Til We Fall

Chapter Five

Gabby was running. Her long legs were moving as fast as possible as she propelled herself further into the dark woods. She ducked below the low-lying branches and leaped over the roots breaking through the damp soil. Her blonde hair shone silver under the dappled light of the full moon.

She felt the dark wood of the ankh pressed against her wrist, the black rune burning white-hot against her skin. Her long dress was ripped and torn, one sleeve gone completely. The bottom of the silver material was stained muddy brown. She forced back the tears as she ran, but unable to stop their unceasing burn behind her eyes.

Eventually she stopped. She stood in the middle of the clearing, staring blankly ahead. Her shoulders moved in tandem with her pants as she tried to catch her breath. She was shaking, her entire body vibrating with supressed emotion. She swallowed thickly as she finally allowed herself to take in her surroundings. She bit her lip hard as she tried to stifle the cries that wanted to escape her throat. She let out a shaky breath as she looked at the giant weeping willow at the edge of the small meadow. The hanging leaves sparkled as the moonlight reflected off the raindrops and made the tree look like diamonds were hanging from it. The grass rustled in a silent breeze, swaying back and forth in log sweeps.

Gabrielle began to shakily walk towards the tree. Supressing her tears became harder as she moved closer to the willow. Eventually she reached the trunk of the tree, the willow leaves hiding her from view. She stretched out a shaking hand and lightly traced the letters carved into the trunk.

She felt a single tear trail down her cheek as her finger ran along the curve of the C and around the corner of the G. Suddenly the tears became too much and she fell to her knees as the emotion became too much for her. She sobbed thickly, her hair falling around her face. She wrapped her arms around her stomach and tried in vain to silence her cries. The sorrow crashed through her in huge, engulfing waves, carrying her off into a world of pain. She choked on her sobs and squeezed her eyes shut. The tears burnt hot trails down her cheeks as she cried her heart out.

Supressing her screams became harder. She tilted her head back and looked up into the sky. Clouds were rolling in, huge masses of grey and black, cloaking the stars and turning the sky into a swirling mass of latent energy. Fat raindrops pelted her, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed and power. Lightning split the sky and barely a second later thunder boomed.

“What a tragedy… Such a young life.” came a silky voice behind her, shouting to be heard over the howling wind.

“Go to hell.” she said, her voice cracking on the last word. She squeezed her eyes shut to cease her tears biting her lip to muffle her sobs.

“Now that isn’t very nice Miss Pike.” said the voice again, closer to her now.

“What do you want?” she said angrily.

“Me? I want nothing but your cooperation Miss Pike.”

“Why the hell would I cooperate with you Michael?” Gabby shouted angrily, standing and turning around to face the man. He wore a shirt so white it almost glowed in the dark night. His blond hair was plastered to his forehead and his blue eyes had an unearthly glow. They were both soaked through, the rain unrelenting and fierce as it pelted them.

“Because I’m the only one who knows how your beloved Cayden Howard died.”

~*~X~*~

Cayden

Cayden woke with a start, bolting upright in the bed. He took a deep breath and tried to calm down his racing heart. He had never had a dream as vivid as that. It was as if he had felt Gabby’s heart breaking as his own. Gabrielle…