Shadow Cursed

Chapter 30: Wing Bound

I woke up in a panic, palms sweaty and shaking. The dream I woke up into felt like a nightmare, and it wasn't ending anytime soon. Everything seemed out of place, like the end of the world, when everything is coming to a stop. I stood up and walked to the usually brightly lit hallway, but to my surprise the lights were all out. I thought I saw a shadow but it disappeared when I blinked.

My heart was suddenly racing in fear. Without a second thought, I ran down the maze of left and rights and didn't look back. I knew I was being watched, and I had a good feeling by who. I wouldn't let him win this time, not while I still had a beating heart, a pulse, and a breath that told me I was still alive. The turns never ended, and I didn't know where I was going. I just followed my instincts, if I would survive doomsday, I wasn't so sure.

Some rooms I passed had glass scattered on the floor and been broken into, you could tell because the room was a mess. While other rooms were empty and left untouched. But I saw no people anywhere, the wing had been deserted. I didn't even stop to think about what happened to the victims. I didn't look for any survivors, I had no time. Damien was right, if I acted too quickly, everything was thrown out of place, like a time line not on it's course.

The more I thought to myself, the closer I found myself to the destination. I slowed down, almost to a stop. I had reached the end of the maze of turns, and the door was wide open. The darkness was welcoming me into its lair of untold secrets. They were expecting me, no doubt it was a trap. But with no choice I couldn't turn my back on this.

Keeping my eyes on guard I slowly walked into the room, when the door closed behind me. I tried to open the door again but it was locked and I had no key. In a panic I looked around the room. The first thing I noticed was that the glass window that had once separated me from the demon was now shattered on the floor in a million shards. I walked backwards, my back no against the door with no where to run and cornered. I prayed I was alone.

Out of the corner, I heard a hissing sound. My eyes saw the demon when it emerged from the shadows, it walked on its hands and feet, it was missing some body parts, and it still had some hair left. It looked like a science experiment gone wrong. I felt bad for the demon, tortured and now stuck in this form.

Before I could defend myself, it launched itself at me with no time to react. My head hit the door and I blacked out the moment I ended up on the floor.

What seemed like hours later I found myself lying on the ground with my hands tied up behind my back. My head hurt and my mouth was covered with a gag cloth. I couldn't untie my hands, but I remembered the marque, maybe the fire had a meaning. I thought of fire, and the ropes holding my hands behind me burned until they fell off freeing my hands. I twisted my wrists, it felt good to move them again. I untied the rag over my mouth and then untied the ropes binding my feet together. I stood up stretching, my body ached. How long was I out for, and where could I find food, I was starving.

My eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could make out it was a storage room of some sort, and I was possibly the only alive being in the room. Upon a closer examination, I spotted a body only a few feet from me on the other side of the room, and ran over as quietly and quickly as possibly. I flipped the still body over and held in a gasp. Quickly untying the ropes, I freed the doctor and examined his wounds. Multiple cuts and bruises, but nothing too life threatening. I listened for a heartbeat, he still had a weak one, but it was still a heartbeat.

"Please be alive, please be alive." He groaned and opened his eyes, "You're alive!"

"What happened to us?" He sat up confused.

"I'm not sure myself," I looked around, there were no doors or windows, or a light. "I can't tell where we are or what time of day it is."

He scratched his head, "Well, what now?"

"We try to find a way out of this," I felt along the wall all around, but nothing opened a door or escape exit. "Does this room even have a door?"

"I don't remember much. I recall when the lights flickered several times and them went out. I tried to find a candle or flashlight and something attacked me." He scratched his head in confusion while he talked to himself trying to piece together the events that occurred.

After trying again a few more times, I slumped against the wall, it was hopeless. "This is just perfect." I groaned, we were gonna be stuck in here until someone came to drag us away to their master. "When I see Anna, I'm gonna kill her, and without allowing any plea of mercy coming from her mouth." I cursed under my breath.

A bang from outside came to my attention, and voices followed. Someone was coming to get us, and they were armed. I threw myself on the ground and lay there still. I heard an entrance click open and 5 men came into the room. "You two get the girl and restrain her if needed, and you two get the man. Separate them. We are running on a tight schedule here."

I felt two sets of arms grab me, they had a strong grip I couldn't break free from. "Let me go!" Kicking had no affect on them.

"She's resisting," one voice said, "Will she be a problem?"

They took us outside, the sky was pitch dark now. I could barely see where we were going or where they took the doctor. I was alone and clueless about where they were taking me.

The other voice responded, "She's too weak to do any damage, let her fight. I can put her out like a lighter if she gets agressive."

Like a ligher... Fire! I called the fire and I could feel the heat from my hands, one of them let go and complained about being burned while the other one tried to hold me down. "Not today." I broke free of the grip, looking at my hands the marque was visble and buring brightly. I grinned.

"She has the control of fire, the boss didn't tell us that." The first voice said panicking. "What do we do."

"Let me take care of this mess." The other voice responded enraged. "You're gonna be sorry."

I let the fire tickle my skin, to be on fire but not burning. The marque provided light at least. Alert and awake, my instincts kicked in, allowing me to dodge his attacks with ease making causing more distance between us. I ended up standing on the edge of a cliff, leading to a drop into a canyon. "Oh shit." I swore, I had no time to turn around.

"We've got you now." The smile on his face was wide and he had won. "And you thought you were clever to try and run away."

Without a second thought I took a step backward towards the edge, "If you get any closer I will jump." The threat didn't work, I took a look over my shoulder to see it was long fall. "I will jump, I'm not bluffing." He dove for me as I took one last step and fell.

"No!" He screamed as I fell hopelessly to my doom.

I could feel myself falling closer and closer to my death, each second that passed. But I started slowing down, curious I looked behind me to see feathers floating down around me. Upon a closer look, I noticed had dark colored wings. I laughed to myself. I reached for a falling feather and held it in my hands, it was soft and silky. I had wings on my back, and it wasn't an illusion. I was still falling at a fast enough pace that even my wings couldn't slow the fall fast enough to not crush every bone in my body.

I must of been delusional, in the moment of my death I had wings. Wings that didn't help me in any way. Maybe this was a sign of the heavens accepting me in the afterlife if I was granted one.

The ground quickly came into view as I braced myself for the impact. A minute passed until my body smashed into the ground with a full on impact knocking me unconscious.