Wingless ~Book Two of Winged~

Lashes

I'm back in the hot, dark loneliness of that cell. The chains are tight around my wrists as I pick myself off the ground, weakly. My shirt stings against the lashes from a couple days ago as I move. I walk toward the door as far as I can and try to move more, making my wrists hurt.

"Someone... Please help!" I call out weakly earning a groan from a cell down. A door slams from the opposite direction and a whimpering starts a couple cells down as footsteps approach fast. The door opens and Eli walks in, alone. He pulls out a whip, but it's not the usual one. This one has barbs every couple inches. He smiles a bitter smile as he unwraps the whip from around his hand and shakes it out. I back up, scared. He makes a simple flick of the wrist and the whip cracks against my abdomen and grazes my arm. I collapse onto my hands and knees, shaking violently. He walks around me a little before another lash lands across my back and I let out a loud cry. Eli pulls me up by my hair before pushing me, face first, into the cement wall. More lashes land, worse than the last and soon I fall into the abyss of cold unconsciousness.

I wake up soaked in my own sweat and in terrible pain. The lamp beside me is on and Michael looms over me. He helps me sit up, placing a hand lightly on my back, but quickly removes it as a confused look emerges on his face and he glances at that hand. I, too, look at his hand and see it is covered in a dark red substance. The front door downstairs loudly flies open and footsteps stomp up the stairs and to my room. Etheriel appears in the doorway with a worried look and with the poor lighting, the lamp casts shadows on his face that make him look slightly threatening.

"What's wrong? I heard her scream from outside." Etheriel rapidly scans the room. Michael doesn't respond as he looks at my back then at me carefully then slowly peels the sticky shirt up away from my back. When the cold air touches my back, it stings and I flinch. Etheriel slowly comes around the bed until he can see my back and he quickly looks away, shutting his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's bad... really bad." Etheriel mumbles.

"Go into the bathroom and get rubbing alcohol and the first aid kit." Michael commands as he pulls my shirt over my head. He stands and pushes the blanket to the side of the bed. "Lie down on your stomach." He says softly and I move to lie down, but whimper and freeze as pain shoots up my back. I slowly lie down and Etheriel comes back in carrying what Michael told him to get. Etheriel stares at me as he hands over the first aid kit and rubbing alcohol. First there is a cold sensation and then it feels like someone is rubbing salt into the lashes on my back and I cry out, gripping the sheet on the bed tightly. After Michael is done cleaning the wounds, he spreads some type of gel onto the wounds and then pulls a roll of gauze out from the first aid kit. He slowly sits me up and Etheriel looks at the couple scars on my abdomen before looking away. Michael begins to wrap my body with the gauze until my entire back is covered. Etheriel goes to my closet and pulls out a large shirt and brings it to me. I stiffly pull the shirt over my head and the bandages.

"Those will heal fast since she is Nephil, right?" Etheriel questions as he stands awkwardly at the foot of the bed, not too sure what to do.

"I don't know. They might heal at normal human time because they were inflicted in Hell. They could heal even slower if they whip was enchanted." Michael lays out a towel behind me and carefully lays me back down. The lashes sting and I bite the inside of my cheek, drawing blood.

"Should we contact Dominic and see if he can do anything to make her better?" Etheriel ponders curiously.

"No! He will absolutely not come around her anymore." I jump at Michael's sudden outburst. Etheriel nods cautiously, also surprised. "Actually, I believe it's best to keep all Angelic and Demonic beings away from her so I am going to politely ask you to stay away until her soul recovers." Etheriel looks shocked by Michael's straight forwardness.