In the Claws of an Angel

*Ana....*

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*Ana....*

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*Ana....*

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*Wake up...*

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My eyelids felt heavy and struggled to flutter open, as if they'd been glued shut.

*Ana... Wake up...*

Someone was talking to me.

"Mmm..." I heard myself groan, all of  my limbs feeling as if they weighed a thousand pounds. Still, my eyes didn't open. "Logan...?"

Wait, no... that wasn't Logan... But the voice sounded so familier and strange... Even in a whisper, this voice was clearer than the loud sound of rushing water that surrounded me.

*Ana...*

My eyes suddenly snapped open, but quickly slammed shut again, unable to deal with the stress of blinking. I had to rely on my other senses, for the time being.

Sounds of water rushing around me... Shallow water beneath my fingertips as I tried to wiggle them... And that voice...

It was the voice that had spoken to me when I'd first met Logan, the one that he said he had heard, too... The one that brought him to me.

I'd forgotten all about it... And now it was back.

Suddenly, all my senses came rushing back to me all at once. I was soaking wet, shivering from the cool, damp air around me, and the chilly puddle I was laying in.

As I kept wiggling my fingers, I could make out the texture of sandy mud that cushioned my body. My muscles ached, my head was pounding and I could taste blood in my mouth.

I gingerly grazed my tounge along my bottom lip, flinching when it brushed against a tender spot that burned and tasted like iron... It was definately busted. What the hell had happened to me...?

Finally, I was able to force my eyes open. At first everything was dark and blurry, but after a few blinks I managed to clear it up. I still felt pretty disoriented, but the source of the loud rushing sound roaring from all around me, the giant waterfall, jogged my memory.

The massive stream of water cascaded through an opening in the earth about twenty feet above me, as if it were falling from the sky. It plunged into a dark pool below, and my body was pushed off to the side, resting in the most shallow part of it.

I could feel the cool mist spraying from the edge of the free falling water, sprinkling my already damp skin and sending racks of shivers through my ribcage.

As I layed there, I remembered Logan and I hiking through the woods in the rain... The fight with the coyotes... and falling over the edge of that rocky cliff into the raging current below.

I remembered the way Logan's eyes had looked just before I had slipped out of his grasp. Full of determination as he snatched my frail wrist from the murky water in the pouring rain.

And fear, as the powerful current ripped me from his grip and took me plumeting down with it, into the earth.

As I strained to lift my head and look upward at the mossy opening, I wondered how I could have possibly survived that drop, and I was sure Logan had thought the same thing.

I must have been out for a while, because around the edges of the gap in the earth's crust, I could see a pinkish-orange glow creeping into the darkness. I didn't know if it was dawn or dusk, but either way that meant it had been hours... It was only around 2:00 in the afternoon when Logan and I left our picnic site.

My arms wobbled beneath my body, attempting to push my weight up from the water.

"Aah...!" A gasped at a sudden, sharp pain in my right side.

I collapsed to my left, splashing slightly in the shallow part of the natural pool. My hand snapped to where the pain was radiating from, and I could feel four deep punctures in my skin; two in front and two in back.

My breaths were shallow and uneven as I warily glanced downward. I lifted my ripped, blood stained tank top, noticing the red liquid seeping from the swollen, bruising wounds and trailing away like thin red snakes into the clear water.

I cringed, the pain feeling more intense the longer I looked at the wound. So, I lowered the hem of my tank top with a trembling hand and closed my eyes to compose myself.

"Damn coyote..." I moaned in pain as I remembered the animal sinking its teeth into me, "Bastard..."

I rolled over on my back, taking a few more seconds before I tried to sit up again. The water was at just the right level to engulf my ears and muffle my hearing, while stearing clear of my eyes.

I tried to ignore the throbbing, stinging pain of the bite mark as the water rippled from the crashing stream and lapped over it. As I stared up at the opening above where there waterfall made it's entrance, I felt some sort of calmness wash over me. The continuous sound of the rushing water underneath the glassy surface was beginning to sound like white noise.

