Chapter 8

Blood, so much blood. Everywhere I looked was covered in it. Little rivers of blood ran down the shattered windshield, dripping onto the dash and pooling in my lap. It smelled terrible, why did it smell like that?

I watched it run down, unable to understand what had happened. It didn't make any sense, where was I, what was going on? Where was Mommy?

I tried to scream for her. I tried, but I couldn't make any sound. "Mommy! Mommy?"

I tried to turn my head, to look for her, but something was pressing against my face. I raised my hand, intending to remove whatever was trapping me, but stopped when the movement caused searing pain to erupt in my stomach.

"Mommy, it hurts. Where are you?"

Something soft and warm brush my face. Suddenly, I was free. I turned to look for Mommy.

She was there.. but why did she look so sad, I'd found her? Ignoring the pain, I reached out, wiping the tears off her face. "Why are you sad? It's going to be okay now, I was scared before, but now I found you?"

She smiled a little, the tears still flowing, caressed my face again, and started whispering to me.

I didn't pay attention, I wanted to leave this place now. It smelled bad, and I was hurting worse now. I wanted to go home. I tried to get up, to get out of my seat, but trying hurt.

I screamed and grabbed my stomach. I tried to look down, but Momma wouldn't let me. She kept turning my head back to her and whispering. Why was she doing that? I couldn't hear her when she whispered.

"Stop whispering, I can't hear you." I yelled. I didn't want to be here. It hurt and I was so sticky. I wanted to go home and take a bath, I'd feel better then.

I tried to get up again, but something was pressing against my stomach. I pushed against it, hard. It didn't move.

I tried to look down, but Mommy kept holding my head. Angry, I pulled away from her, and looked down and screamed.

The dash was crushed and bent, pushing into my stomach. That wasn't right, the dash should have been further away. It was cutting me. I screamed, trying again, and again, to push it away. It wouldn't move, I beat it with my fists and screamed.

I started wiggling, trying to get away. It worked a little, but the blood started coming faster. I grabbed my stomach, trying to make it stop.

All that blood, it was mine. So much blood, it poured from me. It was everywhere, my hands, the dash, the door the window, why was there so much of it?

I turned, looking for Mommy. Why wasn't she helping me?

"Mommy, help me. It hurts so much." I reached for the dash again, but Mommy grabbed my hands. "Stop it, I want to go home," I yelled.

Mommy, just cried harder and started whispering again. "Stop that," I screamed. Then I realized... I couldn't hear myself either. But... I wasn't whispering. Why couldn't I hear myself?

I tried not to cry, I really did. I knew Mommy needed me, she looked so sad. I tried to be her strong girl, but it hurt so bad, and I couldn't understand.

"Mommy, take me home? Please, I just want to go home," I sobbed.

Then the men came, firemen, I knew. They were taking Mommy away. I held onto her hand as they pulled her from the car. "Mommy, don't go." I pleaded, she just cried harder and struggled against them.

They were firemen, weren't they supposed to help? Mommy always said that firemen helped little girls in trouble.

" Mommy, was talking, and trying to stay with me. I squeezed her hand tighter, but they wouldn't let her stay. She slipped away, "No!," I yelled, "Please don't go." I tried to reach for her, but she was gone.

In her place was one of them, the firemen. He was smiling and talking to me, but I couldn't hear him. I didn't want to, he took Mommy away.

He grabbed my arm, a needle in his other hand. I fought, he was going to hurt me, needles hurt, I didn't like them.

He was talking to me, smiling and talking. He looked nice, but I knew he wasn't. He'd taken Mommy. I wanted to go home with Mommy, this place hurt, and it smelled so bad.

Rust and salt, so strong it made me sick. I tried holding my breath, but I couldn't. The smell kept getting worse, it was so thick in the air, I didn't like it.

The men, brought machines. I covered my ears, but I didn't hear them either.

The man smiled again, and picked me up. I was free and Mommy was there.

I grabbed her hand, and smiled at her. It was over now, we could go home. She smiled, then, she turned around and walked away.

I ran after her, but no matter how fast I ran I couldn't catch her. She kept getting farther away. "Mommy, don't go. I love you, Mommy! Please don't go!" I tried to run faster, but my stomach hurt so bad, I couldn't go any farther.

Collapsing in the dirt, I called for Mommy, but she wouldn't come back. She didn't even look at me. Why wouldn't she look at me? She just kept walking until she disappeared into the darkness.

Everywhere I looked. there was nothing but pitch black. Above me, below me, nothing but darkness.

That wasn't right, this wasn't right. Wasn't real. Something was pressing against my subconscious, trying to call me back. Cold, hard hands against my face. I shouldn't feel them, where was my shield? I needed my shield to be safe, I tried to call it, to surround myself in it's protection, but I lost my grasp.

