Nicole P.O.V
"I'll be back," I said, running out of the room and down towards the courtyard just as he had said.
I didn't wait for a response. There was no more time for words. There was only time for action. Z has now been on a full rampage for five hours. Everyone has been warned to take cover and hide.
Passing the courtyard the streets remains barren. The city looked abandoned and everyone was gone. All that could be heard was the gusts of the wind that flowed through my hair and skid across my ears.
I kept trying to run as fast as my legs could carry me. There was no slowing down or stopping. I had to hurry and find the wolfsbane. Stopping Z was now our top priority, I had to make it my priority. No one else should have to suffer at the hands of Z. No one should have to feel the pain I am feeling now.
Heat built up in the pit of my stomach and I could feel my emotions starting to rise. Fucking Z, why did she allow herself to lose control? How selfish could she be? The more I thought about it the angrier I became with my friend.
It was her fault all this chaos had happened. It's her fault my sister is fighting for her life. It is her fault Emily is in the comatose state she is in. All of this, every bit of it is all her fault. I replayed those words over and over in my head.
Soon, I was outside the palace gates and on the open country road. The wolfsbane wasn't too far away now. Just a little longer, everyone just please hold on.
Green plots of land came into view on a small stretch of dirt road. The herbal gardens were full of life and many different blooms of flowers and herbs. Different sweet and spicy scents filled the air. 'Yes, now I just have to find the wolfsbane.'
The task of finding the dark green six-leafed herbs was more of a challenge than I could have ever realized. Nothing was labeled nor organized.
I let out a sigh. This was not what I had expected to walk into. The garden stretched on for miles and had hundreds of rows with miscellaneous herbs.
Morpheus P.O.V
"Now it is time for phase two, the final phase. All you are going to be doing is sending your soul back to your body."
Emily looks at me with her mouth open. Her eyes are glued to me deep with worry and fear.
" My...my soul? How do you plan to have me do that exactly?" She fails her arms with each word that leaves her lips.
"If you'll shut up, I can explain." I snap, causing her facial expression to soften and her eyes fall.
" Have you ever meditated before?"
She shook her head no.
"Okay, this will sound easy but, if you're not spiritually inclined, or have never done any type of meditation, you may have a slight challenge ahead."
Emily groaned.
"Don't feel defeated just yet. Just follow my instructions to the letter and you'll be home soon."
For a stubborn young lady, she certainly lacks a lot of confidence in her strength. While she can project how determined and strong she is, her spirit lacks in that area. Brute strength will not be enough for her to succeed here nor against Solarious. I suck in a breath and exhale slowly. She certainly has surprised me, however.
"Okay, now I want you to sit and criss-cross your legs. Once you do hold your back straight, and your shoulders back as well, no slouching is permitted."
Emily does as I say and crosses her legs, adjusting her posture as she situates herself.
"Good, now touch your index finger to your thumb on each hand and place your wrists on your knees, palms facing up."
She nods and complies.
"Okay, Emily, I want you to close your eyes and clear your mind. Clear your mind of any fear, pain, and doubt. Whatever negative emotion dwells within you, erase it completely. As you do I want you to inhale through your nose and exhale slowly out of your mouth."
Emily's chest rises and falls in a slow smooth pattern. Her shoulders relax and her body eases into a state of calm. She caught on to the first few steps fairly well, so maybe just maybe this won't be so hard after all.
After ten minutes I believe she is finally ready to transmit her soul back to her body. The hardest thing about this is doing it in one try. Any mishap that occurs and throws off her trajectory will leave her soul wandering till the end of time.
If that were to happen there would be no saving her. No God, no force of any sort to intervene and save her. I can only hope for the best right now.
Clearing my throat I stand in front of her. Slowly she opens her eyes and brings them to meet my own.
"Have you cleared your mind?"
"Yes, " she replies gently.
"Alright now that your mind is clear. Try to imagine where you are. What people are by you, what room are you in, where in the room or area are you at."
Emily closes her eyes once more. Using the breathing technique, her chest rises and falls evenly. A silence creeps between us. I watch closely for any sign that things may go wrong. Still, she stays focused. In through her nose and out through her mouth. Her determination is not wavering this time.
Emily P.O.V
I do as Morpheus says and I follow his instructions to the letter. I don't know how much time has passed since I started the second phase of my journey to get back home.
I picture the room that Z and I share. The light creeps into the room and kisses the hard floor beneath my feet. The rays from the light warm my skin with a gentle touch. Z is in the room standing by the doorway, waiting for me to follow her to the lab.
Smiling I follow after her, enjoying the silence that is between us, we walk side by side matching one another's footsteps. Keeping in step with her she smiles and nudges my shoulder.