It lulled my eyelids into a heavy state, making it hard not to drift back into unconciousness. Just then, an uncomfortable shiver ran up my spine and reminded me where I was. I wasn't in a safe place to sleep.

I was 20 feet underground, and judging by the rapidly fading light from above, the sun was setting. Soon I would be in total darkness, soaking wet in the chilly Alabama night. The thought terrified me, but still... I was so tired.

My eyes slowly sank to a close...

*Ana...!*

The voice snapped suddenly, sounding much more urgent than before. It consumed my mind, bouncing off the inner walls of my skull and seeming to echoe out through my ears and into the water.

It startled me so much that my body vaulted into a sitting position, way too fast. Instantly, I was hit with severe vertigo. My eyes drifted about as my brain tried to decide which way was up, all in about a nanosecond. Combined with the searing, tearing pain of the wound in my side, my body wretched and heaved, vomiting mostly water onto the muddy sand next to me.

When the convultions were done, I took a few deep breaths. I quickly swished my mouth out with a handful of water, then forced myself to my wobbly feet.

I held my side, staring all around me. My eyes had adjusted to my dim surroundings just about as much as they were going to, and it was still pretty hard to see. The chill of the air was cutting into me now that I wasn't halfway submerged under water.

My eyes darted in every direction, but a sinking feeling pulled at my heart as I only saw the same things: Mud, rocks, water, and darkness. I didn't know where to go or what to do.

What if I tried to find my way out of here and just ended up getting myself stuck somewhere else? Somewhere with even less light and oxygen, deeper underground?

What if there wasn't even anywhere to go from here... I couldn't see anything, how was I supposed to know if this wasn't just a hollow pit in the earth, waiting to consume me?

Fear and panic started to set in. My heart raced and it felt like the walls were caving in around me. I stared up at the huge gaping hole allowing the water to come through. It was so high up...

"HELLO!?" I screamed as loud as I could, wincing at my stinging busted lip, but the roaring waterfall muted my cries. "HELLO!"

No matter how loud I tried to raise the octives in my voice, nature still trumped me. I still had one more scream left in me, and I let it out, even though I knew it wouldn't do me any good.

"LOGAN!!"

It was strange sensation... I could feel the strain on my vocal chords as I screamed, I knew what words I was forming on my lips... But I could barely hear myself. How could I expect someone on the outside to hear me?

Tears brimmed my eyes, trickling over the edges and streaming down my cheeks. I didn't know how I was going to get out of this...

*Don't be afraid...*

My tearful blue eyes widened. There it was, that voice. I looked around, thinking I would see a man standing somewhere around me, but I already knew that wasn't the case.

"Who's there...?" I peeped out, my voice sounding so vulnerable and weak.

I didn't know if this voice could hear me speak, but it was worth a try.

*You will survive...*

I was dumbfounded, incredibly confused... But somehow, slightly calmed. I felt compelled to scan my surroundings again, taking in every tiny detail...

*There...* The voice whispered inside my head, and instantly I froze.

As I focused my eyes, I could see a cluster of rocks jutting out from the muddy earth and scaling upward.

From where I was standing, about thirty feet away, it looked like I could climb them... That is, if I had the energy, and if the crippling pain from this coyote bite didn't slow me down too much.

But the voice was telling me to go there... In any other lifetime, I might think I was crazy, listening to a voice inside my head... A man's voice with a British accent, none the less. In a world filled with Mutants, though, anything is possible.

I mean, I could move things with my mind... sort of, and my only friend in the world was a man with a metal skeleton and razor sharp claws between his knuckles. That isn't exactly your normal, everyday life.

I tried not to think of Logan... Images of his rugged face and mysterious smirk flashed through my mind, echoeing sounds of his voice floated through my eardrums, and I could almost feel the leathery, masculine skin of his hands against mine...

Before I knew it, my cheeks were warming up. I had to quit thinking of Logan that way... There was nothing between us, we were just friends. I mean we hadn't even known each other for a month, yet.

