Dark Undone (Darkness Trilogy #1)

Chapter 6

Something grips my body, something like fear. My hands are stained red as I press my hands to her throat.

Mom! Mom!" I cry weakly, "Please wake up! Please!"

The blood sweeps past my tiny hands and I wish I had my dad's giant hands. They could stop the blood. Dad could stop the blood, he can fix anything. He's a hero, he could stop this and he isn't here. I pull her head onto my lap as tears fall down my cheeks.

"No please. God, please help me. Give me some sign she's gonna wake up," I whisper, praying to God. The God they taught me to trust in. The God my father believes in so strongly. But there's no answer and I'm left alone to figure it out. My wings burn on my back as I flap them, trying to lift her, trying to drag her outside. I whimper as I can't. I'm too short, my wings are too weak, my hands too small. I'm not enough. I'm not enough.

Blood pools around us as it stains my hands. My wings fall into the blood, sinking to the floor in defeat, as I hold her. As I watch the red liquid flow from her neck. I lay down my head on her chest and whisper, "Mommy, I need you."

My voice screams as I give up trying to love her awake and try instead to throw a tantrum, "Mom! Wake up! This isn't funny. I'm hun-"

"Eryx! Eryx! Danger!" Hands shake me awake, "Danger, wake up!"

I wake up with a start. My breathing is tight as I stumble out of bed. Gold eyes are staring at me. I back away, unable to breathe or think past the nightmare. I glance at my hands expecting them to be covered in blood. I curl my wings tightly around me. I whisper, "No. No. No."

My body crumples in on itself, my knees break, my arms snap, my ribs cracks, my heart shatters, I'm on the floor, kneeling. Shaking, shaking so hard my teeth rattle. My wings flare out trying to counteract the shaking, but they are shaking themselves, tremors running along the spine of my wing. A scream is torn from my throat as I see my mother dead in front of me. Her life is bleeding out and I'm not enough to stop it.

"Eryx, look at me," A voice cuts through the memory. I can't move from staring at my hands, at the imaginary blood that covers them. Hands grab my face and I'm staring into gold eyes. Shocking gold eyes that cut right through the memory. The person whispers, "I need you to breathe. I need you to take as deep a breath as you can muster."

I do and it shakes. It's such a small breath, but he just says, "Good. That's it. Again."

I draw in another shaky breath, but it's deeper if only by a small bit. He nods and his eyes flash with pride, "Again."

I'm shaking. Falling apart from my seams as the voice guides my breathing. Not faltering at any of the fear that I can feel crackling in the air. The fear that pours from him almost seems energized.

"Another breath," The gold eyes pierce me as I take another breath.

"That's it," His voice is cool. As I take in another breath. This time my lungs expand with air in a broken gasp, but I can breathe. I can breathe. Those gold eyes never leave me. The concern, fear, and the understanding that warms that beautiful gold.

"Another breath."

And I finally remember those gold eyes: Zyon.

"Zy," My voice is scratchy as his name pours from my mouth.

"Eryx." My name. Just my name, that's all he whispers. I'm repeating his name as if it's a lifeline, the only thing I know. I fold into him. His arms wrap around me, holding me. His name pours from my mouth until the shaking stops until I feel empty and drained. I pull myself from his arms, my whole body aching.