Holding Everything

Chapter 23: I Shouldn't Be Here

"Oh my, what a pity that she's in such a harsh condition." We turn and see Merila leaning against the open door frame with a long pipe between her lips, after exhaling a cloud of smoke she walks over to Rika's bedside and gently caresses her cheek, Eren on his guard and watching her closely with a glare.

"What do you want?" Eren says with a cold tone, clearly rushing her to say what she wants and leave.

"Oh come now dear nephew let's not waste such a wonderful evening getting angry at one another, after all it's a bit of celebration isn't it?" Eren grits his teeth, he grabs her wrists and swings it away, making Merila lose her balance a little and back away, she only laughs; mocking him for being so emotional.

"The brat will be dead before the weeks out, so why not celebrate beforehand?" she says in a calm manner that sends shivers down my spine.

"SHUT UP!! Leave!" He slams his fist down on the nightstand on Rika's bedside, she smirks and leaves, looking Lillya up and down before chuckling to herself once more.

"Such tacky friends you have, Eren." She flips her hair softly with her free hand, brushing past Lillya who doesn't even seem to care.

"What would you like us to do, Eren." Lillya says, completely ignoring Merila, which obviously frustrated her.

"Ignoring me does nothing you little-" Lillya turns around, and without saying a word she grabs Merila's arm and pushes her out of the room and locks the door, we hear a few bangs and then silence.

"What do you think it is Eren?" I say after staring in bewilderment at Lillya for a moment.

"I don't really know, but I'm terribly worried sick. I have no idea what it could be but I feel like if anything it's something to do with Handler stuff."

"It is, I felt it, when you received the 'notice' that I had awakened I saw you for only a second, but then something happened to Rika, like she disappeared but...didn't." Lillya goes over to the other side of her bed and gazes at Rika, "But I can tell you now, there isn't anything we can do, whatever it is, Kou has to do it."

"I figured so." He says with a sigh; he hangs his head and stands, pacing around the room for a moment before standing next to me. "Can you do something?" The worry in his eyes are obvious, he can hardly keep himself under control or calm, that alone was clear with how easily affected he was by Merila's bitterness.

"I don't know, all I can think to try is going back to the White Limbo Crate and talking to Gloria again but, considering what happened with Lillly," I glance at her before continuing, "I don't even know if that'll help anything. All I-"

Suddenly a high pitched scream echoes through the room, so loud we drop to the ground simultaneously, I cover my ears with my hands as the screaming continues. The ear-piercing scream goes on for a few more seconds before it suddenly stops; I slowly rise to my feet, looking at the others in bewilderment. I glance at Rika then back at them, I'm about to say something when it starts again, but it's seemingly louder, as if right in my ear this time. I squeeze my eyes shut and I scream in agony, the pain coursing through my head as I begin to hear a ringing alongside the ear-splitting scream; my knees buckle and I drop to the ground again, this time I fall on my side and curl up in a fetal position with my hands still tightly pressed to my ears. I manage to open my eyes when I feel myself being moved around vigorously; Eren, with a look of utter panic, is shaking me and yelling at me, but I can't hear him at all over the screaming. My vision starts to blur as tears form in my eyes, my head pounds and my ears throb.

"Make it stop!" I beg, unable to hear even my own voice as I cry out, I see them look at each other in worry then back at me, Eren's eyes begin to water and Lil pushes him away, she hold her hands to mine as if trying to help me in some way.