_+_Yay! Next chapter of GROVE!! ...disorientation, rather.I hope you
like....Oh yeah, this kind of switches from 1st to 3rd person here and
there... I mean, Grove can't tell the story when he's unconcious, can he...
right...? Just don't get confused._+_
I awoke... I'm not sure how much later. But however long I was alseep, they had time to move a real bed into the tank, and put me onto it. I felt so weak.. and hungry. I tried to sit up, only for gravity to pull me painfully back down. I winced in pain. What the hell was wrong with me? Had I broken something? I saw Kyle asleep in my little chair that was in the corner. No on else seemed to be around. Weakly, I called out to him.
"Kyle?"
He grumbled, and sat up, glaring at me.
"You woke me up from my nap."
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head, and squinted his eyes at me accusingly, it seemed. He stood and stretched, and paced around the tank a few times to wake himself up. He smiled with what seemed relief, and sat down on the bed next to me.
"So, you made it man... we thought you'd never wake up."
I looked at him the way a puppy does who wants to be taken home, only with a bit more confusion.
"What happened, Kyle?"
He bit his lip. "That, well, I can't accurately say. You passed out the day we found those vampires in the desert, and we rushed you to the nearest town. They said it was dehydration at first. They gave you an IV with some water, but you didn't wake up, in fact you seemed to get worse..."
He looked up at the ceiling, as if the explanation were up there somewhere.
"You started to get really thin, no matter what we did. They said it was probably a flesh eating virus of some sort, and that you might not wake up. They told us to take you home and make you comfortable. And well, that's where we are now.. kind of. Of course, I can't say this tank is home."
I narrowed my eyes, not really believing it. Me? That sick? I was always so healthy. I never got sick, unless I had eaten something bad. I lifted up the light blankets that rest over me, and saw that my body had reduced itself to skin and bone. I gasped, and fell backward with a hand clutched to my mouth, trying to keep from crying.
"So, I'm going to die??" I asked quietly, the question muffled through my fingers.
A look of pain spread across Kyle's face. That look that people get when they don't have the heart to tell them. Grove knew that look. It was the look that mother had given father when he had asked the same thing.. He had stomach cancer, and asked if he was going to die. Of course, he knew the answer. I suppose he needed confirmation.
I bit my lip, and turned away from him to face the well.
"It's okay. I know the answer. Just......go now, okay?"
I heard Kyle about to say something he stopped, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Look, you're gonna pull through. I know it. The doctors said you weren't even supposed to wake up."
"Just go."
He breathed in deep through his nose, and stodd.
"Okay Grove, I'll leave you alone for awhile. I'll be outside, just, call if you need anything."
I didn't answer. I closed my eyes, trying to get out of this nightmare. One minute I was healthy and watching vampires burn, the next, it was...god only knows how many days or weeks later, and I was told that I was dying.
I looked down to my arm, and saw several IVs poking out of it. I sighed in disgust and quickly wrenched them out of my wiry and tossed them aside. I felt the drowsiness take me over again. I let myself fall into it; If was going to die, I might as well and just get it over with.
******
Borgoff poked his head around the corner cautiously. There were... two gaurding him. One was a woman. The vampire sat in his velvet chair, drinking a glass of what looked like red wine, but Borgoff knew full well what it was. He saw the body of a young man, carelessly discarded into a corner.
This was their new prey, who had become more of a problem than they had expected. Some ancient with powers they had never experienced. Healius Mestrok. A ruthless killer who had taken a merciless stronghold of fear on the all the surrounding cities and villages. No one ever went out at night, let alone day. They seemed to think his hunters were everywhere, looking for some poor victim to pick out.
Borgoff loaded his crossbow as silently as he could, and aimed it to his head, slowly. This probably wouldn't kill him, but it would sure as hell hurt, and most possibly make their task easier. Nolt was on the other side of the room, ready to take on the lackeys.
Healius looked up, and smiled.
"Lekia, my dear, we have guests. Would you like to show them in?"
"Certainly." She said curtly, and gave a quick bow, and looked over to Borgoff smiling. Without him knowing what was happening, the two had dissapeared momentarily, and then he knew where they had gone. The young woman was on top of Borgoff, clawing at his throat ferociously. She pulled a dagger from under her skirt, and smiled as she tried to place it to Borgoff's neck. He growled, and shot an arrow through her neck.
