Anachronistic: Endless Masquerade

21 | A Heightened Calm

- 21 -

No matter how much fear lurked in a heart, the body will eventually stop reacting. Lilith wasn't sure how long it had been since Pandora had left, abandoned her in the dark cabin, but a calm had set in. She had long since turned the lights on, the shaking in her arms had ceased, and her heartbeat had slowed. Even her deathgrip on the handgun had loosened.

        In this passing moment, Lilith felt Fennel's demeanor echo through her. Was this what she felt each time she went out to hunt? Where fear has no grasp on your body, but leaves a keen awareness in your senses? Almost like a heightened calm.

        My chance of survival goes way up if I can learn how to stay in this mind space.

        Lilith considered different possible techniques. Of course, she had no experience with them; all her knowledge came from books. She would have to experiment to find out if they worked.

        Lilith decided to start with controlled breathing. It was advice that appeared regularly in fiction. Closing her eyes, she began to slow her respiration, counting along with each exhale.

        Lilith's eyelids grew heavy. It dawned on her that Pandora had woken her from barely an hour's sleep and now she was trying to relax. What had possessed her to try this when she was already relaxed? Now fatigue threatened to take her entirely. She couldn't let that happen. She felt safe enough in the room, but Pandora wouldn't have given her a gun and told her not to let anyone inside unless something was wrong.

        Lilith jumped at a knock from the door. She couldn't remember falling asleep but the haze in her vision and the fog over her thoughts proved it happened. She blamed that breathing exercise. It had calmed her mind instead of her body. The opposite of what she wanted.

        How long had she been out? Should she worry that Pandora wasn't back yet? The knock sounded again and Lilith tried pull at the feeling she remembered. Yet, she couldn't bring the calm back. Instead, she found comfort in the handgun. She pulled it to her chest and called out, "Who's there?"

        "Pandora. Can I open the door now?"

        Why would Pandora ask to open the door? Why would she announce her return at all? This was her room too, and she had the key. Lilith ran her thumb along the pistol's textured grip, then deflated at the simplicity of the answer.

        "The gun's away."

        The lock clicked and the door swung open. Pandora stood at the entrance leaning against her gun like it was a cane. Blood streamed down her arms and chest and her face had drawn into a tight grimace.

        Lilith sprang from the bed to meet her at the door. "Pandora! What happened?"

        She let out a weak chuckle. "You think this is bad? You should have seen the other guy."

        "This is no time for jokes," said a large man behind Pandora.

        The sight of the half-dead hunter dominated Lilith's attention to the point she hadn't even noticed his presence. A shiver ran her spine. That primal fear had returned, not because she was afraid of him, but because he wasn't hiding. If something so obvious had eluded her, what else could be lurking in the dark?

        "Who are you?

        "This is Albert."

        "Allister, actually. I'm trying to get this stubborn woman to the infirmary. She refused to go without coming here first."