Queen of the Living

Chapter 9

    Jack had laid Nawal into the bed to sleep for the night.  The pain in her thigh persisted, but was a little more manageable.  It had been cleaned and dressed by Matthias before she released him.

    As Jack walked to the door to leave, Nawal had one last question to ask him before going to sleep.  “Jack,” she said.  “Will you hate me if I, if-”

    “You do what you have to do,” Jack replied.  “You can only endure so much, and when you’ve reached that point, no matter what you do, I won’t judge you.”  He shut off the light and closed the door.

    Nawal found sleep immediately.  Though welcoming at first, her dreams haunted her.  She was always running, always being pursued.  First by Didier, then by a pack of wolves.  Finally, by a juggernaut of a man on a horse.  She couldn’t hide from them.  No matter where she ran, they knew.  She could feel their eyes on her around every corner.

    She heard Matthias guiding her, pushing her.  “You’re almost there,” he said.  “Keep going, don’t stop.”

    “They can see me!”  She screamed.  “I can’t hide, it’s no use.”  She heard the howl of wolves and the beating of hooves getting closer.

    “You aren’t meant to hide, Nawal.  Just run.”

    And she ran.  They chased her, but she ran.  Minutes, then hours passed, but she couldn’t stop.  She felt it.  Something.  Closer, and closer.  When she first saw it, she was frightened.  A large pillar of smoke, black as the night.  The closer she got, the more she could feel the puncture from the arrow in her leg.  She was getting slower and her pursuers were speeding up.

    “Come,” said the pillar.  “Give it to me.”  Six eyes, dark and red like blood appeared in the smoke.

    “Can you help me?”  Nawal replied.

    “Give it to me.”

    “What?” She yelled.  “What do you want?”

    “Your pain.”

    But she was too late.  The wolves closed in, pinned her to the ground, and as they ate her flesh, the man on the horse pierced her heart with his spear.

    “No!”  She yelled.

    She heard the sound of glass breaking, plates falling to the ground and her door burst open.  “Nawal!”  Jack screamed.  “What happened?”

    She was awake, lying in the hotel bed, drenched in her sweat.  Daylight.  Finally.  She looked at Jack, saw him wide-eyed in the doorway.  “I had a nightmare,” she said, hiding her face under the sheets.

    “Holy shit,” Jack exhaled.  “I had a heart-attack.  Was that in your nightmare?  Whoah.”

    “I’m so sorry,” she said, too embarrassed to lower the sheet.

    “You are not allowed to go to sleep anymore.  Or rather, you aren’t allowed to wake up unless I’m like ten miles away.”  Jack looked back into the living room.  “OK.  I’m gonna go clean up the mess I just made and order us some room service.”

    “I’m sorry, Jack,” Nawal whimpered.

    “Just so you know, I worked very hard on the breakfast that is now decorating the carpet in the other room.”

    “Thank you?”

    As Jack left, she could hear him muttering to himself through the door.  “An army of undead chasing us and I die to a heart-attack.”