Status: Active, Please be Kind <3
Octoberwood
Chapter Eleven “Sacrifice”.
Chapter Eleven
“Sacrifice”.
My head was pounding when the two large men came into the room and released me from the chair, I fell to the ground and vomited again from the pain my body was in. Gwen sighed crossing her arms tapping her foot as she looked down at me. I lifted my gaze narrowing my eyes at her, if I was strong enough I would have attacked her. I was never one to fight with people. By far I was more of a lover then a fighter. But right now, I wanted her to feel every ounce of pain she’d inflicted on me. The men grabbed me again and I was dragged from the room. Too weak to fight back or stand on my own. Gwen smiled back at me as we reached a new door.
“I am sure stage two will be much more effective”.
She said swiping her key card then punching in a code. The doors hissed open like something out of Star Trek. When I was placed in the room it was pitch black and I was unhand-cuffed. The two men left the room and the doors closed locking behind me. Gwen’s voice spoke over the intercom.
“Let’s see how well you hold out after this. Keep in mind, more people will be effected the longer you hold out”.
Gwen said in that same cheerful tone.
Then the lights flickered on with a hum. I scanned the blindingly white room and my eyes fixed on it. A strange device in the far end of the room. It had the study beep of a heartbeat. I stood slowly approaching the device. Someone was seated in a rocking chair on the other side of the room their back facing me. I circled the device and the person feeling my eyes widen with tears as I looked at her.
“Grandma?”
I sobbed dropping to my knees in front of her. She looked at me with glazed glassy eyes and smiled an artificial smile. I trembled inside looking up at her.
“Hello? Do I know you young lady?”
My heart clutched in my chest as I looked up at her. I swallowed hard the lump that formed in my throat and started again.
“Grandma it’s me! Krissi! Your granddaughter. You raised me, you have to remember that”.
I struggled to hold myself together as much as I could. Still her eyes were glazed and distant she smiled that same artificial smile at me giving her head a light shake.
“My granddaughter is dead, she died because she was not divine, she did not do her duty and she had no dignity”.
The words sent a chill through me. Divine duty and dignity. What Gwen said the government stood for. Grandma smiled at me as she continued to rock in her rocking chair.
“Someday she will be born again, and the overlord will save us again. He is a good man, a kind man. He is the only true Divine, he does his duty and has dignity”.
I scanned her with my eyes realizing she was brainwashed. These people had brainwashed her. I got up fury filling me as I looked towards the mirrored walls. I was smart enough to know it was a two way viewing glass. They could see me but I couldn’t see them. Tears rolling down my cheeks I stormed towards the mirror and slammed my fist hard into it using the energy around me to add to the impact.
The mirror cracked in a circle pattern. I growled pulling my fist back to punch the glass again, it was all that stood between me and Gwen. My knuckles bleeding but I didn’t care.
“STOP!”
A voice commanded from behind me. I looked back at three very large men all armed with powerful looking wands. Grandma smiled at them as they entered.
“Has my time finally come? Is the overlord ready to meet with me?”
I looked at Grandma Tears rolling down my cheeks as I walked over to her taking her in my arms.
“No Grandma, no it isn’t time”.
She looked at me with that same glazed over glassy look in her eyes and smiled.
“Hello, do I know you?”
I fell to my knees consumed with emotion and pain as I started to cry.
“Human illness is easy to force with the right chemicals”.
Gwen spoke again. I looked at her as tears streamed down my cheeks as Gwen approached us an evil smile on her lips.
“Alzheimer’s is the easiest chemical reaction we can generate”.
She said standing over me now. I narrowed my eyes at Gwen gritting my teeth as I struggled to compose myself. Gwen looked to my grandmother who stood helpless smiling as if everything was fine.
“Grandma here held out just like you, but she was no match for our chemists”.
Gwen smirked looking down at me.
“Now she is just a helpless old woman. No longer a threat and no longer harboring the one person meant to throw everything we’ve worked for into chaos. We have worked much too hard to have all we’ve built torn down by the likes of you”.
Gwen said.
That was when I’d had enough. I lunged for Gwen and everything happed at lighting speed. A powerful boom of magic coming at me as Gwen was driven backwards by another boom of magic that didn’t come from me. When the world stopped moving at light speed. Grandma lay over me bleeding badly from a wound while Gwen was on the ground holding the right side of her face screaming in pain as blood oozed from between her fingers. I gaped at Grandma who looked down on me giving a familiar smile, her smile tears rolled down my cheeks as I gaped up at her.
“She attacked me! How could she attack me!”
Gwen screamed at the men as they rushed to her. I gripped my grandmother’s shoulders shaking my head knowing what was coming next.
“I love you”.
Grandma said with a smile and then her eyes rolled to the back of her head and the life left her body. I screamed at the top of my lungs holding her in my arms. Gwen seethed with rage looking at me with her remaining eye, the right side of her face was destroyed completely.
