Chapter Two: The Healing Measure
Although his hands scarred severely by the burns from a week before, Erik stood in back of the house, a large ax in his hands. He lifted it and swung downward, splitting the log in half. His back was incredibly sore and it bled occasionally and uncontrollably. He set up one of the halves and split it. He placed the other on the chopping block, and swung. It split, the two halves flying in opposite directions.
He set the ax down and leaned over, picking up the quarters of wood, and setting them onto the woodpile. He sat down on the chopping block, hunched over, massaging his own hands. Fred walked up behind Erik and tapped him on the shoulder.
Erik looked up, his expression impassive.
"You look like shit, Erik. Go inside and get some rest. Caitlyn told me to come out here and take over for you. I think she wants to talk to you."
"Thanks, Fred." Erik said slowly, glumly almost. He stood, pulling the gray tank top back into place. It had fallen into disarray as he chopped nearly a cord and a half of wood. It was also drenched in sweat. His jeans were somewhat dirty, covered in wood splinters. Brushing his pants off, he walked toward the house. He had been outside for nearly five hours, just chopping wood.
Several times did his hands split open and bleed horridly. His back did the same, but always stopped. He stopped at the door, picked up the bottle of water he left there five hours before. He took a long drink from it and returned it as he opened the door.
There had been a door installed in the kitchen wall to allow easier access to the backyard. He walked inside, closing the door behind him. Sara ran past him, slapping his leg. "You're it!" She yelled, giggling as she ran by. Erik chuckled quietly and patted her head after she took her arm away. "Darn it!" Sara giggled and went to tackle her brother.
She's taking it well, Erik thought. He walked through the kitchen, hesitating only a moment to ruffle Matt's hair. He made no sound whatsoever and continued concentrating on what he was building with the plastic blocks. Erik stopped as he reached the door. "Caitlyn?" He yelled.
"Up here, Erik," she responded from Kel's room. Erik walked up the stairs, stepping up two and three at a time. He came to a halt and turned, opening Kel's door more. Erik looked at Caitlyn, walked behind her. He pressed his body against hers, his arms wrapping around her waist.
"You called?" Erik wasn't entirely surprised as she kissed him. Kel was asleep in the bed, resting, just as she more commonly did now since that horrid night. Erik remembered the third-degree burns that covered ninety percent of her back
"Look at her back, Erik. Pull back the blanket."
Erik reached over and used the tips of his fingers to pull away the blanket. He gasped loudly. Kel's entire back was clean, pure and smooth as if nothing ever happened. Not even a scar marred her back.
"How?" Erik looked at his own hands. They were still slightly bloody from all of the wood he chopped, and the scars would never go away. He even touched Kel's back. It was smooth.
"I don't know." Caitlyn put the blanket back up over Kel's back.
Erik stepped away, his blood red hair hanging over his face as he looked down at his own hands. So horridly damaged, they were. Blood still ran down his arms from the reopened wounds. Caitlyn took him by the shoulder.
"You need to rest, Erik. You've been pushing yourself too hard. Clean your hands off, too." She pushed him gently, playfully toward the bathroom next to Kel's room. She switched on the light and Erik leaned on the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm fine, Caitlyn. My hands will heal in time."
"Yes, but not without proper care!"
Erik growled teasingly and put his hands under the faucet. Caitlyn turned it on. Ice-cold water ran over his hands. Time seemed to freeze for just a moment as the water literally turned blue. The remarkable color change also brought about something else. As the sapphire-shaded water ran over his scars and blisters, they began closing as though something supernatural were speeding the recovery of his hands. Erik's wounds closed and his eyes opened wide. He pulled his hands from the water, staring at the healed burns.
"What in the name of." Erik stared at the phenomenon as though his hands might turn into crab claws. His hands were callused, just as they were before the Night of Terror.
Caitlyn stared disbelievingly at Erik's miraculous recovery. "Erik, it's official. I'm scared out of my mind," she said as she ran her fingers over his smooth hands.
Erik half-whispered, "This is like some. Bizarre movie or book."
She looked at the water again and lifted an eyebrow. Erik followed her gaze. The water had gone clear again.
James stood slowly, laughing as he finished reading the newspaper. He closed it and set it down on the chair. He looked to his lovely wife, Alexandra Roivas Lagrasse. He walked to her, leaned down, and kissed her cheek softly.
Alex giggled, the stubble on James' chin scratching her smooth flesh of her cheek. She looked up at him, her eyes widened slightly. "I haven't giggled since I was twelve."
James smiled affectionately. The white patch over his left eye had barely any blood on the gauze. It had long since stopped bleeding, but he kept it over his eye just incase the scabs around his eye broke open.
They were in the private study behind the clock's secret door. Alex was leaning over the Tome of Eternal Darkness, the accursed volume of hell that brought on the demonic happenings of the year 2000.
Although she no longer dreamed the lives of the people, most of which were long since dead, she still studied the book, hoping she missed something that may give her more answers. James turned from the horrid book and busied himself cleaning the room. Even after ten years, the study was still a hellish mess.
Placed upon the west wall, centered in a large picture frame was the Gladius that she found in relatively the same place. To its right was still the horrid picture of the Tower of Flesh, which was architecturally drawn by the steady hand of Edward Roivas from the accursed pages of the Tome.
Alex shuddered to this day every time she saw the picture. She hated to think of how many people starved to death within that evil edifice to structuralize it's substantial height.
James walked behind Alexandra and began rubbing her shoulders gently. She peered up into his dark eyes with a wanting gaze. He nodded and they left the study wordlessly, their arms around each other's waists.