"What was that for?" I laugh nudging her back with the palm of my hand.
"Are you copying?" She replies.
" Hmmm, maybe or maybe we are just that in sync with one another." I shrug my shoulders as we keep walking. Z doesn't say anything back to me, her eyes focusing on the path ahead.
Once we reach the lab, Z pauses, following her lead I stop in my tracks as well. Following her gaze, my blood runs cold. There in front of us stands about a seven-foot-tall Lycan. A Lycan I have never seen before. Their eyes are filled with rage, saliva drips from the teeth, and their elongated claws point at us. The fur of this lycan is already covered in blood. They wreak of rotting flesh.
"Emily, get behind me, and when I tell you to run, you run," Z says sternly.
Frozen in fear I don't move, I am fully entranced by the beast before my eyes. I thought Z was the last surviving Lycan. Solarious was the one who annihilated them all, so how did he miss not one but two?
"Z?" I say her name as a question, waiting for some type of response to explain this bloody beast.
As the Lycan turns its head completely around and drops its gaze on me, a shiver runs down my spine. I can't move, I can't think. All the alarms in my head are screaming at me to run and hide. But, my body won't move.
A wicked smile plays across the Lycans muzzle. With slow, taunting steps, it approaches me. The Lycan gets closer with each passing second and still, I can't move.
"Silly mortal, you thought you could tame me? Have a hold on me? All you did was make it easier for me to come out and play." The Lycans voice is deep and maniacal.
"What do you mean to tame you? There aren't supposed to be any more lycans, Z is the last survivor."
"Tiny pesky mortal, you don't get it do you?" Their smile widened.
Just then a regular human face and hair appear on the left side of the Lycan face. I begin to focus on the features of a woman, her chin and red lips, flawless face and then say her long hair falls. It almost reminds me of…
"Z?!" I call out in horror.
Satisfied the fur that had been peeled away surfaced and grew back over Z's face. I look around to see the Z that was next to me is gone. But how? Is the only question that fumbles in my mind.
"I can tell by the look within your eyes you still don't quite understand, " They cackle holding their stomach.
"When did you get a hold of Z? She was just right next to me." I try to sound stern, to hide the built-up panic within.
"You pathetic weakling, don't you get it by now? I am Z" They shout out with a bloodlust growl.
I can feel my heart plummet to my stomach. There is no way this was Z. The Z I know is kind, strong, and thoughtful, but this….thing is pure evil.
"I don't believe you!" My voice breaks.
The so-called "Z" stalks towards me reaching out for my throat only to be surprised when their horrific claws phase right through my body. Stunned for a moment, the Lycan pauses, dark black eyes piercing through me.
"Ahhh I see, you're not really here, so that means your real body is elsewhere."
The scheming look on their face shows me all too well that my body is in danger. Now more than ever I know I have to race against time to locate my body and hide.
"Better hurry humans. My mouth is watering to taste your flesh, for when I find you, I will consume you." With one final twisted laugh, the Lycan runs out of view.
Shit, what am I going to do? I don't even know where my body is, or how the hell I ended up face to face with that monster. I groan, running my hands down the sides of my sweaty face. I do my best to think, where else could my body be, and then it hits me, I am in the infirmary.
Nicole P.O.V.
Finding the wolfsbane took a lot longer than I would have liked. Three long dreadful hours of finding the small herb in the palace garden. It was shaped almost like a rose full green with purple edges and dark red thorns. It almost looked elegant and beautiful.
With a small pouch full of the herb, I tucked it away and took off running again back towards the palace. Hoping that Z hasn't caused too much damage since I have been away. With a deep breath, I keep pushing forward, keeping my mind focused on the task at hand. Ince I get back to the infirmary, and well lab kind of. I'll have to move quickly to synthesize a serum to knock Z unconscious until we can find a way to lock her feral form away.
I make it back to the infirmary in under fifteen minutes, how I managed to do that is beyond me. General Adkins comes by my side to look in the pouch.
"So this is what the wolfsbane looks like, it sure is stunning." He held the herb up to the light admiring it.
"We don't have much time, " I reply taking all the contents out of the bag and I begin to break them apart.
General Adkins joins me and we quickly make work of breaking it all into one small pile. Looking around I try to find something that will help grind the herb down into fine little specks.
"It's no use we, don't have anything around that can grind it down." He says slamming a drawer shut in frustration.
"I'll go look in the kitchen, " I reply heading towards the door. Before I could lay my hand on the knob. It rumbles and a large indentation is left where a fist had collided with it.
"Shit!" I scream.