The World Jumper (COMPLETED)

Chapter Nineteen (Part 1)

"Come on Celia..." I kneel down to let her have a piggy-back ride, after handing Hendrix my backpack. "How much longer?" She sighs. "Not much, just a few more miles..." Hendrix says. We've been walking for the last three hours and we've be switching who's been carrying Celia for the past two. It's my turn, again. "Al, are you sure you're strong enough to carry her?' Hendrix nags me. "Yes, it, I'm fine." I sigh. Now we continue to walk in silence.

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"That's the door, up ahead, just there." Tori points as we reach a crumbled building to rest. "Alright, in a couple of hours we'll go through." I sigh as I take Celia's hand. "Can we nap?" She asks. "Yes," I laugh, "Hendrix keep watch, please?" I smile as he kisses my temple. As we lay down, Celia snuggles close to my side. "I love you, mommy." she sighs. I smile sadly, "Love you too baby."

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"Grimms approaching, Al! I'll take Celia and you can fight. I promise she'll be okay!" Alex Deane screams over the voice of battle. "No, I want to stay with mom!" Celia says stubbornly. She can't stay here, she'll die. It's better that I die. Better to die trying. "Celia, I need you to go with Uncle Alex. Okay? He'll keep you safe." I say and then plant a kiss on her head. With that, I watch her small form fade to a dot in the distance and rush into battle to save my future husband from a mutant grimm.

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"What the hell is that thing?" I gasp as another mutant-like thing runs at us. It's like a few grimms were put into a blender, mixed-up, and spit back out. Arms and legs sticking out from all wrong places, eyes placed throughout its form, and the speed of a cheetah. The grotesque being in front of us isn't even the worst of our problems. There's spider like grimms with elongated limbs that move rapidly on all fours. Tall, strong, brute-like grimms with exposed brains and hearts. Grimms with skin as black as night and strong as iron that cripples a sword and steps a bullet. And more, and more mutants, the worst I've ever seen. As the beast rushes, I run off in the direction Alex took Celia as it trails me, hoping to lose this in the rocky terrain. A couple of its spider-like friends join us as we race past buildings. "Mom, wait for m-" I hear a little voice start to scream and then a sickening crunch. That couldn't be...that shouldn't be....It can't be....never...no....not...anything but. "Not my girl you assholes." I scream as I charge at the grimms. I destroy all of them and I will destroy anything in my way. "Celia, it's going to be okay. I've got you. It's me, Al, but you like to call me Mom. Please wake up...please come back to me...please I'd do anything...anything...anything....anything-g...any-th-th...any...a-any...a-a-a...."

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She's dead. Dead. All but life. Dead. Not smiling, laughing, and talking with me. Dead. Not playing hide-and-go-seek; not reading stories; not going to her hill. Dead. My girl is dead. She can't smile that toothy grin at me. Dead. Not batting those long eyelashes at me. Dead. Not playing with her long, dark hair. Dead. I can't do this. Dead. Sword meets flesh. Dead. Blood runs red. Dead. Now, I'm dead. Dead.

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"This has driven her over the edge."

"She's crazy."

"Not completely."

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Just take care of her, it take awhile to get back to...normal I guess."

"What about...never mind."

"What?"

"It's nothing, Hendrix, forget about it."

"Tori, is there something you're not telling us?"

"Lay off Adrian."

"Fine...your loss."