Catharsis [Tom Riddle]

Chapter Forty-Seven

 Avalon whipped around, coming face to face with Tom as he stalked toward her. She narrowed her eyes on him, her mind racing as he came closer and closer. When she finally met his coffee gaze, something seemed amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, trying to follow his footsteps in the snow to see where he had come from, but the darkness covered both of their tracks.

"You were right," he said, slowly closing the gap between them. She began to back away from him, a feeling of unease washing over her as he spoke, but her movements were halted when she felt her back press against the trunk of a nearby tree. "We should talk."

"Did you see those red sparks?" she asked hastily, glancing around.

He didn't answer her, only took another step forward, raising his hand and brushing it across her cheek. His touch sent a chill down her spine-- it was devoid of any warmth. As if he were a ghost of a person. A shell.

"We can talk later. We have to go, someone could be in danger," she grumbled, pulling away and shoving past him, too preoccupied with finding the wizard in distress to worry about Tom.

But, as she tried to walk by him, she felt him grasp her wrist and harshly yank her back. She let out a slight yelp, his fingers digging remorselessly into her skin. When her eyes met his, something about them seemed off. His eyes... She had seen those eyes before.

A sinister smirk found its way onto his lips, his eyes flashing crimson.

Those eyes... there was no hint or trace of the Tom she knew in those eyes. They were empty... unloving... cold...

They belonged to Voldemort.

She felt her heart drop. Her mind flooded with a million terrible thoughts, but only one thing was clear: she was in danger.

Her grip on her wand tightened as she tried aiming it at him. She was quick...

But, he was faster.

She didn't even hear him cast the spell. All she felt was the harsh crash of her head against the tree behind her as she was blasted into its hard trunk. A sickening crunch tore through her body as she felt her ribs snap at the impact, the sharp pain forcing out a harrowing scream. It grew hard to breathe, every single gasp for air feeling insufficient. Her legs gave way beneath her, her body crashing down onto the ground with a pained whimper. The cold, wet snow sent a chill through her, but it was nothing compared to the numbness that had taken over her mind. The force of the collision nearly knocked her out-- her vision swam with stars and a deafening ringing overtook her ears.

Her wand had flown out of her hands, but as she forced her eyes open, she couldn't even make out where it had fallen. Everything was blurry, spinning, hazy.

Every inch of her body felt the impact of the blow. And every piece of her soul felt the sting of Tom's betrayal.

Still, she held her hand out, trying to summon her wand back into her palm. But, the world was spinning far too much before her eyes and she couldn't focus her energy. Her outstretched fingers remained empty.

A bright red flash raced toward her, she couldn't even tell from what direction. She wanted to duck away, though moving proved to be impossible-- all she could do was brace herself as the spell hit her square in the chest, stunning her into paralysis.

She heard his footsteps nearing as he walked up to her and knelt before her, lifting her chin with his wand to be forced to look up at him... forced to look heartbreak in the eyes as it twisted the final dagger through her chest.