Death Has Wings

I Hate Needles

"What do you mean torn between two girls?" Alice had me pinned against the wall. It had surprised me when she did it.

"Well, I have a girlfriend but-" Her jaw dropped.

"Really? You have a girlfriend? When did it happen? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Who-"

"Just shut up. I'm trying to tell you that even though I have a girlfriend, I have feelings for someone else as well." Alice stepped back, her brow furrowed.

"Who?" She was quieter than normal. I sighed.

"You." As soon as the word left my lips, the air seemed to thicken. It was just like when I had first met Alexandria. Dizziness hit me like a ton of bricks. Nausea engulfed me. I couldn't stop the world from spinning. I threw up. It wasn't bile though. It was blood. Not normal blood, but black blood. The kind that Grandma said indicates demons. Alice rushed up to me, worry lining her face.

"A-are you okay, Clark?" I looked up at her, my vision going blurry.

"I'm not," I threw up again. More blood. "A demon." I felt weak, weaker than I ever had before. The world kept spinning as I crouched on the floor, clutching my stomach. I could hear Alice screaming my name yet it sounded far away. The light was fading fast. I could feel liquid seeping out of my mouth. It was warm. I looked around for Alice but she was gone. Like everyone else, she had left me. She had left me to die.

My ribs felt as if they would shatter with every breath, my lungs burning like the fires of Hell itself. My vision was failing me. I gazed down and saw a pool of black liquid underneath me. I couldn't take it. My insides felt as if they were being ripped apart. Was this what it felt like to die? I thought. I growled at the pain. My body lay curled up on the concrete like a hedgehog. I closed my eyes, seeing red. I kept them closed. I didn't want to see what the world would do to me next.

I heard footsteps. They were coming closer at an alarming rate. They felt like earthquakes to me. I gritted my teeth, the liquid still seeping from between my lips. I could hear screaming and shouting in the distance. I wanted it to stop. I wanted all of it to stop.

I didn't dare move. I could feel people touching me. It felt like I was being shot. Every single movement made around me sent shockwaves through my body, spreading nausea back through me. I could hear someone talking in a low voice. The only word I could decipher was 'ambulance'. I was pretty sure that no ambulance could help me now.

Darkness consumed me as I drifted into unconsciousness.

*****

I woke up to the smell of disinfectant. I instantly knew where I was. I was in the hospital. I didn't remember anything about how I got here. Someone needed to tell me before I freaked out.

"Clark?" Someone said to my right. I slowly turned my head, pain surging through every muscle. It took a while for my eyes to focus.

"Father?" I could barely even whisper. I had a really bad headache, as if someone was stabbing me in the front of my brain. I closed my eyes and heard my father get out of the chair he was sitting in and come over to me.

"Clark? I'm going to get a doctor, okay?" He sounded worried about me. Praise the Lord, he was actually worried about me. I wanted to smile but it hurt too much. I nodded slightly, not wanting to open my eyes. I couldn't stand the light.

I heard father shuffle out of the room, only to return minutes later with another person. I willed my eyes open. It was the same doctor from two weeks ago. He had a smile on his face and his stubble was gone.

"My, my, you seem to be in here a lot, don't you, Clark?" His bad attempt at humour almost made me want to kill him. I grunted, since it was all I could do. "Let's just run some tests...first of all, we took a sample of your vomit, just for precautionary measures and, well, we aren't sure what was in it. We have no name for it, nor any record of it's existence. It is an entirely new substance to us..." He trailed off, sensing that we didn't want to hear about it. He cleared his throat, bring out a tray of medical equipment from behind him. He brought it over to my left side and placed it on the table. "These are only basic blood tests, so no need to worry. If we find anything, we may need to run a few more." I really didn't care. I just wanted to get out of the hospital. I didn't like hospitals. The doctor picked up a needle and turned back to me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the sharp, hollow tube pierce my pale flesh. Even now, I still wouldn't look.

The doctor grabbed the wrist of my right arm and straightened it. There was no need to inject me with anything that made my veins stand out because they were prominent anyway. I could feel my father's presence close beside me, almost mirroring my fear.

"It'll only be a sharp scratch..." Lies. It hurt like a bitch.