Cards of Our Fate

The Attack (Gore)

I bolted up, the ear piercing shriek had not stopped. I threw open my door, stopping to grab the butter knife I still had from two days ago. I kept it to protect myself in this new environment,

I ran down the stairs, the scream continuing, getting louder, more voices adding to it. I pushed open the door, to be met by a horrific sight.

Bodies were thrown around, blood covered every surface of what was seen. Organs tossed aside from anybody around. The screams got louder, and only imagination could guess at what was happening to them.

My knees buckled in fright, I tried to scoot back to the hall, but the door had shut on me. I stood up, pounding on the door, wondering what I was thinking, running out to blood-curdling screams with only a butter knife. I tried to guess where the numerals were, but it was too dark to even see my hand, only to glimpses of moonlight showed anything, the horrible images. The same ones that made my blood run from my face, my head goes dizzy and my limbs weak. I clawed at the door, desperate now, yells were trapped in my throat, my mind raced with the possibilities of how I could die that night. I slowly slid to the ground, wondering why no one was coming.

Then,

they stopped.

I turned, no one was there, nothing was left. It was bright as day, in fact, it was day. The suspects looked at me as if I were crazy. My mouth dried with a deep dread swallowed in it. The change to normal was almost as terrifying as the change to death.

It happened again.

I was still in the camp, but now was standing, face to face with a dark brown woman, her burning bright eyes pierced into me, almost as much as the knife stuck into my side did.

Sweat ran down my brows as I fell. The woman puled the knife from my side. I dropped, clutching the wound. I ground my teeth, pain I had never felt before was coursing through me, it hurt so much-I couldn't breath, I couldn't think, I couldn't react. The woman knelt next to me, studying my pain for a moment, almost in question. She took the knife, and drew a perfect line down my middle, from collar bone to navel. I breathed in a quick breath, furrowing my brow, not looking down.

She stuck a hand in me.

I opened my mouth, silent screams filled the air. I tried to scream, tell her to stop, tears filled my eyes, but I couldn't do anything, I couldn't move. Her mere actions had paralyzed me.

She twisted her hand.

She then pulled something out, I looked at her hands, and watched my intestines be ripped from my body. I snapped out of my state, the pain seemed to intensify by a million, when I opened my mouth the voice of pain took over.

I yelled, screamed, shrieked.

Then it went back to normal.

Shad stood above me. I covered my wounds and kicked him away, my eyes darting from place to place, I took in breaths like I couldn't breathe.

I started to come to my senses. I took deep breathes, I started to realize that I was in the everyday life. I looked down and saw my body in one piece. I was so relieved, I sat there, staring at my normal stomach. Tears welled in my eyes as I traced where the knife had cut, not an itch of pain occurred. I blinked the tears away, which lead to crying, which lead to all out bawling. I covered my eyes, my face, so thankful for the fact that none of that had ever happened. Maybelle sat next to me, she hung an arm around me, I leaned into her.

"It...it seemed so real," I whispered, clinging to her shirt, snot and tears covered her. She just shushed me, before moving aside so Shad could pick me up. I was carried to his office, where he tried to shut Maybelle out, but she forced her way in. I could hear their silent argument, before Shad gave up and sat next to the one sofa in the office.

"Look," Shad said, giving me some space, but still leaning in, "I know what happened to you had to be very traumatic, but you need to tell me what happened." He brushed a piece of hair out of my face, I focused on controlling my blubbering long enough to give a good explanation, but every time I got close the memory, the cutting knife drove me back. The pain felt so real, it was hard for me to believe I was still alive, that none of it really happened.

After...a while, I finally gained enough control to speak, I told all, spilling every detail as I spilled every tear. I watched Shad's dark face pale as I described every pained moment, unsure of why I still lived, why that if it was so fake, it felt so real. I couldn't wrap my head around it, it wasn't a dream, every feeling I felt was real, so intense, so extreme that it couldn't be faked with the mask of the unreal...but it was.

After another long while, I stopped crying, stopped shaking so hard. I sat on the sofa, holding my hand to my lips, staring at the sofa. I could feel the blood come back and re-drain from my face as my mind came back to this painful topic, again and again.

I glanced up at the sound of the door opening, my mind wondered to the possibility of the woman from before had come back. I flinched at myself, knowing I was pushing the limit of acceptable weakness. I couldn't sit here all day, just stressing over what happened. I took a deep breath, and look up, pushing the hair dangling in front of my face up and over my head. I saw Warner, standing in front of the door, as if asking to come in.

I scooted over, taking only one cushion. He came and sat down. We didn't talk for a moment, just sat there, I, playing with my hair as he rubbed his knee. He looked over and opened his mouth a few times, as if to talk, but he just bite his lip and turned away every time. I spoke, after about the fifth time of him doing that.

"If you are going to say something, just say it." I warned, glaring at him. I realized my actions and looked down, ashamed, "Ah, sorry, I-ah-"

"No," Warner said, shaking his head, "it's fine. It's just..." Another moment of silence, "The prince called for you." He said quickly, looking over with a quick dart of the eyes. I just sat there, staring with my mouth gaping. I closed it, then stood, "Ah, draw of straws said I had to tell you."

"It's, it's fine, not your fault." I said, wincing at the thought of what the king could do to people, knowing how it felt, "I have to go." I started to stride the floor, but Warner stood and grabbed my wrist.

"Wait!" He said, before jerking me around to face him. I looked up to his eyes, they seemed full of concern, questions unasked that were in great need of answering. But then it all left, he let go of me with a sigh, "Never mind, we can talk after your visit." I took one last look at him, then left to the hallway, leaving the door gaping open.