The Immortal Cure - Series Three

Chapter Twenty Six - Blood

I stood in the middle of the yard for five minutes, alone and confused, my brain working over-time with the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins.
Things were about to get real, and dangerous.
I had no idea as to what to expect, what to do, what to say, what to think.

I took another lick of my lips, feeling the blood run along the back of my throat, burning when suddenly the taste began to change, the once bitter metal turning into something sweet, like icing sugar. It started to feel natural, it started to taste good. That's when I felt my brain explode, pain spreading through my skull. I rushed my hands to my temples, pressing on the parts that were burning. I winced and groaned, my entire body burning like it was on fire.
I fell to the ground, landing on my knees, clutching my head, gritting my teeth.
My eyes began to sting, like a thousand bees were shooting venom into the very centre.
My body grew cold, my fingers loosing warmth, my breathing was becoming rough, like I had forgotten how to breathe.

I yelped in pain, feeling my throat burn with every intake of air, stinging my lungs.
I was so focused on the agony that I shuddered when I felt a pair of hands on my waist, they were cold, holding me steady as he kneeled in front of me

"Shh, Rosie" Duke soothed from in front of me, rubbing his hands up and down my sides

"It's happening?" I cried through grit teeth, my gums igniting

"Yes" Duke replied with a sigh

That's when I felt it, I felt my heart slow inside my chest. My breathing was coming out in short gasps before I felt my struggling heart stop, literally cease movement inside me.
I felt constricted, like a python was wrapped around my throat, strangling me.

"Breathe Rosie" Duke instructed

I shook my head, unsure of what I was supposed to do

"Your heart has stopped Rosie, you need to take a breath" He continued.
I was no longer breathing, I couldn't inhale or exhale. I was waiting to collapse, die from lack of oxygen, but I wasn't.
I couldn't feel the pain associated with suffocating, just panic.

Seconds later, the burning that had radiated through my entire body, stopped. All I could feel, was the comfortable coldness of my skin.

About a dozen things happened in that exact moment the pain stopped.

My ears, it was as though they had grown ten times their size, I could hear every single sound around me like it was on loud speaker.
I could hear the wind brush past me, I could hear the cars roaring past about a block away. I heard breathing, Callum and Helena inside the house, everything was clear, as if it was pressed directly against my head.

I leaned back on my feet under me, lifting my eyes. It felt as if I was viewing life through a kaleidoscope, with every glance, I could see what was beside me, behind me and in front of me all at the same time, every move Duke made was like slow motion.

"Rosie, are you okay?" Duke asked, his voice hesitant as my focus darted up to him

He eyes widened as soon as my gaze met his. He was looking over my face, searching for something

"What?" I asked, finding my voice

"Your.. your eyes" He stumbled, his arms by his sides

"What?" I repeated, raising my eyebrows

"They're .. gold" He told me

"Gold?" I repeated as I heard the slightest movement of the front door creek open, my eyes darting straight towards it as it opened and out popped Callum and Riley