Beyond Her Final Breath (Book 1- Shadowland Duology) | Wattys2015

.Chapter Six.

Nathan stood in the middle of the woods, gusts of cool wind ruffled his hair. The scent of an approaching storm was in the wind.

The cool twilight air brushed against his skin, making goosebumps appear on his arms. Nathan shivered and rubbed his arms.

“Nathan,” a feminine voice called. “I need your help.”

A glowing figure stepped out of the trees.

Evelyn spoke again. “Help me.”

Her skin was a translucent blue, her hair almost the color of navy. A flowing white dress swayed in the wind; her hair danced around her face. But her eyes…. they were pitch black. The pupil blended into the iris, and her eyes looked like bottomless depths.

“Help me, Nathan,” she said. “Please help me.” Her voice echoed, but was soft and quiet.

Thunder clapped through the sky, and it reverberated off the mountain sides. The wind picked up.

She stepped closer.

A bolt of lightning streaked through the dark sky, lighting up the world for a brief second.

Another clap of thunder rumbled the earth.

Evelyn inhaled, sounding like she was choking. She clutched her chest, and panic crossed her face.

A rotting finger with jagged black fingernails pushed out of her chest and then back out with a sickening slurping sound.

Bright red bloomed like a flower across her chest, staining her white dress. The crimson dripped down from the wound into a puddle on the forest floor.

Suddenly, she changed. The blood was still there, but her skin turned into a bright angry red.

“You,” she hissed. “You could’ve helped me. You could’ve saved me.” There was an almost inhuman shriek to her voice.

“I’m sorry!” Nathan cried. “I tried, I really did!”

Evelyn chuckled, devoid of all humor. “You didn’t help me. You left me!”

With a shriek, her fingers grew long with black talons. She lunged.

Her claws dug into the flesh of his arm, beads of dark blood finding its way to the surface.

“Please! I didn’t mean to!”

Sharp pain exploded behind his eyes. A prick and then warmth dripped down his neck and soaked the collar of his shirt.

“I’m sorry, Nathan. I have no choice.”

The flesh around his neck started to tear, and blood continued to weep from his wounds.

Nathan’s eyes shot open, the irises of his eyes swallowed up by his pupils. Sweat poured off him and soaked the mattress below. His heart knocked against the inside of his ribcage, begging to be set free. HIs hands flew to his unscathed neck, searching for open wounds and blood.

His chest rapidly rose and fell.

“Just a dream,” he told himself. “It was all just a dream.”

He slid out of bed, his feet silently padding against the cool wooden floor. Pain radiated in waves with every step.

His hand grasped the brass knob of his door. The knob turned without a sound. He swung the door open and came face-to-face with his little sister.