Centurians | On Hiatus

Chapter One

She was drowning.

Eyes closed, going down slowly.

Her red hair surrounded her as if a fire making was making its way through the dark water. The icy water encircled her, enveloping and drowning her in its path. Tranquility as it nipped through her skin, making its way to her heart. Killing her in its wake.

A tiny ripple.

Her eyes shot open. Panicked, she tried to breathe. The water creased around her as she tried to grab onto the nothingness.

'I'm gonna die', her mind kept on chanting as she tried to save herself. With every breath, more water was filling up her lungs. 'Ah', she twists, her vision blurring as dark spots appeared in sight. Her hand lunged forward to reach the surface for one last time. But her body was already turning numb. The cold water pierced through her skin like a dagger of ice. Not now, she flung her hand, grasping the water, seeing it slip through her fingers. Not like this.

Swim!

A flicker of light.

She twisted toward it. Her hair whipped through the water. The words echoed around her. She pushed through, trying to swim toward the way the voice came.

Erina swim!

It was strained, muffled by the water, but she could feel the worry in it. The dread it contained. With more strength, she swam. But with every kick, the water was pulling her down faster than before.

'No!' She thrashed.

A laugher sliced through the water. Rough, loud, and malice. It rose and fell like the waves. Until it suddenly stopped, vanishing into the darkness.

Even in the freezing water, goosebumps rose around her arms. 'I need to get out', her mind kept on screaming.

It was then that she saw the dark shadow approaching her. Coming at her with a speed she had never seen. Grasping, she moved, trying to run away from the figure.

Another fit of laughter rang through the water.

ERINA SWIM!

The muted voice echoed, pleading.

Before she could swim out of its reach, he was in front of her. His fangs bare, his eyes gray and glowing into the darkness like beacons.

He had come for her. And she knew it. Yet, for the life in her, she couldn't move. Seconds passed as she stared at him, unable to blink or think.

Paralyzed in fear.

The stink of blood followed, clouding the water surrounding him into a darker shade of burgundy.

He reminded her of doom. He reeked of death.

And then... he smiled at her.

Reality hits her. With might, she turned, trying to swim away from his grasp. But he had already caught her. He was fast. She never saw him move. He yanked at her, pulling her toward him.

"No!" The water muffled her voice.

He smirked. The eyes shone through the darkness. The next second, his mouth was on her neck. A gasp came out of her, bubbling to the surface as his fangs ripped through her skin.

'Ah, this is how I die'. Her mind went numb, her head swaying as her vision darkened. He stopped, breathing into her hair.

"Found you." he whispered before piercing into her flesh once more.

"Ah!" the scream died half in her throat as she jolted awake from the dream. Her heart beating out loud. So much so that she could hear it drum through the dead of night. Erina sat up, fumbling to take the cover off herself. Her hands shook as she tried to grab it.

She was sweating. A heaviness pressed on top of her chest as if to push her back down. The feeling of being suffocated kept on increasing as she struggled to grab the cover. Her breathing was rapid as she failed again and again, getting herself on the verge of a panic attack.

Erina closed her eyes. Her lips parted to form a small O as she tried to slow her breathing. "It's okay," she said out loud. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she gently let it out. "you are okay."

It felt as if she was still drowning.

The nightmare playing inside her mind on a loop. Erina closed her eyes, clutching to the t-shirt over her heart, continuing to breathe, to calm herself.

'One, Two, Three

One, Two, Three'

As the seconds passed, the trembling of her hands stopped. She wiped the sweat off her forehead before removing the cover from her.

Finally, finally, she could breathe. That feeling of suffocation leaving her body. Her breathing evened out. She trailed her hand along the line of her neck. An additional set of goosebumps rose.

This nightmare had been the only constant thing in her life for the last eight months. And though she had seen it almost every night, it still made her restless. She could never get used to it. That feeling of being underwater, the words that echoed as terrified as her. And that voice. His - its - voice

She couldn't get used to that voice.

With another gulp of air, she fell back into the pillow. The purple stars glued to the ceiling were still glowing faintly. It was the first thing that she had put up when she got into this room. And the only thing that was hers. The bag that she had brought with her was still in the closet - still packed. And the boxes Lynette brought back from the storage unit after 'The incident' were piled on top of each other.

Though Lynette had told her multiple times to unpack them, to decorate the room however she wanted, to make it into her own... the boxes still stayed in their place inside the closet as before.

This wasn't her home. So there was nothing to make her own.

Erina held the tiny clock from the side table. The number 3.30 flashed in bright red. She sighed. "I am not getting any sleep tonight... again." She said out loud, eyes locked onto the stars. "Maybe that's why I am getting this damn nightmare every night. It's the lack of sleep."

Tic tik

Tic tik

Tic tik

Tic tik

She twisted on the bed. It was times like this when she realized, no matter how much Lynette tried or wanted, Erina would never be able to call this home. Even though it had been months, this house still felt like a stranger to Erina. And always will be. She knew that and Lynette probably did too. Maybe that's why Lynette had continued to try so much.

Like Penny, she didn't know when to stop.

Maybe Big Ruby was right. For a person who never had a home, how can she call this home when she was only here for a few months?

Erina turned toward the window.

"I can't believe I miss Big Ruby right now..."