Shadows in the Dark: Rise of Three

Chapter XXI

I wake up with my neck feeling very sore. I open my eyes and see that I'm still in Jake's hospital room. I'm sitting in one of the chairs. I must've fallen asleep to the beeping of the heart monitor and the look of Jake laying there in the hospital bed looking so pale and weak.

Is is asleep in the chair next to me and Xavier is in the chair next to Jake's bed. I get up and walk down the hall to find the nearest coffee machine.

I put in a Euro in the machine, and put a cup below the coffee dispenser. I watch the coffee fill up the cup. When the cup is full, the coffee stops flowing, and I take the cup. I take a sip of the coffee and wince at the heat.

I blow on it to try and cool it down. I take another sip. It's still hot, but not too hot. I walk back to Jake's hospital room.

"Where'd you go?" Xavier asks me once I walk back into the room.

"To get coffee. When did you get up?"

"I've been up. I never fell asleep."

"Oh. Do you want me to get you some coffee? I found the coffee machine."

"I'm not aloud to drink coffee. Even if I was I'm fine. I can't sleep. If I close my eyes I remember things I really don't want to."

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I'm not Jake's only brother. Our other brother was killed by a demon when I was two years old, Jake was five, and our other brother was four. His name was Alexander. We all called him Alex. Our dad took him out to see a demon in person and to show him how to kill it. He did the same when Jake was four. The demon attacked our dad and knocked him unconscious and killed Alex."

"Oh my god. I'm so sorry! He never told me."

"None of us like to talk about it. My dad mostly. Please don't say anything to Jake or my parents about him."

"Yeah. Of course. I won't bring it up."

"Thanks." The room goes quiet again. All I hear is the slow beating of Jake's heart and Is's deep breathing.

I hear someone walking down to hallway. I listen harder to try and see who's coming. I only hear that the footsteps are coming toward Jake's hospital room. I grab the handle of Jake's long sword on my belt.

The footsteps are right outside the door. I start pulling the sword out of its sheathe there, and Xavier goes to stand in front of Jake while clutching a dagger.

The door opens and Zach and Jennifer come in. Jenn starts towards me, then sees that I'm holding the handle of a sword.

"Stand down Miss Paranoid. It's just us. The doctor said we could see him. Zach told me that he's in a coma." Jenn tells me. "I'm so sorry."

"It's ok." I say.

"Who are you?" Jenn asks Xavier.

"Xavier. I'm Jake's younger brother." He says.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Jennifer. This is Zach." She introduces herself and Zach. "Oh. V. I wanted to tell you I had a vision on my way over here. Ivy is in Ireland."

"I knew that. She told me she was from there. She just didn't say where."

"Dublin. She's in Dublin. It looks like a townhouse on one of the busier streets."

"Oh. Ok. I'll meet up with you when Jake wakes up."

"She's your sister. You have to come. What if we find her? You've seen her before. I was thinking about Ivy and I saw the townhouse in Dublin. I never saw her."