Lay Me To Sleep

Chapter Fifteen- Rescue

I was just about to lie down when I heard soft moaning. Like the person was slowly becoming more and more in pain- or pleasure, I couldn't tell.

"....Please let there... Let there be a God.. Please, please.."

I swiftly got up and followed the sounds as best I could, leading me to Nina's door. As soon as I was about to knock, a shrill scream broke the air. It was indeed feminine. The door was locked from the inside but she was screaming and could yell at me for intruding later, I thought, as I kicked down the door. After all, it was still my house.

She was still moaning and screaming as I stood there, quite shocked. I couldn't move for a good three seconds until her soft moans of the word "..no." could be heard. As I made my way closer to the bed, I could see beads of sweat rolling down her face and neck, causing the shirt I gave her to become sopping wet. Her face was flushed, she looked sickly pale. As I moved to rouse her awake, she gripped the bedsheets tightly in little balled up fists and let out the most inhuman sound I think I'll ever hear. It scared me. I had no other thought than to be near her, to make her screams of pain stop, even if it might've been all in her head. To be quite honest I couldn't tell, she didn't seem like she had hurt herself, nor did she mention anything to either Louis or myself earlier in the evening. I concluded that her screams were coming from Devils in a dream. And as I tried to touch her, her cries of agony seemed to become more and more frightful. At this point I was shaking her arm and screaming too.

"NINA!! You must WAKE UP!" All I did, I did in vain, as she did not seem to be fazed. Finally I called for Louis. I could hear loud footsteps coming from the basement and all the way to my Nina's door. He stood in the frame, curious and frightened by what he was seeing.

By the time he was at the door, I had Nina in my lap, cradling her neck and head. Trying my best to support her and wake her as best I could at the same time. She was becoming deathly still and more pale by the second.

I was more scared than I have been in a long time, maybe since the night I was changed. I ventured to look upon Louis's face. He looked like he wanted to yell at me but restrained himself. He thought I had done this to her. I would never.

"Louis.. Louis, you have to help me. She's acting like she's dying and she screams when I touch her. She won't let me touch her. She won't let me touch her... No.." I had began to trail off as I turned my attention back to Nina's face, she was about to have another fit. All I could do was wrap my arms around her as she moaned and sobbed into my chest. She still wouldn't wake up and I had began to think awful things. Things only to be used as a last resort. I looked to Louis one last time before I brought my wrist to my mouth and bit down hard. Blood had flowed freely from the pale thing that I was urging at Nina's mouth. But as fast as I was, Louis had managed to catch my wrist in his hand.

"No, Lestat!! She mustn't turn. She needs to make the choice. You can't do-" I cut him off. "... Then help me wake her, she acts as if she's on deaths door, who are we to know any different. She could be dying as her screaming suggests, her heart feels like it's giving up, Louis. Louis I can't lose her..."

He looked towards me and then to the sweaty girl in my arms. "What can we do, Lestat?" He gestured to her sickly frame. "You can either help me wake her or you can leave." I said in a grave tone.

"I'll do as you ask of me, brother." He replied as he moved a piece of blonde hair out of my face. I must've looked like a ghost, as when he looked at me, he showed the same concern as he did when he gazed at Nina.

"Then hold her down." He looked at me appalled for a moment, before he did as he was bid. "Why do you need her to be held down?" He sounded eminently concerned.