The two girls woke to cold air blowing through the holes in the sleeping bag they had found, huddling together to find some kind of warmth in the night. What were they expecting though, february in Maine wasn't known to be pleasant. Aeron quickly exited, pulling on her jacket and preparing her mind for a fight. There was absolutely no way she was leaving that godforsaken building without Will.
Senka would be lying if she said she wasn't slightly afraid of the way Aeron was acting. It almost reminded her of when they first met. The cruel, no-nonsense look in her eyes told anyone that met them not to mess with her. In a way Senka admired it, but was happy she wasn't on the wrong end of Aeron's anger.
They walked toward the large building Aeron had spent her life in, their footfalls almost silent on the snow.
"Ready?" Aeron turned to Senka, who nodded.
"Lets get him the fuck out of this place."
Aeron made quick work of the outermost door, simply making the guard open it for them and forget he saw them. Aeron led Sen through the winding hallways of the comp, unsettled that she still knew them so well. They didn't stumble upon any people, Aeron expertly weaving through the halls where she knew there wouldn't be a patrol. When they had been walking for a few minutes, aeron turned a corner to a new wing without checking around the corner. She knew there wouldn't be a guard there.
She was right that there wasn't a guard, but instead a short woman with a tight bun that could rival the tense expression she always carried.
If Aeron was caught off guard, she didn't show it. "Dr. F," She greeted the woman as if she was an old friend she ran into at a grocery store. Her polite smile was quickly replaced by a scowl as she dropped the casual facade, pushing the lab coat clad woman against the wall, her forearm across the woman's chest. "Where is he." Her complete 180 in tone and demeanor surprised Senka as she prodded the woman for information.
"I don't know what you're talking about." The doctor responded, fruitlessly attempting to wiggle free of Aeron's grasp.
"You know that I know you're lying." Aeron jostled the woman, not putting up with her games.
"I do," She answered, "You were always one of our greatest projects. It is a shame we couldn't fix your little headaches. I'm sure he would not have that problem."
Aeron's face tensed more with each second the doctor spoke. "Tell me where he is." She pushed harder against the woman with both body and mind, compelling her to tell the truth.
She spoke easily. "He is in the medbay. He has proven too weak for our desired outcome."
That was all Aeron needed. She removed her arm from the woman, causing her to crumple to the ground as she dashed down the hallway toward the medical rooms. They were so close.
Senka followed close behind, unsure whether Aeron even remembered she was there. Aeron kicked open the door to the medical room aggressively, seemingly careless for the possibility of guards posing a threat to her.
She sprinted toward the examination table the second she saw him. "Will!" Aeron screamed, an almost primal screech of desperation. As she reached him and placed her hand onto his shoulder, she was knocked back by a huge force of electricity, exploding out of Will seemingly unintentionally and knocking Aeron to the ground about 10 feet away.
Senka rushed toward him as well after dealing with the guards, her glance toward Aeron showing that she was indeed alive and ok, and Will seemed to be in more dire need of care.
His body was a mess of cuts, bruises, dried blood, and burns. His skin was a sickly pale underneath the crimson, as if there was more blood outside of him than in. His eyes were almost glossed over, a shred of consciousness left as he looked toward the fairy. "Sen," He forced out, his voice raspy and weak, "You're here." His mouth lifted into a weak smile, the first shred of hope he had recieved since arriving in this wreched building.
Senka quickly went to work on trying to heal him. "It's OK Will," She softly uttered, "We'll get you out of here, ok?"
Will only returned a soft smile before lifting his arm and pushing Senka's darkened hands away from him. "No," his voice was now barely above a whisper.
"No?" Senka tried to get her hands back to what she percieved as the biggest wounds. "What do you mean no? Will, I can help! You know I can help!" Panic began to set in as she realised what this meant. Will didn't intend to leave this place alive.
"It's too much, Sen." Will continued. "You'd be out of energy before you healed enough to get me walking. Aeron doesn't need 2 dead weights to carry around."
Aeron had peeled herself off the ground and tried to shake off the strange buzzing feeling in her stomach, frantically coming to the other side of her brother's form. "Oh my god," her voice came out breathy as she gaped at his wounds. "Will, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. If I hadnt-"
"No." His gentle voice interrupted, scolding his older sister. "None of this is your fault, ok? Sen, make sure she stops blaming herself for things she didn't do." Senka nodded, tears in her eyes.
"Wait, Sen, can't you heal him?" Aeron's confusion mixed with worry created a frenzy of thoughts in her head, flying by without the time or care to process them.
Senka shook her head gently. "If I tried, I'd drop before he'd even get fully conscious. He's right." Senka reached for William's hand, now crying.
"No," Aeron began quietly, but her voice quickly grew. "No, Will, you are not allowed to die here, ok? Were gonna get you out, don't you dare think you won't be OK, you hear me?" Her voice sounded scolding as she reprimanded her brother for thinking he wasn't getting out. "You don't deserve to die here." Aeron's voice trembled. "You have so much life left to live," She tried to keep the tears welling in her eyes from falling. "Please...please, you have to make it out of here."
Will simply shook his head. Aeron knew in the back of her mind he was right, but she wouldn't believe it. Her head shook back as tears silently fell from her cheeks. Will's eyes continued to glaze over as the two girls held his hands, reminding him of the family he had made. "I love you."
His voice was almost inaudible, but the impact those words made were as if he had screamed them.
"Will?" Aerons voice came out as a squeak. She got no response.
Aeron bit her lip to keep from screaming. Senka didn't try to hold it back.
YOU ARE READING
Winter's Burn
General Fiction"Her amber eyes turned almost black as the shadows overtook her thin frame. Tree branches became spindly hands wrapping their serpentine fingers around his body, vines twisting and knotting to pin him to the ground. He could have sworn he saw her le...