"Go to hell, you fucking little witch!!!" He screamed. She lurched back momentarily in pain, and then laughed.
"Oh, you humans are rich!!"
Borgoff jumped up, and backed away slowly. With each step he took, she took another closer.
"Now, really... I can't have you harming the man that I was hired to protect, now can I?"
Borgoff narrowed his eyes. So the damn bastard was aware of his bounty. The people who had hired them said that it was totally anonymous. But.. who could trust the word of a bunch of paranoid twittery people who probably weren't in their right minds as it was?
Borgoff heard a light twinking noise. Apparently, so had everyone else. Everyone had frozen in confusion, and was looking around desperately for the source of the sound. It grew louder, and the image of an ethereal being whipped around the corner, smiling. He spread his arms out wide, and unleashed a torrent of light upon Healius. Borgoff heard him scream, and then that was that. Lekia and the other had bounded to their master, only to be shot down themselves.
"It's Grove!!" Nolt shouted from across the room.
"What are you talking about?? Don't get near it!!" Borgoff screamed back. "I'll take care of it!" He shot out a barrage of arrows at the figure. They went straight through without appearing to do any damage. But then the apparition froze, and dispersed.
******
I awoke in severe pain. My throat had seemed to constrict itself. I clawed desperately to the air, gasping for breath. Kyle ran into the tank upon hearing my gasps, or chokes, or whatever sound I had been making.
"Grove!!" He ran to my side, not sure what to do. He picked me up in his arms and held me tight.
"Shit, Grove, Don't do this!!"
I gasped a few more times, and felt myself calm down. My throat relaxed, and I was able to take painful whooping gasps for air. Kyle was holding me close, shaking with fear.
"It's all right. That's right, you're going to be okay, I promise. I promise, I promise..."
I rested my head against him, and felt his heart hammering in his chest. Eventually, he started to calm down too. I coughed and felt really drowsy. Maybe I should sleep again.. I fell limp in arms, and before dropping off into uneasy slumber, I mumbled something that I don't really understand why I asked it. It was just a dream right? I asked anyway.
"Borgoff... was hunting this vampire, and I saved him, but he shot me. Why did he shoot me, Kyle?" I asked quietly, and fell alseep.
******
I awoke... I'm not sure how much later. But however long I was alseep, they had time to move a real bed into the tank, and put me onto it. I felt so weak.. and hungry. I tried to sit up, only for gravity to pull me painfully back down. I winced in pain. What the hell was wrong with me? Had I broken something? I saw Kyle asleep in my little chair that was in the corner. No on else seemed to be around. Weakly, I called out to him.
"Kyle?"
He grumbled, and sat up, glaring at me.
"You woke me up from my nap."
"I'm sorry."
He shook his head, and squinted his eyes at me accusingly, it seemed. He stood and stretched, and paced around the tank a few times to wake himself up. He smiled with what seemed relief, and sat down on the bed next to me.
"So, you made it man... we thought you'd never wake up."
I looked at him the way a puppy does who wants to be taken home, only with a bit more confusion.
"What happened, Kyle?"
He bit his lip. "That, well, I can't accurately say. You passed out the day we found those vampires in the desert, and we rushed you to the nearest town. They said it was dehydration at first. They gave you an IV with some water, but you didn't wake up, in fact you seemed to get worse..."
He looked up at the ceiling, as if the explanation were up there somewhere.
"You started to get really thin, no matter what we did. They said it was probably a flesh eating virus of some sort, and that you might not wake up. They told us to take you home and make you comfortable. And well, that's where we are now.. kind of. Of course, I can't say this tank is home."
I narrowed my eyes, not really believing it. Me? That sick? I was always so healthy. I never got sick, unless I had eaten something bad. I lifted up the light blankets that rest over me, and saw that my body had reduced itself to skin and bone. I gasped, and fell backward with a hand clutched to my mouth, trying to keep from crying.
"So, I'm going to die??" I asked quietly, the question muffled through my fingers.
A look of pain spread across Kyle's face. That look that people get when they don't have the heart to tell them. Grove knew that look. It was the look that mother had given father when he had asked the same thing.. He had stomach cancer, and asked if he was going to die. Of course, he knew the answer. I suppose he needed confirmation.
