The Awakening

Chapter Twenty-Two

Even though my suit I can feel the heat of the flames. I can hold on, for now, it's not so bad. Besides Emma will catch up soon once she has dealt with the others outside.
    "Frost!" I scream as loud as I can, climbing through the burning planks of wood. I find the stairs, and begin to climb them. There is a burning in my chest now, and I know I am cutting it close. I just have to- BAMM! The floor gives out from under me, and the back of my head smacks off the edge of the stair, causing me to fall back into the flames. It's so hot I can hardly breathe. My skin may not be burning but my body is having a hard time handling the heat. It takes much more effort than normal to float myself up to the second floor. I land on my knees and begin to cough. I take in deep breaths of air, but that too is starting to burn my throat. This shouldn't be happening. What kind of fire is this? My suit is supposed to protect me from everything. Shaking, I push myself onto my knees, then to my feet until there is smack on my back, and I hit the floor with another thud.
    "Oh how brave," hisses a recognizable voice. It's him. I can't stop myself from shaking as he steps onto my back and presses me into the floor. "I thought or original session would teach you a lesson." He sighs. "I thought it would show you to put yourself before your friends, and now..." he pauses as if to take at the moment. "Now I am going to kill you." Panic seems to have seeped into my veins and leaked into my blood because my body is shaking so madly I can't even make a fist.  Not him... I groan into my mind. I can feel the heat leaking into my bones, as my sweat clings to my body like a fly to a web. Please anyone but him...
    Get up.
The voice in my head sounds so familiar... I can't help but drink in and out of consciousness as he brings a metal bar to my neck.
    Ella get up!
It's louder now. Why do I want to listen to it? It would be so much easier to give up and die...
    You have to fight it! Don't be afraid.
That's so much work... I've hurt people already. It's too late. I am already the monster I was scared to be. Maybe if I die it will go away...
    You're no monster, Ella.
Perhaps a beast...
    No, it's him, he did this to you. He brought you here!
I brought me here... I can't save anyone... I'm too weak.
    No.
What?
    Not weak. You are strong. Stronger than you think.
I can't...
    I know last time I said it it was bad but you have to. Ella let go. Just let go...
Andrew?
    Do it!
I can feel my heart again, it's faint but it is there. My hand finds something hard in front of my face. I try to pull it away, but it's stuck. I force it harder as I begin to choke on my air. A little harder and there is a crack, and a release. There is also a grunt of pain as I find my feet again. Let go... Andrew's voice repeats in my head. I will let go, but not to fall, but to fly. I feel my stone pounding in my chest. Then I let go. I let go of my fears, my failures, my pain, and my stones begins to beat to the sound of my heart. Like it was meant to be there like it is beating as one. Andrew was right. I'm not a monster, but that doesn't mean I can't be a little bad. I smile a little as my enemy gets to his feet.
    "Suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Asmodeus."
"Hey my name is Ella and I don't give a damn," I reply mockingly, blocking one of his punches. He throws another aiming for my face, but I catch it. In his moment of shock, he hesitates, and I slam him into the burning wall, which falls on top of his leg in a heap of burning wood. He screams in pain, and with a small kick to the head his eyes roll back, and he lies on the floor with burn spots all over his body. I take a breath and leave him. Remembering what I came here for I pick up the pace and make it to Frost's room where he lies on the floor, blood pouring from his body. His mother sits, clutching him in her eyes, tears pouring from her eyes. She jumps when she sees me, clutching his closer, mumbling something I cannot hear. I kneel down next to him, and feel the burning in my chest worsen; he's dying. With a wave of my hand, a bullet is pulled from his body. I'm not scared anymore, so I do what I can, and I heal him. It makes me tired yes, but there is no fear of my other half taking over. It will no longer use my fear against me. I am my own person. It will not take that away from me. When I am done I pick him up in my arms. I shout to his mother to follow close behind me, and she nods without hesitation. We make our way out of the house. I always float her down before me, knowing it is what Frost would want. Emma is waiting at the bottom of the stairs, calming the flames that are so resistant towards her. We all make it out of the house, and for a second I feel relieved until I turn around and see a hundred guns pointed at our hearts. Frost's mother is a couple feet to our left, and Emma is directly next to me. I don't panic I act. I have no idea how I do it or why I can't feel the energy drain from me, but with a simple circular motion of my wrists the three of us fall into a black hole, while the rest of the word is left behind us.