Raven shivered and shook from the excruciating pain. Tears welled in her eyes as Lucifer gently caressed her cheek, his brow furrowed with concern. "I won't let you die, Detective," he said softly. Raven could see a flicker of emotional confusion in his ocean-blue eyes as he looked down at her.
A gunshot wound can cause a human to bleed out in just five minutes. Within that time, Jimmy could be disabled and knocked out. Raven has sustained two gunshot wounds, which may lead to her bleeding out in as little as two minutes. The fact that Raven has remained conscious this long is a testament to her incredible will to survive.
Raven's strength was fading as her instincts took over once more. "L-Lucifer... H-he is going..." she stuttered weakly. A few more gunshots rang out, making Lucifer wince above her. Raven's eyes widened, genuine worry etched on her face. Her vision blurred with tears as she blinked them away.
"L-Lucifer... G-go... I d-don't want you h-hurt," Raven said in a cracked voice, worry and confusion flooding her body. She tried to move and escape from under Lucifer, but with him above her and her bleeding profusely, it was impossible.
Raven looked into Lucifer's pained eyes, seeing him wince at the sudden shock of the pain. Anger began to grow within him as he looked back at Raven, his right eyebrow twitching. "J-just give me one second," he said in a hurt and angry tone as he stood up from Raven.
Raven watched helplessly as Lucifer approached Jimmy, his eyes flickering with a blood-red hue and growing anger. Undeterred, Lucifer grabbed Jimmy by the collar and slammed him against the cracked glass, eliciting frantic pleas for mercy. "No, please don't kill me!" Jimmy gasped, struggling against Lucifer's vice-like grip.
Disregarding the gunshot wounds, Lucifer effortlessly lifted Jimmy off the ground. A sinister smile spread across his face as he stared into the man's terrified eyes. "Oh, Jimmy," Lucifer taunted, twisting Jimmy around to face the shattered glass. Locking him in a chokehold, Lucifer growled, "You're gonna wish that's all I did to you."
Raven stared at Lucifer's reflection, which appeared strikingly different from his actual face. Lucifer's reflection looked as if it had been pulled straight from the depths of hell - his skin was a fiery red, scorched and cracked, as if the very flesh was crumbling apart. The black shadows surrounding the reflection made it difficult to discern whether the horrific appearance was due to the glass distortion or some other cause.
Jimmy's sanity-shattering screams filled the air as he recoiled in terror at the sight of Lucifer's demonic visage. Raven watched, transfixed, trying to commit every disturbing detail to memory. She couldn't tell if she was hallucinating, her eyes widening slightly as a small, nervous smile played on her lips. "Am I hallucinating?" she stammered, tearing her gaze away to stare up at the ceiling, trying to drown out Jimmy's terrified cries.
Raven's left arm and shoulder throbbed with a stabbing pain, but her right arm went limp at her side as she retreated into the comfort of her own mind. "Damien... If there is an afterlife, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you," she whispered shakily, her voice trembling. "I guess this is payback, huh?" she chuckled mirthlessly to herself.
In her mind's eye, Raven saw the face of her best friend, Maverick - his dark, long, soft hair and charming, emo-tinged features. Maverick's warm, comforting smile seemed to caress Raven's cheek, even as Lucifer's hand hovered there, unsure of what to do.
Raven's mind was a whirlwind of emotions - desperation, depression, confusion. As she blinked, trying to stay awake, the feeling of it all threatened to overwhelm her senses. "Why you saved me... I never knew the answer, but it's a debt I can't repay..." she whispered, her voice cracked with emotion. "Thank you for proving to me that life... gets better." A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Suddenly, Lucifer's voice replaced Maverick's in her mind as she opened her eyes. "Detective?! Stay with me!" he said urgently. Raven was trapped in her own thoughts, grasping for any comfort. "M-Maverick...?" she whispered weakly, her voice barely audible.
"Detective?" Lucifer replied, brow raised in confusion. "I'm going to pick you up, okay..." He moved quickly, placing one arm under her neck and the other under her legs, lifting her gently. "Maverick... you're funny..." Raven said softly, a sad chuckle escaping her lips.
As Lucifer rushed out of Lux with Raven in his arms, she felt the world slipping away, just as when Maverick had carried her. "Stay with me, Detective," Lucifer said, his voice laced with concern. "You don't want to break your promise, don't you?"
Raven chuckled weakly, struggling to keep conversing with the Maverick she saw in her mind. "No... I won't do that to you..." she said softly, shaking her head slightly. Her breaths were slow and labored as she fought to keep her eyes open. Raven seemed to miss this person intensely, her pain palpable. "Do we... have to go to the hospital again?" she asked, her voice tinged with more fear than pain, as flashing ambulance lights shone through the window.
The world in her mind began to dissipate, merging with reality. The paramedics rushed toward Raven with a stretcher, and Lucifer gently laid her down. They instantly got to work, administering oxygen and assessing her wounds. Raven looked at the world through a hazy veil. "Mav... Lucifer... Where's Lucifer?" she called out, lashing out slightly, desperate to escape.
Lucifer grabbed her hand, "I'm here. Don't worry, they can't hurt you," he said softly, trying to comfort her.
Lucifer watched Raven closely, an unfamiliar pain rippling through him as he observed her uncharacteristic vulnerability. Raven, usually so logical and calculated, now seemed to have a broken soul seeking something. As the paramedics rushed the dying woman into the ambulance, Lucifer hurried inside before they could, taking Raven's right hand and sitting on the built-in chair. Raven was losing consciousness, sending Lucifer into a panic as he watched the paramedics work quickly.
As Raven's eyes fluttered closed, within her unconscious mind, she found herself in a field of spider lilies, trees surrounding her senses. Maverick had found a safer spot to sit beside the flowers, laying on a black blanket on the grass. "You never stay out of danger," Maverick said softly, sitting up with grace.
Lucifer said protectively to the paramedics, "I will ride with her to keep her from interrupting."
Raven's eyes quickly welled up with tears at the sight of her dear best friend, Maverick, in such a healthy state. "Oh, Maverick..." she said, her voice breaking. "You promised, remember?" Maverick replied with a happy smile and a gentle tone.
"You're not ready to go," he said, his wide crooked grin accompanied by a closed-eye smile as he gazed at Raven. Raven offered her fist to her best friend, shedding endless tears as she tried to speak with confidence. "Don't I always, Beasty?" Maverick said softly, opening his ocean-blue eyes and raising his fist to touch hers.
"Don't visit me again," Maverick chuckled. "No promises," Raven replied with a chuckle of her own as the ground crumbled beneath her. The darkness below left only a hole, with Maverick peeking his head out and waving to her. Raven reached out her right hand, trying to grab him, but as the hole grew smaller, her senses were filled with the sound of hospital monitors and a bright light from her left.
Lucifer had awakened and was leaning in towards Raven as she slowly regained consciousness.
"When am I allowed to leave? I find this place completely dreadful," Raven said with a dreaded look.