Elements : Book One

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Silence.

There is nothing around, but utter silence.

The skies are colored red.

The ground is sprayed in blood.

The steeled weapons are laying around, blood-stained.

Corpses are rotting in the warmth.

The scent of death is everywhere around me.

I keep looking through the dead, hoping not to see familiar faces among them. I can feel worry slowly filling me up, taking every inch of my body.

"What are you doing here?" I jump at the sound of voice, turning back. But he is not talking to me. His eyes are solemnly on another person in front of him. Person, who reminds me of myself. Her clothes are tattered. Brown eyes colored in blood. Large wounds are bleeding on her body, bruises already formed. "You should not be here, Cassie."

He looks lost, tired and older. His usually perfect brown hair is in a mess, and long. The beard is already visible on his chin, hiding small scar on his upper lip. His clothes are dotted with blood and mud.

"I can't simply leave." Older me whispers. Tears are forming in her eyes. Lower lip quivering, fear sipping in her gaze. "They will return..." Older version of me adds in lower tone.

"That's why you should not be here!" Michael shouts loudly, rage visible on his face. "They did not die, so you could run directly in enemy's hands!" He shouts once again.

I blink rapidly as I sit up on the bed, sweat running down my forehead. I can feel shivers running down my spine, the ends of hair raising slightly. The deep urge inside of me to run follows me from the dream, filling and twisting my insides, making me bite on my lip hard to shake out of the feeling.

I get out of the bed, letting my feet touch the cold marble floor under me. The numbness of the night sips inside my bones, making me tremble a little. Quietly, I start walking towards the door, my footsteps inaudible in the silenced room.

I push the wooden door open, cringing at the cracking sound filling my ears. I step out in the hallway, closing the door behind me, letting cold breeze hit me in the face, brushing my unruly hair away from my face.

"Cassie."

A voice, calling out my name is lost with the wind. As if it was never even here, but part of my imagination. My toes curl at the touch of cold floor, yet, I continue walking with tender footsteps, my feet barely touching the marble. As if I am half-floating in the crispy air. My hands are slippery, covered with sweat, despite the cold. I continue floating into the empty hallways, my eyes roaming around, blurry, barely managing to make things out.

"Cassie."

But I need to continue walking. I need to see the source of the voice, see what's calling me. So, that I can feel the void inside of me. So, there will be no emptiness left inside of me. My chest is raising and falling with my breathing.

I stop, leaning against the wall in the corner of shadows. Darkness is surrounding me, covering me entirely. I can hear distant footsteps approaching me, making slight tremble dance on my body. The footsteps keep approaching me, becoming louder and louder, till there is no other sound left.

"What are we going to do about her?" The voice is cold, distant and filled with authority. The sound of the voice sends shivers down my spine, urging me to melt into the wall, to go as far away from him as possible.