The chase

Chapter 6 - Revelation

I stand at the back of the elevator, staring him directly in his newly coloured grey eyes and he stares back at me in concern. I try to respond with a look of reassurance, however, his hard features remain unchanged. I don't take my eyes off him as the doors slowly come to a close, separating us for what could be the final time. I listen to the rails of the elevator creek as it pulls me up back towards where it all started. Her room. 

The creaking gets louder, indicating the new tension being bought on from its slowed movement. The elevator shudders violently as if in a warning for what's about to come. Suddenly, it comes to a complete halt, lights beginning to flicker. I press the button for my designated floor, hoping to reignite life to the elevator. Instead of the ascending of the elevator, I am met with a high pitched alarm that pounds from the compacted metal walls. My hands fly to cup my ears from the sharp pain in my drums. 

"Please - I have to do this." I plead. The flashing becomes violent, as if in response to my request. I close my eyes to shield them from the blinding strobe now happening around the room.

"PLEASE!" I cry, but the alarm just gets louder, telling me no. I fall to my knees, cradling my head towards my legs, my hands cupping harder.

"Stop it - Stop it - Stop it!" I cry, tears streaming from my face, pattering on the hard metal surface of the elevator. I begin to rock back and forth, now cradling my elbows to provide my own embrace. 

"SHE NEEDS ME TO DO THIS!" I scream with all the air available in my lungs, yelling towards the roof, up to the presence above. Suddenly the alarm stops, the flickering slowing until eventually, I am back in a normal elevator. The floor numbers light back up as if the whole elevator has been reset. I slowly get to my feet, pressing that very same number. It responds with movement ascending again to my destination. 

"Thank you," I sigh. The doors open and the light from the hospital floor shines through as if greeting me. I automatically walk back through the halls towards her room, ignoring the other rooms I walk by, my attention on one goal only. I identify the room number written next to the half-open door, increasing my pace in anticipation. The closer I get the quicker my heart beats, the quicker the beads of sweat run down my forehead.

I reach the doorframe, slowly opening the door, its hinges screeching from disuse. When I fully extend its reach I'm not met with the illuminating light from those open blinds, or the empty bed where she should be, but with the darkened mist of the demon.

"Please," I beg. "Help me." It grasps me by the upper arm as it had Jayden, as it raises its scythe for my head I close my eyes and embrace what's about to happen next.

*****

I wish it had been me. It's all my fault. She looks so beautiful. Lying so peacefully on the bed. If only it were that simple. The doctors and nurses use to come through regularly, checking in on her condition. That was until they told me that she would never awaken. Her body was failing her, her organs slowly shutting down, her life support the only thing keeping her alive. All hope had been lost. As soon as we shut off life support, we shut off my daughter. As simple as the flick of a switch. My sweet innocent daughter would be gone in an instant. I couldn't bear to let her go, I wasn't strong enough. So here she lies on the cusp of death, until I become strong enough to one day, make the hardest decision of my life.

A bright light blinds my vision, I'm no longer the lady in the hospital room, but a younger woman.

I click the submit button on my mouse, finally completing my last report. I sit back in my chair and rest the back of my head on my hands, completely satisfied with my week's work. When I relax my mind from the stress of my job I realise what I had promised earlier that day, I promptly check my wristwatch '8:25pm'

"Crap!" I curse, bitter at myself for giving in. I whip out my phone from my pocket and begin texting 

'Finished late. Leaving now.' Short and sharp. I throw my phone into the bottom of my bag along with my laptop and work essentials and pace for my car.

A quick flash of light and I find myself driving through the city roads, lights from the skyscrapers illuminating the streets. Suddenly my bag begins to vibrate the floor of the passenger's seat. I reach over, glancing between my bag and the road and begin rummaging through my stuff. My rage intensifies as I struggle to find my phone, so I dig deeper, my vision being cut off from the dashboard. 

Suddenly the whole inside of my car lights up, a horn beeping aggressively and I now realise it's directed from the blinding light. I bolt upright and take the wheel with both hands, swerving in an attempt to avoid contact. But it's too late. I feel the whipping of my neck first as the impact from the other car throws mine into a continuous spiral. My window crashes into the road, the glass shattering violently, sharp pain shooting from my arm and face. I can't count how many times the car rolls along the road, but when it stops I'm left hanging upside down suspended by my belt. My limbs hang limply above my head and I now notice pain from my stomach. 

I look towards my wounds and notice for the first time the glistening blood seeping between the glass that's punctured into my skin. I start to panic, my heart racing. The light fills my car again and I start to realise that it's not from the other car, but my vision. My mind gets foggy and my body starts losing all senses. Soon - all the pain has gone. 

*****

I open my eyes, meeting those purple glowing orbs of the demon, my body feeling weak and brittle. 

"Is it true?" I ask, it doesn't respond. Instead its foggy silhouette takes a defined shape. Deep brown eyes stare back at me, facial features become clear, exposing the demon for what it truly is. 

"It's time," a soft voice responds to me. The thing before me is now a human in a dark cloak that flows down to the ground. It's scythe becoming clear to me, the visions becoming clear to me. 

"Let me see her," I plead. It nods, stepping aside to reveal the person I was looking for the whole time.