But the thought of Logan leaving me behind, assuming the drop from the waterfall had taken my life, scared me to my core. I had become so accustomed to him in the short time I had been traveling with him, and the thought of not being with him, never seeing him again... It wrenched my heart.

Finally I hobbled my way to the wall of rocks, bracing myself against them with one hand and looking upward. I was right, I could scale them. It looked like the rocks led up to a higher plateau, maybe to a series of natural tunnels... The only way to know would be to climb.

I took a few deep breaths, ignoring the pain in my side, then reached up to the rocks with both hands. I grasped onto the stoney wall, getting a good grip, and hoisted my weight upward.

Then, within a split second, it felt like a hot knife was being jammed into my side. I let out a hoarse yelp, instantly dropping from the wall and gripping my bruised, punctured side.

"F-...Fuck..." I hissed through clenched teeth.

I squeezed my eyes shut and hung my head as the burning sensation passed, fading into a throbbing ache. I guess the strain of my body weight pulling at the injured muscle tissue was too much.

*Ana...Don't give up...* There it was again... How did it know my name? *You will survive...*

My eyes seemed to open on their own, staring back up at the wall of rocks. Whoever it was was right... I could do this, I had to do this... to survive.

So, I placed my hands back up onto the rocks, preparing myself for what I had to do next. A loud, strangled cry of pain ripped from my throat as I yanked my weight from the ground, trailing upward inch by inch.

After the first three pulls, the pain began to numb, making it easier to press on. Soon, I could see the top of the rocks, getting smaller as they thinned into a dark, cavernous opening.

When I reached the last rock that was big enough for me to grab onto, I was stuck. Standing in my way of the small cave was a long, steep, muddy slope that had been hidden from below.

My body trembled as I held myself up, dealing with a numb, throbbing sensation that was spreading up through my back and torso. I scanned the dirt... There had to be something I could use to pull myself inside...

Tree roots! A nice cluster of them, poking out from right underneath the cavernous gap. But there was no way I could reach them... If I jumped for them, I'd just end up sliding all the way back down, and probably wind up with a broken arm or leg.

I definately couldn't afford that... But my grip was giving out, so I had to figure something out fast.

The only thing I had left to rely on was my telekinesis. If I could somehow muster up the strength, I could bring the roots right to my hands without moving a muscle.

But I was just so tired... All my energy had been drained, and the pain radiating from my side was becoming too much to ignore. There was no way I would be able to focus...

But suddenly, I heard a voice in my head. But it wasn't the mysterious whisper... It was something Logan had told me that morning at breakfast.

"You're not always gonna feel your best when you have to use it." His echoeing voice reminded me. "So, go on. It's just a sugar shaker."

My breaths were coming in short bursts as I stared at my goal; The cavern. Somehow, I managed to rip my left hand away from the rocks and outstretch my arm toward the roots, holding my body up with my right hand.

"They're just... tree roots..." I grunted to myself, honing in on the spiney vines.

I felt the pressure build inside of my head as I mentally played tug of war with the roots. The dirt around them crumbled away, falling down the slope and landing in my eyes. I gasped and clenched my eyes shut, ducking my head to avoid any more falling debris.

Of course, with my luck, this caused me to loose my telekinetic hold on the roots, as well as my unsteady grip on the rock. My body began to slide downward, my injured side scraping against the rough surface. I gritted my teeth in pain, finally halting myself about two feet down.

My lungs felt constricted, even my heavy panting wasn't enough to catch my breath completely. Staring up at the top of the rocks where I had just been, the distance I had fallen seemed miles long... But even though my muscles were strained to their maximum and I had almost nothing left to give, I had to make my way back to the top.

"C'mon..." I urged myself quietly, "Almost there..."

I pulled myself up two or three rocks, paused to take a break, then bit the bullet and yanked myself up the rest of the way. I once again set my eyes on on the roots, conjuring up my mental energy.

I had to get it right this time, my body was shaking and screaming in pain, desperately signaling to me that this was my last chance.

And I was going to get it right, or die trying.

