Dragon Scars

Chapter 12

The water reached the top of Riley's bed, and it began drenching the blankets. Riley awoke from the cold water on her toes. When she sat up straight, she saw her own room. She was in her own bed, and under her own covers. The water continued to rise. Riley pushed the covers off of herself because they were heavy with water. After sliding off the bed and into the water, Riley trudged to the door. She pulled on the knob, but the door wouldn't budge. Riley frantically searched her room for another way out. Her window caught her eye. The window was covered by the purple shade curtains that keep out all forms of light from outside. Riley made her way to the window, slowly, as the water was up to her waist by now. She tugged the curtains apart, only to reveal cement outside the window.

'I'm trapped!' she thought to herself.

Riley moved back to the door as quickly as she could.

"Help!" Riley screamed as she banged on the door, "I'm trapped!"

The water seemed to rise quicker.

'Where is it coming from?' she wondered, 'If I can find where it is coming from, maybe I can stop the flow.'

Riley turned around eager to find the source of all the water, however, when she turned, she no longer saw her bedroom.

In place of Riley's bedroom, cement walls and hallways that had filled with water spread in every direction. Riley's heart was pounding wildly. She was back in the basement of the hotel. Now, the staircase Riley had used a few days ago was nowhere to be seen.

A gunshot rang throughout the room. Riley looked in the direction she had heard it come from. The door she looked towards swung open, just like it had before. Jen came out and looked in both directions.

Riley spun around to swim away but found that the water had turned into a thick red substance. Blood.

Riley looked up and saw Jen's wicked smile with her eyes piercing Riley. Jen seemed to walk on the surface of the blood. The gun now raised in front of Jen. Riley was filled with the same fear she had the first time she had been in this position, except Riley didn't close her eyes this time. The blood Riley stood in became deeper. Soon, her feet no longer reached the ground. Riley treaded the warm, sticky substance and gave Jen a stare that begged for mercy.

No footsteps echoed through the halls as Riley's limbs tired from keeping her afloat.

"Jen, listen to me!"

"I don't even know you!"

"It's me! Riley!"

"I don't know you!" Jen yelled angrily.

"Please, just help me! I'm from Dragon Scars, just like you!" Riley pleaded, struggling to keep her head up.

"If you were really from Dragon Scars, you would know who is recruited to Dragon Scars and why. You don't know that, though, do you?"

"No, bu-"

"That's exactly what I thought!" Jen spat.

Without time for Riley to even think of something to say in explanation to Jen. Jen pulled the trigger of the gun she held in her hand.

Riley's legs stopped kicking and her mind focused on the pain in her chest. The pain burned and throbbed. She watched as Jen turned and walked away.

Riley's head sank below the surface of the blood she had been treading just moments ago. Riley's limbs protested any form of movement, so Riley didn't move as she sank.

Riley tried to breathe, but no air came into her lungs, only the red liquid. The liquid in her lungs made her chest burn more than it had before. Riley struggled, but her limbs still refused to move.

Suddenly, the pain subsided, and Riley felt nothing. She felt relaxed.

Relief.