Cursed To Hold My Breath

Broken Promise

I was asleep for not even an hour before a startling cry broke through the night. I sat up in my bed, hearing the wind howling outside with the rain as my stomach churned. Erik was right, it's tonight.

The sound came back again, more like a terrified scream, followed by an inhuman screech. I threw myself out of bed and practically tumbled down the stairs before a cold force stopped me in my tracks before reaching the front door.

"And where do you think you're going?" Erik appeared in front of me, arms crossed over his chest.

"Something's wrong." I attempted to move past him but my body was immobile.

"You can't leave." He said sternly.

"Why not? Can't you hear that outside?" I pointed to the door that led into the stormy night.

"Yes, but father specifically instructed for you to not leave this house under any circumstances." He said.

"You're not my dad, Erik." I rolled my eyes. "Just let me go."

"I'm sorry, Emmalyn, but I can't do that." Erik shook his head.

"Erik." I pleaded.

"I can't let you die." He said quietly. "I made a promise."

"Promises have been broken before, what makes you think that you won't break this one too?" I said desperately.

Erik was taken aback from what I said. "You're saying that like you want to die." He whispered.

"And maybe I do, but I'm not just going to sit and wait for this to pass. She won't stop unless I do something." Tears threatened again, but I held them back.

"But you doing this will get you killed, think about the ones that love you, Emmalyn." Now it was Erik's time to be desperate.

I blinked as silent tears fell. "What choice do I have?"

"Emmalyn, I intend to keep my promises, I won't fail father again." Erik said steadily.

"Then...you won't." I looked at my ghostly twin brother. "As long as you promise me to let me do what I have to do, you'll keep your end of the deal with dad."

Erik was silent for a moment. Then he swore under his breath, "Your stubbornness really does get the best of me sometimes...fine, just didn't do anything rash."

"You'll see me if I do." I said as the cold grip around me was now gone. I burst out the back door and was greeted by a gust of wind throwing me against the house. Cold rain hit me in the face, already soaking me.

I heard the scream again, and made a break for the forest, the wind whipping around me from all sides, but I managed to keep my ground. Lighting illuminated the sky, only giving me a brief glimpse of my surroundings, nothing but trees.

I remembered from my dream, and found my way to the river, slipping on the wet ground and sliding down a slope in the mud before I caught myself and stood, allowing the rain to wash it off of me. I glanced around wildly, before I heard the scream once more, but much closer.

I ran along the bank of the river, somehow knowing my way through the darkness and careful not to slip and fall. My sides heaved as thunder cracked over head, feeling it rumble in the ground beneath me too.

I stopped dead in my tracks when I found that same image in my dream, the river running red, somehow giving off a glow as I took slow steps in the pouring rain. I found the body, just as it was in my dream – I should probably call it a vision now. My heart beat dully in my chest, I knew who this was, lying face down in the running water with her cut arms bare.