I tried to wade through the darkness, to find a way out. There wasn't one, every step I took, led nowhere. I ran, but didn't move.

Suddenly, the scene changed. The darkness receded, revealing a desert. The pain in my abdomen vanished, leaving me confused.

I looked down, stunned. My clothes, they were different. The same colors, but larger.

Experimentally, I raised my shirt.

The ragged, torn wounds were gone. In their place were dozens of jagged ,twisted, scars. They marred my stomach making it look horrific and ugly. Disturbed, I jerked the shirt down.

I was older now, than I had been when the dream began.

Curiously, I looked around, this was familiar. I'd been here before, I just couldn't remember when.

Then I smelled it. Blood! The thick, cloying scent filled my nose and mouth, choking me. I pressed my hands over my face, trying to find some relief from the stench, and searched my surroundings for the source.

The only thing in sight was an old, debilitated cabin. It didn't look habitable, however, the footprints leading through the open door suggested otherwise.

Dread crawled up my spine as I slowly followed where they led. Through the door, into the kitchen, and to the basement stairs.

The smell strengthened as I stood at the top of the stairs, it was coming from down there.

The dread increased as I descended the stairs, I knew I wasn't going to find anything good at the bottom. Never the less, I continued forward.

This had all happened before, I knew that. Why couldn't I remember what was coming? Why couldn't I remember this?

Suddenly, everything came flooding back.

We were hiding here, hiding from James. His coven attacked us moments ago. Mom was hiding down here, but she wasn't alone. Luarant!

I ran down the stairs, skidding to a stop, at the foot of my nightmare.

Mom was lying in the dirt, crying. Laurant was standing over her. I couldn't see his face, but I could see Mom's. Tears ran down her face, as she begged him to let her live. her leg was broken, the bone protruding.

He reached down and ripped her stomach open.

I screamed, as I watched her abdomen tear like paper. I saw her ribs snap and come apart in his hands. Her mouth opened in a silent scream and I lost it.

I felt something break inside me, like a wall had been shattered. Something, warm poured forth. A terrible pressure built under my skin, and I let it. I'd felt similar sensations before, but never this strong. Before it was simply a touch of something weak and tenuous. This time it was like granite, enduring and so dense I felt like I could physically touch it. Like it was hard enough to withstand anything.

Before I'd always repressed my powers urgings. Forced them back inside myself. This time I didn't, I screamed, and pulled every bit of power I could find, and pushed it outward.. It built and built, inside my body, becoming a pain unlike anything I'd ever felt before.

I didn't suffer from it, I didn't shrink from it, I reveled in it. I sought out the pain, and added more to it. I knew what it was, it was power, it was strength, it was revenge and hatred. It was Laurants destruction.

I focused every ounce of my being on Laurant, and then I unleashed my power at him. Directing it was the best I could do, once I released it, I couldn't control it anymore.

I didn't see it reach Laurant, but I felt it. It wrapped around him, and pressed, pulled, tore at him.

I saw him float into the air and bend backwards. He was trying to escape. It was much too late for him, he was already dead, he just didn't know it yet.

His mouth opened in a scream I couldn't hear, and slowly he started disintegrating. It started at his hands and feet, moving upwards until they turned to dust and were sucked into the tornado that surrounded him. His arms and legs were next, then his torso and chest, until only his head remained. Soon it too was gone.

The dusty tornado was all that was left. I tried to stop it, but instead it grew. The cabin followed Laurant, it was reduced to splinters, and sucked into the tornado as well.

The tornado slowed, and then stopped, leaving nothing but a pile of dirt and wood behind. The cabin was gone, the only thing left was a hole in the ground that held nothing but Mom and I.

Stunned and broken, I simply stared, tears streaming down my face. "Mom!"

I wished I could kill him again. Once wasn't enough, he deserved to die a thousand times for hurting her. I staggered over to her body, and knelt beside her. Her eyes were closed, tears still wet on her cheeks.

That was wrong in so many ways. Mom was a naturally happy person, she was always laughing, always smiling. During the worst times of her life she found something to be happy about. She shouldn't cry, it wasn't right.

Through my telekinesis I felt something coming towards us, something inhumanly fast.

I turned, readying my power. Not that I needed to, the granite feeling was a strong as ever, some instinctual part of my brain suggested it always would.

Belatedly, I felt two others, at the far edges of my telekinetic range, rushing in the opposite direction. Phil, I thought, turning back to Mom.

I didn't see how she could survive these wounds. Even if we managed to get her to a hospital, I didn't see her surviving long enough to receive treatment.

I knew when Phil got there, just like I knew what had to be done.

"Change her," I whispered.