I held my grandmother’s lifeless body sobbing heavily. Gwen aiming her wand at me. I didn’t care anymore, I didn’t care what happened to me. Suddenly another blinding flash of magic. Gwen screaming again as her hand was burned forcing her to drop her wand. I looked towards the doorway seeing the three large men fall over with more blasts of magic. Someone who looked a lot like Brian rushed towards me dropping down next to me.
“Krissi!”
He said looking scared. His hand grazed my cheek and I knew it was Brian. I shook my head sobbing.
“She’s dead. She’s dead”.
Brian frowned at me.
“I’m sorry Angel, but I’ve gotta get you out now”.
I looked up at him shaking my head.
“I don’t want to, I don’t want to live anymore, just let them kill me”.
Brian scooped me up in his arms pulling me away from my grandmother’s lifeless body. I sobbed hard against his chest feeling sick again. Brian ran as fast as he could through the halls kicking open a back door that led out to a parking lot. He ran from the building with me in his arms. Alarms and flashes were going off. As Brian ran through the lot a red sports car squealed to a stop next to us like something out of those Fast and The Furious movies. When the door lifted upwards I saw Quartz behind the wheel. She didn’t look anything like what she normally did. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a black lace corset top and a pair of black skinny jeans and a leather jacket.
Brian jumped in with me in his lap. Quartz narrowed her eyes as the car revved and sped towards the gates. She avoided incantations like bullets. If I wasn’t in such a state of shock and devastation I’d have been impressed. We drove for a long time and I think I cried most of the drive. Trembling in Brian’s arms. Brian carried me towards a beach house we’d arrived at a storm was rolling in from the water.
“Get her inside, I’ll call Saphrin and Amethyen and tell them to start the next stage”.
Quartz said. Brian carried me inside and sat me down on the couch. I hung my head tears rolling down my cheeks. Brian sat down on the other side of me after lighting a fire in the fire place. He draped a blanket around my shoulders.
“I’m sorry about your grandma”.
He said rubbing my back. Quartz entered the house looking between us.
“Brian, why don’t you go get the guest room ready for Krissi”.
He nodded getting up and filing out of the room. Quartz walked over and crouched down in front of me. I looked at her tears still streaming down my cheeks.
“She wasn’t herself, Gwen said the chemist gave her Alzheimer’s”.
Quartz nodded.
“But when they were about to kill me, she was my grandma again. She attacked Gwen, destroyed the right side of her face and took a fatal blow for me at the same time”.
I sniffed. Quartz smiled at me giving a nod.
“Because she loves you, obviously the chemist didn’t get rid of all your grandmother, there was still part of her inside and you being in danger brought that out. She was strong enough for one last attack and she knew it would be the last time she’d ever have so she made it a good one”.
I looked at Quartz sniffing.
“She sacrificed herself to save me?”
Quartz nodded.
“Yes, she gave up what little life she had left. Knowing she could never be herself again and that you were far more important to her then anything. She wanted you to escape”.
I looked down shaking my head.
“I didn’t want things to be this way”.
Quartz sat next to me placing her arm around my shoulders.
“I know, but now we have proof that the hunters work for the government. Which means there is more going on here than any of us suspected. We need to find out what that something is. Until we do, I am afraid that Octoberwood isn’t going to be safe”.
I closed my eyes giving a deep heavy sigh. My head hurt and I was tired. Quartz turned herself to me.
“We can talk more in the morning. For now I think you need rest”.
Quartz said. I got up hugging her tight and thanking her before I headed upstairs tears brimming my eyes. I found the guest room, Brian had set out a t-shirt of his form me to change into. He smiled at me.
“Hey, um I hope that’s ok for you to wear”.
Brian said as he stood nervously next to the bed. I walked over to him.
“You saved my life”.
He smirked shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Yeah, I know. I told you I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you”.
He said but his smirk faded as he looked down.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get there fast enough. We could have saved your grandma too”.
I shook my head lightly.
“No, as much as it hurts, things went the way she wanted them to”.
Brian placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m still really sorry”.
I looked up at him leaning up on my toes I kissed his lips lightly. His smile returned.
“Wow, what was that for?”
I gave the best smile I could muster.
“For saving my life. The girl always kisses her hero right?”
Brian smirked at me.
“I’m gunna have to save your life more often”.
I gave a weak smile at his words before sitting on the bed. Brian turned to me.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning. My rooms down the hall if you feel like thanking me again”.
He teased. I rolled my eyes.
“Good night Brian”.
He closed the door behind him leaving me alone in the room. The weight of my grandmother’s sacrifice washed over me again. I didn’t know why I was chosen, I didn’t know why they were doing these things to the people I loved. But I knew if I was going to find answers, it meant more people I loved would be hurt.
