Flaw

Chapter 10: B

Darkness surrounded my disembodied soul. Everything was at peace, and a lining of bliss reaped my world of dejection. A coldness swerved in my veins, and my lungs felt heavy. My body was anchoring me down on earth, but I felt ready to ascend into the heavens above.

Something pulled me back. I could feel a force push at me, but I was tired and heavy. If only I could let go of this force, then I'd be set free. I saw a kaleidoscope of memories rush through my mind. My mom's face shone like an angel who was in the ground. Her thick hair seemed so close that my fingers yearned to touch her, but she was out of my reach. I couldn't do anything but watch. I was lifeless, and my heart didn't know love. I was ready to give up.

My mind took me to a shard of darkness in the forest. I heard the sound of a little girl laughing. She was giggling and hollering at something to stop and wait. My mind zoomed in on the girl, and when she got into sight, I saw a girl with long dark hair running barefoot through the forest. She laughed and she called out at something. We both were searching for something that we couldn't reach. The girl turned around, and her eyes lit up with excitement. I flashed recognition back. It was my mom – well in the form that I've only seen in old photographs. Her image became distorted as it got interrupted into the image I knew. I could feel it choking me, and the forest got loud as a siren blew through my head.

My mother's distorted image got closer and the sound of her laughter and her calling out to me deafened me. I wanted it to stop. If I was dead, then this should be hell.

"Find what you need." Her voice echoed and suddenly everything went white as I got ripped through another world. The sirens in my head grew louder and I could feel my body rejecting something cold. It left my mouth and absorbed into the ground. My eyes opened as I fell over and began to cough out the water that filled my lungs. My fingers dug into the ground in thanks and I gasped for breath. Pain overtook me together with a rough burning sensation in my throat. I sunk my head onto the ground and tried to calm down.

My body was in shivers, and I felt someone help me up. My eyes cleared up and I focused. I thought it would be Flaw who would be my savior, but instead I was caught off guard by a roughed-up man. His eyes looked smothered with concern and I gripped my hands into his arms. He knelt over me, his face covered with worry and he checked me. He was full of blood and wounds, which I assumed came from me, but I was afraid that it could be Flaws' doing too.

Flaw was stronger than anything I've ever encountered, and when I looked around me, I saw a bloodied knife that was plunged near the water banks. From above black jackets caught my eye, and that's when I saw the butchered carcasses of men. I guess that's who shot me before I went down. I looked back at Jack with a perplexed expression.

"Jack?" I asked in a low whisper. He looked around at the same time I did, and he gulped.

"I don't know what happened here, but we need to get going." He said as he helped me up. I shook my head and I parted my lips in denial. He grabbed me by the arm and looked me dead in the eye with an empty expression. "We need to go warn the others before whatever hit these people get to them."

He got angry when I remained in place. He pulled me forward with great force and I snapped my hand back. I trembled backwards which caused me to step too hard on my battered leg, and I winched in pain.

"Blake pull yourself together. We need to go!" he shouted, and I gave him a crazed look.

"And what do we tell the people? This wasn't some animal Jack!" I boomed and he gave me a tilted look. I looked back at the men, trying to see if Flaw was amongst one of them. I wanted to warn my people of what was to come, but I didn't know how. I didn't know how to explain to them that there was something supernatural in these woods.