I bit my lip, and turned away from him to face the well.
"It's okay. I know the answer. Just......go now, okay?"
I heard Kyle about to say something he stopped, and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Look, you're gonna pull through. I know it. The doctors said you weren't even supposed to wake up."
"Just go."
He breathed in deep through his nose, and stodd.
"Okay Grove, I'll leave you alone for awhile. I'll be outside, just, call if you need anything."
I didn't answer. I closed my eyes, trying to get out of this nightmare. One minute I was healthy and watching vampires burn, the next, it was...god only knows how many days or weeks later, and I was told that I was dying.
I looked down to my arm, and saw several IVs poking out of it. I sighed in disgust and quickly wrenched them out of my wiry and tossed them aside. I felt the drowsiness take me over again. I let myself fall into it; If was going to die, I might as well and just get it over with.
******
Borgoff poked his head around the corner cautiously. There were... two gaurding him. One was a woman. The vampire sat in his velvet chair, drinking a glass of what looked like red wine, but Borgoff knew full well what it was. He saw the body of a young man, carelessly discarded into a corner.
This was their new prey, who had become more of a problem than they had expected. Some ancient with powers they had never experienced. Healius Mestrok. A ruthless killer who had taken a merciless stronghold of fear on the all the surrounding cities and villages. No one ever went out at night, let alone day. They seemed to think his hunters were everywhere, looking for some poor victim to pick out.
Borgoff loaded his crossbow as silently as he could, and aimed it to his head, slowly. This probably wouldn't kill him, but it would sure as hell hurt, and most possibly make their task easier. Nolt was on the other side of the room, ready to take on the lackeys.
Healius looked up, and smiled.
"Lekia, my dear, we have guests. Would you like to show them in?"
"Certainly." She said curtly, and gave a quick bow, and looked over to Borgoff smiling. Without him knowing what was happening, the two had dissapeared momentarily, and then he knew where they had gone. The young woman was on top of Borgoff, clawing at his throat ferociously. She pulled a dagger from under her skirt, and smiled as she tried to place it to Borgoff's neck. He growled, and shot an arrow through her neck.
"Go to hell, you fucking little witch!!!" He screamed. She lurched back momentarily in pain, and then laughed.
"Oh, you humans are rich!!"
Borgoff jumped up, and backed away slowly. With each step he took, she took another closer.
"Now, really... I can't have you harming the man that I was hired to protect, now can I?"
Borgoff narrowed his eyes. So the damn bastard was aware of his bounty. The people who had hired them said that it was totally anonymous. But.. who could trust the word of a bunch of paranoid twittery people who probably weren't in their right minds as it was?
Borgoff heard a light twinking noise. Apparently, so had everyone else. Everyone had frozen in confusion, and was looking around desperately for the source of the sound. It grew louder, and the image of an ethereal being whipped around the corner, smiling. He spread his arms out wide, and unleashed a torrent of light upon Healius. Borgoff heard him scream, and then that was that. Lekia and the other had bounded to their master, only to be shot down themselves.
"It's Grove!!" Nolt shouted from across the room.
"What are you talking about?? Don't get near it!!" Borgoff screamed back. "I'll take care of it!" He shot out a barrage of arrows at the figure. They went straight through without appearing to do any damage. But then the apparition froze, and dispersed.
******
I awoke in severe pain. My throat had seemed to constrict itself. I clawed desperately to the air, gasping for breath. Kyle ran into the tank upon hearing my gasps, or chokes, or whatever sound I had been making.
"Grove!!" He ran to my side, not sure what to do. He picked me up in his arms and held me tight.
"Shit, Grove, Don't do this!!"
I gasped a few more times, and felt myself calm down. My throat relaxed, and I was able to take painful whooping gasps for air. Kyle was holding me close, shaking with fear.
"It's all right. That's right, you're going to be okay, I promise. I promise, I promise..."
I rested my head against him, and felt his heart hammering in his chest. Eventually, he started to calm down too. I coughed and felt really drowsy. Maybe I should sleep again.. I fell limp in arms, and before dropping off into uneasy slumber, I mumbled something that I don't really understand why I asked it. It was just a dream right? I asked anyway.
"Borgoff... was hunting this vampire, and I saved him, but he shot me. Why did he shoot me, Kyle?" I asked quietly, and fell alseep.
******