Locked Away - Book 1

Chapter 48

My entire body feels a change. Almost immediately. The second I take the key out of my neck I feel the agonizing pain multiply. I feel every single inch of my body pushing me to the ground. But there's one feeling stronger than every other. The feeling of loss. The loss of Shlukos has my body feeling empty. Almost like I lost a piece of my soul. I can immediately tell the power I once had with Shlukos in me is now gone.

I start making myself get to my feet, crying as the pain becomes unbearable. I can't help but sob like a baby as I finally stand up. I look around, everyone but Bode is either near death or out cold. Bode is sobbing over his mom's bleeding body. Though I could collapse, cry, and let all of this pain take over my brain and body, I choose to fight back. With blood already spilling from most of my body at this point, I close my eyes. I think with all my might. I think about Duncan collapsing with glass in his back. I think about the claw marks on Nina. I think about Kinsey lying lifeless across the hall. Then I think about Tyler. His body smacking against the wall. The way his body collapsed to the ground. I think of it all. The pain. The anger. The sadness.

Crackle. Snap.

The pain in my body not only gets worse but becomes unbearable. I collapse to the ground. I barely manage to open my eyes to see the scars on Nina evaporate. To see the glass in Duncan's back turn to dust. I watch as they all begin to move, their eyes open. But most importantly, to see Tyler turn around. He looks at me, feeling my pain.

I wait until I see everyone healed and up before I put effort into my own wounds. I close my eyes. I think about the claws ripping through my fingertips. I think about the broken bones around all of my body. I think of the extra teeth protruding out of my gums.

"Ahh!" I scream at the top of my lungs, but no crackle. No snap. "Fuck!" I think harder. I focus on the pain and try using it to push my will.

Crackle. Snap.

"Ahh!" I scream even louder as my bones break back into place.

I feel the claws and teeth slide back in. My skin begins ripping apart and then sewing itself back together. Each little thing I can feel myself being drained. Every last part of power in my is being drained. And then eventually, it stops. I stand up and immediately feel that it didn't completely work. My ankle is shattered, a sharp pain riding up my leg. I giant slash on my arm is still bleeding. But what hurts the most is my head. Every single part of my brain is aching. Like the ultimate migraine.

"Eliot." Tyler walks up to me as I start walking, or more like limping, to the front door.

"I have to go get it." I make it to the door and lean against the wall to breathe for a second.

"You're in no place to fight right now." He tries grabbing me, but I push him away.

"I have to. If anyone gets hurt, it'll be my fault!" I haven't been able to stop crying since before.

"If you die before, then many more people will get hurt."

I turn away and take a step out the door before everything in front of me gets blurry and my body starts falling forward. I hear Tyler, but only a weird blurb. I feel his hands grabbing my body. Then everything goes dark.