Arakmuraya

It Didn't Work

Kara POV

I sat up in my bed a few seconds after waking up. Staring out the window, all I could see was the city, just boring brick or cement buildings. I could hear busy streets far down below my room which was high up in a skyscraper. 

"Kara, how long have you been awake?" Alex walked in, carrying two coffees. One for herself and one for her tired Fiance who was asleep on the couch on the other side of my bed than the window.

"Only about five minutes," I said, trying to hold in a gasp from the pain that just jolted through my stomach. Alex obviously saw that I was trying to hide something and immediately put down the disposable coffee cups and sat at my side, putting her hand in mine. I squeezed until the pain subsided a little and then relaxed.

"Where was the pain? The scale, too please," Alex said calmly.

"Um, the pain was here, " I put my hand just below my right-hand side ribs. "On the scale, an eight, maybe..."

"Kara, that isn't where the can... that isn't where it is." She emphasised the word it. I sat back up and just looked at her. I had no explanation for what the pain was, if not the Arakmuraya.

That Night

"Kara, wake up." I heard Lena's voice echo through my lovely dream about me laying in a grass field with Mon-El.

"Hi, what's up?" I said as I tried to open my eyes but found it too hard.

"We need to get out of here."

"Just let me rest for a minute."

"Kara, it is coming, you need to run, you can't fight this one."

"Fight what?" I finally got my eyes open and saw what looked like a big lump of dough, it looked kind of like a cancerous tumour. It engulfed Lena and then came for me. 

I woke up for real this time and saw Lena fast asleep next to me, holding Alex's hand? How cute, I think. 

"I wonder if you guys have a thing going on behind my back!" I tried to raise my voice as loud as possible but it hurt to shout, so I left it at a slightly louder speaking volume.

"Huh?" Lena said, waking up and pulling her hand away from Alex's. She moved her chair closer to me and kissed me on the cheek. "Good morning, or night. Either way, you are awake. Why are you awake?"

"I had a dream about you and I. Sort of. I was dreaming about Mon-El and then I 'woke up'" I used my fingers for air quotes when I said woke up, "and you were there. Telling me to run, trying to get me to run away from this big monster that looked like a big ball of flesh but I knew it was the Arakmuraya."

"Kara, I..."

"That isn't even the best part. I started to run and it kind of ate you and then came after me." I looked at her worried face. "Don't worry, it is only a dream."

"Usually you would be the one worried and I would be saying 'It is just a dream'. I guess our relationship is that messed up, right?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," I said and tried to laugh but it hurt. Suddenly I felt really tired, my eyelids were so heavy. "I am so tired," I said and she just nodded, giving my hand a squeeze and sitting back in her chair. The last thing I heard before I went to sleep was my heart monitor going crazy.

Lena POV

I sat back to let Kara sleep. I didn't think it was such a big deal that she was suddenly so tired after being almost wide awake until I heard the steady beeping of her heart monitor get faster and faster. Kara was shaking violently, I felt so helpless. Standing by her side, I had no clue of what to do, she was having a seizure and I couldn't stop it. I knew she was in pain and it killed me that I couldn't do anything.

"Alex, what's going on?" I turned to look at Alex, who was already standing up, trying to stop Kara's seizing.

"Hold her down, I am going to get a nurse." She said. She was so calm and collected. Compared to me, an emotional wreck, Alex was probably the calmest person on earth. Alex came back a moment later with a lady who helped hold her down while she gave her a sedative. She took blood, ran tests and after about ten minutes, Kara had stopped seizing and was sleeping soundly. 

"What the hell was that about?" I said, out of breath from worrying so much. Alex shrugged and looked at the nurse.

"It isn't a definitive answer but my best guess, based on the symptoms, is that it was the treatment."

"What about the treatment?" I said, trying to hide the fury I felt. I already knew the answer, I just didn't want to admit it to myself.

"It didn't work." Alex muttered slowly. The nurse nodded and I sat down, I felt like I too was about to pass out. The whole time, she was getting better. It looked like she was recovering. 

"But, is there more treatments you can try?" I said, frantic and terrified to hear the answer.

"Yes, there is two. One will probably not work but it is worth a try." Alex said, finally letting herself cry. She knelt on the floor and sobbed for what felt like forever while the nurse and I just stayed there quietly. I saw movement out of the corner of my right eye and turned to Kara.

"Lena..." She whispered. Her eyes were closed but it felt like she was awake.

"Kara, thank god, we thought we lost you!"

"You can't get rid of me that easily." She replied, opening her eyes and I saw the fear and pain she felt for a split second before she hid it behind humour and joy. The nurse stood closer to us and Alex stood up, still crying but not saying anything.

"The tests came back for the scans," we all braced ourselves for the inevitable bad news. "It has spread, it has gone from your stomach to your right lung." Kara sighed, I could barely speak.

"So..." I choked out, "What does that mean?" Kara started coughing and when she pulled her hand away from her mouth, I saw it was covered in a scarlet colour.

"It means this..." Kara mumbled.