Eternal

Z

That night passed in a blur, as I refused to ask after her. I had to keep reminding myself that I didn’t actually care about her welfare, the only thing that mattered was she survived for the time being.

I sat in my room practically brooding and by the time the next evening rolled in, I couldn’t fight it anymore as I strolled into Kat’s room. Despite the glares from Kat and the daggers being shot at me from Marcus’s eyes I was pleased to see the steady rise and fall of Unya’s chest.

“Has she even woken up at least once since she’s been in here?” I asked, making sure that my tone remained neutral.

“No and I honestly do not know when that is likely to change, I know she is going to recover a lot faster than the beings that she has been raised with, but the damage is extensive,” Kat stated, with worry clear in her tone and shining bright in her eyes.

I stepped closer to the side of the bed that she was laying on, and physically recoiled at the sight of her. The entirety of her face was covered in dark purplish, blue bruises with the odd tinge of green here and there. Her eyes were swollen shut and her nose was clearly broken, along with her fat lip that was a deep shade of red, from where the blood had started to gather below the skin.

“In case you were wondering, her injuries are a lot more extensive than just what you can see on her face.” This came from Marcus and was spoken with the utmost disdain for me.

“Why hasn’t she started to heal yet, if anything I’d say she looks a hell of a lot worse.

Kat looked remorseful as she shot a look at Marcus, which I gathered was to prevent him from unleashing whatever poison was threatening to spill from his tongue.

“Her body is focusing on healing itself from the inside out, as far as we can gather, she has a sprained ankle, a dislocated arm and at least three broken ribs. She is covered in garish bruises practically all over her body and is definitely suffering from internal bleeding, the most worrying part is the fact that when Marcus tried to read her, he couldn’t sense anything. It’s like she’s nothing more than an empty shell.”

I looked down at her with a sense of pity settling in the pit of my stomach, I had no idea what the hell I was supposed to do now when I noticed something leaking from her ear.

“Err Kat, please tell me that what I am seeing right now, is nothing to be concerned about?” I asked indicating at the leakage with my pointer finger.

She stepped closer to get a better look and the colour drained from her face, leaving her looking completely ashen.

“Marcus, this is not a good sign, she is definitely exhibiting signs of a fractured skull.”

I asked what that meant, but Kat just shook her head. She said she had no idea what this could mean for someone like Unya, who for all intents and purposes was in fact human.

“So, what, she’s going die?” I asked, feeling stricken to my core, but ensuring that my appearance remained aloof.

“Just another name on your list hey Lawson, you’ve racked up quite the body count,” Stated Marcus, who continued to stoke the fire that was threatening to burn its way out of me.

I raced over to him and hurled his body into the wall, lifting his body off of the floor, with nothing but the one hand that I secured around his throat.

“For the last time, I did not do this too her. If you want to blame someone, then point the finger at the actual culprit.” I said this with an ice -cold tone that even I did not recognise.

I could hear Kat screaming at me to let him go, but it sounded as though she was miles away instead of standing right next to me. I was so consumed by the fury inside me that I didn’t even feel when the sword pierced my back, it followed through until it was slicing through my abdomen and painting my once white top, red. My grasp on Marcus loosened as the sword was pulled free from my body and I slumped down onto my knees, my eyes connected with Kat’s. I was shocked to see the sword in her hand, but the worst part was the fact that the entirety of her eyes had turned a blood red and red veins were creeping across her face.

“Do not even contemplate touching him again or I swear to god, I will end you.” Her tone was deep and cut through me more than the sword initially had.

Marcus gripped hold of her shoulders and turned her into him, making sure that her eyes made contact with his, as he placed his finger under her chin and tilted her head up. I watched as the veins began to slowly fade from sight, alongside the red that had dominated her eyes, until the whites had returned and her eyes where once again a warm chocolate brown.

She shrugged Marcus’s hold off of her, not allowing him to say the words they both needed to hear. She turned back to me with remorseful eyes, but I knew that she would never apologise.

“I don’t believe that you did do this to her Lawson, but you are barely hanging on by a thread, eventually you are going to step off of that precipice and fall straight into the waiting arms of the darkness that keeps beckoning to you. Please don’t insult my intelligence by trying to deny it, I know where you are standing because I am right there with you, the only difference is, I don’t think I can continue to fight my fate any longer. I am going to lose my humanity and I will be just like all the other Erinyes that reside down there, but you have a choice.”

Her speech ironically left me speechless and I did not have a clue what I should say in response, not that she gave me the chance as she walked out of the room slamming her door closed on the way.

“She has been fighting tooth and nail to hold onto what and who she used to be, why would she suddenly give in?” I asked, not expecting Marcus to grace me with any kind of answer.

“I wish I knew, she barely speaks to me now, all she has told me is that she no longer has a reason to hold onto that side of herself anymore.”

I swallowed deeply, as I realised that Marcus had been more than just a fleeting fancy, he had become her salvation and I had helped her on destroying that.

I shook myself free from my reverie and was surprised to realise that they had left me alone with Unya, I perched myself down on the edge of the bed and wallowed in my own misery.

Chapter Fifteen