The Door

Chapter 9

Everett woke up in a haze. The world around him was fog, and he was drifting by. He jerked free, but rope tugged against his wrists. He yanked them away from each other. The rope devowered his raw skin. He felt like someone was standing on his chest.

"Help-, "he choked, trying to break free from the undeniable pressure that chained him down. He forced his eyelids open. He saw a figure in the light of early morning. It was Clairin. Rowan was no where in sight.

"Why-"

She walked close to him, and grabbed the rope his hands were tied to. Tears glistened on her face as she sobbed, flinching. She yanked him up, gritting her teeth.

"I'm so so sorry Everett," She sobbed. He barely caught a glance of the small knife before it sank into his side.

His eyes glazed over in pain. He stared at her with his unblinking eyes. The world went quiet. He heaved suddenly and fell into her arms. His heart thumped in his chest. Pain coursed through his body. He jerked his limbs violently, as the pure darkness flowed through them. Then something else came. The flaming power. He was overtaken by it. He could feel the blood rushing from his face and replaced by the utter numbness the power brought. He screamed hoarsely. Clairin rocked back and forth, refusing to look at Everett. 'I'm so sorry,' she repeated over and over. He clamped his iron grip onto her arm. She looked up at him in pure terror.

It was quite odd the first time. It was like all of the darkness just dripped from his fingertips. It slowly leaked out of him as a dripping faucet. Then it started to flow. He breathed heavily and all of the power was just gone. He clenched his teeth together; the numbness the power brought also dissipated. His fingers were still wrapped tightly around her frail arm. He let go and looked into her eyes. They were filled with sorrow. And then they turned black. Everett jumped back in horror. The hollow blackness spread throughout her whole iris. They were completely empty.

She screamed the loudest, most piercing scream ever heard to man. Her fingers intertwined into the ground underneath, as she tried to fight to stand up. The dewy glow of her skin drained into the earth. Her pink cheeks became like snow. The life was being sucked out of her. Pure, utter horror-struck him down to his very core. Her screaming stopped suddenly. She pulled at her hair and curled up into a ball on the grass. Everett slowly stumbled towards her. His face was numb, but not from the power. He ignored the stabbing pain jabbing at his side. His bloody, knotty knees sank into the soft dirt as he kneeled down behind her.

He did no more. He did not cry.

Or think.

Or breath.

His lay one of his trembling hands on her back. She jerked up and turned her head violently. The color was back in her eyes, but it was duller then it used to be. She did not stare up in anger. She stared up in pain. Age was clinging to her, a lot more than it used to. She looked about ten years older. Her roots were gray, her flesh not as smooth. Her skin was the color of a corpse. She looked dead inside.

Pain gnawed at him, but he ignored it. He brought his trembling fingers up to her porcelain skin. She winced.

"Did I do this?"

He did not remember even thinking these words, but the chill of them was as evident as the fog around them. She dropped her head into the earth.

"It wasn't your fault,"

Her crackling voice had little effect on him. He felt something shift in the space around him. It was no longer chilling. It was utterly terrifying. Adron stepped into the clearing. Everett jumped up.

"You are all so adorable," He cackled. "You put on quite the show when you stabbed him. Good work with that one. But, ha! You weren't even upset! Its better then Shakespeare!"

"What did you do to her?" Everett growled deep inside him. Rage boiled up in him like he was a caldron.

"Me?... I did nothing. It was all you," He sang. The giddy in him was nothing less than evident.

Everett stumbled backwards and looked at his hands in disgust. "Me?" He whispered.

"Well of course!" He slithered next to him as a snake, circling its pray. "Why do you think TCOWA took you in the first place? You have dark magic idiot." He grabbed Everett's chin and held it up close to his face. Everett stared deep into the depth-less eyes of his beholder.

"You do not scare me," He hissed.

"Well then you know nothing about me fool." Adron let go of his face, yanking it downwards as he slunk around him again. "I was surprised at how much power you possessed, Everett. I truly was. Power like that will not go unnoticed." He grinned a devilish grin. And at that moment, Everett knew he was in a world of trouble.