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Chapter 10 - Screams and Knocks

I was in a nightmare. My vision flashed as lightning crackled and machines sparked. I was huddled in the corner of somewhere dark. There was buzzing and banging noises and I had to put my hands over my ears to muffle the sound.

Bright blue eyes appeared before me and I closed my own. Someone lifted me up and layed me on cold metal.

"She'll be fine," someone said. My eyes were still closed. I tried not to feel but needles were poking and prodding my limbs. I let out cries of pain when energy coursed through me.

I felt hot. I was sweating and flailing and hitting things but I didn't open my eyes. I didn't dare open my eyes because I was scared of what I would see.

I knew I was dreaming but the pain was too much. I screamed until my throat hurt and my eyes shot open to see white electricity swarm around me. I saw the blue eyes again, but they were with dark green eyes. The only source of light was the electricity crackling from my palms.

I was breathing heavily and I couldn't get up I was so weak. I almost fell into unconsciousness but then a voice started up again.

"Drain her."

More needles, more equipment, more energy. I felt all the life get sucked out of me and I lay, half-dead on this cold piece of metal. The green eyes held up a large canister. Inside was crackling electricity and my eyes fluttered shut.

I felt a hand around my arm and my eyes shot open to see the blue ones staring back at me. Out of everything, they seemed concerned.

"Give it back to her." The blue eyes commanded the green and their gaze never left me.

"We've already gotten what we needed. Son, this is all we had to do I-"

"Give it back to her," it commanded more roughly. I saw the blue eyes drill their gaze to the green and I almost passed out but I kept myself awake. "She needs it to live. You want your daughter to die? Give it back or I'll take it back."

"You have no right to-"

"GIVE IT BACK TO HER, DAMNIT!"

The eyes disappeared and there were noises. Suddenly four or five needles were pushed into me all at once but I couldn't find the voice to scream. I lay on the table, body going into shock. My mouth and eyes were wide open but no sound came out. Then everything went abruptly black and I savored the silence and painlessness before my eyes opened again.

I was being carried by someone. I looked up weakly and saw the blue eyes again. They looked down at me and soothingly told me it would be okay. Then there was commotion and the blue eyes grew wider from fear.

We were running. I was still in their arms and then I was set down. With my last bit of energy, I opened my eyes once more to see the blue eyes retreating, leaving me.

"N-no I-" I began but started coughing and I could feel myself slipping. The blue eyes closed and opened.

"You'll be okay. Stay alive. You're better off on your own than with me. Goodbye, Zoe." And they left.

It started raining. There was tapping all around me, gradually getting louder until I couldn't stand it anymore.

——

I woke up with a start. I was sweating and breathing heavily, but there were no metal tables or blue eyes. Nothing. It barely felt like a dream because the pain and the noises were all so real. But the tapping was still there. I looked over to the window, which seemed to be the source of the tapping, and peered through it from my bed. I slowly got up and the tapping got louder.

It sounded like someone was tapping on the glass with a finger. I got closer and tried to look through it, but it was black outside. I could hear rain on the roof, but this sounded like something trying to get my attention. I squinted to see if I could see anything, but there was nothing.

And then it stopped. There was silence except for the soft pattering of rain and Winter's breathing. I started to relax.

Then two red eyes abruptly glowed through my window and I stumbled backwards. They didn't leave my gaze and I didn't break contact. I very slowly walked forward and stared into the irises more. I was about to open the window to see who it was when there was a giant thump outside. The eyes clouded over with black and I was left to wonder what the thump was along with what the hell those eyes were.

I rudely turned on the light, much to Winter's dismay, and unlocked the dorm door. I wasn't prepared for what I was about to see outside.

Lying on the floor in the middle of the girls' hallway was a body not too much bigger than me but more muscular. It had white wings that were badly damaged and bleeding everywhere. The armor was burned and broken in so many places it was barely there. The the figure had bright red hair and then their eyes fluttered open to reveal a striking purple that was slowly fading.

"H-hello, my friend..."

My hands flew to my mouth to keep me from yelling too loudly.

"Aer?!"