I tried a different strategy this time, clinging to the rocks with both hands. I stared intently at the roots sticking out from the earth. I had managed to pull them loose a bit on my first try, but they still weren't close enough for me to reach.

I imagined the roots acting as whips, snapping out of the mud and flinging into my hands. The pressure in my head felt just right, I knew I had a steady grip on it... I just needed to pull a little harder...

Suddenly, there was a series of snaps, and I instinctively reached my hand outwards. I felt the dirt rain down over me, sticking to my water logged hair and my damp face.

But more importantly, the rough exterior of the tree roots had finally met the soft skin of my palms. In that moment, it was the best feeling in the world.

After several deep breaths, I pushed myself to keep climbing. The tree roots were sturdy and held my weight as I pulled myself up. My feet slipped in the mud, but I somehow I managed to get myself to the top.

I tucked myself safely inside the small cave, dropping the vines and sitting with my back pressed against the clammy wall. I knew I had to go on, to keep my body moving.

But maybe it wouldn't hurt to close my eyes, just for a second...

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Big, beautiful trees and landscaping rushed by... Was I looking through glass? Maybe a car window...

Everything was basked in a yellow glow of sunlight, and suddenly... all movement stopped. I was standing in a field... No, a cobblestone driveway, in front of a huge, castle-like building. There was a set of big, oak double doors straight in front of me, and they slowly opened.

A breeze passed through, rustling the leaves of the trees all around me, as if that was the only sound that existed. The doors seemed to be creaking open in slow motion, so my view tilted upward at the rest of the building.

Tall and magnificent, looking as if it were built in another time period...

When I looked back down at the doors, I could see wheels... A wheelchair. But I still couldn't see who occupied it, only their navy blue slacks and shiney black shoes... The rest of them was hidden in the shadows...

"Anabelle."

A voice spoke from behind me, a voice I recognized and made my heart swell. My feet whirled me around, and I saw Logan.

I was suddenly somewhere totally different, but I didn't quite know what was different about it. I couldn't seem to remember where I was before I turned around...

Logan was maybe ten yards away, leaning against an old wooden fence in the middle of an open field of bright yellow Daffodils.

There was a giant Willow tree next to him, swaying in the calm breeze and casting shade down upon Logan.

Behind him, the field stretched for miles, meeting the crystal blue sky at its horizon. Giant clouds drifted by, looking like puffs of white cotton candy.

I couldn't fight my growing smile as I walked through the field, the soft petals of the Daffodils brushing against my legs.

Logan grinned right back at me as I closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms around his waist and burying my face in his muscular chest. For some reason, I didn't feel shy or bashful at all... Just at peace.

The crisp, masculine scent of his cologne overwhelmed me, mixed with a tinge of the sweet odor of cigar smoke. He wrapped his arms around me in a snug embrace, and my eyes closed at the comfortable, safe feeling.

After a few short seconds, I felt a pair of strong but gentle hands wrap around my shoulders. Logan held me out at arm's length, gazing down at me.

A small ray of sunshine caught the shimmer in his hazel eyes, making my knees feel like jello.

"Where ya been?" He asked me softly in his husky voice, his facial expression falling concerned.

"What do you mean...?" My voice responded, sounding strange to me for some reason.

"I've been looking for you." Logan said to me, his voice growing serious, "Been worried sick... Where were you?"

For some reason, I couldn't move my mouth to speak. My voice was frozen in my throat... No matter how badly I wanted to speak, to cry, to scream... I just couldn't. It was as if I had completely forgotten how, my brain wiped clean of the simple function of speaking.

"Ana?" Logan's voice called out, but I couldn't see him anymore. "Ana?"

It was dark again. The beautiful field of Daffodils, Logan, the Willow tree, the fence... It was all gone, there was only darkness. But I could still hear Logan's voice somewhere, calling my name.

"Ana? Ana?? Ana..."

His voice suddenly sounded strange, not like him at all... fading into a whisper...

