Across Worlds - Chapter 18 Part 2

It had taken them so long to create the barrier that the guards had started to stir. Somehow Zeke had managed to knock them all out with one single attack. But now they were coming back; and it wouldn’t be pretty when they found out what was happening.

“Falyn, time stop, now.” Akia barked. She didn’t even turn to look at the girl. She kept her eyes trained ahead, her feet shoulder length apart, ready to fight if needed.

“Falyn,” came Zeke’s hard, intense voice. “We need you to do this. There isn’t much time.”

They were all turning to her, putting their trust in her to get them through this mess. Falyn wasn’t sure if she was ready for it. The whole journey had been based around the leadership of Akia and the strength of Zeke. Even Sam’s brains had come in handy. What did Falyn have to offer? All she had was a simple, stupid spell that could buy them more time.

But what if she couldn’t do it? Time was against them and she was their only hope. She had to relax her mind and body and focus solely on the time ticking away around them. What if it didn’t work that time? They couldn’t afford to hang around any longer.

Despite the noises around her, the harsh chirping of the birds, the roaring of the river, Akia and Sam’s whispers, she closed her eyes and started to focus.

At first there was nothing.

Maybe this will be easier than I imagined. She thought.

But then the fears started kicking in. At first it was the harsh sounding birds, flying around her head, circling her fatigued body. Then it was the barrier, pushing against her, the pellets slamming into her skin time and time again. Then it was Sam, his mangled body lying still on the ground covered in a radiating blue light; the pellets had gotten him too.

Her eyes flew open to see the same scene she had left behind; nothing had changed. It had all been in her mind. There were no vicious birds, no moving barrier, no dead Sam. Everything was fine.

When she moved her head slightly, she saw Zeke standing there with a concerned look on his face.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. She didn’t want to tell him. He’d just laugh anyway. He wouldn’t understand; none of them would.

“I—I can’t do it,” she managed to choke out. She knew it was the truth too. If those images came up every time that she closed her eyes, she wouldn’t be able to stay calm, ever.

She could hear Zeke trying to talk her into it, whispering words of encouragement, but she wasn’t listening. She was too busy watching the guards attack the barrier. They had jumped into action much sooner than she thought.

Each time one of them hit the barrier, it shook and sent a sound reverberating towards them. It reminded her of a zombie movie she had once watched with Archie, where all the zombies were trying to break through the front wall of a house. It terrified her even more.

“Any day now, Falyn!” Akia shouted over her shoulder. When Falyn didn’t respond, she turned to face her, her eyes wide. “You are doing the time stop, right?”

“I—”

“She can’t do it,” Zeke said. Akia looked at him, her eyes glistening with fire. If looks could kill, that look killed Zeke four times over.

“What do you mean?” Akia asked, saying each word articulate and slow, her voice shaking. She seemed to be having a hard time keeping her anger in check.

“Look,” Falyn said, finally speaking up. “Each time I close my eyes, I see terrible things. I can’t relax. I can’t do the time stop.”

Akia seemed to be in shock, her face frozen in surprise. The guards continued to ram against the barrier, shaking the ground around them. Falyn looked just in time to see the barrier shake. She knew that it wasn’t good. If the barrier broke, they’d be done for.

Before she could mention anything, Sam hurried up to Akia. “We need to move. Now. That barrier’s close to breaking.” As if on cue, a large crack appeared in the middle of the barrier and small pieces rained onto the ground.

“Damn it, Falyn,” Akia snapped. “I’ll distract the pellets and you guys head on through. I’ll make it through after you. There’s gotta be a way.”

Before anyone could stop her, Akia rushed passed them and stood inches away from the river. Planting her feet, she lifted her arms out straight, her palms facing the river, and froze. Nothing happened for a while, but then slowly, the blue pellets began to gravitate towards her. It started as a small ball of blue color, then grew in size until all the pellets were there in front of Akia. There was a wall of blue in front of her nearly six inches wide and at least twice her height high.

“Go,” she demanded, her voice strained. Falyn could only imagine the amount of pain she was in while trying to hold the pellets off. “Get out of here! Sam, make sure Falyn gets across.”

“I can take care of myself!” Falyn said, crossing her arms. Soon enough, Sam grabbed her arm and pulled her away. She fought the whole time, not wanting Akia to be stuck alone in Agathi with all the guards.

