SHE WATCHED AS IT SEEPED THROUGh HER, THAT DARKNESS THAT SURROUNDED HER. It followed wherever she hide, stealing apart of her sanity. That blackness that never seemed to waver engulfed her thoughts. Stretching out in front of her like a map, the unknown studied her fears, her courage and her knowledge. Taking tentative steps, the infinite exposure of the human flesh dawned. There was no life here, where she stood. That was simple, no thriving population, no signs of past living. The darkness had overcome any sense of purity, consumed all hope of cleanliness and had wiped out all desire.
It was like she was in a dream. The sounds of chatter surrounded her were a little louder than usual, yet she couldn't quite see who they were, she only saw the darkness that occupied her vision, just simple blackness. It almost felt like her world was spinning, and all she wanted to do was just to sit down.
Maybe she was hallucinating, simply just dreaming. Sleeping her hours away but she was never able to wake up, it kept her trapped, only to just dream about everything, the voices that seemed real yet she knew better that to believe that, they weren't real, they can't be. The problem with hallucinations were their unpredictability. Alison felt she'd stand more of a chance if they were always the same thing showing up at the same time. Her mind however was far more creative - her "new friends" could show up at any time and be anything. Even those voices that seemed to get louder and louder. She heard them weep and cry out for her, they sounded all too familiar. Like she'd heard them before and yet so foreign.
"Alison..." It cried out as it always did, calling her name every so often awaiting for her to snap, as if they were reaching for her, stretching their hand for her to grab but she never did, always remained still, frozen in place almost but she desperately wanted to, of course she wanted to move so badly but couldn't, something felt like it was weighting her down. Always remaining still, that stillness that she hated so much, as that stillness caused her limbs to ached.
"Alison p-please," There it was, speaking her name once more, saying her name once again.
"Please wake up honey." When the words would not come out no more, the tears did, she felt them dripping on her exposed skin as they wetted the area, stain her skin with its salty residue. The voices cried like a children, noisily, with chocking sobs and never were they ashamed of it. They were too much in pain to even think about being ashamed.
"Liz..." Another voice spoke, it spoke her mothers name. Why did it mention her mother's name?
"Don't!" It screamed, furious. Sad- no it was more out of rage than it was sad, as that feeling held all the power of a wildfire, she could practically feel the flames roaring through her eyes, ready to ignite anything that she came into contact with.
"Haven't you done enough-" It seethed, anger visible in it's tone.
"First Richard and now you want to take my daughter away from me-"
"I would never Liz-" It plead, guilt evident within her voice.
"And yet Richard is dead! If you hadn't called him that night he would've still been alive!" Burning rage hissed through, Alison could feel it just like deathly poison, screeching a demanded release in the form of unwanted violence that laced its uttered words. It was like a volcano erupting; fury sweeping off its voice like ferocious waves.
"Haven't you got a bloody heart, for Godsake he was your brother! And now you want to do the same to your niece!" The wrath consumed it, engulfing its moralities and destroying the boundaries of loyalty. "To my daughter!"
"Liz you have every right-" There it was again pleading with the other as guilt ate away everything it felt inside.
"Every right?! You don't get it do you? Of course you don't you're too selfish to understand... You don't know how painful it is to lose- no to have him ripe away from you and your child! And now you are doing the same to-" And then the voice stopped its screaming tantrum as it spoke her name once again.
"Alison?"
"Alison" The voice spoke again, willing her to wake up and so she did.
Her eyes flew open like two flashlight beams, the new temporal inserts providing enough light to illuminate whatever she looked at. It's like being shown the woods one tree at a time in some crazy memory game, but it was better than just complete blackness Because in the blackness she moved slowly, it was as if nothing move, not even her. The blackness felt like being stuck in quick sand, if you moved or panicked you would just sink deeper into its hole.
"Mom..." Her voice came out raspy and dry, as if she was dehydrated, her throat felt like the desert itself.
Even though she was glad to be away from the blackness that never seemed to leave her, she was engulfed with her reality. Her mother stood right next to her, concerned, stressed and saddened with beyond belief. Even though her eyes showed the kind of concerned her father used to always show her whenever she'd hurt herself as a child, she laid her hand lightly on her shoulder, relief sculpted her features. Somehow that simple gesture her mother gave her, smoothed her and instead of flinching like she always did she just leaned in and let it comfort her, soothing her further as her body ached.
"You're okay." Fresh tears streaming down her face, red-hot, like the hot water flowing through the drains, rubbing salt into her sea of worry and relief. Why wouldn't she be? Confused as confusion scattering her thoughts, as a flower scattering seeds in a strong wind, hoping that they found soil and grow well. Her mother rapped her arms around her, pulling her closer into a tight hug. What was going on?
