The Spirit Awakens

Chapter 4

-Dark damp cave-

The sounds of bats squeaking echoed in the cave as a figure wearing a black hooded cloak walked towards the deeper end of the cave holding a lantern with a faint glow. The sounds of water dripping from the ceiling combined with each carefully placed step as the figure made its way.

A low grow echoed from deep in the cave and the figure paused before quickly kneeling.

“It is time master, the oracles have stated that the one from the prophecy will indeed show up soon, we have to make our move now before it is too late" the figure stated with a trembling voice, they were terrified.

The cave started to tremble as if the cave itself was shifting.

“Then it is time" a menacing, deep growl of a voice traveled to the figure as they froze from the feeling of terror the voice sent through them.

The figure just stared at the cold wet ground infront of their face, too scared to look up at the approached sounds.

“What would my master like me to do now?” they asked in a quivering voice.

“Do what you must, kill them all, I don’t want to risk a single one of them living, nothing will stop me this time" a loud voice bellowed through the cave nearly making the figure collapse from trembling so much.

The figure bowed more deeply “Yes master" and quickly made their way out of the cave.

The deep menacing presence in the deepest part of the cave lowly chuckled with evil intent.

“Now that the one from the prophesy has arrived, I just have to kill them and then nothing will ever stand in my way again"

--Addi POV—

Everything was black, I couldn’t move, couldn’t speak, I could only just sink more into the darkness that surrounded me. I couldn’t remember anything, what happened, where am I… who am I?

She truly could not recall anything, she felt like she was on the verge of remembering something, but it felt just out of reach.

She closed her eyes and concentrated.

Flames suddenly surrounded her, she couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t do anything but stare at the approaching flames with fear in her eyes.

--Amy POV—

I sat in a chair next to Addi's hospital bed, the sounds of her heartbeat beeped from the monitor, the sound of the air pump that would help Addi breath rhythmically pumped air into her lungs.

I look at my best friend, she looked like she was nearly burnt to a crisp, her skin was black and red with bandages covering nearly her whole body. He long beautiful black hair was barely there anymore and what was left was singed and fried.

I was too scared of hurting her so I didn’t even hold her hand, I couldn’t hug her, I could only sit there, for the rest of my life if need be till she woke up.

Tears cascaded down my face as I put my face downward on her bedside a few inches from her unmoving bandaged hand and sob. My heart just couldn’t take this anymore, she wanted to hold her best friend and tell her everything was going to be ok, but she couldn’t.

“Please wake up Addi, I cant, I just cant" I breakdown and grip the sheet of her bed.

I always felt this dire need to protect her and comfort her, it was like fate put us together, she had such a big heart and it was my job to be there for her thick and thin. But I somehow failed and don’t even know how.

I was so wrapped up in my own head as I was breaking that I didn’t notice when Addi's parents and brother walked in.

I felt a hand gently grip my shoulder and I looked up startled, Addi's dad stood there with a indescribable expression on his face. He looked like her aged dramatically since I last saw him a few weeks ago, his black hair was greying, extra lines adorned his face, bags under his blue eyes as if he hasn’t slept for days.

“There wasn’t anything you could have done Amy, even the elders are seeking answers as to what exactly happened to Addi, the only thing we could figure out was that the heat and fire were coming from within her.” He gravely spoke as his eyes shifted to his unconscious daughter.

I could only cry more as I imagined how much pain she must have been suffering.

There was a sound of knocking on the door as Doctor Pax walked in, he was the one who was at my awakening and was the first to start treating Addi.

“We have figured out the extent of her injuries. Its not good. Almost all of her internal organs have been scorched and burned, we don’t even know how her body is still alive, her CT scans show her brain wasn’t even spared, so if she does recover and wake up we arent exactly sure what exactly we will be dealing with, anything from blindness, deafness, whether she can speak, write, or even function at this point. Like I said, we don’t even know how she is still even alive at this point.” The doctor spoke as he looked confused at the papers on his clipboard “We don’t even know if it will even be possible for her to actually wake up even"

After I heard the doctor speak I sobbed into the bed again, nearly grabbing Addi's hand but stopping myself last minute.

Addi's mom, June, buried her face into her husbands shoulder and cried. James stood there frozen with clenched fists.

“So what are we going to do to help her??? We just cant sit back and let her suffer, there has to be a treatment that will help her, Addi was so close to awakening, graduating, she was just starting her life and now you are saying that there is practically no hope??? I refuse to accept this" James yelled right before he ran out of the room.

The only sounds left in the room were the medical devices working and June and Amy's sobs.

“What are our options Doctor?” Richards voice was dead and emotionless, as if he was holding everything in and trying his best to be the strong support he will need to be for his family.

The doctor scratched the back of his head and shook his head.

“There isnt really anything we can do but treat the surface burns with medicine, pump her full of antibiotics to prevent infection, and do our best to keep her body functioning, but there really is no miracle cure for internal burn damage to her organs, especially her brain, the only thing to do is treat her how we can and let her body do the rest.” And with that doctor looked at richard apologetically and excused himself from the room.

Richard hugged his wife tightly, “She is strong, she is a fighter, we raised her to be strong, she will return to us" he spoke out loud for his wife, but also to himself, the sight of his daughters condition was breaking him too but he held it together for his wife's sake.

I could only stare silently with tears in my eyes at richard and June, without thinking I got up and embraced them both tightly.

“She will wake up” I said as tears fell from my face as the 3 of us hugged eachother while the beathing and air pumping sounded in the background.

A burning smell suddenly filled our senses as smoke started to come from Addi, the medical machines started to go haywire and doctors and nurses came running in.

They tried to touch her but quickly withdrew their hands as they were burned just but a slight touch of her body.

“What is happening?” I panicked while screaming.

The doctors and nurses just looked at each other confused about what to do.

Suddenly flames started to ignite from Addi's skin again.

‘Not again’ I thought as I ran to grab an extinguisher just like james had done and tried to put out the growing flames but the heat alone made that impossible.

“ADDI!!!!!!” I screamed unable to think of anything else but thinking my friend dying.

All anyone could do was watch in horror as flames slowly engulfed Addi's entire body, even when the sprinklers were activated the water turned to steam before it could even come close to the flames that were sprouting from her body.

Addi’s body was unmoving, as if she was just a dead body being burned in a vikings style funeral.

Addi's family held onto each other, James came back into the room when he heard the commotion and he just stared terrified as his big sister, the one who used to give him piggyback rides to school, the one who would kiss his scraped knee when he was learning how to ride a bike, the one who chased away his bullies, helped him study, and the only true friend he ever had in his entire life.

We all held onto each other and cried as we watched Addi's body start to turn black from the heat and flames, her burning flesh smell filled their senses, her hair was even no more.

I couldn’t take it anymore and closed my eyes and just hugged Addi's family, knowing that nothing they could do would be able to save her. She felt like her whole world was burning at that moment.

The doctors were screaming things at eachother as they tried everything they could to put out the fire but everything proved to be useless.

Addi's body laid there peacefully as cracks started to form on her body from being burnt, her skin was all a giant hard burnt piece of flesh that was slowly cracking under the pressure and intensity of the heat of the flames.