Descent to the Underworld

Chapter 21

Fragments of memories kept on crashing in her mind as she fell down from the cliff. Chanel felt it was an endless fall. She remembered the feeling and that started how those tiny pieces of memories were trying to rip off her mind. Make it stop. She screamed so hard. Make it stop!

"Sister, do you want to come with me?" A sweet voice of a woman was the next thing she heard. The images were blurry. She couldn't see her face. Tumingin siya sa kamay nitong kanina pa naghihintay na kanyang hawakan.

"Who are you?" She whispered but the image suddenly blew away, as if a wind suddenly came and erased everything.

Then another woman came. But still, the face was blurry and all she could see was her sweet smile.

"Come here, my child..."

Smoke clouded the whole place. Ang magaan na pakiramdam niya ay napalitan ng kabigatan. The ambiance of the place changed. From light to heavy. From heavenly to sinister.

"Why—Just why did you do that?!"

She heard a lot of people shouting. She heard curses. She heard them crying.

"What's happening? Why—am I crying?" She wiped her tears on her cheek, still confused why she felt so heavy like she was in pain and her heart was torn into pieces. Why did she feel so sad? Why did she feel so hopeless? Why on earth did she felt like she was dead?

Voices continued whispering on her ears.

Wake up... Wake up... Wake up... It echoed.

Her dream or wherever she was started to tremble. She looked up above only to see everything was crumbling.

Wake up, a sharp voice whispered.

Chanel opened her eyes and coughed badly that her throat and lungs hurt. She looked at the night sky. The bright moon and stars welcomed her. Bumaba ang tingin niya sa isang mabigat na bagay na nakapasan sa kanyang katawan. When she saw Night, hugging her unconsciously, her worries finally subside.

She felt the pain throughout her whole body but she tried to move her hand. Hinawakan niya ang ulo ng binata at pilit na sinilip ito. His body was so cold that Chanel immediately sat up, gently laid Night down, and held both of his cheeks. She immediately checked if he was still breathing, and thank Gods, he still was. She panicked for a moment there.

"Ah shit..."

She looked around only to see that they were at the bank of a river. She stood up and pulled Night out of the water. She checked his wounds at the back only to see that they were already healed. The arrows were also nowhere to be seen. She was puzzled by what she was seeing. Why has he healed already? And now that his wounds were already okay, why was he still unconscious and his body cold?

What the hell happened?

She then checked herself and find her situation confusing too. She was quite all right.

How did we end up here? Without any scratch?

She stood there helplessly as she looked around to see if there was a space they could rest. She looked up in the sky and looked at Night again. She could only sigh.

Napahawak na lamang si Chanel sa kanyang ulo. Anong gagawin niya ngayon?

She tried to pull Night out of the river bank and moved him under the trees. Hingal na hingal siyang naupo sa gilid at hinabol ang kanyang hiniga.