Chaos Walking - Fanfiction

Chapter 3 - Ghosts from the past

I slash my eyes open and meet her gaze for the first time, she is so beautiful but she's right when she believes I look after my father.I wanna talk to her but something is stuck in my mouth and blocks me from talking. I try to get it out but my hands are so weak, I cannot even raise them.

"Todd?" I hear coming from her voice. Finally, I can hear her voice, I see her in person and not in Ben's voice.

"Mother?" I say in my Noise and I notice her swollen eyes and bruises on the face. I make an attempt to raise my hand to pull that thing off and I make it. I touch it with my right hand but she grabs it gently from my face.

"No, don't remove that. It helps you breathe because you're not capable of doing it by yourself yet. "

"Mom..." I talk through the thing and notice that Ben is in the room too. "Ben."

"Don't talk okay? Just sleep, you are safe now." He speaks and comes closer. 

I don't obey to him, just stare at my mother. She is so beautiful, her blonde hair match to her brown eyes perfectly. Her smile, oh her smile is so kind, so warm.

"Todd, I am so sorry for leaving you," she admits and starts crying, grabbing my hand and kissing it, even her feel is cordial. I raise my right hand and rub her hair, her hair is so soft but dirty, her face is also dirty.

"D-Don't worry. I love you." I whisper and she gives me a weak smile.

"I am gonna call Mistress Lawson," Ben tells us in his Noise, his Spackle Voice and walks out.

My ma's head is still now on the bed, my hand still stroking her hair. Touching her, I feel stronger, the pain goes away for a minute, it's like there's nothing in the whole universe like everything's disappeared for a while. It's only her, me and ... Viola. "Viola?" I whisper taking my hand off her hair. She sits up ready to reply when I see Mistress Lawson coming in.

(Viola)

I am so mad at 1017 that I don't notice the huge rubble in front of me and I stumble falling on the ground. "Are you alright, my girl?" I hear from above. I pick my head up and notice a woman around 50s, a woman I've never seen in Haven before, her clothes are so clean, she has that smile... that smile by which you can understand that this woman is not a victim of war. I stand up from the ground, smiling at her, noticing my bloody knees. "I am okay, thank you for asking," I say and notice the hidden gun in her ankle, so I turn to leave discreetly but she grabs my neck and puts her rifle to my head.

(Todd)

Mistress Lawson checks my wound while I am watching the people from the screens of the ship. I see Viola talking to a lady who suddenly pulls up a rifle and points it to her head.

"NO!" I scream and sit up violently, the pain rises all over my body, the thing on my mouth is moved.

Mistress Lawson pulls me down and looks at the screen too. She shakes her head and places the bandages she's holding on the bed. "I'll be back," she says and exits the room, leaving me there, unable to save Viola, unable to do anything.

(Viola)

The woman still holding the gun on my head, now we're surrounded by settlers who are pointing their rifles at her, but she is not afraid. Lee is here, Wilf is here, Jane is here but none of them is doing anything to save me. Suddenly I see Mistress Lawson and Ben coming.

"Jessica?" Ben inquires with his voice. He stares at her intensively.

"Hello, Ben. I heard you have peace with the Spackle now, ha?"

"Jessica, put the gun down please," Ben tells her but she doesn't move. "You are about to murder an innocent girl."

"A girl who stands next to your son deserves to be killed."

"Jessica, what is this all about?"

"Todd is responsible for everything if he never left Prentisstown any of this would have happened. If we had killed the silence we wouldn't have to create peace with those aliens." She applies pressure harder making me dizzy. My head's ready to explode from the pressure, the air is getting thinner as she pulls it more, I feel my eyes closing... But no, I need to stay awake. For Todd.

"Jessica, both my son and the girl are innocent, the peace contract was a decision taken by every single person in this town. " Ben announces calmly.

"My army is dead cause your son decided to leave our home. We were hidden in the woods until David and his stupid army found us. Anna and I were the only ones who survived but of course, she wanted to reunite with her son. When we heard about the silence we knew it was a woman, a woman who must die." She explains and moves the gun to my waist but she charges but she doesn't pull the trigger on me, she pushes me away instead. 

"Have fun in your little town, watching your people dying..." She puts the rifle on her head and triggers. This is the last we see of her. 

I feel my body collapsing, I don't know what there was in that gun but I am terrible. I can stand no more, darkness overcomes me. 

(Todd)

Ma is here, in the room, with me and we watch the women of Prentisstown talking to Ben. Their old Mayor still holding the gun to Viola's head but she doesn't shoot, she kills herself instead. The sound is off and I cannot hear what they are talking about and why she did that but suddenly, Viola collapses. Mistress Lawson runs to her side, catching her before she hits the ground.

"NO," I yell. "VIOLA!"

"Todd, baby calm down," Ma says to me cause I'm breathing heavily, she holds my hand tightly and that calms me down for a while. "It's gonna be alright honey, just close your eyes and don't look okay? Viola is alive, I know it."

"How?"

"Mother's instinct. Trust me."

I close my eyes only for a moment but the moment goes quickly cause when I open them again, Viola is in the next bed still unconscious, my bandage has been changed and only Mistress Lawson is in the room above her. "What's wrong with her?" She doesn't talk to me, just touches Viola's forehead. "Does she have a fever?" Still no answer. "What's going on with her?" I yell sitting up. 

"She's fine." Mistress Lawson attacked me in words. 

"I don't believe you." 

"Okay, do you want to hear the truth? Viola got poisoned from the gun. It's a really rare poison which is found only in Prentisstown. She doesn't have any symptoms right now, but it might kill her instantly. We have to find the antidote as soon as possible."

"No, no, no I cannot lose my Viola, no no. I have to save her even though that means to sacrifice myself.

Third Chapter, new adventures. What happened to Viola, will the poison kill her? How is Todd gonna save her? Find out soon! New chapter soon! 

By the way, everybody, go follow Patrick Ness on twitter and Instagram. This person is really my favorite writer and without him, I would never have the chance to write this story! <3 

Thank you, love you! 

~Joanna C.~