Little Dawn

Chapter 4

Many would say that nightmares were nothing out of the ordinary, but hers were different. Hers was more than a terrible dream or a tear provoker. 

That night she desperately wanted to know everything or at least something but she saw nothing but darkness and more questions emerged with every minute that flew by.

It was like a lost soul trying to search for something to stand on but there was nothing. No purpose, just a big, black void.

From the moment she laid her head on the flat pillow she knew her eyes wouldn't close even for five minutes.

Five hours later they were wide open, with hot tears desperate to leave her insides.

Her body was trembling beneath the thin sheet that was supposed to protect her from the cold. She tried her best to warm her own body but nothing worked. It certainly was the worst night ever and the first of many.

To be honest, part of her was glad she didn't sleep, she was starting to get exhausted from the nightmares but part of her also wanted to, probably because every second a new thought flooded her mind and every single one of them was the reason she spent the entire night shedding tears.

When the sunlight finally entered the window and her body was warmer she tried closing her eyes even for a couple of minutes, but in that instant, the creaking door was opened. The incredibly tired face of Dyron appeared in her sight. She saw the transformation of his brown eyes to the same golden color she usually saw, which didn't stop to amaze her.

"Morning," his voice was raspy and low, indicating he had just woken up. As he usually did he lowered his gaze to avoid Casey's eyes. For a few seconds, he awkwardly stood in front of the bed, trying to remember the words he was about to tell her.

"You better hurry if you want some breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," her soft words echoed through the room, rumbling against the old gray walls.

"You better eat."

Without any other word or glance, he turned his back against her and walked out of the cold room.

Though there wasn't anybody in the hallway the distant screaming and music could be heard. The loud laughter of men came and went and with every step she took, they seemed to get closer.

She stopped her tracks and glanced at the graffiti that was painted on the wall. A big city with glowing edges and enormous gates decorated the cement wall. She inspected every detail even the slightest of errors. Her eyes watched enchanted at the art that stood in front of her, but then the messy written words caught her attention.

"Only those inside will live, and those outsides will not see it coming until it's too late" R.M

For a couple of seconds, her breath was caught between her lungs and throat. For some reason, those words had an impact on her though she didn't know their meaning. She crouched nearer and read them over again. She felt that if she went through them many times their significance will be shown. Her slender fingers traced the last letters: R.M

"Only those inside will live, and those outside will not see it coming until it's too late, RM," she whispered.

"Nobody understands them," a voice behind startled her. She quickly stood up and turned around.

She was facing a slender muscular man. What she first noticed were his intense black eyes. They appeared to be black holes, unending, and infinite darkness. The next thing she noticed was his white skin, as white as the clouds in the clear sky.

"Didn't mean to scare you, princess" he grinned at her. Though grins are supposed to show kindness he made her insides tremble, sending and an incredibly cold shiver down her spine.

"You didn't," she tried to sound careless but as soon as she said those words she knew how altered she sounded and probably looked.

The tall man in front of her chuckled and then extended his arm. Casey automatically took a step back.

"I'm Talev," he now held a wide grin as if he enjoyed seeing her uncomfortable, "C'mon I won't bite you, princess. Well, at least not for today."

She saw how steady his face suddenly came and that unsettled her even more.

After a few seconds of the unbearable heaviness that floated around her and the black-eyed man, she cleared her throat.

"Casey," she finally answered and looked directly at the two black holes that menace to swallow her.

"A pleasure to meet you, Casey," he smiled showing her his front crooked teeth. Once again a cold shiver ran down her spine, provoking the same goosebumps she permanently held last night.

The air suddenly turned cold. There was not a trace of wind and Casey recalled how sunny and warm the morning was a few minutes ago.

The freezing sensation penetrated her skin, reaching her bones. She looked up at his face again. When she met the endless black holes her breath somehow disappeared and no air reached her lungs.

With every second that went through the cold invaded another inch of her body, making her tremble and her legs wobble. She couldn't support her own weight anymore and her lungs were in agony pleading for air.

She fell to her knees, her arms supported her upper body while she tried to find a trace of air. She tried to scream but she didn't had the strength or voice to do it.

Every part of her body burned. Her insides were on fire and they were screaming in agony, pleading for it to stop.

She surrendered and completely fell to the floor. She no longer had the strength to keep her eyes open much less to crawl away from Talev.

She was sure she would give her last breath when a loud voice echoed through the empty hallway.

The cold left her body instantly and the air flooded her lungs once again. She breathed as if she'd never breathe before. She lay on the hard gravel with her eyes closed, afraid that if she opened them everything will occur again.

It wasn't until she felt a warm hand on her cheek when she opened them. Her eyes suddenly met the golden eyes of Dyron. This time she was left out of breath not because it was impossible for her to breathe but because his eyes burned into her.

She swears she saw sparkle on them. Dyron's eyes had never been that bright before. It will take some time before she sees exactly that same shade of golden again and it will surely be a terrible moment they will eventually have to face.