Shore ( A Modern Fantasy Beach Action Adventure)

Scalpel (Part 2)

     Doc places the shard inside a glass bottle and gets back to work. Arena pulls from his bag a needle with a thin black thread attached to it. His fingers run through the thread as he chants a spell. Arena and Doc use the needle and thread to sew the cuts they made. Doc's hands shrink to better accommodate both their hands.

      When each stitch is done, the thread turns to liquid and turns to a symbol tattooed to the organ. The symbol resembles a quilt stitched together in a circle of the strange writing. The cuts are sealed but not completely healed. They do this until they finally make it to the skin. Arena controls his breathing while he finishes stitching up. The final symbol appears on the transparent skin.

      Doc pushes down on the green copy until it fades into Lahar's body. The symbol that was on the green copy's body appears on Lahar's stomach. She lies quiet, still unconscious on the table. An exhausted Doc lies on the stool with smoke puffing from her flame.

      "I think I should move her to the bedroom. I feel like we did well enough on the sealing stiches that if I am careful I can move her," Arena says.

     Doc looks up at him and puts her thumbs up.

      Arena washes his hands in the bowl of water. He cautiously picks up Lahar with both arms, doing his best not to hurt or wake her. Doc jumps down from the stool and walks to the door. The handle glows as she opens the door to the inside of the house. Arena walks slowly out the door and toward her room. Arena finds Pie laying his head on Lahar's bed, waiting patiently for her return.

     "Look who's worried," he says as he carefully places Lahar on the bed. "Don't worry, bud. She's going to be all right. Still, I think it's best that you stay by her side for the night." Arena scratches Pie's head and walks out of the room. In the hall, he's greeted not just by Doc but also by King and Crew.

      "Now, why are you all awake? Does anyone sleep in this house?" Arena says jokingly. He looks down, and he can tell they are not joking. "All right. Let's head to the table," he says and heads to the dining table.

     They all grab a seat, Crew with his arms crossed, King resting his head on his hands, and Doc looking through her satchel. Doc pulls out the bottle with the shard inside and hands it to Arena.

     "This is what was inside Lahar," Arena says, holding up the bottle. "I'll fill you two in, since you don't know. Void was able to get inside Lahar's dream earlier this night. She came to me, and I found out that this was inside her."

     Arena places the bottle on the table. "This bottle is Doc's, so we know whatever signal Void was sending and retrieving is now blocked. I won't say I know how exactly it was placed inside of her, but I do know it came in from the scratch one of those Beasts made when they attacked."

     Arena leans in closer. "Now, from what you all have told me, you three were just minding your business, wandering the field, when these Beasts suddenly attacked. I originally thought you were just intruding on their territory and they were just being defensive. Yet they chased you pretty far and pretty close to the barrier—but not over it. Like they knew it was there."

     The wisps remain quiet.

     "Maybe the entire thing was a trap. A ploy to get this inside of her so that he could offer her that deal. Once they got the shard inside, they bolted away."

      He leans back and holds the bottle up, shaking it and watching the shard bounce around. "We have to be more careful with everything around. Also, I want you all to come with me next time I check his seal. I want to see if you guys have any added ways to strengthen the security. There has to be a way to prevent him from sending out more of those creatures."

      King's flame flickers.

     "What do you mean I was slower out there?" Arena asks, feeling insulted.

      King's flame flickers as Arena sits there being lectured.

      "It was one day, and we all forget sometimes," Arena says.

      They all stare at him silently, letting him fester in his own guilt. Doc reaches into her bag and pulls out a vial of pink liquid. She uncorks the vial and then stretches her arm and hands it to Arena.

       "Fine. I understand. You all just mean well." He takes the vial and chugs the terrible-tasting liquid. He wipes his mouth in disgust. "Done; I've taken it. Now it's time for bed. We're all exhausted and have things to do in the morning," he says as he gets up from the table.

       They all stand and push their chairs in. The wisps head to the door next to Arena's room. Arena walks to his room and falls onto his bed. He places the shard on his nightstand. "Let's see if you'll come to my dreams," he thinks.

       He tries to sleep, but the thoughts racing in his head keep him awake. At first he looks at his hands. A smile comes across his face as he reenacts the movements he did in the surgery. Then his eyes drift to the shard, and he stops.

       Anger and a sense of guilt fill him. "How could I let that inside of her? Why did it take so long for me to notice it? I thought I was past these simple mistakes, mistakes that can cost people their lives."

       He grips his chest for a moment. The frantic rhythmic sound of his pounding heart soon slows and lulls him to sleep. He doesn't dream this night. Just a dark void surrounds him. That is, until he is woken up by the sound of metal crashing.