Fatal Faith

Chapter 7 → Rebirth

Chapter 7 → Rebirth

She steps slowly out of the brush as the girl fades from consciousness, her soft copper hair fanning out around her downturned face. She carefully approaches the girl, intent on finding if she was the cause the startling quiet now shrouding the forest. Once she’s within reaching distance of the child, she notices first, that it’s the girl Belial was watching earlier, and second, that she’s covered in inordinate amounts of what appears to be her own blood.

The girl’s shirt appears to be shredded, as if torn by some invisible force, and is soaked in blood. Artemis sniffs the air, noting that the blood is, in fact, human, or at least, close to it. She takes in the rest of the girl, noticing that her jeans are worn and also drenched in her crimson coloured lifeblood. Stooping to get a better look, She notes that the girl’s shirt is shredded in back, but not in front. Inspecting further, she notices two long gashes down her back, blood seeping steadily from the wounds. Picking the girl carefully up, she notices a new presence.

Turning with a frown, she eyes Belial suspiciously, wondering where the hell he was when his so-called charge needed him. She walks swiftly past him, the slight girl cradled gently in her arms. She walks toward the clearing she had claimed as her own, the annoying Fallen trailing behind her. She places the girl gently upon a smooth rock and turns to face Belial, fury igniting in her at his lack of guardianship to this girl.

“Where the hell were you, Belial?!” She whispers furiously. “I thought you were supposed to be guarding her, how the hell did this-“ He holds up his hand, stopping her  mid-tirade.

“I was watching her, but there was nothing I could do. She was presented with no physical harm, and as well you know, that’s the only way that I am permitted to intervene.” The words she had been prepared to throw at him died in her throat as she mentally acknowledged the truth of his words. Turning on her heel, she stalked over to the nearby stream to get some water, intent on at least caring for the child.

He watches her carefully, eyeing her back as she paces back and forth, getting water to clean the masses of bloody off the girl. He eyes the child suspiciously, wondering how such wounds, and the power that was release when they formed, could possibly come from a human. He decides to cautiously help Artemis care for the girl, intent on getting answers the first chance he gets.

~~~

Her eyes crack slowly open, the light of the moon filtering between her lashes. She sits groggily up, pain lancing her back as she moves. Looking around, she slowly becomes aware of two of the most gorgeous beings she’s ever seen watching her, faces clear of any discernable emotion. She winces as she pulls herself into a sitting position, mentally scrounging for any possible reason for her to be here. The events of the evening before slowly filter back into her consciousness and her eyes widen in shock. She feels the torrent of emotions she had been trying to suppress the day before swiftly fight for dominance inside of her heart and soul. Slowly, the fissures created begin to widen, weakening her desire to do…anything. She slowly fades, feeling as if she’s simply a shell of her former self.

She looks around dazedly at the two beings who are now scrutinizing her, before standing slowly, her back twinges slightly through the fog of her muddled mind. She slowly walks towards the surrounding forest, not knowing where she’s going, but knowing that she must get there. The fissure in her soul widens slightly as her back begins screaming, a warm sticky substance sliding down her bare skin. Her eyes widen in shock as she looks up to find the woman standing before her, a frown marring her beautiful face.

“So are you giving up?” She asks, but the words make no sense. No, of course she’s not giving up. Why would she? She’s moving on, that’s what this is. She frowns at the woman, attempting to figure out why she would ask such a senseless question.

“Who are you?” She tilts her head to the side slightly as she asks, wondering vaguely how anyone could be so beautiful. The woman’s frown deepens, creating unsightly lines on her gorgeous forehead, her brilliant green eyes going slightly dull with worry. She turns to her male companion, her lips moving but no sound coming forth that Shannon can hear. He nods and replies, but again, she hears nothing. Frowning at the oddity, she attempts to move past the woman, bent on her destination, though she’s still unsure of where that destination is.

The man approaches her, grabbing her arm gently. She looks down at his bronzed hand on her slightly pale flesh, wondering vaguely when she became so white. He shakes her slightly, causing her to look up at his face to find his lips moving as if he’s speaking to her. She just shakes her head at him, confusion on her face. He sighs and turns to the lovely woman, dragging Shannon along as they walk back towards the center of the clearing. She looks down once they stop moving to find a pool of crimson at her feet. Looking back up at the duo in confusion, she attempts to speak, only to find that she no longer can. She opens her mouth several times, trying to form the words in her mind, but makes no sound. Frustrated, she screams, the sound pierces whatever invisible barrier had settled within her mind and everything comes rushing back.

She flounders in a sea of emotions and is bombarded with incessant sounds and sensations. Everything she’s known comes rushing back in a matter of seconds, crowding her already overwhelmed mind and sharpening her already painful senses. She collapses to the earth floor, her knees scraping against the brush and her back screeching in agony. She grips her head, moaning in pain. She feels the hands of her two companions touch her skin and yelps at the new distress their touches cause. She feels the fissures inside of her being slowly expand and cries in misery. She hears a crack off to the side, her head snapping up and a growl forming in her throat. She watches cautiously, her being still screeching in torment, as a vaguely familiar face enters her vision.

A boy, no, he’s older than that but not quite a man, steps into the clearing with them. He has unkempt midnight hair and startlingly pale eyes, swirling with an unknown emotion. His shoulders are broad the way a boy’s shoulders are before he becomes fully a man, his nose a sharp aquiline shape that adds to his masculine beauty. He has a strong jaw and his perfectly arched lips are turned down into a sharp frown that in no way detracts from his gorgeous features. He strides purposefully towards her as she is wracked with another round of agonizing pain, her back arching at an abnormal angle.

Reaching her, he places his hands on either side of her face and stares into her eyes. Slowly, the pain and the agony fade as her breathing matches his and her heartbeat steadies. Calmly, she reaches up and removes his hands from her face, struggling to stand when one final wave of agony crushes her once more. She looks up to meet three horrified gazes as her flesh rips and two new appendages rupture from alongside her spine. She collapses to the ground, spent and completely exhausted from the bizarre ordeal, breathing ragged and wanting nothing more than to sleep for the rest of eternity. She fades once more from consciousness, vaguely aware that the three strangers have begun talking.

~~~

Ethaniel watches in horror as two enormous wings sprout from Shannon’s back, drenched in crimson blood and shimmering as if hellfire is contained within them. He turns to the two beings, ready to demand an explanation, only to find identical looks of shock upon their faces. Sighing, he carefully lifts Shannon, attempting to avoid jostling her new limbs as he walks slowly back to his home, the two being trailing gradually behind.