Hey everyone! I decided to rewrite chapter 9 and I hope it is significantly different from the unedited version. Sorry for length! (: Enjoy!
Chapter 9, Blackness:
My eyes shoot open, my lungs grasping for any air that they could reach. I felt my fingers searching for any sign of an open wound that could have been formed from an arrow. With a sigh of relief, I realize that it was just a dream. The thing that still haunted me was that I was still trapped, kept prisoner.
It was still unclear to me what time of day it was or how long it had been here. Has it been three, five, even ten days? I didn’t know. Scanning the cell, I didn’t notice anything out of place. My mind began racing at the sound of steady, rhythmic, footsteps echoed through the cells. They can’t be coming for me, right? Hoping that maybe if I hid in the furthest corner, they wouldn’t notice me. Maybe they have another prisoner with them. Part of me knew that I wouldn’t be invisible in the corner, but it was my only hope if they were coming for me.
A dark shadow covered me as I crawled further back in the cell. I tucked in my legs, preparing for anything. Please, oh please just walk by. The steps grew closer, now beginning sound more threatening. A servant came to my cell door, a ring of keys in his hand. Maybe, I could make escape... Come on, open the cell... The servant twisted the key in the lock, a light click signaled it worked. The cell door swung open, my feet already making a run for it. I rammed into the servant, knocking him off his feet. Almost as if I set off a trap, servants circled around me, shields up making a wall of metal and iron. No... Oh no, no, no... I can’t die.
Coming behind the wall that enclosed me was a steady clap of hands, a second or two between each smack. I spun around, unsure where to look. Smack... Smack... Smack... I searched for any clue of what it might be. I felt like a wild animal that a cage had just fallen around it. I have to get out of here.
“Good try, I will give you that.” A chill ran up and down me, almost paralyzing.
The wall broke and a dark figure stepping in, hands clasped together, fingers folding over another. It was him. The one who I am destined to kill.
“Now, I bet you are wondering why I have let you live, do you not?” The Darkness tapped his finger tips together, pacing in the small space.
Don’t answer, I warned myself. Don’t answer.
“Ah, well, you are very much needed.” I felt his cold glare on me as I looked away.
“As I have heard,” I said, gaining confidence.
“You have heard right. I would like to propose something to you. Very important for the future of Arai.”
What is he planning on doing?
“If you join me and the King himself, you will be granted many riches, even be royal yourself. You could end this war if you join me. I could teach you things that you have never thought of accomplishing before.” The Darkness grinned, his words coming out in a hiss, “Your grandmother and that... boy that you have been traveling with will be spared.”
My thoughts began whizzing through my head at his offer. Will be spared. Grandmother and Trenton will be spared if I agree. If I agree, millions will be dead, but Grandmother and Trenton will live. I will be known as a traitor, but my kin and friend will be okay. What means more? My family or the innocent victims of this tyranny? A vision of the man in Remca who was murdered for trying to feed his family. He wasn’t the only one who went to drastic measures. What if I say no? Innocent people will be spared, but what of my Grandmother? Trenton? Will they survive? Will I survive?
My throat constricted as I thought of the answer I was about to give. “No,” I said, starting to believe it more and more by the second. “No.” It pained me to say this, but the millions of innocent lives mean more than two.
The Darkness’s grin faded to a straight line, showing no emotion. “Are you sure?” he asked me, coming closer.
I begin cowering against the cell bars which had kept me contained for how long, I didn’t know. A flash of black whipped in my vision, confusing me. What's happening? The Darkness had a firm grip on my right wrist, my feet dangling a few inches off the stone floor. I began wiggling, hoping that it would loosen his grip and I would be set free, able to run far away. It didn’t work.
What is he going doing to me? The Darkness slid out a dagger from underneath his cloak, the blade looked almost coated in something unidentifiable. With my left hand, I began trying to push him away as well as attempting to kick him. Frustrated, he rammed my body against the iron bars, causing my head to jumble around, stars filling my vision. I caught sight of the dagger touching my skin, sending a small chill through my arm. The Darkness pushed down on the dagger, the blade ripping through my flesh and muscle, cutting through my veins, leaving nothing unscathed. A ripple of an overflowing pain escaped from the blade, causing my scream.
