Lifeline (Chills Fanfic)

31 - Autumn

When Dylan and I reach the end of the fence on the left side of the compound, Arlo's sobs worsen. It is only then that I realize she's lost it. Something in Arlo broke today. And it makes me so sad to realize that.

"Arlo, Arlo, shh," Dylan whispers gently. "We gotta sneak out of here, before the demons find us. We can't fight them."

"I know," Arlo says, her breath hitching. "They killed her. Dylan, they killed her!"

"I know, Arlo, and I'm sorry. But we can't do anything right now. We can avenge her later, when we will survive doing so. Okay?"

Arlo sighs and brushes her shaking hands over her eyes. "Zeke did this."

"What?" Dylan and I ask in unison.

"You told me not to trust him. Then he killed her. He killed her. I .... I couldn't save her. I was shielding her body with mine. I was ... I was ..."

Arlo has snapped. She starts babbling about him killing her over and over, and I really hope she's not talking about Emma. But I'm pretty sure she's talking about Emma. Dylan holds Arlo closer and ducks under a hole we made in the fence previously.

I follow him closely, and as we run towards the treeline, I hear something hissing behind us. I turn around, and I see a wraith, a shadowed, black mass that writhes in front of me and hisses like a zombie or a demonic snake.

"Dylan, you and Arlo have been through enough. Go, get to safety."

"No. I'm not leaving you, Autumn."

"Dylan please. We don't have a choice in the matter, okay? I'm sorry  .... I will find you once I'm done. This is not the end. Okay?"

He sighs. "Okay. I trust you." He turns and runs, and I turn and get the wraith's attention. It steps closer to me, or rather hovers closer. It then brandishes its teeth and jumps forward, and then, it happens.

My power bursts from me once again, and I look around as shadows engulf the area we are in, as well as the wraith. The creature howls, but then its claws rake down my face, cutting open the skin. I scream as blood falls from my cheek, and I stagger on, pressing the pain and the shadows down on the creature.

It hisses and spits at me, and I bring my hands together and the shadows shoot in one direction, tearing into the wraith until it is nothing more than wisps of black ink.

I turn to head after Dylan, when I see Elekai emerge from the darkness as I dispel it. She looks at me with a disturbing amount of focus. Elekai stops walking, and she smiles.

"You weren't expecting me, were you?" Elekai asks.

I look at her, not knowing how to get my shadows to respond again. I killed the wraith, yes, but I'm not sure how to make my power come out again. She must know this, because of the way her smile widens.

"You will not get back with your vampire boyfriend. No, I will make you into the most powerful vampire ever, and she who wields the greatest of the shadow magics will never need love."

"What kind of crazy juice to you drink?" I ask, and then I turn and run.

She sighs and then, suddenly, she appears in front of me. I stop, looking at her as she starts to morph, turning into a demon with a face split in half, the two halves opening and biting at me, with tiny sharp fangs that look like needles. She now stands on all fours, with long, spindly limbs and claws.

Elekai then lunges at me, and claws out at my legs, knocking them out from under me. I hit the ground hard, landing on my hip. Elekai steps closer to me, hissing.

Then, wisps rise up from the ground, swirling around us. They come together into the forms of more wraiths, and Elekai turns to look at me, her two mouths twisting into smiles.

Suddenly, Freya lands hard on the ground in between me and the demons, and she holds out her hands, and dual silver blades come from her sleeves. She then slashes the demons with a speed and ferocity I couldn't have thought possible.

Faeries are very powerful. They're very fast, nimble, beautiful, smart, cunning, and deceiving. Faeries are very, very dangerous. To have one on my side is amazing.

Freya tells me to run, and I run towards the car that I know is waiting. I run as fast as I can, and when I finally reach the car. But that's when I come to a stop.

Zeke stands with his sword, that blazing, beautiful white sword, pointed right at Dylan and is level with his heart.