"What happened?" She asked. Confused as to what was going on? Where was she? And for the second time, her reality sank in deeper as realisation hit her right in the face. She was in a hospital room.
The hospital room was as devoid of beauty as she was with hope, every time she was here she always hated it. Especially since the last time she was here was went her father had passed away. But being in one herself it still didn't change the fact that it was devoid of all hope or beauty, it still looked the same, the same as last time. There was no decoration at all save the limp curtain that can separate her bed from the other three in here. It was perhaps once the kind of green that reminded people of spring-time and hope, but it's faded so much that the hue was inspired. The room as an undertone of bleach and the floor is simply grey, just like last time. At the far end are windows in brown metal frames, only openable at the top. Not a single person has flowers, cards home bought food. They are sleeping to pass the time or staring at nothing at all. There are stands for intravenous drips and monsters. At the door are dispensers for rubber gloves, hand sanitiser and soap. Theses items only reinforce her fear of germs, that so ubiquitous here that cleaning is mandatory every time a doorway is passed or a patient is touched. But maybe the nurses will forget, or not wash properly, then what? she would get a sticker?
"You don't remember?" Her Aunt had finally spoke, but all Alison could do was stare at both of the women, the women she thought were far more stronger than her. Yet their eyes were puffy and red, like they had no tears left to spill anymore they had emptied their faucet completely.
A simple shook of the head no had Alison regretting it instantly, as her brain banged against her skull. It throbbed. The pain felt like someone had taken a knife to her skull, and to ease the pain she leaned against her mother's shoulder, shutting her eyes tightly shut, willing the pain to go away and somehow it brought forth a much more painful pain.
Images flashed within her mind, reliving everything once more. Like she went back there where it all happened. To the meeting of her mate, to being bit by... As she grasp her neck as realisation hit her hard in the face, where that vampire had bit her, Titan was his name. His unforgettable coldness and wickedness that were invoked within his eyes. The coldness she felt, his cold touch and his dark exterior felt almost like he was dead, he was dead yet he looked so alive. Human almost but no matter how human he looked he still was wicked, it was as if darkness surrounded and followed him everywhere, he was a vampire. They were complete darkness, created in darkness, they lived in that darkness, bathed within it.
She now felt it, the soreness on her skin and the bumpy surface even through its bandage that laid there on the surface, but no matter how much it prevented and protected her view of her neck she still could feel the wound beneath it, throbbing and pulsating as it burned just above the nape of her neck.
"No..." She whispered. The rest of the world becoming detached, all she could concentrate on was the lasting pain the memory had brought forward, that was rooted deep within her head, she could barely hear the people chattering around her, all she felt, all she knew was the pain of that moment. The moment of him. To his pale skin and his helplessness, he laid there on the ground unmoving, maybe even dead while she just stood there unable to help him in anyway. Why didn't she make more of an effort? He needed her and she wasn't even trying. What was wrong with her?
"Where is he?" She asked, if he was here, he had to be. Tears threatened to spill as she awaited for an answer. Turning her attention right to the one person who was there, to the person who seems to be in the mist of everything that goes down here lately. Alison looked Her aunt straight in the eyes, as she awaited for her answer, awaiting for an explanation she deserved that much, with everything that went down just a few minutes or maybe hours, days, weeks, months? She wasn't quite sure about the timeline but she was determined to find out.
"Where's who?" Her mother beside her interjected, curious about what Emily was hiding from her once again.
"Emily what's going on?" Liz asked, to say she was far more than done with being kept in the dark was so underrated.
"Aunt Em please, I need to know." Alison begged once more. She had to know. She had to know what happened to him, but from the look her Aunt was giving her, she could almost figure it out herself but she tried holding on that hope that maybe her Aunt was just worried about her and she had good news. News that he was just next door healthy and well.
"Can someone bring me in the loop?" Her mother spoke once again, this time demanding her question to be answered.
"Alison found her ma-te..." Emily's voice cracked at the end, unable to finish the rest of her sentence as it pained her to deliver further bad news to the people she most cared about. Regret hitting her harder than before, she wished she could turn back time, back to never agreeing to helping him, if she knew he was Alison's mate she would've never brought him here. She should've just left him wonder around looking for answers still, just like he did before.
"Y-ou found y-our mate?" Her mother shocked.
"Where is he?!" She had enough, enough of being kept in the dark, for god sake he was her mate and she deserved to know but her Aunt's next few words had her whole world break down more than before.
"He's dead."