The god complex (Book one of The Devil's Daughter trilogy)

Chapter thirty-seven.

 The television shows the news and they just drone on about the mysterious apartment fire that started out of nowhere. The picture of my mother flashes on the screen, now that they've shown her face the ones she tried to hide from will find her now. She lived apparently from the shot they show of her being loaded onto the ambulance and taken to the nearest hospital, it just makes my chest tighten.

 "Hey bartender," he looks up at me and raises his eyebrow in question. I flash him my newest id and he nods, "Whiskey me please."

 "On the rocks, or coke?"

 "Straight." He nods in approval as Night elbows me in the ribs, I turn to him and feel my stomach  drop to the floor. "Did you want something too?"

 "Fire, we can't stay here, and alcohol won't help."

 "Maybe not you, but it helps ease my pain Night. My dad is going to die because of me, my mother sold me out to my uncle to further her own life, and you." The whiskey is set right in front of me as the bartender walks away, I clutch the glass in my hand and down it before Night can give me any more crap about my life.

 "What about me Fire?"

 "Nothing. Don't worry about it." With my words the conversation dies and we sit there at the bar watching the rerun of my mother's flaming apartment. Nothing was salvaged from the fire, they say she was lucky to be alive, yea lucky. My hands grow hot as I sit there and watch all of the people around me, talking and laughing, not even caring about everything that is going on around them. If only they knew all the dangers hiding in wait, ready to end them. My stomach churns as I sit there, my shoulder aches, as their faces swirl into a wave of mortals, weak and defenseless. Maybe they do deserve to die, they were meant to serve gods, no.

 I stand and it startles Night, he looks at me with questions but I run before I can act on this strange impulse of burning the bar to the ground. My feet lead me toward the bathroom but I change directions and head outside of the bar. My hands are on the door and I burst out of the bar, the cool air feels good on my hot skin. My hands are near catching flame but I sink to my knees before they can do anything, something is happening to me and I can't stop it.

 The mark on my wrist glows bright and my vision wavers in front of me, my reflection in the store window in front of the bar shows my face, but then Medusa's. I don't know who I am anymore, my chest is tight and it feels like I am dying. My breathing is raged and gets harder to breathe, I lean against the wall but my center of gravity is off and I am now hunched over, trying to catch my breath.

 I hear the door open and I want whoever it is to go away, no one should see me when I look like this, even if it is a stranger, I am weak.

 "Are you alright Fire?" He leans over me and pulls my hair away from my sweating forehead, my stomach heaves and I puke right there on the street, behind a bar, how low I've come in a matter of minutes. I wipe my mouth after I've finished and start to wrap my hands around my waist trying to break my own bones, this has never happened to me before. "Fire?"

 "LEAVE ME ALONE!" I roar out at him and it sounds animalistic that is scares me, my body is too hot that I try to tear my clothes off but instead he wraps his arms around me. I yell out in anger and pain at whatever is happening to me, my hands are hot again and I act on it. They are on his back as I struggle to get away from him that I don't even know what I am doing before I am doing it. He screams as my hands burn through his clothes and brand themselves in his back, I scream as he holds me tighter. 

 I feel eyes on me as mortals walk by but none come to stop whatever they think is happening. Night whimpers as my hands grow hotter and I continue to scream as the air in my chest constricts me from breathing normally.