Watcher in the Darkness, Book 3: Imprisoned

Chapter 39

I didn't believe I could save her. Even if I could wrestle Karen away from the hellhound, they were too far away. I couldn't fall fast enough. That didn't stop me from going over the edge after them. I didn't think twice about it, but that's nothing new. I never think twice.

It turns out, though, that five seconds is plenty of time to weigh this option: feet-first and live, or headfirst and die?

The look of terror on Karen's face scalded my sanity. She stared at me, as though to say, "Can this really be happening?" I watched as the gravity of her situation hit her, then I shared her despair. She drew in the breath to scream as the fog swallowed them whole.

Then, silence. A deep, endless silence that stripped away every last shred of hope. Sorrow hit me like a spear to the chest, but it was brief. A numb sense of calm washed everything else away.

Okay, then. Headfirst.

It was the most peaceful decision I've ever made. I turned my body in the air, closed my eyes, then waited for the inevitable.

Then again...what if she was alive?

Call it foolish hope, but once the possibility entered my mind, I couldn't dismiss it. People have survived falling out of airplanes. Besides, maybe that hellhound had cushioned Karen's fall, or something. Maybe—just maybe—Karen was only broken and unconscious on the pavement below. Even if she was hanging on by a thread, I could still save her. Hell, we were right next to the fucking hospital.

On the other hand, if Karen was dead...I'd have to see her body. That image would take the place of every other memory I had of her. It had happened before. The only thing I really remember about my mother was killing her family for her. To my fucked-up brain, having ripped open Justine's throat defined our relationship. I didn't want to carry the image of Karen's dead body in my head for the rest of my life. Sure, that would only be for another thirty seconds, or so, but still.

But, didn't I owe Karen that much? A chance for survival, no matter how small. No matter what it cost me.

Whatever. The fog closed over my head as I twisted my body to land on my feet. In almost the same instant, I stopped falling.

Let me make this clear; I didn't hit the ground. There was no sudden stop, no jarring impact, no pain. My momentum ground to a halt, then I hung in the air. Thanks to the blinding fog, I had no idea how far I had fallen. I had no idea how far I still needed to go. I flailed my arms and legs, but it made no difference.

It was then that I became aware of a low hum. The sound existed just below the general noise of the city, so I'd always tuned it out. There was no wind rustling through the trees, no traffic. No one shouted inside of the hospital. There was only that low, steady vibration of sound.

The fog rolled away, sucked back to form a bubble of clear space. I discovered that I wasn't far from the ground. Had I continued to fall, I would've smashed into a garden thick with flowers, narrowly missing a stone fountain. Except...

The drops of water hung in the air, catching the light of dusk like neon rubies. Withered petals hovered on the still breeze, as motionless as a painting.

In a universe of wonders, there are some things that make you question everything you think you know. Time had frozen. I couldn't even begin to wrap my mind around it.

The hellhound floated nearby, just out of reach, whimpering as it twisted its body in the air. Karen lay below, on her side with her back to me. Her hair pooled around her head in a puddle of black silk. The realization that I didn't smell blood or any ruptured organs squashed my panic. I could even hear her slow, steady breathing, but my relief was very short-lived.