Only Human

A World Of Grey

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Glass shattered around me as I charged through the door, sending it slashing into the wall. Shouts rang out as my body pushed me into the open and I sprinted towards the forest.

The wind caressed me, urging from behind as the weird sense pulled me onwards. *Close, they were close*. I could feel it, the allure of the trees egging me one.

My hand burned, droplets of my blood kissing the earth as I pumped my arms with the motion, the desire to just go fast.

Branches scraped me, twigs snagged in my air and pulled on my clothes. But I couldn't give in, the forest wasn't fair to me. It wasn't easy. It blocked my path and challenged me, but I could see them.

My vision clouded over, splashing of grey and black overshadowing the deeps greens. Some trees flickered in and out of focus and I jumped and dodged to avoid them. Spiraling around one old oak, the vision ahead of me sputtered to life and I saw them.

"DAMON! RYAN!"

*They ran from me.

*Hobbling and waddling as fast as their little bodies could take them. But they were trembling and from here I could Damon pulling his brother after him. He strained as Ryan limped, the leg of his pajama pants ripped and littered red.*

"I'm here! Mommy's here!"

*They spun, the shades of grey overtaking reality as their eyes pierced me. They were always so blue like their fathers but now they were splotched gold and parted teeth revealed cracked lips as they each screamed out:

*"MOMMY!"*

I lunged for them, reaching out as a hand appeared behind them. The shadow world of grey wrapped around me as an unknown figure latched onto my sons and ripped them away from each other. My body hurtled through the air, fingers stretching out to grasped onto them as my vision blurred and my skull pounded. Stars exploded around my sight.

*So close!*

Something smashed into my side and the world around me vanished. I was sent reeling to the earth. No longer seeing grey, yet mesmerizing shades of green smacked into my sight, bleeding to orange in parts.

My eyes watered as I spun on the ground, rocks and debris biting into me when I lurched to my knees.

They were gone. The space ahead of me where they'd been standing was not the open clearing I'd seen. Instead, there was a dip in the earth, lined with jagged rocks that hissed with flowing water.

"No...no, no, no," I mumbled scrambling closer to stare into the stream.

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" Dean roared behind me. His hand reached down and latched onto my shoulder, jerking me upright. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Dean, release her!"

"Back away man!"

"She's not fucking sane! Who the fuck runs off into a wolf invested forest?!"

"They were there," my words were a whisper. My body unresponsive as Dean shook me before letting me crumble to the ground. "I saw them. I heard them."

"You saw who?"

"Damon, Ryan, my sons. I saw them."

My gaze dropped to my hand. The cloth had slipped free during my antics and now blood pooled in my palm before flowing in small rivulets to the earth. Pain laced up my arm and hissed as the air kissed the wound, but my mind flickered from the wound to the weird mind games I was having.

"Hit me again."

All sound around me silenced as I tipped my head back and looked to Dean. Those he was in conversation with all echoed confused "what's" as he just frowned at me.

"When you hit me, I wasn't here. I was like in another place. I saw Damon and Ryan running and screaming out," I rambled as I staggered to my feet. My feet failed me, and I staggered forward before Lyon appeared to hold my arm. His other hand wound around me waist as his hand gripped my wounded palm.

"You're in shock," He said softly as Dean was pulled away from me. Those liquid ice eyes pierced mine as he was dragged back, and his upper lip curled.

"I'm no- you have to believe me," I whispered, tearing my gaze away to look into the dark eyes of the man holding me.

"It's to be expected," He continued as Melinda appeared next to me and gently wrapped my palm once more. "You've experienced a lot. Disillusion can happen."

"I saw my sons," I repeated, and this time Melinda froze. Her fingers rested on my wrist as she peeked up at me while keeping her head tilted down. Seeing her attention, I spoke more, "The world was grey, but their eyes were gold. I swear I saw them. I felt them."

"I'm sure you did," Lyon answered, not hearing anything I said. He nudged me forward into a slow walk as Melinda moved away and we trudged back towards the house.

Once again, I was left in a room by myself. This time though, my palm had been properly bandaged and there were no easily destroyable objects within reach. A part of me knew I should be focusing on escaping and that the burning from my hand was a clear sign and reminder that Dean attacked me.

With claws.

That life was not normal here. I should run. I should flee, slip into the night and find Clari. I should run, I knew it but also my mind struggled with what had happened.

Perhaps Lyon was right, and I'd been hallucinating it. I mean I couldn't have seen my sons in another place and heard them scream. Perhaps it was just my mind overthinking and imaging many scenes that may be happening.

"If werewolves didn't think it was possible, then maybe it's not," I mumbled to myself. My thumb gently rubbed over my bandaged palm and I sighed heavily.

But it seemed so real. How contrasting the world was. As if my vision had fully changed and I was seeing things from a lower perspective. New eyes.

What if they were out there? What if their capturer was taunting them?

But it made no sense. Last I saw my sons they weren't conscious.

"What the fuck is happening?!"

My helpless shout echoed around them room as I flopped back onto the bed and glowered up at the ceiling. It offered no advise or solutions to my troubles and I huffed, flinging my uninjured arm over my eyes.

The silence ate its way around me before delving into my ears and piercing my brain. It enticed those dark thoughts to resurface, it pulled them into my mind's eye and continued that twisted tale of my sons in the forest.

Hands latched around their small bodies and pulled. Teeth enveloped their limbs and bit down. Blood sputtered around them as their wails, sounds of which I'd never heard, battered their way into my heart.

I was crying when the door was pushed open. On my knees beside the bed, panting as my mind assaulted me with those visions.

"Oh dearie," Melinda soothed as she walked in and urged me from the floor to the bed. She patted my head as she gave me a small hug. "Now now, I have someone for you to meet."

I sniffed, pulling myself away from her to see another woman standing at the now closed door. Her arms were folded, her eyes shadowed as she scanned me. Her nose and mouth were covered with a veil as scarlet as the gown she wore. It was shapeless and fell to the floor, layers of silk in shades of red.

"Tell Selene what you said in the forest and be honest with her," Melinda urged, patting my knee. "Tell her what you saw."