Faith.

Chapter 21

Rose's POV.

The white light was almost blinding. Piercing my vision clouding it with white spots. I clenched my jaw and opened my eyes wide only to be met by a hand reaching out to me. I realised I was crouched on the ground a broken mass of pain. I could still feel the flames licking my skin. I followed the hand and my eyes met with Mikes. I felt his hand on mine as he pulled me up and into a tight hug supporting my frail body. My bones ached from exhaustion. I was ready to give up. 

"You have to get out of here Rose." He rest his chin between my shoulder and neck his hair tickling my cheek. His cool body eased the pain of mine. I never wanted to leave his side again, I felt safe.

"Rose you have to stay safe, please." He whispered. "Please be safe." He gently kissed my cheek. I shook my head and pulled myself back to take a look at his brilliant blue eyes. My breath lost itself at the sight of his eyes full of tears.

"Mike I..." A lump in my throat stopped me mid sentence. 

"Me too" He weaved his fingers trough my hair pulling me into a soft kiss and then he was gone again. 

I blinked shutting my eyes tightly and opening them wide fighting against the white spots clouding my vision.What the hell was that!? I stared at the involuntary tears gathering on my hands for what seemed like hours when I realised that I was still in the Forbidden Forest. Everything felt like it was frozen.  I slowly turned my hand over inspecting it for burns but found nothing. It was like the fire had gotten under my skin eating up what was inside.

 A soft sniffling sound shook me from my trance. I forced my body to move, crawling towards the sound. Leaves crunched under my knees as I moved forwards. I reached up placing my hand on Lunas shoulder squeezing it weakly letting her know that I was here. She slowly lifted her head to look at me with tearful eyes, her nails dug into her own arm. I swallowed all the pride that was left in me and pulled her into a tight hug. She needed it, I needed it. Her arms slowly wrapped around me as she sobbed into my shoulder. A small smile spread across my lips as I exhaled air through my nose. Who would have thought that I'd someday find myself in the embrace of the hight and mighty Luna. 

"We need to find Skyler." I steadied myself with one arm and pushed myself up into a standing position offering Luna my hand. She slowly slipped her hand into mine and I pulled her up. "Friends?" I asked. 

"Friends." She shook her head. 

"Well well well well well aren't you a sight for sore eyes. The power couple Rose and Luna out to seek adventures after making an unexpected alliance." Atlas spoke swinging his leg from a nearby tree branch. "Good show good show ladies!" He clapped.

I drew my gun without a single pause and took a shot. Atlas fell backwards off the tree branch and lay still on the ground. A breath of relief escaped my lungs.

"Now, is that any way to treat family?" Atlas's voice sent shivers down my spine, his warm breath on the back of my neck. 

I stared at the body in front of my eyes for a long time. It looked exactly like him.

"I can make you see anything Rose, haven't you learned that already? That's what makes it so fun!" He tiptoed around me frantic giggles slipping out trough his toothed grin.

The landscape in front of me shifted from the dark forest to a beautiful meadow and a pit fire warping in to a thousand men screaming. 

"Stop!" I yelled my eyes piercing his. "What do you want from us?" 

"A friend to play with of coarse. Father said I can! How about a game of hide and seek?" He purred. "Hmm... Here's a clue to help. Where does the big bird land?" A drop of water fell on the tip of my nose. "Drip, drip, drop lets see how you'll find your friend now." With a snap of his bony fingers the forest was engulfed in rain once more.

An enraged scream followed by a loud crack came from Luna'd direction. " I am so tired of his shit! What does this even mean? Big bird?" She took another kick at the already broken tree.

"We need to go find her." I spoke steadily.

"How exactly are we going to do that? We can't even find ourselves! Where are we. God damn it!" Luna growled. 

"She's injured." I looked up at Luna. "She's injured, we're vampires. Our noses plus blood..."

"We can track her." Luna finished my sentence grinning.

We didn't waste another second and began searching. We soon realised that the point of the rain was to wash away any trace of Skyler. I couldn't wait to get my hands on Atlas's smug face. 

"Where does the big bird land." I repeated it over and over again my brain running into overdrive trying to figure out what he had meant. "Think of big birds."

"Chicken, magpie, starling, crow, bluebird-" 

"Big birds!" I interrupted Luna mid sentence. she narrowed her eyes and continued.

"Eagle, vulture, a crane, a swan, a pelican, marabou stork, an albatross." With a slight hesitation she looked up at me and said "A pterodactyl?

My eyes bulged "How and why do you know the names of so many birds?" Luna just shrugged and slid down on the wet ground. We sat there in relative silence as the rain continued to soak the world. 

"What if its not an actual bird. Think about it, how did we get here?" I spoke

"The helicopter, that's the bird. She's in the field!" Luna sprung up darting trough the trees.

We both ran into the open without a single second of hesitation. I could see Skye laying on the ground. Her heart was weak. The clouds parted taking the rain with them, revealing a cool nights sky.

Luna slid down next to Skye into a sitting position. Luna shook her awake and a confused gurgle came from Skyler. "Jesus guys way to disturb my beauty sleep." 

"Oh thank god you're okay!" Luna attacked Skye with a hug. 

"Still, still injured tough." Skye winced patting Luna's back.

Something cold pressed itself against the back of my head. A gun. "I won't let you get away again Atlas." A shaky voice spoke.

I whipped myself around before he could fire wrapping my hand around the gun and forcing it towards the sky. I found my face only inches away from Mikes. His face screwed up in a frown. The gun cluttered to the ground and Mike sank to his knees. His arms wrapped around my legs. "He took it Rose." He blubbered. 

I stood in complete shock looking over my shoulder at Luna and Skye.

"I don't know what's real any more. Please be real. I don't want to kill you any more" He whispered. 

My eyes widened at the last remark. "Any more? Look buddy, I don't even know you." I tried to pry his arms away from me. I stumbled backwards. 

"No not again. I already lost everyone, don't make me do this. You don't, you don't understand its out of my control" his trembling hand reached for the gun. 

He wiped his tears away as he aimed the gun at me. "I'm sorry Rose." the bang was deafening but I managed to move out of the bullets range. 

Skyler, I remember the first time I met her. I was starstruck. I had never seen such beauty in a single person. Her brilliant smile bringing men and women to their knees. I slowly turned to look at my friend but was met with an ungodly sight. The silver bullet had went clean through her head and into Luna's shoulder. Skyler's glassy eyes stared at me. 

"No, no, no, no not again! I can't do this again. This isn't real." Mike fell to his knees the gun trembling. 

Luna's agonising scream was the last thing I heard before the unfathomable pain settled in. another gunshot echoed through the silent forest. Mike had turned the gun on himself.

Four dead.