A cold liquid ran down my arm, almost like flowing water being poured out of a pitcher. Am I hallucinating? My hair was tousled around, blanketing me from everything going on around me. I felt my body sway from dizziness, confusion and pain. Blood pulsed through my ears in a panic, trying to get to the rest of my body. I screamed.
In the midst of my anguish, I felt a sharp point push away my tangled mess of hair away from my eyes, cutting my skin ever so slightly. The slow, steady stream of my blood trickled down my cheek bone, winding it’s way to my neck while tears mixed themselves into it. My eyes were clouded, searching frantically for anything that I could use to defend myself. I caught sight of the Darkness still holding tightly onto my arm, his nails digging into my skin. Almost instantly, I was dropped. Everything skimmed around me as I fell, smashing into the stone floor in a puddle of blood.
I quivered on the floor, trying to fight against the instant pain that shot up my arm. My head buzzed, nothing was clear. Only images flew across my thoughts. My grandmother, then Trenton, my old home, the innocent people who will die because of me. I felt like the world was now crushing me, killing. The pain I was experiencing made death look more peaceful, easy. I never have thought of my death before; it never crossed my mind. Now, as I lay helpless, destined for to become dead, I thought of myself as being unliving. Would I lay in a grave, beautiful, flawless and unscathed? Or would I be unremembered, unimportant; nothing. Just a faint memory lost forever. The girl who had no chance, the girl who was our last hope.
Unable to prevent it, my thoughts slowly dissolved into black.
My eyes shot open, finding myself covered in warm liquid, gasping for air. I could feel my throat constrict as I let out a terrifying scream from the distorting pain that crawled up my arm. Was I dreaming? On my shoulder and forehead, I felt hands trying to shake me awake. Instinctively, I lash out, my hand making contact with skin. I began kicking and swatting, wanting to get whoever away from me, the panic setting deeply into me.
“Elle, it’s going to be okay...” I couldn’t make out the rest from the blood coursing through my head, pounding away. “Elle, can you hear me?”
I stop fighting back from his voice. Trenton’s voice. My vision searches around until I see him. My hope flares up, becoming overwhelming. I wanted to leap into his arms, but the pain was to much that it controlled me. My legs began dangling in the air as I was lifted. The air around me was filled with hollers and clanks of swords against swords. Despite the growing pain that enveloped my arm, I wanted to do something useful, something that I could be remembered by. Even if I do live, I want this to be one of my feats. I tried to wiggle out of Trenton’s grip, hoping to get on my feet again. Trenton clenched onto me tighter so that I was locked in place. To get out of his arms, I jerk my body in an odd position which only sent more pain throughout me. My scream was cut short as I fell into nothing.
A gentle, rhythmic thump consumed me. My eyes felt drowsy and heavy as if I just woke from a deep sleep. Where am I? For a few, minor seconds, I felt peace and stillness, no anguish. Numbness, the feeling that nothing could penetrate me. It was quickly disrupted. I wail and manage to look at the source of my pain. A cloth was deeply bounded around it, an intricate pattern of webbing crept up my arm. On the base of my palm, I saw the same pattern crawling up to my fingertips.
Unable to control my actions, I began clawing at the bandage, hoping to tear it to shreds. As I begin trying to rip apart the white cloth, another pair of hands try to prevent it. I begin screaming at them, telling them that I had too. Beneath me, I felt the tough hair and mane of a horse, but only for a moment as my feelings were taken over by pain.
I kept hearing my name in my head as I tore harder and harder at the bandage, my nails torn and jagged,
blood encrusted on the tips. I managed to rip small parts of the bandage off my wrist, pieces of white cloth fell to the fast, moving ground that blurred. I scratched harder and harder until my nail tip scrapped against a tender spot, sending a new shrill of pain that consumed me into dark.
I felt confusion underneath the pain which was still growing stronger. How was that possible when I couldn’t stay awake to experience the worse of it? It could have been hours, days, weeks, even years and I wouldn’t know. Eventually, the anguish had to end. I felt the agony lick my arm in beats. Each lick, more unendurable. To my surprise, I was enduring it. Each breath I took scorched my throat. What is happening to me?
Never, in my life, have I experienced such pain. The worst thing that had occurred to me was being shot with an arrow and that didn’t even compare to this. Now it seemed to no good to scream or yell, it was only a reminder to those around me what I was experiencing. Why couldn’t I move? My mind was no unclear, blurred by the waves of pain.
