Opposing Sides

Chapter 18: Sleep Paralysis

The guards let Vlam go through the gates, after he shows them the papers and feeds them a few lies. He walks into the Safe Town and briskly walks to the shadows of nearby homes. He stops for a second to sniff the air, and he smells Cine. Her scent is faint but it is there. Vlam follows the smell while trying to blend in with the crowds of people in the Safe Town. Her scent leads him to two story building. It looks like a library.

Cine finishes her first lesson in Madame Violet’s class. Now, she knows that independence is essential to every powerful woman’s future. Cine never thought about being a powerful woman before. She had her father and her brothers to depend on all of her life. She did not ever think that she should stand alone and be a strong tree instead of a fragile flower. She seeks to grow stronger with age like a tree and the seed of ambition has been planted in her head. It is up to her to aim to be someone that is not a frail as a butterfly or a fledgling.

Vlam goes through an open window in the kitchen. His left foot slips on the smooth metal of the sink and lands in the soapy water. A maid that is standing with her back facing the sink slowly turns around with wide eyes. Vlam’s hat falls off outside the window and he moves his right leg off of the sink. He regains his balance and maneuvers his left leg out of the sink with a swift motion. The excess water on his leg flies into the face of the maid who finishes her rotation and blinks too late. She screams and falls to the floor as she tries to rid her eyes of soap. Instinctively she rubs her eyes with soap covering her hands, and she screams louder. Vlam runs around her making sure that he avoids the stack of clean dishes, behind her, that sit neatly on a mobile shelf. He enters the candlelit hallway and his face collides with Tim’s shoulder. Tim falls to the ground as he hears a slight crack in his shoulder. He looks up from where he has fallen on the burgundy carpet to see lazy, white curls whoosh by him. Vlam runs into the living room. Brian is sitting on the couch with a book, not the one he was reading when he met Cine, in his hand.

“Where is Cine?” Vlam yells. “I do not know who you are talking about. Now, you better leave while I am feeling merciful. I do not want blood all over my floor.” Brian says.  Vlam inhales a sufficient amount of air through his nose. He is searching for the direction of Cine’s scent. Brian throws his book on the floor. “You have been warned,” Brian says as he looks into cold silver eyes. “Oh, so there is another species outside these gates that I did not know of. What do you call yourselves? No, wait let me guess. Is it the Unknown Lost Folk, Vagabonds, Pathetic Creatures, Klutzes, or something similar to one of the names I have said before?” Brian says as fog runs out of his pores and he transforms into a monster.

Vlam lets the fire spiral down his arm. Brian’s smell is thick and does not allow Vlam to smell anything else. Vlam closes his eyes and listens to the loud thumps that accompany Brian’s footsteps. Brian throws himself at Vlam but Vlam dodges his attack. Brian’s arm grabs Vlam’s leg and pulls him to the ground with him. Vlam swings his arm back and fireballs fly out. A fireball grazes Brian’s face and another slide past his shoulder.

The abrupt, sharp pain forces Brian to release Vlam along with a grunt. A fireball lands in the hall and the burgundy carpet begins to burn. The smell of the burning carpet and Brian’s foggy musk permeate all spaces linked to the living room. Cine sees the fog invade the bathroom stall she is in and runs from the stall, down two flights of stairs to the living room. Daren calls her as she runs past him and into the living room. She runs in the direction of the fireballs but she dodges each one. Vlam rips Brian’s arm off and Cine cannot see anything but his arms that are covered in spiraling fire and a massive, bleeding monster arm that morphs back to a somewhat thin, slightly hairy arm. She does not know what is going on but she wants to be a part of it. She thinks to herself. A strong woman will not run away from any battle.

Vlam throws the arm to the side and it hits Cine’s foot. Brian lunges and Vlam blocks his claw while grabbing a handful of his throat. Brian hovers over Vlam. Vlam’s sharp nails dig into the flesh and rip it off. Blood pours and squirts out of the wound. Brian morphs back to his human form. He tries to stop the blood by holding his throat, with only hand he has left, but it still drains out of his neck. The pain is immense. The shock of the excessive blood loss and pain, from two major wounds; that has been replaced by complete numbness leaves his eyes wide staring at nothing in particular. His body is destroyed and all the life within him is forced to evacuate. Cine kicks one of Vlam’s arms and his eyes turn yellow. He releases a seemingly deafening scream that makes all the windows shatter. Everyone in and near the building fall to the ground, and they enter a deep sleep. Now, most of the Safe Town is sleeping. The fog fades and he sees Cine lying on the floor near him. He carries her in his arms and releases his black tinted wings. He jumps off the ground move his wings just before he reaches a breach in the fence of the Safe Town. The wolves growl as he flies above them.