Zeke crossed the river first with Mina in tow. Sam made a move to follow them, but Falyn was able to pull herself free.

“Falyn, don’t do this. We need to get across!”

“You go ahead,” she responded. “I’ll help Akia.”

Sam sighed. “You don’t get it, do you? You need to get to Lightport! I’m not leaving you here!”

“Yeah you are.” Falyn pushed Sam towards the river and watched him tumble through the barrier. He disappeared completely after that, something that surprised her. But she didn’t have time to think about it. He had to be safe, he just had to be.

There was another rumble coming from the make shift barrier. Falyn whirled around to see the barrier crack and crumble to the ground. Her heart raced. That wasn’t supposed to happen; it was supposed to hold long enough for them to make it across the river. Now the guards were racing towards her, nothing to keep them from attacking.

“Are you stupid?!” Akia snapped. “Go across the river! You’re not going to get another chance!”

Falyn didn’t know what to do. A part of her wanted to leave Akia there, head across the river. Yet the greater part of her, the part controlled by her heart, told her to help Akia.

The guards were advancing, but before they could reach Falyn, she rushed forward and tackled Akia. They both fell forward, passing through the barrier together.

Falyn wasn’t sure what she had expected, but the amount of pain she felt made her want to die then and there. It wasn’t nearly as bad a pain as the torture spell that had been used on her, but it was still a terrible pain. It clutched at her chest, squeezing all the air from her body. When she tried to breathe, her throat burned and nothing passed through her lips. Her body convulsed, folding in on itself.

She knew that the barrier wasn’t very thick, but it felt like they were traveling miles rather than just a few inches. If they didn’t land in the river anytime soon, she was sure that she was going to die.

Finally they made it through and both girls collapsed into the river.

“Oh God, they’re alive!” Mina screeched. Her words were followed by the sound of rushing feet. But it wasn’t Mina who pulled Falyn out of the river, it was Sam.

“You’re an idiot,” he said softly, the corners of his lips curled in a half smile. “But you’re alive, that’s all that matters.” He pulled her into a tight hug, one that nearly expelled the air from her body once again. This kind of pain however, was a kind that she could deal with.

It wasn’t until Sam let go of her that Mina rushed forward. Her hug wasn’t quite as tight as Sam’s, but it was enough to send them stumbling backwards.

“I knew you guys were dead,” she said. “I just knew it!”

Falyn let out a small laugh. “I’m glad you had so much faith in me.”

“Guys,” Zeke said, his voice barely audible. “We have a problem.” Everyone turned to face him and rushed over when they realized what had happened. Falyn moved to join them, but a wave of dizziness crashed over her. She raised a hand to her head instinctively, as if that would help dispel that feeling. Mina seemed to have recognized what was happening and helped Falyn over to where the rest of the group was.

Lying there on the bank of the river was Akia. Unlike Falyn, Akia was unresponsive. Even the small up and down movements of her chest were barely visible. Falyn’s heart skipped a beat as the thought of Akia being dead ran through her mind. But once she noticed the rhythmic breathing, she relaxed. Akia was alive, but still greatly injured.

There was a blue light surrounding her. It was only about an inch away from her body at any point, but it was clearly there. It must have been an effect from the azure pellets. There was no other explanation.

“This is not good. This is not good,” Sam repeated over and over. He was like a broken record, sharing the dark news with all who could hear.

“She’s not…”

“No, Mina, she’s not dead,” Zeke responded. “But she’s close to it. Let me see what I can do.” He knelt down next to Akia, placed a hand on her head, and closed his eyes.

A sharp pain suddenly shot through Falyn’s stomach. She doubled over in pain, which only made her more disoriented. The whole world was spinning now; the grass was getting tossed from side to side like a ship stuck in a storm and everyone’s concerned faces only made her head hurt more.

“Falyn…Falyn…”

She could hear Mina calling out for her, but she couldn’t say anything back. The pain in her stomach had spread to every inch of her body, much like it had when they had crossed through the wall of azure pellets.

She laid down in the grass, brought her legs and arms in close to her body and closed her eyes. If she was going to die, she’d die with those she loved; her sister and the only boy she had ever felt anything for. They were her family now for these few short minutes that she was still a part of this world.

With that thought in mind, she gave into the pain and fell unconscious.

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For the LMS contest. Word count: 1,831