Reborn Deceit

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Rose

I can't find him.

My heart was pounding out of control as I twisted my body around in every direction, desperately searching through the crowd of people to find him, but he was nowhere to be found. People of all ages ran by, their heads ducked low and their feet moving as fast as possible, darting behind crates and boulders to remain unseen.

The sky sat hidden behind a thick layer of smoke as fires ravished through buildings all around me. Floods of people were rushing through the compact street as they tried to make their escape from the terror that lay in the heart of the small village.

Screams could be heard in every direction, both those of the wounded and those who were, just like me, desperately searching for loved ones. I pushed my way through a group of people, only for my foot to make contact with a large object on the grassy floor in front of me, sending my body tumbling forward. I threw my hands out in front of me, preparing to make contact with the ground. Instead, my body fell against a large object. To my complete and utter horror, my eyes looked down on a dead body.

Vomit rose from my stomach as a choked sob-filled scream tore its way through my throat. Scrambling, I jumped to my feet and stumbled away from the deceased person. I went to cover my mouth with my hand, only to see it now covered with blood. Tears slipped from my eyes as I hastily scrubbed my hand across the grass, desperately trying to rid my skin of the staining red liquid. My cut up skin screamed in pain as rocks and shards of glass dug into my palm, my own blood now covering the red that was already there.

Hordes of people pushed past me, bumping their way through the running crowds. A voice in the back of my mind was on repeat, telling me I shouldn't be here, but I pushed it back, knowing that I was not leaving until I found him.

I screamed out his name, spinning around in circles as my eyes scanned the crowded street, looking for any sign of him. Suddenly, an arm was wrapped around my waist, dragging my body into a tiny alley way between the buildings. I was preparing to scream when a hand was placed across my mouth.

"What are you doing here?" The deep voice hissed in my ear.

Turning myself around hastily, my eyes fell on him. He was safe!

"I was searching for you!" I exclaimed, my hands grazing across his shoulders and arms, sighing in relief when I saw he was intact and unharmed, for the most part. Some bumps and cuts, but nothing life threatening.

"You need to escape this mania, my love." His voice was gruff as his hard calloused hand cupped my cheek.

"I am not leaving without you."

He stared into my eyes. Dipping his head, he crushed my lips with his, kissing me with such an intensity that I almost forgot the village was falling to pieces around us.

When he pulled back, his eyes remained closed. I was about to say something when his eyes opened, growing wide. 

"No!" He screamed. My brows furrowed in confusion, but I had no chance to ask him what was wrong. Becasue at that moment a hand on my shoulder yanked me out of his grasp and a blood-curdling scream filling the air as a stranger with a black mask drove a knife into my stomach.

Rose jerked awake, drenched in a cold sweat, her breathing coming out in jagged, short breaths. Disoriented, it took her a few seconds to realize where she was. Eyes darting around, she found the familiar sights of her old desk with the ACDC poster hanging proudly above it, and her closet over flowing with the dirty laundry she had been putting off, letting her know that she was in her room. Safe.