“Sacrifice”.
My head was pounding when the two large men came into the room and released me from the chair, I fell to the ground and vomited again from the pain my body was in. Gwen sighed crossing her arms tapping her foot as she looked down at me. I lifted my gaze narrowing my eyes at her, if I was strong enough I would have attacked her. I was never one to fight with people. By far I was more of a lover then a fighter. But right now, I wanted her to feel every ounce of pain she’d inflicted on me. The men grabbed me again and I was dragged from the room. Too weak to fight back or stand on my own. Gwen smiled back at me as we reached a new door.
“I am sure stage two will be much more effective”.
She said swiping her key card then punching in a code. The doors hissed open like something out of Star Trek. When I was placed in the room it was pitch black and I was unhand-cuffed. The two men left the room and the doors closed locking behind me. Gwen’s voice spoke over the intercom.
“Let’s see how well you hold out after this. Keep in mind, more people will be effected the longer you hold out”.
Gwen said in that same cheerful tone.
Then the lights flickered on with a hum. I scanned the blindingly white room and my eyes fixed on it. A strange device in the far end of the room. It had the study beep of a heartbeat. I stood slowly approaching the device. Someone was seated in a rocking chair on the other side of the room their back facing me. I circled the device and the person feeling my eyes widen with tears as I looked at her.
“Grandma?”
I sobbed dropping to my knees in front of her. She looked at me with glazed glassy eyes and smiled an artificial smile. I trembled inside looking up at her.
“Hello? Do I know you young lady?”
My heart clutched in my chest as I looked up at her. I swallowed hard the lump that formed in my throat and started again.
“Grandma it’s me! Krissi! Your granddaughter. You raised me, you have to remember that”.
I struggled to hold myself together as much as I could. Still her eyes were glazed and distant she smiled that same artificial smile at me giving her head a light shake.
“My granddaughter is dead, she died because she was not divine, she did not do her duty and she had no dignity”.
The words sent a chill through me. Divine duty and dignity. What Gwen said the government stood for. Grandma smiled at me as she continued to rock in her rocking chair.
“Someday she will be born again, and the overlord will save us again. He is a good man, a kind man. He is the only true Divine, he does his duty and has dignity”.
I scanned her with my eyes realizing she was brainwashed. These people had brainwashed her. I got up fury filling me as I looked towards the mirrored walls. I was smart enough to know it was a two way viewing glass. They could see me but I couldn’t see them. Tears rolling down my cheeks I stormed towards the mirror and slammed my fist hard into it using the energy around me to add to the impact.
The mirror cracked in a circle pattern. I growled pulling my fist back to punch the glass again, it was all that stood between me and Gwen. My knuckles bleeding but I didn’t care.
“STOP!”
A voice commanded from behind me. I looked back at three very large men all armed with powerful looking wands. Grandma smiled at them as they entered.
“Has my time finally come? Is the overlord ready to meet with me?”
I looked at Grandma Tears rolling down my cheeks as I walked over to her taking her in my arms.
“No Grandma, no it isn’t time”.
She looked at me with that same glazed over glassy look in her eyes and smiled.
“Hello, do I know you?”
I fell to my knees consumed with emotion and pain as I started to cry.
“Human illness is easy to force with the right chemicals”.
Gwen spoke again. I looked at her as tears streamed down my cheeks as Gwen approached us an evil smile on her lips.
“Alzheimer’s is the easiest chemical reaction we can generate”.
She said standing over me now. I narrowed my eyes at Gwen gritting my teeth as I struggled to compose myself. Gwen looked to my grandmother who stood helpless smiling as if everything was fine.
“Grandma here held out just like you, but she was no match for our chemists”.
Gwen smirked looking down at me.
“Now she is just a helpless old woman. No longer a threat and no longer harboring the one person meant to throw everything we’ve worked for into chaos. We have worked much too hard to have all we’ve built torn down by the likes of you”.
Gwen said.
That was when I’d had enough. I lunged for Gwen and everything happed at lighting speed. A powerful boom of magic coming at me as Gwen was driven backwards by another boom of magic that didn’t come from me. When the world stopped moving at light speed. Grandma lay over me bleeding badly from a wound while Gwen was on the ground holding the right side of her face screaming in pain as blood oozed from between her fingers. I gaped at Grandma who looked down on me giving a familiar smile, her smile tears rolled down my cheeks as I gaped up at her.
“She attacked me! How could she attack me!”
Gwen screamed at the men as they rushed to her. I gripped my grandmother’s shoulders shaking my head knowing what was coming next.
“I love you”.
Grandma said with a smile and then her eyes rolled to the back of her head and the life left her body. I screamed at the top of my lungs holding her in my arms. Gwen seethed with rage looking at me with her remaining eye, the right side of her face was destroyed completely.
