The Spirit Awakens

Scorching heat suffocated her lungs.  The infernal heat made her skin feel like it was being slowly peeled from her as her eyes could barely see past the tears filling her eye.   She screamed for help but her pleas were drowned out by the many others screaming around her.  Fire was everywhere and blocked any escape as she was chained down with heavy chains as the ceiling of the cell was engulfed in flames.  She could hear her neighbors, friends, family, and even strangers all screaming for their lives.  She was so engrossed in her own pain and torment that she couldn’t focus on anything else.  She closed her eyes and tried to wiggle from the heavy chains but they were so heavy she couldn’t even sit up from her position on the hard concrete flooring.  She was in some sort of cellar or basement, she wasn’t sure, all she could tell was that whatever type of building she was in was on fire and she wasn’t the only one there.   The intense heat made it hard to breathe or even see for that matter, all she could do was scream for her life, for someone to help her and not leave her here to die.   She could feel the flames get closer to her skin, her skin had gone from their pale smooth glow to a dried, cracked, and darkening skin as the flames started to travel down the support beam that was about 2 feet from her face and she was chained down laying flat on her stomach.  Her hair long jet black hair was powdered grey from all the ash that was accumulating on her and the floor around her.   She tried with all her might to bring her arms and hands under her chest so that maybe, just maybe she could finally push herself up and attempt to escape.  As she pulled her arms across the concrete as the weight of the chains pressed down, she could feel the ground slowly cutting her arms open.  She winced in pain and cried out more but continuing her efforts.  She needed to get out of here.   Just as she finally got her hands under her and she slowly pushed up she felt a heavy boot land on her head slamming her back to the ground.   She cried out in pain as she felt her blood pool around her face.  “Stupid girl, who said you could get up? You and your pathetic people will all die tonight, you will all be cleansed with fire and finally release the world of your existence.” A hateful spat voice spoke to her and them spit onto her exposed back, she was laying under the chains naked.  The heat grew more intense and she cried out from pain.   “WHY? What did we ever do to you?” She screamed as her icy blue eyes stared upward, hoping to see the persons face.  He put more weight onto her head and laughed sadistically.  “Your existence alone is your crime, did you people honestly think you belong here? You’re a disease roaming on this planet, but feel joy, I am release your people from their suffering, you will all be freed by the cleansing fire I have washed over your village.” His response left her full of hatred, fear, and fight.  She mentally collected everything in her and pushed suddenly with all her might to be released.  The man was thrown back, his red eyes glared at the now standing figure.   Chains dropped one after another from around her body, she was confused momentarily because the chains suddenly didn’t have a weight to them.   The fires that were scorching to her a moment ago felt like a warm blanket to her now, her skin slowly returned back to their pale glow and her ash powdered hair which was being scorched not lay silky and flat as it flowed around her waist, no longer frizzy and burned.   “Y-You b***h!” he screamed and then lunged for her.   Her eyes widened as the only thing she could see was the glowing red eyes of the physcopath that was now lunging for her.  She was slow to react as he gripped her throat tightly, sharp clawlike fingers tore into her skin.   She could feel the strength of the man and she could only struggle in vain as she couldn’t breathe, she tried desperately to remove his hands from her throat but that only made him squeeze tighter. “You and your people WILL die today” he sneered as she slowly felt herself lose the strength she had mustered, her vision was even started to becoming blurry.   Her only thoughts were filled with terror as the man smiled as his eyes glowed blood red.   SNAP   Addi sat up with a jolt.   Her black hair a mess, her skin a deep shade of pink, her breathing was ragged as tears flowed from her blue eyes.  She looked down and saw that she was in her blue baggy shirt and shorts while now sitting in her bed in her own room.   She looked around frantically as her dream felt fresh in her mind, normally she couldn’t remember her dreams that well after waking up, but those red eyes, heat of the fire, and the screams of people still echoed in her senses.  Addi quickly threw off her black comforter and ran to her attached bathroom, it wasn’t that big, just barely big enough for a toilet and shower stall.   She kneeled on the floor and dry heaved into her toilet, her whole body drenched with sweat, and she still felt pressure in her chest as if she was still being suffocated.  Once the nauseating feeling left her and she was able to stop dry heaving she stood up and looked at herself in the mirror.  She stared in disbelief as her hand shakily lifted towards the side of her head where it felt unusually wet, but before she could touch it she noticed the scrapes and cuts on her arms.  Now she started to freak on, her hand flew to her head and touched the wet hair on the side of her head and confirmed that indeed it would blood.   Addi rushed towards the shower stall and blasted cold water, stripped and jumped in.  Even though the water was cold the water let off steam as it hit her body and if she was a glowing hot piece of coal.   “What the hell is going on” she whispered as she stared downward at the swirling red blood going down the drain.  Nobody would believe her if she told them what happened.  Her cuts were already healing which didn’t really surprised her, the closer she gets to her 18th birthday the more she starts to feel awakened, just like everyone else in her village.   After what seemed like forever she finally didn’t feel like she was on fire anymore and turned off the shower.  She stepped out and wrapped herself with a towel and started to dry herself.   She made her way back into her room wearing her fluffy black robe and noticed the time on her alarm clock which was on her nightstand next to her bed.   She quickly ran to her closet in panic, she didn’t realize she had been in the cold shower for an HOUR. Addi threw on her clothes, it was a quick pick of a red tank top and black fitting jeans.  She threw on her socks and black boots, grabbed her phone and backpack and flew out of her room. She ran down the hallway passing her brother James’, and her parents’ door and nearly jumped down over the flight of stairs in a hurry, she was late.   Just as she was about to run out of the house she heard her moms voice, “ADDI GET OVER HERE NOW”  Addi stopped in her tracks and gave a defeated sigh before making her way to the livingroom where her mother was comfortably sitting.   “Oversleep?” she asked with one eyebrow raised.   As much as Addi loved her mother she hated it when she disappointed her, she slowly raised her eyes to look at her mother, she had a small frame and short black hair, her green eyes reminded her of a deep forest.   “I lost track of time in the shower mom, Im sorry” Addi spoke quietly as she looked down at her feet.   She could hear her mother get to her feet and make her way towards her daughter, she gently took Addi’s chin to raise her face but quickly withdrew her had with a hiss.   “Addi why are you so burning hot?” Her worried mother spoke quickly.  Addi looked at her mother with inner conflict, she didn’t want to tell her about the dream, she thought the cold shower would fix her body temp but apparently that didn’t even work.  “I took a super hot shower this morning” Addi spoke with a embarrassed smile.  Addi’s mother sighed with relief, “For a second I thought something was wrong, I know your awakening is coming up and your body will rise a bit in temperature but that felt too drastic… just be careful sweetheart, you don’t want to make yourself sick, make sure you drink lots of water, okay?”   Addi smiled and nodded “I promise”   “Now quickly, off to school you go” She quickly sent her daughter out of the house and on her way.  As the front door closed Addi’s mothers smiled slowly turned into worry and fear, she rushed to the phone and dialed a number and waited.   When the other line opened and before the other person was able to speak Addi’s mother yelled   “Richard you need to come home today, Addi is going to awaken any day now and you have to be hear, She might be awakening earlier then her birthday and so you need to cut your business trip short, as hot as her skin is there is definitely something off with your daughter’s awakening and we will need you here.” And with that she hund up the phone before waiting for a reply.  Addi’s mom started to make other phone calls to family, doctor, and the village leader, everyone needed to be present for an awakening, it was a rite of passage in her village and everyone needed to be there to fully bring Addi into the link