymore.
"Naira, they said there's something in your bloodstream. It's something they've never encountered before. It's like a kind of Mana-virus, the Pleurn wraps they gave you slow the spread, but it's only temporary," Credence responds while holding her hand.
"Huh? Yeah, I thought these looked funny," Naira naïvely replies. Credence's silence bothers her. "Wait, what spread are you talking about? Is it like cancer or something?" she asks, feeling her body stiffen.
"No," he assures and kisses her forehead. "They found a syringe in her basement, she had a lot of fucked up shit down there, but that stood out the most. The Wiccans are studying the contents of it right now. It coulda got bad, Nana. When they brought that stuff here, they just treated it like normal biohazard, but if even a drop of it had got onto any of the Vampires here, it's safe to say this place would've been shit out of luck," he shakes his head. "Cole was able to figure out that this virus was designed specifically to kill Vampires. Again, if that was the only problem, the Wiccans could've cured you in no time, but it's like jacked up and somehow, mixed with that guy's mana, the curse he put on that batch was so strong the Wiccans won't be able to even come close to a cure until... next year." Credence explains to Naira, who stares back with squinted eyes and a frown.
"Jeez, next year, huh... so I'm gonna have to stay in this bed until they cure me? Looks like Imma be getting hella foot rubs," Naira jokes with a chuckle as she raises her bandaged foot into the air.
Credence purses his lips in an attempted smile. "You don't have a year, Nana-"
"W-what?" she softly interrupts.
"You only have five or six months at best," he continues while looking away at the digital rain beat against the window.
"Five months? Five months until what?" she asks, sitting up and staring at a silent Credence, who still looks at the window with a sullen expression.
YOU ARE READING
Pondbell: Coldblooded (Ongoing)
Fantasy"If I'd just killed him when I first met him, if I had warned her just in time, how many lives would I have saved? How much heartache could have been prevented?" What would you do if you were living in a world where werewolves, vampires, elves, merf...
