what’re you two … monster hunters?” he mocked before coughing and wincing at the pain it caused.
Amala glanced up at Keiran. Emmett observed the deliberate sort of unspoken interplay between them, the look of closeness they shared.
Amala reached for Emmett’s neck and traced her finger down the side of his cheek and toward the edge of his neckline just beneath his ear. Emmett’s body reacted with a shock of pain that lanced through his body, causing his limbs to jerk out uncontrollably, his teeth to clench, and his voice to turn into agonizing moans.
“I’m sorry, but you’re still in danger. That pain is from the Rot, an Underdweller’s curse. It has marked you.”
Needing to confirm the reality once more, Emmett touched the blackened skin himself and gasped at the pronounced pain, a pain that brought startling clarity.
“The Rot will consume your flesh first, and it will continue to grow more painful as it spreads into your chest. It will then fill your bloodstream and choke your organs. It’s eating you alive, and if you do not come with us, you’ll soon be dead.”
“Come with you where?” Emmett asked hurriedly. “Who the hell are you two?”
Everything was changing so fast, details rushing at a mind already struggling to right itself. His mind wanted to deny it, yet already he could feel a restriction in his breathing, as if some unstoppable force were slowly closing his throat. Facing his own death for the second time that night, Emmett struggled to bring order to a chaos of wailing, conflicting voices, his thoughts racing too quickly.
Run away from them.
“I’m going to need you to trust us.”
Find the nearest hospital and call the police.
Emmett again tried to stand, to walk on his own. The world turned upside down before he could stand. With a weakness crippling his entire body, he fell forward again.
Lie down and go to sleep. Hope that all of this is an elaborate nightmare.
Opening his eyes, he found himself in firm, strong hands that had kept him from harm. He was being lifted up by Keiran, his head pitched backward in a fight to stay conscious. His eyes rolled, half-open and unable to focus on the rapidly-changing world around him. A thousand thoughts flooded his mind as he struggled to mumble something, anything, to his two saviors, but he could only bite down against the discomfort and disorientation.
They were walking together back to his car at the gas station. Amala opened the rear door, and Keiran laid Emmett on the backseat. He stepped back as Amala swooped in behind him to hover briefly over Emmett, her hand gently caressing the side of his face as her starry eyes looked with disgust at the work of the Rot.
Emmett watched her movements slow as his vision seemed to blur. The pain was lessening somehow, and Emmett felt the immense weight of fatigue dragging him backward into sleep.
Go to sleep. It’s just a nightmare … a dream … yes, it must be a dream. And the amber-eyed woman is here, too, just like all the dreams before.
As if hearing his thoughts, the woman’s serpents suddenly spun around her neck and turned their glowing black eyes at Emmett. The woman’s starry eyes registered momentary confusion, followed by wide-eyed shock.
“Emmett?” she whispered as his eyes finally closed.
Emmett knew he was dreaming. He’d had this dream countless times before.
He was standing in an apartment. It was the same apartment he had dreamed of throughout his life. He could hear the evening news anchor’s polished enunciation from a television playing through the walls. There was a weather report of the northern storm blowing in from the Great Lakes. And there was an update on the mother and daughter who had been missing since the previous week.
The apartment was like a Twilight Zone curio cabinet. A seemingly endless collection of odd statutes lined shelves along the ceiling perimeter—hawks and other birds—with towers of unread old books stacked so precariously
Amala glanced up at Keiran. Emmett observed the deliberate sort of unspoken interplay between them, the look of closeness they shared.
Amala reached for Emmett’s neck and traced her finger down the side of his cheek and toward the edge of his neckline just beneath his ear. Emmett’s body reacted with a shock of pain that lanced through his body, causing his limbs to jerk out uncontrollably, his teeth to clench, and his voice to turn into agonizing moans.
“I’m sorry, but you’re still in danger. That pain is from the Rot, an Underdweller’s curse. It has marked you.”
Needing to confirm the reality once more, Emmett touched the blackened skin himself and gasped at the pronounced pain, a pain that brought startling clarity.
“The Rot will consume your flesh first, and it will continue to grow more painful as it spreads into your chest. It will then fill your bloodstream and choke your organs. It’s eating you alive, and if you do not come with us, you’ll soon be dead.”
“Come with you where?” Emmett asked hurriedly. “Who the hell are you two?”
Everything was changing so fast, details rushing at a mind already struggling to right itself. His mind wanted to deny it, yet already he could feel a restriction in his breathing, as if some unstoppable force were slowly closing his throat. Facing his own death for the second time that night, Emmett struggled to bring order to a chaos of wailing, conflicting voices, his thoughts racing too quickly.
Run away from them.
“I’m going to need you to trust us.”
Find the nearest hospital and call the police.
Emmett again tried to stand, to walk on his own. The world turned upside down before he could stand. With a weakness crippling his entire body, he fell forward again.
Lie down and go to sleep. Hope that all of this is an elaborate nightmare.
Opening his eyes, he found himself in firm, strong hands that had kept him from harm. He was being lifted up by Keiran, his head pitched backward in a fight to stay conscious. His eyes rolled, half-open and unable to focus on the rapidly-changing world around him. A thousand thoughts flooded his mind as he struggled to mumble something, anything, to his two saviors, but he could only bite down against the discomfort and disorientation.
They were walking together back to his car at the gas station. Amala opened the rear door, and Keiran laid Emmett on the backseat. He stepped back as Amala swooped in behind him to hover briefly over Emmett, her hand gently caressing the side of his face as her starry eyes looked with disgust at the work of the Rot.
Emmett watched her movements slow as his vision seemed to blur. The pain was lessening somehow, and Emmett felt the immense weight of fatigue dragging him backward into sleep.
Go to sleep. It’s just a nightmare … a dream … yes, it must be a dream. And the amber-eyed woman is here, too, just like all the dreams before.
As if hearing his thoughts, the woman’s serpents suddenly spun around her neck and turned their glowing black eyes at Emmett. The woman’s starry eyes registered momentary confusion, followed by wide-eyed shock.
“Emmett?” she whispered as his eyes finally closed.
Emmett knew he was dreaming. He’d had this dream countless times before.
He was standing in an apartment. It was the same apartment he had dreamed of throughout his life. He could hear the evening news anchor’s polished enunciation from a television playing through the walls. There was a weather report of the northern storm blowing in from the Great Lakes. And there was an update on the mother and daughter who had been missing since the previous week.
The apartment was like a Twilight Zone curio cabinet. A seemingly endless collection of odd statutes lined shelves along the ceiling perimeter—hawks and other birds—with towers of unread old books stacked so precariously
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