Umærium: A Parallel World | ✔

Chapter Thirteen

~Allison~

 A few bruises made themselves known from the burning sensation they emitted. My arm hurt badly for no apparent reason but my full attention was on Séres. We were running, and a cut on her side had eerily appeared out of nowhere. She was sobbing from the excruciating pain she was feeling.

I panted. My legs were feeling a bit numb. We wobbled to the end of the parking lot. 

In my head, I always dreamed it would end like this, but the reality was scary.

We passed a man with long brown hair sprawled out on the ground. He laid there rather still and I presumed he was dead. He was dressed oddly, all fancy and expensive looking. Jacob was nowhere to be seen.

"It's okay," I whispered to her. "It's going to be okay." I checked my phone and the service bars were completely gone. I looked in the direction we all ran from. The school was completely gone. And in its place stood a purple tear in the atmosphere revealing a world I'd never seen before. I wasn't too sure what was going on but I didn't want to be a part of it.

I turned and noticed Asaíra and another woman having a heated discussion, where several armed men stood on the other side of the rip.

"Where is she Romana!" she yelled while gripping the girl's shoulder violently.

"I-I left her with a caretaker," the girl responded quickly. I squinted, wondering why she looked so similar to Karen. Or maybe it was the distance from where we stood.

"Bring her," a red-eyed man on the other side of the rip said. It was then Asaíra turned with a menacing glare. 

I glanced to the other side of the road. Two ambulances were parked near. The drivers were distracted by the alarming situation that was unfolding before my very eyes. 

Was I surprised? No, just disappointed that I'd allowed it to get to this point. But then again, even if I didn't help  Asaíra, we would have all gotten to this end eventually. It was only a matter of time.

As the two battled silently with intimidating glares, from the rubble in the distance, a piece of wood flew off. Something fiery stood. It looked like a body burnt beyond recognition: red wounds all over with soulless eyes and a resonant growl. 

I subconsciously held Séres closer to me. I needed to get her across the street and into one of those ambulances. Irvine had sensed its presence. Her locs flew graciously as she turned her head to get a proper look at that thing.

"This thing is your friend?" Irvine yelled from where she stood. I looked from her to the singed being that was approaching us. I then figured it was Jacob.

"Sadly," I simply replied. Could it have been something possessed him? Or was this truly his form? I preferred to believe the first thought. It would be heartbreaking if it was the second. And then I remembered how he was linked to the library from the article Séres made me read.

How was Irvine even going to fight him? Her sword had disappeared with the school since it was the source of the portal. All she had was her bare hands.

"Your kind needs to be exterminated," Jacob spat. His voice comprised of two tones; his own and whatever evil being he was becoming. Irvine chuckled. She drew a small knife handle from her waist. She pressed a button and it quickly enlarged into a shiny silver sword, similar to the one she used to open the portal. She held out her hand and challenged Jacob. His moderate walking pace fastened into a sprint.

I pulled Séres off the concrete and onto the soft grass. There was a retaining wall and I managed to pull both of us slightly behind it. I eyed the vans across the street once more. They were so close, but so far away.

"Séres, you need to keep your eyes open," I told her. Her breathing was hardly audible.  I caressed her face softly, trying not to tear up. I needed to be strong for both of us. 

The sounds of battle echoed throughout the town. The sky wasn't its usual blue, but rather a royal purple colour that brought an inexplicable feeling; like things were far from over. I didn't know what was about happen next and as much as I didn't like to admit it, I was afraid of change.

After all that had happened here today, I knew we could never go back to our normal lives.

A static sound began to join the cries from behind the wall where we laid. It started out as a low hum and raised into an annoying shrill. I placed my hands over my ears to block it out. The sound that played everytime that portal rip was about to do something drastic.

I peered from behind the wall and noticed Irvine and Jacob both fighting while the other side of the portal hole began to widen even more.  It looked as if we were on two adjacent treadmills, rolling towards each other. Everyone seemed too distracted to notice what was really going on.

"Allison?" Séres managed to say. I glanced from her face to the destruction that was merely three seconds from ending us all. I gazed into her eyes. "I'm sorry."

And then, it happened.

***

Hey!  Sorry for the late update and I know that this is really short, but the upcoming chapters will be lengthy. Hope you enjoyed this one.

Taja D'amore.