You Won't Feel A Thing

•Chapter 12•

Marcellus

"Quinn, calm down." I watched as she snarled and growled at my dog. The closer she leaned towards him snapping her teeth and snarling, the further he moved back whimpering. Never in my life has my dog ever been scared of something, but he was most definitely scared of her. The person before me wasn't the same one that left my room this morning. She wasn't the one that laughed at Shaun's stupid jokes or enjoyed stuffing her face with pizza. The Quinn I knew and cared deeply about would never intentionally scare my dog to the point that he peed himself. Whatever was done to her had definitely changed her. She wasn't truly herself anymore. She continued to snap those sharp bone crunching teeth close to Jolly's face. Her snarls and growls were spine tingling coming from someone so small as her. It was frightening to watch.

I took a risk reaching out towards her and gently grabbed her arm to tug her towards me. I held her face in my both of my hands and tried to swallow back my fear. Quinn wasn't human. I could most definitely see that just by looking into her pitch-black eyes and hearing how inhuman her voice had become. She wasn't human but I knew part of her, the real her, was still in there somewhere. I just had to reach out to her. "Quinn, breathe with me." I took a deep breath slowly then slowly exhaled, I kept doing it over and over hoping she'd copy me. I needed her to relax. Whatever it was that was fighting for control was winning. I needed Quinn to return to me before she hurt Jolly or one of us. "Come on, breathe." She continued snapping her jaws like a crazed animal.

Tuning out my dog's whimpers and whines, I kept my eyes locked on hers. I put all my focus on her and only her. She just stared at me, those dark black orbs of hers just a void of pitch-dark nothingness. Finally, she did what I asked. She took deep slow breaths and released them. "That's it, keep going." Shaun struggled to keep my dog calm. The terrifying growls and snarls stopped. She rolled her neck a couple of times, I cringed at the sound of bones popping. She rolled and wiggled her shoulders, they cracked and popped. She stretched her shoulders back as far as they would go then groaned. She's fighting it. She's taking back control of her body.

"Are you back in control?" I asked her. My eyes not once left her face, watching as her eyes drooped a little. "Quinn?" Shaun asked as he watched her. His face was crinkled up in concern and confusion. She glanced up at him then looked back at me. Since we had arrived at the facility her voice had been hard to adjust to hearing, it was as if she had swallowed an animal that was trying to crawl its way out. It was just so inhuman that it sent chills throughout my body. This time when she spoke it was softer and almost human, laced with uncertainty. "I....don't know, for now I'm me." She looked so lost and unsure of everything. Dark bags sunk in under her eyes. It was clear she was exhausted and whatever happened just now pushed her body to its limit.

I slowly lowered my hands back to my sides. Her skin feels warmer than before. For some reason my hand reached back up, pushing a few strands of hair out of her face. I could feel my heart beating faster within my chest. No, Celly, no. She's been through so much. We can't act like this, not now. I instantly jerked my hand back. Sadness swirled in those black orbs as dark colored tears dared to escape. Shit, she probably thinks I hate her. I immediately regretted yanking my hand away. "I'm a monster." I was taken aback by the words that left her mouth. "No, Quinn. You're not a monster ......we don't think of you like that," I urged. Why would she think that? Shaun's brows knitted and his face drooped. "Quinn, you're our friend. We would never think of you as anything less than. You aren't a monster." I could hear our phones vibrating. Shaun pulled his out and checked the screen. I looked up at him, "What is it?" He cursed under his breath and slid his phone back into his pocket. His eyes shifted to me, "The mayor has issued the town of Wellsmoore to be on lockdown. Authorities have already closed off all entrances and exits to our lovely little town." News travels fast. "Where to now?" Shaun asked as he held tightly to my dog, talking to him in a calm voice in attempt to get him to relax. "I honestly don't know," I said. Then it hit me, I suddenly remembered a place that I hadn't been to in a long time. A place that we could hide out. A place where she would be safe.