Flames

Chapter 18 Awakened From Death

"Reika, Reika."
The voice was in her ear, a hand shaking her shoulder.
The wounds and a muscle tear from her shoulder cuff throbbed. She was still healing from the beating in the tunnels by devil man.
She squeaked and swatted the unknown hand away, the dude wanted to rip her shoulder off.

"I'm waking up, stoppp."
His hot breath left her neck, making the summer morning air feel cold.
"Ya should've seen your face as you slept, it was hilarious."
The sun peeked out over the mountains.

"How'd you make do on this?"
He patted the concrete, sitting back against the building's ledge, half a shadow sliced across his ragged face. The guy had been fighting for sure.

"Horrible and you know it, why'd you take forever to come?"
As Reika sat up she noticed another hoodie was on top of her.
"How'd you find me?"
At the same time he scooted out of the darkness, she opened her eyes fully for his answer.
"Eleazar was nice enough to bring me."
All sleep lifted from her being.
"I'd say don't be surprised but I guess its too late."
Conall chuckled, for once love in his eyes.

Below them echoing off the enclosed walls, an engine purred.
Reika realized too late that she was sobbing.
He bent his neck back as if to hold in tears. The arriving sun made a hedge of hazy pink across the baby blue sky.
"Grain gave Eleazar a choice to do away with me or you, because according to the regulations by the first Makers, only two people can be paired in the Freestyles. He killed me." Conall's throat was tight with emotion.

"But I met Creator, He gave me another chance."
It was like an enraptured adoration filled her older brother's eyes.
"He told me it wasn't my time, and that this was the last day. I don't know what that means though, wish I did."
She ran her nails across her lips, quieting the pain to withhold the dam of tears.

"I'm back but I feel so different."
He lovingly ran his hand over her matted hair. There was an open connection, a closeness through all the hurt and trauma of their childhood in Grain.
Reika pulled him into a tight hug, sobbing into the crook of his neck. There they stayed as the sun crept higher into the sky.

Their faces were tear stained and their eyes red and puffy. She got to her feet, trying to hand him back his second hoodie.
"Keep it silly, you're gonna need it."
He abruptly rested his hands on her sore shoulders, pinning his warm brown eyes on hers. 

"I love you little sis, let's conquer this, whether it be a test or finding a way out of the stupid Graves."
The sun's rays struck the world, heating her bruised bones.
Tying the second hoodie around her waist, she pondered the change in him.
Conall stood at the edge where the Seed was, hands in his pockets.
An overflow of pleasant emotions tarnished the sorrow she felt.

Reika trotted over, a grin on her face that fell away at the darkness emanating from the portal.
"Ya feel it?" He whispered.
In just a moment everything became serious once again.
"Yeah." She replied.
"I know none of this is gonna be easy, and you're gonna feel so hopeless but remember this." His boyish voice was sincere. 

She stared off in the distance beyond the basin of earth, at the mountains, memory mode on.

"Creator gives the hardest battles to the strongest soldiers, whether that be in the battleground of the heart, or in the Field."
Without a second for it to sink in, he picked her thin body up and dropped her off the roof.

She swallowed a cry as the Seed sucked her into another dimension.

Into fire and evil, it was like entering hell on earth.