No way in Heaven or Hell - Afterlife Series Book 1

Chapter 4 - Darkness this way comes - part 2

So they left Healer Thalios to prepare everything she could in case patients came, and flew back in silence. This time, it was a little easier, because they had a better idea what to expect, but it was still nowhere near as fun as it had been in the breeze, in Eliana's opinion.. Although, come to think of it, the grey sky probably didn't help much. They reached their home, keeping an eye open for people in difficulty. They hadn't seen any.

"Brr... I'm freezing," Laera said. "I'll make some tea."

Eliana rubbed her arms.

"I'll get us some warm clothes." she said.

They were easy to find, even if no one had ever needed to use them until now. Eliana pulled out a thick zipper jacket with wool lining and a hood, a pair of white jeans and white and gold sneakers. She pulled off her dress and changed, before gathering similar clothes for Laera.

"Here," she said and handed them to her.

"Thanks," Laera smiled, immediately pulling them on. "It's insane, isn't it? I mean, how are all those people getting sick?"

"I have no idea... It's so frustrating, I feel like I'm going around in circles, never getting anywhere..." Eliana sighed.

Laera shrugged as she sat down at the table.

"I know, but it's not like we can do anything about it..."

Eliana stared at her.

"So you're saying we should sit back and wait for this thing to get everyone?" she asked, astonished. "Even the Healers? Because when that happens, Laera, no one can help us!"

Laera shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Well, no, of course not, but what do you want to do, we have no idea what it is, why, how..."

Eliana couldn't believe her ears. She almost felt like she didn't know Laera anymore.

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't look." she said shortly.

"Eliana..."

"Look, people are getting sick, the whole world is going haywire, we can't just sit back and let it happen!" Eliana said.

Laera rolled her eyes.

"I'm not saying that, but there's nothing we can do!" she said. "I mean, Healer Thalios has been here for decades and she's got no idea what to do! We're not miracle workers, Eliana."

"Well, we can't know there's nothing to do until we try!" Eliana said irritably.

"What do you want to try?" Laera retorted hotly. "We have no precedent to work on! I mean, I'm all for looking for a way out of this mess, but if we have nothing to start from..."

"We won't have until we look!" Eliana retorted. "Maybe there is no precedent, but that doesn't mean there's nothing that can help! So you may not be interested in looking for a solution, but I am."

She marched out and snapped the door shut.

Eliana hated that she and Laera had argued. Even though she knew friends sometimes disagreed, that didn't mean it was pleasant. It was the first time they'd ever argued at all, let alone like that. She flew across the grey sky, preferring flight to the wooden bridges, more numerous than the stone ones, and a lot less stable in this wind. It was a good thing Eliana tied her hair up most of the time, or it would have gotten in the way. She pushed on, fighting the cold wind, which she thought had gotten slightly stronger. She finally reached the library, panting slightly, but determined. She wasn't exactly sure what to look for, but she would never find anything if she didn't look. She glanced back in the direction she'd come from, thinking of Laera.