I tried to focus my mind on what was happening around me. My ears strained to hear anything significant, only to come up short. I opened my eyes, only to see everything swirled from all of the different feelings my body and mind felt. I caught a glimpse of black hair, walls that enclosed me into a room, hands examining my arm while everything else was unclear. What are they doing to me? No! Let me go! As my thoughts cleared up, I realized that Trenton wasn’t near me. These people were strangers, people that I didn’t trust. I began thrashing around, thinking that I could escape. Exhaustion and weakness was now creeping over me, followed by more excruciating pain. I was pinned down at my ankles and left wrist while I felt a gentle hand examine my wound.
I saw the woman’s lips move, but didn’t understand what she was saying. It seemed that everything that was said was put on mute. Something caught in my throat and I began coughing. It hurt to even cough. Dry tears stained my face.
“Just kill me! Please!” I began to plead, begging them to finish me. It wasn’t clear how long I could stand this, my doubt slowly winning.
My mind was unable to control myself properly, causing random thrashings or laying still, almost paralyzed. This continued for some time, not sure how long, until my body and mind couldn’t handle the pain anymore, slipping me into black.
“We have to do this, or she will die.”
“You said she may die if you do the procedure!”
“Yes, I did, but if I don’t, it’s a guarantee that she will.” The unfamiliar voice sounded calm and collected, almost like a bird’s chirp.
What procedure? What is going on? I have a right to know! I wanted to say this aloud, but my mouth wouldn’t move the slightest bit.
“Can’t you at least give her something to decrease the amount of pain she is in?” I recognized this voice as Trenton. It must be him.
“I can, but she may be dead by the time they have any effect.”
I gained control of my voice and began yelling out Trenton’s name, begging him to help me. My ears heard everything that was said, but I couldn’t comprehend it all.
“Are you positive this is the only way?” Trenton questioned.
“Yes, I am positive. We have to rid her of the poison before it reaches her heart. It’s already to her shoulder. If it goes any further, there is no hope.”
Trenton hesitated, then said, “Alright.”
Almost on instant, I felt much weight being pushed down on my ankles and wrist. A soft hand gripped onto my right arm which dangled over a small ledge. My eyes shot open at the woman’s touch against my arm and I spied the black webbing now inches from my shoulder, covering it in an intricate pattern. I let out a terrified scream.
“You may want to leave.” The woman looked up at Trenton who stood on the opposite corner of the room. When I saw him, I pleaded with my eyes. He looked away.
“I will be fine,” Trenton said sternly.
“Alright.” The woman placed her hands on my upper arm, pushing down. Then she began running her fingers down my arms, almost squeezing out all of the blood from my arm. This scream was almost mandatory. I never realized how much pain could influence your reactions so well until now. I felt nothing except the excruciating pain that radiated from my arm. Blood tasted in my mouth. This must be what death feels like. Long and painful.
My vision kept blurring in and out of black, sometimes worse than others. On my palm, I could feel the cold liquid escape my arm. Why is my blood cold?
Time wasn’t obvious to me, but it meant something. The more time that passed signaled the ending of this. It must end eventually, right? To me, it seemed there was no ending in sight. Just an endless amount of anguish in my future. I hoped that it wouldn’t come true. Why was I cursed with this large amount of pain? It was still unclear to me.
Trenton, this must be torturing for him to see his friend dying like this. He must want to help in anyway, making me feel nothing at all. I wanted to reassure him that I will be okay even though I wasn’t so sure myself.
Now, I wasn’t even flinching from the pain. I just let it take over me. My body lay in a loose position. The pain was beginning to feel almost... normal, nothing out of the ordinary. It burrowed itself so deep in me that it was home. I accepted it and let it grow inside me, letting it take over my body.
In the midst of the overflowing pain, I felt numb. Nothing hurt, nothing was sore. I felt like I was floating, that I had nothing in me. This feeling felt amazing, that I had no worries or disruptions. No pain, no screaming. My thoughts cleared, leaving my mind bare and empty.
I never thought this feeling would mean so much to me before. That I was free, nothing was holding me down. I was floating in black, but it didn’t bother me. The pain was gone. Vanished. I would be okay.
This felt like a dream to me. That I could make it into whatever I wanted. I was living a beautiful dream, I was indestructible. I will forever live in peace and happiness. It was unbelievable. The feeling that not even words could describe well enough for me. I’m dead.
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