Although his hands scarred severely by the burns from a week before, Erik stood in back of the house, a large ax in his hands. He lifted it and swung downward, splitting the log in half. His back was incredibly sore and it bled occasionally and uncontrollably. He set up one of the halves and split it. He placed the other on the chopping block, and swung. It split, the two halves flying in opposite directions.
He set the ax down and leaned over, picking up the quarters of wood, and setting them onto the woodpile. He sat down on the chopping block, hunched over, massaging his own hands. Fred walked up behind Erik and tapped him on the shoulder.
Erik looked up, his expression impassive.
"You look like shit, Erik. Go inside and get some rest. Caitlyn told me to come out here and take over for you. I think she wants to talk to you."
"Thanks, Fred." Erik said slowly, glumly almost. He stood, pulling the gray tank top back into place. It had fallen into disarray as he chopped nearly a cord and a half of wood. It was also drenched in sweat. His jeans were somewhat dirty, covered in wood splinters. Brushing his pants off, he walked toward the house. He had been outside for nearly five hours, just chopping wood.
Several times did his hands split open and bleed horridly. His back did the same, but always stopped. He stopped at the door, picked up the bottle of water he left there five hours before. He took a long drink from it and returned it as he opened the door.
There had been a door installed in the kitchen wall to allow easier access to the backyard. He walked inside, closing the door behind him. Sara ran past him, slapping his leg. "You're it!" She yelled, giggling as she ran by. Erik chuckled quietly and patted her head after she took her arm away. "Darn it!" Sara giggled and went to tackle her brother.
She's taking it well, Erik thought. He walked through the kitchen, hesitating only a moment to ruffle Matt's hair. He made no sound whatsoever and continued concentrating on what he was building with the plastic blocks. Erik stopped as he reached the door. "Caitlyn?" He yelled.
"Up here, Erik," she responded from Kel's room. Erik walked up the stairs, stepping up two and three at a time. He came to a halt and turned, opening Kel's door more. Erik looked at Caitlyn, walked behind her. He pressed his body against hers, his arms wrapping around her waist.
"You called?" Erik wasn't entirely surprised as she kissed him. Kel was asleep in the bed, resting, just as she more commonly did now since that horrid night. Erik remembered the third-degree burns that covered ninety percent of her back
"Look at her back, Erik. Pull back the blanket."
Erik reached over and used the tips of his fingers to pull away the blanket. He gasped loudly. Kel's entire back was clean, pure and smooth as if nothing ever happened. Not even a scar marred her back.
"How?" Erik looked at his own hands. They were still slightly bloody from all of the wood he chopped, and the scars would never go away. He even touched Kel's back. It was smooth.
"I don't know." Caitlyn put the blanket back up over Kel's back.
Erik stepped away, his blood red hair hanging over his face as he looked down at his own hands. So horridly damaged, they were. Blood still ran down his arms from the reopened wounds. Caitlyn took him by the shoulder.
"You need to rest, Erik. You've been pushing yourself too hard. Clean your hands off, too." She pushed him gently, playfully toward the bathroom next to Kel's room. She switched on the light and Erik leaned on the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm fine, Caitlyn. My hands will heal in time."
"Yes, but not without proper care!"
Erik growled teasingly and put his hands under the faucet. Caitlyn turned it on. Ice-cold water ran over his hands. Time seemed to freeze for just a moment as the water literally turned blue. The remarkable color change also brought about something else. As the sapphire-shaded water ran over his scars and blisters, they began closing as though something supernatural were speeding the recovery of his hands. Erik's wounds closed and his eyes opened wide. He pulled his hands from the water, staring at the healed burns.
"What in the name of." Erik stared at the phenomenon as though his hands might turn into crab claws. His hands were callused, just as they were before the Night of Terror.
Caitlyn stared disbelievingly at Erik's miraculous recovery. "Erik, it's official. I'm scared out of my mind," she said as she ran her fingers over his smooth hands.
Erik half-whispered, "This is like some. Bizarre movie or book."
She looked at the water again and lifted an eyebrow. Erik followed her gaze. The water had gone clear again.
James stood slowly, laughing as he finished reading the newspaper. He closed it and set it down on the chair. He looked to his lovely wife, Alexandra Roivas Lagrasse. He walked to her, leaned down, and kissed her cheek softly.
Alex giggled, the stubble on James' chin scratching her smooth flesh of her cheek. She looked up at him, her eyes widened slightly. "I haven't giggled since I was twelve."
James smiled affectionately. The white patch over his left eye had barely any blood on the gauze. It had long since stopped bleeding, but he kept it over his eye just incase the scabs around his eye broke open.
They were in the private study behind the clock's secret door. Alex was leaning over the Tome of Eternal Darkness, the accursed volume of hell that brought on the demonic happenings of the year 2000.
Although she no longer dreamed the lives of the people, most of which were long since dead, she still studied the book, hoping she missed something that may give her more answers. James turned from the horrid book and busied himself cleaning the room. Even after ten years, the study was still a hellish mess.
Placed upon the west wall, centered in a large picture frame was the Gladius that she found in relatively the same place. To its right was still the horrid picture of the Tower of Flesh, which was architecturally drawn by the steady hand of Edward Roivas from the accursed pages of the Tome.
Alex shuddered to this day every time she saw the picture. She hated to think of how many people starved to death within that evil edifice to structuralize it's substantial height.
James walked behind Alexandra and began rubbing her shoulders gently. She peered up into his dark eyes with a wanting gaze. He nodded and they left the study wordlessly, their arms around each other's waists.