I held my grandmother’s lifeless body sobbing heavily. Gwen aiming her wand at me. I didn’t care anymore, I didn’t care what happened to me. Suddenly another blinding flash of magic. Gwen screaming again as her hand was burned forcing her to drop her wand. I looked towards the doorway seeing the three large men fall over with more blasts of magic. Someone who looked a lot like Brian rushed towards me dropping down next to me.
“Krissi!”
He said looking scared. His hand grazed my cheek and I knew it was Brian. I shook my head sobbing.
“She’s dead. She’s dead”.
Brian frowned at me.
“I’m sorry Angel, but I’ve gotta get you out now”.
I looked up at him shaking my head.
“I don’t want to, I don’t want to live anymore, just let them kill me”.
Brian scooped me up in his arms pulling me away from my grandmother’s lifeless body. I sobbed hard against his chest feeling sick again. Brian ran as fast as he could through the halls kicking open a back door that led out to a parking lot. He ran from the building with me in his arms. Alarms and flashes were going off. As Brian ran through the lot a red sports car squealed to a stop next to us like something out of those Fast and The Furious movies. When the door lifted upwards I saw Quartz behind the wheel. She didn’t look anything like what she normally did. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was wearing a black lace corset top and a pair of black skinny jeans and a leather jacket.
Brian jumped in with me in his lap. Quartz narrowed her eyes as the car revved and sped towards the gates. She avoided incantations like bullets. If I wasn’t in such a state of shock and devastation I’d have been impressed. We drove for a long time and I think I cried most of the drive. Trembling in Brian’s arms. Brian carried me towards a beach house we’d arrived at a storm was rolling in from the water.
“Get her inside, I’ll call Saphrin and Amethyen and tell them to start the next stage”.
Quartz said. Brian carried me inside and sat me down on the couch. I hung my head tears rolling down my cheeks. Brian sat down on the other side of me after lighting a fire in the fire place. He draped a blanket around my shoulders.
“I’m sorry about your grandma”.
He said rubbing my back. Quartz entered the house looking between us.
“Brian, why don’t you go get the guest room ready for Krissi”.
He nodded getting up and filing out of the room. Quartz walked over and crouched down in front of me. I looked at her tears still streaming down my cheeks.
“She wasn’t herself, Gwen said the chemist gave her Alzheimer’s”.
Quartz nodded.
“But when they were about to kill me, she was my grandma again. She attacked Gwen, destroyed the right side of her face and took a fatal blow for me at the same time”.
I sniffed. Quartz smiled at me giving a nod.
“Because she loves you, obviously the chemist didn’t get rid of all your grandmother, there was still part of her inside and you being in danger brought that out. She was strong enough for one last attack and she knew it would be the last time she’d ever have so she made it a good one”.
I looked at Quartz sniffing.
“She sacrificed herself to save me?”
Quartz nodded.
“Yes, she gave up what little life she had left. Knowing she could never be herself again and that you were far more important to her then anything. She wanted you to escape”.
I looked down shaking my head.
“I didn’t want things to be this way”.
Quartz sat next to me placing her arm around my shoulders.
“I know, but now we have proof that the hunters work for the government. Which means there is more going on here than any of us suspected. We need to find out what that something is. Until we do, I am afraid that Octoberwood isn’t going to be safe”.
I closed my eyes giving a deep heavy sigh. My head hurt and I was tired. Quartz turned herself to me.
“We can talk more in the morning. For now I think you need rest”.
Quartz said. I got up hugging her tight and thanking her before I headed upstairs tears brimming my eyes. I found the guest room, Brian had set out a t-shirt of his form me to change into. He smiled at me.
“Hey, um I hope that’s ok for you to wear”.
Brian said as he stood nervously next to the bed. I walked over to him.
“You saved my life”.
He smirked shoving his hands in his pockets.
“Yeah, I know. I told you I wasn’t going to let anything happen to you”.
He said but his smirk faded as he looked down.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get there fast enough. We could have saved your grandma too”.
I shook my head lightly.
“No, as much as it hurts, things went the way she wanted them to”.
Brian placed his hand on my shoulder.
“I’m still really sorry”.
I looked up at him leaning up on my toes I kissed his lips lightly. His smile returned.
“Wow, what was that for?”
I gave the best smile I could muster.
“For saving my life. The girl always kisses her hero right?”
Brian smirked at me.
“I’m gunna have to save your life more often”.
I gave a weak smile at his words before sitting on the bed. Brian turned to me.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning. My rooms down the hall if you feel like thanking me again”.
He teased. I rolled my eyes.
“Good night Brian”.
He closed the door behind him leaving me alone in the room. The weight of my grandmother’s sacrifice washed over me again. I didn’t know why I was chosen, I didn’t know why they were doing these things to the people I loved. But I knew if I was going to find answers, it meant more people I loved would be hurt.
♠ ♠ ♠
<3