The Third War

Chapter Twenty Three: Zoe

I was in darkness. A cold wind swirled around me, chilling me to the bone. I could feel it getting faster and faster like being inside a tornado. I tried to push my way out but the wind held like a wall. Soon it felt like I couldn't breathe and I was gasping out, "Kris! KRIS!"

 I turned around trying to find any way out but I fell to my knees. My ankle felt worse than ever, like someone was slowly cutting my skin open and grinding the bone against metal.

I let out a breathless sob and tears streamed down my face. I covered my face with my hands but when I looked down at them they were covered in blood. I felt the air knocked out of me even more and saw the pool of blood that grew bigger with every tear that slipped down my face. I choked for breath more and more and whimpered, "Please stop it."

Unable to bear it, I curled up in a ball and prayed for myself to wake up. I knew I was dreaming, I could tell, but it hurt like it was real anyway.

I heard a cold, cruel laughter that sounded so familiar it made me shudder. I felt the blood against my stomach and opened my eyes to see I was now floating in a seemingly endless pool of blood. It was a dark scarlet and the only thing I could see was the little piece of concrete I was floating on.

 As I noticed it was keeping me afloat it began to crumble. I tried to stand but only managed to slip as it dissolved plunging me into the thick red pool.

I couldn't feel the bottom.

 I couldn't see.

I attempted swimming but my ankle exploded in pain and I screamed letting the metallic substance fill my mouth and make me gag. I flailed hopeless screaming but quickly being silenced, and every time I moved I was dragged closer to the bottom.

Suddenly a hand grabbed my wrist. It pulled me to the surface and held me there as I coughed and gasped for air. I looked up to see my father holding my wrist. My savior, like he always had been.

Our eyes locked, and his widened. His free hand went over his mouth and he threw back in disgust. As I struggled to stay afloat I screamed, "DAD PLEASE!"

 But an invisible force pulled me back into the depths. I was blind, blood clogging my nose and mouth. My lungs began screaming just like my ankle as I struggled to the surface, the problem was, I didn't know which way was up.

Just as I felt I was about to lose consciousness I saw it, the faint light meaning the surface was near. I kicked ignoring the pain throughout my body and as I was about to break surface something grabbed my bad ankle. A tendril wrapped around it and pulled me back down to dark depths.

My father's voice filled my ears, "You're not my daughter anymore."

 I woke up screaming and Kris swerved off the road. Killer immediately woke up and started whimpering and nosing me trying to comfort me. I heard Kris mutter and then she called back, "Zoe are you okay!?"

 I nodded. There was as silence before Kris called back again, "You're gonna have to talk to me I can't see if you're nodding or not."

 My tongue felt frozen remembering the sickening metallic taste but I managed a hoarse whisper, "Yes."

 I was trembling and Killer was whimpering and Zoe's cats had climbed up on the arm rest of the front seat to peer back curiously at me.

 "Do I need to stop?"

 "No."

 I could tell she was concerned but I wanted to get their soon. I had fallen asleep at night and it about noon, I tried to stop crying because it would worry Kris. "Will you eat something please?"