After-Death

Chapter One

Chloe

I watched as my friends battled my enemies. I wished that everyone would be okay, especially Aunt Lauren. She was captured by the Edison Group. Apparently, it was much bigger then we once assumed.

Little rotting animals flounced around in the building, attacking people my ally's couldn't get. There was a rotting cougar attacking two big security men. There was a dead wolf going after five workers at a time. A decaying German Sheppard was all over three scientists, probably. A lynx, that looked freshly deceased, was chewing on some security guy. A little, white bunny was chasing away the biggest guy I'd ever seen. That one probably would have made me laugh if I was completely unaware of everything around me.

Torus had a ball of energy in her hands, and was throwing them out like pebbles. Simon was using a knock-back spell on multiple people. Kit was a few feet away from Simon, watching his back and using some spells on whoever dares approach. Derek—my Derek—was fighting with Mr. St. Cloud. I suspected it was a fight to death, and I was so scared for him. For Aunt Lauren, who was in the very last Edison Group building we checked, locked up somewhere. For Tori, who always thought she could handle about anything. For Simon, who was so sweet and brave. For Kit, who would die protecting his sons. And for me, who couldn't do anything but command dead animals to fight.

At least you can do something; my inner voice whispered, finally the nice guy,

I looked around the area, trying to see if there was any place Aunt Lauren could be hidden. I let my eyes wander over every wall. I swore I could see something from behind the mess of white fur on the rabbit, and I squinted. I could just make out a door handle. I ran.

I ducked under an axe. I dove between Simon's and Kit's legs, and Simon swore. "Jeez, Clo, I almost blasted you." I ignored him. I tiptoed around Tori, and was careful to avoid Derek's eyes. If he saw me, he'd yell at me to get out of the line of fire. I commanded the bunny to move out of my way and keep fighting the guy. When he pulled out a knife from his belt and pointed it at me, an energy ball hit him in the back of the head. He fell to the ground.

Tori was standing a few yards back. I got your back, she mouthed at me, smiling.

Thank you, I mouthed back. Tori and I had become friends, close friends. After the night when her mom died a year-and-a-half ago, she's still been herself, but not to me. Except when she pointed out how "too nice" I was. We were close.

I put my hand on the cold, silver doorknob. I twisted. I guess someone forgot to lock it. It popped open, revealing a long, boring hallway. There were only two rooms in the hallway. I dashed into the first one. There was nothing. No furniture, no colors.

I ran into the next room, and found Aunt Lauren sitting on a white chair, staring at nothing. "Aunt Lauren!" I called, running to her side. She turned to face me, a smile spreading across her face. "Chloe? You're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I smiled and flung myself into her arms. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, dear," she whispered, and we both stood up, still twined together.

It had been a month since I'd seen her. It seemed like so much longer. I let o of her, and draped my arm over her shoulder. "Can you walk?" I asked.

"Yes. They didn't do anything to me. They just put me in here. I think they were planning on you guys coming to save me so they could take you out. I heard about how many Edison Groupers you guys overcame."

"Yeah," I pulled my arm back, and she walked perfectly fine. "We have to move. The others are still out there, fighting."

I grabbed her hand and we raced down the hallway. I burst out the door, and couldn't stop myself from looking over at Derek's fight.

I looked just in time to see Mr. St. Cloud shove a needle in Derek's stomach. My stomach twisted. Derek picked him up and slammed him into the wall. Mr. St. Cloud lay in a jumble at Derek's feet.

"Out!" I shouted. "I've got her!"

Wow, Chloe, do you think that's something you should be announcing?

I didn't care. Aunt Lauren was safe, and the rest of us needed to be. Kit and Simon walked through the exit back to back, still firing some spells. Tori stayed close to them, randomly shooting energy balls. I whispered for Aunt Lauren to follow them, and she did.

"Stop!" I commanded the animals, which were attacking motionless figures. They stopped. I closed my eyes and pictured tugging their souls from their bodies and releasing them. When I opened my lids, the animal's bodies were all laying on the floor, eyes wide and vacant. Every person in the room was lying down. I didn't see Derek, so I ran outside where I assumed he was waiting for me.

I burst through the door, and ran over to the van that was sitting patiently at the curb. I pulled the door open, and Simon said, "Where's D?"

"W-what? I thought he was h-here?" I stuttered, getting nervous. I'm so stupid! He was stabbed with a needle filled with suspicious liquid. I also should've known that Derek would never leave me alone in a building filled with enemies. In fact, he probably wouldn't leave me alone in a building unless he knew without a doubt that it was safe.

I spun around and started running towards the building. My breath came out in pants, and y heart was hammering in my ears. My newly-dyed blonde hair fluttered in the wind, which was nipping at my cheeks.

I threw the door open and ran to the place I saw Derek and Mr. St. Cloud working. I saw Derek laying in a heap, head pressed to the cold, tile floor. "Derek!" I breathed.

His lips twitched.

I ran over to him, crouching down. I shook his shoulders, and said, "Derek, it'll be okay."

"Chloe?" his voice was just a grumble that I could barely decode.

"I'm here." I told him. I slung his arm over my shoulder and tried to stand up. Since Derek was a werewolf, whatever Mr. St. Cloud used didn't have all the effects it was supposed to. Derek was able to drag his feet with much effort. "What did he put in you?" I asked, nervous.

"Just anesthesia. I can smell it." He slurred. "Don't worry; it takes a lot to knock me out."

"I know." I kissed his cheek.

He smiled despite himself. "Stop," he joked, "You're gonna make me blush." His words were a little less slurred, but his footing didn't change.

"Since when do you blush?"

"Touché,"

I laughed. "We're almost there, okay? We'll get you in the van and be on our merry way."

"Mm-hmm," he smiled again, his eyelids drooping. "Can I sit next to you?"

"Of course. Well, if there's room."

"We'll make room," he tried to lean in to kiss me, but lost his balance and fell. I helped him up, and kissed him quickly, but warmth still spread through me.

We stood up as Simon walked through the door. "I'll take Derek," he offered.

"Okay," dropped my shoulder and Derek wobbled. Simon caught him.

"I wanna stay with Chloe," Derek slurred again.

"I can't support your weight. And I'm right here, so it's not like I'm leaving." I stated.

"Yeah, okay," Derek sighed. "Love you."

I blushed as Simon gave me a weird look. Derek has said it before, but only when we were alone. "Love you, too."

They started walking ahead of me, Derek feet a little less dragged.

"Derek wanted to sit next to me," I told Simon. "So I was wondering if we had room in the—"

My words were cut short by the sound of a gunshot bouncing off the walls, and an excruciating pain in my gut. I clutched my stomach then fell to the ground, hands and shirt soaked in my own blood.