Hour Of Darkness
Chapter Seventeen, Don't Let Me Down
George fought with all his might against the sight before him. John slowly slid to the ground, staring in disbelief at the wound burned in his chest.
But George couldn't do anything. He was a passive observer, trapped in his own body. A thick black mist wrapped itself around every cell of his body, forbidding him to move or make his own decisions. All he could do was watch, and he didn't even want to do that. Ringo and Paul were clearly in the same state, leaving only John to stand against Karine.
Until now.
John lay lifeless on the ground, Karine ambivalent to his strife. She almost laughed out loud at Ringo's disobedience, telling her daughter to dispose of John as if she were taking out the trash. George screamed, yelling and crying out, but his mouth made no noise in the grasp of Karine. George was a helpless witness to his friend's death…killed by another of his close friends. It was too much to bear as Mystique hoisted John's body over her shoulder, carrying him out of the courtyard.
George fought against the black mist, waging a battle inside greater than any he had ever fought externally. The mist engulfed him, suffocating and overwhelming, but he refused to be subdued. George struggled tirelessly, screaming and lashing out, trying to drive the black fog from his mind and body. But it was no use. The more he lashed out with his mental arms, the more the mist wrapped itself tighter around the very cells of his being. George fell back, exhausted, but far from defeated. He would have to wait.
Retreating back to the deepest, safest corner of his mind, George lay in wait for the perfect moment to attack.
****
Paul screamed, twisting in agony at the sight of John lying lifeless on the ground. It tortured him, more than physical pain could. Ringo had just killed John. Oh, not on purpose to be sure, but nonetheless, there John lay. John, his best friend. Paul's heart died as the life escaped from John's body, Karine laughing mockingly at their strife. She had to know what Paul was thinking, seeing as she was everywhere, all around him in the form of the thick black mist.
You can't do this, Karine! Paul screamed with all his power, which, with Karine in control, wasn't much.
Oh, can't I? I already have, Paul. Her voice was smooth, seductive. Paul cringed at the very sound of it, but soon regained his composure.
You can't split us up! There's no way! You could kill us all, but there's no way you can break up what we had, what we have, and what we always will have! It's beyond your power! Paul screamed. He could feel Karine's movements, her emotions taking shape in the billows of swirling mists. The mists shifted, and Paul could sense her amusement.
So you think, young Paul, so you think. You can keep up this charade, this broken dream forever, but I will always come out on top.
Always.
****
Karine inspected Ringo as she had the others, squeezing his muscles, running her long fingers through his hair. Trapped inside his own mind, Ringo watched her with disgust, seething with rage.
Karine, you bitch! He screamed, wading through the black mist. How could you do this?
Quite easily, young Richard. Karine spat back, her voice like thick honey. Ringo was practically exploding with rage, unable to speak.
Give up, Richard. John is gone forever. You yourself made sure of that, quite well indeed. The way you disposed of him was most impressive. You have quite a bit of power, my friend.
I am not your friend! You may control my body, but you can never control my mind! Karine began to speak, but Ringo cut her out, retreating in on himself, trying to find some sort of peace in the swirling black mists engulfing his mind.
****
Mystique ran as fast as she could with the incredible weight of John's limp body over her shoulder. Throwing open the door to his cell with her mental hands, she quickly set the steel table horizontally. Laying John down gently, Mystique quickly went to work.
Throwing open her massive book of spells, Mystique flipped through it madly. "Gargoyles…Harahan Hawks…Heathens…Healing!" Mystique read the lengthy spell with quick and relative ease, her bright green eyes perusing the book as fast as possible. When she had finished, she closed it with a dusty bang, cracking her fingers and leaning over John's prone form.
John's cheeks were sunken and had a cold, waxy texture. Mystique carefully removed his shirt, bringing his hair into a small ponytail with a strip of rawhide. She inspected the burn, poking at the charred flesh with tentative fingers. Summoning a bowl of clear, fresh water, she gently dabbed at the wound, trying to remove the dust caked in the dried blood. It was not a pretty sight.
When she finally finished cleaning the wound, Mystique stepped back to inspect its size and depth. It was a long, elliptical shape, starting about two inches below his collarbone and extending all the way to his midriff. It was rather deep, she noted nervously; most of his internal organs were probably quite badly scarred. She took inventory, making a mental list of everything she would need to do…and fast, before John was lost.
Mend internal organs…most importantly the heart, stomach, lungs, liver…graft skin…transfuse blood…gad, this is going to take forever. I just hope he can hold out long enough…Ringo, you did a fine job! Mystique thought bitterly, in awe of Ringo's mage powers.
Mystique inspected his neck, the scarab in amber now engulfed in a black crystaline form. Mystique scraped at it with one black fingernail, but it refused to be removed. First, Mystique knew she had to remove the crust from his lifeline.
"Kven sharana hian sho ranna lein mar karanna dro…" She chanted slowly, folding her hand over the dark obsidian. Slowly, she felt it warm up, and she removed her hand. It melted into a pool of disgusting black, oozing over his neck. She quickly removed it, wiping away the oily substance with a soft rag. The amber now shone with its usual brilliance, but the scarab remained completely still. Mystique gazed at it, brow furrowing.
"This is not going to be easy." She said out loud, hands on her hips.
On To Chapter Eighteen!
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