Delilah Recovered **2017 Watty Winner**

chapter five

Dee, wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown, found herself walking down the middle of State Street through a dense haze. The sidewalks were empty. All storefronts were boarded up with graffiti of The Triple Moon painted on them. Underneath the L tracks, she could see a turned over car on fire.

As she walked down the street, she began to feel lightheaded. A band of horses galloping rocked the street. The city melted away from Dee and turned into an open field filled with dead bloody soldiers dressed in armor. A woman appeared in front of Dee. She had short black hair and wore a chainmail suit with an arrow stuck in her chest. When she fell to her knees, Dee felt a stabbing pain in her chest in the same spot.

With a fierce defiant resolve, the woman looked up at Dee, her face covered in dirt and blood, and said, "Relevez tous les défis avec courage."

Dee repeated, "Meet all challenges with courage."

When she opened her eyes, Dee screamed when she saw Jonathan standing next to her bed.

He put his hands up in surrender. "It's just me. You looked like you were having a nightmare. I didn't want to wake you up."

She pulled the covers up around her neck and yelled, "Get out of my room."

"I need to get you somewhere safe," Jonathan said.

The door swung open. "Not bloody likely," Samuel said, entering the room.

The two men stood on opposite sides of Dee's hospital bed arms crossed. "Samuel," Jonathan said through gritted teeth.

"Master Jonathan, I was led to believe that you had this all in hand?" Samuel stated.

"You were the one who let her wander home under the Triple Moon alone," Jonathan replied.

The two men stood glaring at one another until Samuel broke the silence, "She needs to know the truth post haste."

"So you want her to know what you did to her three hundred years ago?" Jonathan asked.

With one swift motion, Samuel lifted his right hand, and as he slowly rotated his palm up toward the ceiling, Jonathan dropped to the floor. His body started convulsing.

"Is this how it felt the last time you overdosed?" Samuel hissed. "Is this how it felt right after the bliss of the heroin shot through your veins and then sent you into hypoxia?"

"We don't have time for this," Jonathan said in between wheezing, labored breaths.

"What are you doing to him?" Dee yelled. "Stop it!"

Samuel closed his palm, "Just remember who holds the real power." He said, leaving Jonathan gasping for air on all fours.

Dee got out of her bed and helped Jonathan up. "Enough, both of you. I don't know what you are, but I do know that you both are acting like children," Dee scolded them.

"You need to come with me," Samuel said.

"I can protect you," Jonathan said.

"I want you to both leave my room now," Dee demanded.

Suddenly, Aros appeared in Dee's room. "Aros, our fallen hero, come to save us all," Samuel said.

Dee approached him and poked him in the chest. "You, you were in my room last night."

Dee stood, looking at them. Her eyes darted between Jonathan, Samuel, and Aros. "Look, I don't know if I'm dreaming or awake right now, but I do know I don't want any of you here."

Jonathan slowly approached Delilah and gently placed his hands on her shoulders, "Delilah, I know this is probably really scary for you, but I'm here to help you."

Aros clapped his hands and pointed to the door. A few seconds later, the lights went out, and alarms started to wail. The back-up generator lights went on casting an eerie red glow in the hospital room

"Aros, take her to the fairies," Jonathan ordered.

Moments later, Wolf and Joanna, dressed in lab coats, exploded through the door. Wolf pulled out a gun and fired a polished silver bullet at Delilah. Aros leaped in front of her. They both disappeared before the bullet made its way to its intended target.

Samuel picked up the IV stand and swung it like a bat, hitting Joanna in her knees and sending her down. Wolf pushed Jonathan down and jumped on top of him. Jonathan grabbed the cord from the call button and wrapped it around Wolf's neck. Wolf struggled against the cord, trying to insert his fingers between the cord and his neck.

Samuel turned toward the window and kicked it, sending the glass sailing through the air. Joanna struggled to get up. Samuel held his hands in front of him, forming a triangle with his index fingers and thumbs pinning Joanna to the floor.

Samuel jumped up onto the windowpane. "Master Jonathan, our train is scheduled to depart. Are you coming?"

Jonathan pulled the cord tighter around Wolf's neck. Until Wolf finally passed out. Jonathan jumped onto the bed, using it as a trampoline to propel his body onto Samuel's back. Together, they flew out the window.