*Ana...*

*Ana...*

*Wake up...*

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My eyes snapped open, my body tense and shivering. For a moment I felt dazed and disorientated, trying to figure out where I was, but it didn't take me long to remember.

Letting out a gloomy sigh, I pressed my palms into my eyes.

"How the hell do I get out of here...?" I whimpered to myself in the darkness, feeling tears sting my eyes.

No. No, I wasn't going to cry. Crying wasn't going to get me anywhere. I was going to move, stand, crawl... Whatever I had to.

I was going to survive.

When I raised my arms upward, my palms hit the top of the cavern before my elbows could fully extend. It was clear I couldn't stand up, so I'd have to crawl... And I did.

I crawled on my hands and knees through the dark cave, unaware of where I was going, but I just had a gut feeling. I crawled for what seemed like forever, bearing the burning pain of the bite mark in my side, and yanking my pant legs free of rocks and scraggly roots that snagged them.

Finally, I hit a dead end. It was a wall of solid rock... My heart sank as I pressed my palms against it.

*Here....* The voice urged me inside of my head.

"No..." I whimpered softly as I pressed against the rock. It didn't budge. "No, not here..."

I could feel anger and despair welling up inside me as I clenched my hands into fists. This had been my only hope, and it was a dead end.

"No!!" I mustered up the strength to scream, "It's... It's solid... ROCK!"

I cried out as I pounded the stone barrier with my fists, as if I could burst through. That only used up what was left of my physical energy, throwing my body down in the mud.

My ribs heaved in sobs. I couldn't get up again, I just couldn't do it. My battery was dead, there was nothing else for me to run on.

*Ana...*

God damn that voice. Where the hell was it coming from?

*Get up...*

"I can't..." I whimpered breathlessly into the dirt, knowing the voice couldn't hear me, "I can't..."

*Ana... Get up... Get up...!*

The whisper was becoming more urgent now, driving a piercing pain into my brain. I reached up and gripped my head, my legs squirming about. The pain was incredible, an intense pressure so great, I was sure my head would explode into bits.

*Ana... You will survive...* The whisper persisted, so loud, bearing over the searing pain, *Don't give up...*

I let out a shrill scream, unable to take the pain anymore. Tears were streaming from my eyes as they shot open, a strange blue light glowing around my hands... I stared at them for just a second, I had never seen this happen before...

But there was another powerful surge of crushing pressure inside my head, and I could hear my voice grow hoarse as another scream of agony erupted from my throat.

*Don't let it control you...*

Suddenly, there was a brief moment of calm. Within three seconds, my sights had been drawn to the wall of stone in front of me.

I don't know why, but something told me to press my palms flat against it once more... When the jolt of pain shot through my mind again, I squeezed my eyes shut and felt a powerful burst emit from my palms, shattering like rock like a stick of dynamite.

Then... fresh air, that smelled damp with rain. I could hear crickets. When I opened my eyes again... Moonlight was peeking through, urging me to crawl out through the newly open gap to safety.

I was flabbergasted, or maybe just exhausted as I stared into the outside world. It felt like I had been deprived of the fresh air and trees for weeks, when really it had only been hours.

I waited for a second, breathing heavily. I listened for the whispering voice that had led me out, but it had disappeared...

Gathering my strength, I crawled toward the opening, pulling myself out. I cringed at the numb sting of the coyote bite.

My body flopped into the dewy grass as I finally yanked myself from the underground cave. But I wasn't out of the woods yet... No punn intended. I still had to find Logan, or the truck, but I had no idea where I was, or if either of them were still here at all...

The forest was dark and thick, minus the light of the moon and the stars... And I didn't know if I had any strength left in me to walk. A sudden breeze ripped through, catching my damp, muddy clothes and freezing me to death.

I stared out into the dark trees, staggering to my feet and gripping my side. I leaned my back against the rough bark of a tree trunk, gathering everything I had... physically and mentally... before setting off into the night.

I tried to stay optimistic, but needless to say it was a little difficult...

All this struggling would be for nothing if Logan had already moved on...

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To be continued...