God's Gaze

Part Two Chapter Six: The God Killer

       With her sweat formed as icicles on her forehead, Vivienne rushed to Baesary's general hospital downtown after the slowest bus ride of her life. Journalists and news reporters lined the hospital's glass entry ways, hoping to get the latest scoop on the God Killer- as the public is calling Jeremiah now. She pushed passed them with her having garnered nasty stink eyes while others noticed her dyed hair.

       One reporter blocked her tracks and shoved a microphone in her face. "Was your brother hired by the Ice God to assassinate the Fire God?" the man's gruff voice asked her, impatiently. Another correspondent took this as their opportunity to ask their own idiotic questions: "is your brother a God? What's the name of Citadel's Vessel? Did you know he was going to kill her?"

       She ignored them all and shoved through them. The journalists followed her into the hospital but were halted and ushered outside by security. She approached the reception desk where a bull-shifter with ginormous horns atop her head sat before a computer. The woman glanced up at Vivienne and huffed. "Visiting hours ends in ten minutes- you're cutting it real close."

       "I know, I'm sorry. I just have to see my brother: Jeremiah Belsara," Vivienne said, apologetically. Her fingernails drummed along the edge of the marble desk.

       "Yeah, yeah, I know who you are, now get going before your allotted time is up," the receptionist said, ushering Vivienne down a hallway to her left. Vivienne mouthed her thanks before she rushed down the hallway and checked each door until she found her brother's on the second floor.

       She quietly entered the room to a fairy nurse checking Jeremiah's vitals. Vivienne took in all the tubes attached to his bandaged body and she let out a shaky sigh. God, he looked horrible. All the wounds were covered now, but blood still seeped through the bandages, and some still crusted on his face. His eyes were sunken, and his lips dried and cracked as if all the fluids drained from his body.

       At her side, her hands trembled at the sight of Jeremiah. He didn't have a breathing tube going down his throat, so that's a good sign, however... How did he live? At home, she and Florian watched the live footage of the fight in horror; all the blood, all of Jeremiah's blood that surrounded the scene. It was a miracle he defeated Citadel alive. It was thanks to Florian, since without a moment's hesitation he escaped the house and took to the skies towards downtown.

       Left alone in the mansion, Jean called her to ask if she was alright where she replied with an abrupt "no." Ollie, Queeny, and Moira were all added to a group video call as Vivienne rushed to the bus stop the moment Citadel's head flew onto the concrete. She logged off the call before she got off the bus.

       Now, her own death flashed before her eyes. Would her death be as gruesome as Citadel's? Would her mother allow her a swift death? Or would she let Vivienne suffer? Nausea rolled in her throat and her face grew pale, however, the nurse took her out of her trance.

       The fairy nurse glanced up from her clipboard and gave Vivienne a small smile. "He has multiple second degree burns all over his body, but thanks to his ice powers they should heal up in a couple days. The burn on his chest, though..." Her smile faltered, "that will permanently scar. His vitals are normal, so he will make a full recovery soon with enough rest."

       Vivienne nodded despite not hearing her words. Jeremiah grumbled as his eyes fluttered open and grimaced at the bright lamp pointed directly at his face. "I'll leave you two alone. Just press the button on your bed if you need me again," the fairy told Jeremiah before leaving the room.

       Jeremiah grinned when he saw his sister. His icy blue eyes still had the same sparkle in them, but the exhaustion within them was jarring. She struggled to fight back tears and that garnered Jeremiah to ask: "what's wrong?"