Chapter 13 Finding you
When I woke in the morning, to my delight Raven was still next to me. Her eyes shut and her little chest bumping up and down. I thought about it all through the night, what would happen if she suddenly got her life back, would she still want me like she said, or would she be like everyone else and just go back on her word. Deep inside me I was expecting her to leave me, why would someone like her waste time with me, but then again it was my fantasy, it would end the way I told it too. Her eyes fluttered open and a small smile appeared on her face.
"Mornin Kane"
"Good morning to you too"
"The quakers are coming! The quakers are coming!" Iziah suddenly burst into the room, she was no longer eight, now she was like those old timey people screaming the news while ringing that annoying bell.
"What?"
"The quakers are coming" Iziah said calmly, her bell finally stopped ringing, "Whatever your grand plan is Raven, you gotta do it now because they are pissed and I don't think I can stop them this time"
Thats when I noticed her arm was barely hanging on, a mere peice of skin kept her arm from falling on the floor. Raven put her head in her hands, "I can't do anything, I don't know anythin from this point in"
"Well figure it out, I'm gonna see if I can make the quakers break their treaty, knowing me, I'll suceed"
Raven flopped back to the bed and shut her eyes, "Raven?"
She held up her hand and I went quiet, "Just listen and take this in, it might help. Whatever you do, do not come back for me"
"What?"
She sat and looked me dead in the eyes, "DO NOT come back for me"
I didn't ask but I knew that I wouldn't listen, any chance I had to save her and make her real, I was gonna take.
"I hear running water, lots of it. It sounds so close " Raven breathed "Flowers, or something sweet, smells like pollen. Must be pollen because I hear bees, a swarm almost. Grass tickles my body and my heart beats slowly, with each beat I can feel the life drainin, I don't know how much longer I can hold on." Raven's eyes popped open, "Thats all I know, now you gotta figure the rest, fat lot of good I did" Raven punched the bed angrily, "So close and as always, so fucking far away. Why does everything I attempt fail, why, why, why"
I took her hand, and gave her a wistful smile, "You did perfectly, and if I'm right, I know where you are. We gotta get there before the quakers." I lept up and grabbed some shoes and a jacket. This was when a storm should be brewing, but like the Gods knew I needed a clear day, the sun shone bright. I raced to the elevators and just hoped and prayed that I was right, and more to the point that I got there before the quakers. When I got in the elevator, Mark was already there, it was like he was waiting for me, for the first time in twenty years, I didn't like the look in his eyes.
"Where you off to in such a hurry?" His voice was softer than usual, that deep evil was now soft silk, like he was talking to a mere mortal, or a child.
"You know, places"
"Kane get away from him, he's a quaker!"
"Places?" He asked his voice getting sweeter, he stepped closer to me until his chest was almost right up against mine. Mark reached out for me but his grasp didn't come, his arm bent up in a sick angle, screams of pain flashed in his face, his eyes going red. "Get to me Kane, I'll meet you there!"
Mark screeched as he flew against the wall, guess that was the vantage point of being dead, nothing could hurt her, at least thats what I hoped. Mark kept trying to grab me as the elevator raced to the floors, lights started flashing and everything was speeding like a bullet.
"I won't leave you!" I punched Mark hoping it would keep him down, if anything it only pissed him off more. The elevator stopped and Raven pushed me out,
"Go! I'll take care of him!"
Mark tried to keep me in the lift, but narrowly I escaped and the last thing I saw was the doors shutting trapping the quaker and Raven inside.
I rushed as fast as I could to what was known as the grassy knoll, wide grassy areas covered with flowers, the bees really loved it here, a rushing of water flowed out and joined to a river. It was a huge area and I had no idea how the hell I was going to find her. Still I knew that I had too, even if it took me forever, I wasn't leaving without her, not again. Quickly I waded through the grassy knoll, trying to keep an eye out for a body. The water sounds so close. That helped a little, she was closer to the water than she was anything else, the bees felt like a swarm, so she was near flowers and water. That actually narrowed it down, taking the biggest strides I could I went to the little corner which seemed to be reserved for body dumping. It was invisible to the naked eye, even to someone looking for it could miss it easily. It felt like hours that I searched for her but I knew it was only minutes, I was starting to lose hope again, what if she had been moved again and she didn't realise it, what if I found her but it was too little to late. I started looking around again, in case it was right in front of me. When I turned around I almost broke my freakin neck, tripping over something out stetched in the grass. White pale tree branch, pulling it aside I came to the conclusion that everyone had come too, branches weren't white. Pulling back tufts of grass my hope came flooding back, there she was, lying in the grass as though she was asleep. I lent down and touched her skin, so cold and pale I doubted that she was still alive. Surely she couldn't still be alive. I touched her neck and I found she was alive, barely. A weak slow pulse dragged through her body. I picked her up like a bride,
"I got you baby, I'll save you"
"Kane! Watch out!"
The last thing I heard before it went dark and Raven fell from my arms. I had failed.
