Psycho Love: Falling in Evil

Ch. 4 - Ghostly Shadows

Chapter Four - Ghostly Shadows -

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Hunter helped Raven off the ground. As she made it to her feet Hunter wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled Raven close. She put her arms up instinctively before colliding with his chest. His hold was firm, and her hands became trapped between the two of them. She looked up at Hunter, unsure of what was to come.

"Stop being so adorable." he chuckled.

Raven was confused by his words and redirected her gaze to anything other than his face. Her eyes locked with Jackson's dead ones, and the nausea hit.

She gagged, "I'm gonna be sick." and ran to the bathroom just a few feet away.

Hunter released his hold, but glared after her. Raven closed the door, hoping he'd take the hint and stay out. She clutched the toilet lid just in time for her stomach contents to rocket from her mouth; a mixture of half digested food and sour stomach acid. After heaving up everything she'd eaten in the past twenty four hours, Hunter knocked on the door.

"Raven, unlock the door." he demanded.

She didn't attempt to comply, but slouched against the bathtub. Her head was spinning. The smells of porcelain, vomit, and cleaning chemicals mixed together, causing her stomach to churn. Raven's legs felt weak and she doubted she could stand even if she wanted to unlock the door.

"Open the door or I will." Hunter gravely warned.

Raven flopped her head towards the sound of Hunter's voice, but her vision was fading. Reality began setting in. Jackson, one of the only two people she'd ever trusted, laid dead next to her front door. His killer was just outside the bathroom and would kill Davy too unless she went with him. Raven's whole world was spiraling out of control, and she couldn't think of a way to stop it.

Hunter grew tired of waiting for Raven to open up. He rammed his shoulder into the wooden structure twice before bursting through. Wood splinters peppered Raven, but she didn't have the energy to care. Her sight blurred and even though she could tell Hunter was in front of her he somehow seemed far away. His words echoed in her mind as if he yelled through a tunnel.

Hunter immediately noticed Raven leaned up against the bathtub. Her skin was ghostly pale, her lips completely absent of color. Her brilliant blue eyes were open wide, the vibrant color seemed to have faded, and Raven stared blankly at nothingness. Hunter recognized the symptoms of extreme shock, he'd seen it many times in his victims. It was never his intention to see Raven in such a state though.

"Damn it Raven. You shouldn't get yourself so worked up." he told her.

Raven's eyes looked vague, as if she weren't really there. She could see Hunter's figure, but her mind replayed the visions of Jackson's death. The way he gasped as the blade slid through his stomach, the tear of flesh when Hunter twisted the blade, and the unmistakable sound of dead weight dropping to the floor invaded her ear drums as if it were still happening.

Raven remained unresponsive while Hunter tried to gain her attention. He knelt down to be at eye level but she acted as though he weren't there. Raven lost consciousness at the same moment Hunter reached out to turn her face towards him.

Crap. I didn't think she'd take it so well, Hunter thought sarcastically.

He went to the bedroom and found a long, soft coat. It looked soft at least, Hunter couldn't tell. He hoped she'd be comfortable in it and proceeded to wrap her in the fabric. During the process he noticed his arm wasn't moving properly and assumed it was injured while breaking down the door. He'd decided to deal with it later as his main concern was getting Raven home.