Night Disease

Chapter 45

Tears trail down my cheeks in never-ending rivers. My legs collapse from under me unable to hold me up. My eyes never leave the two corpses on the ground glued to the image. This can't be real they can't be gone, not this early. I talked to them this morning they can't be gone not them too.

No, it's not them it's just two people who look like them not them not them. My throat closes up as my lungs stop working. Crawling forward I look at their faces. Eyes stuck open not with joy or happiness, not even sadness just empty and lifeless. Chocking on my tears I reach forward closing their eyes.

My eyes close hoping to rid myself of the image but it doesn't work I still see them lying lifeless covered in their blood. Grasping at their clothes I shake my head rapidly "no no no nooooo their not gone their no-not gone." Shaking I grasp harder hoping to feel their warmth fill the cold abyss inside me.

Sobbing my eyes open looking at their faces. Blood cakes their face dried from the cold. Frozen in a scream I wish I could turn into a smile but that can never happen again. Their necks are torn open in a familiar bite mark, the bite of a vampire. Scratches litter their arms through their torn jackets. Blood is caked on their hands and under their fingernails. They fought till the end.

A knife twists around my heart dripping blood that no one can see. Twisting and twisting till my heart is nothing but shreds. The familiar darkness seeps into my mind flowing through my body like black tar. Sucking up everything in its path leaving nothing but emptiness.

My ears ring as I sit holding on with a death grip to my dead friends. I don't know how long I sit in the snow watching them. Subconsciously I sense the people around me leave. Eight people remain three being Diana, Liam, and Sam. They keep their distance letting me morn, my friends.

A hand drops onto my shoulder shocking me I jump bringing my red-rimmed eyes to light blue ones. " Let's go get something to eat Kaindra you have to let them go for now." Diana's quiet voice barely registers in my muffled mind. Looking back at my friends their faces were now ashen their bodies cold. Slowly I drop them into the snow peeling my hands off them I look back at Diana nodding slightly.

Diana helps me to my feet gently placing a hand around my shoulders. Liam and Sam come up beside me wrapping their arms around me. Tears streak their faces frozen and salty. Slowly we walk inside. The warmth inside has to offer doesn't register with me I am stuck inside my mind again. The walk to the mess hall is a blur, people give us sympathetic looks as we pass leaving us room to walk.

Diana peels off my drenched coat draping it around my chair. Images of the child I killed and my friend's dead body play over and over again in my mind. I push against them fighting the darkness that threatens to consume me. Grabbing at it I shove it along with the dark memory and my friend's death into the farthest corner of my mind behind a thick barrier with no door or windows.

A plate of food drops in front of me shaking me out of my inner war. Placing a small smile on my face I force the wall to build taller and stronger keeping the darkness at bay. "Thanks" I mumble pulling the plate closer to me. Taking small bites I say nothing else.

Everyone at our table is morning the loss of our friends. Not by a zombie but by someone we live within this base. That thought angers me I know the people responsible for this but not the one who killed them. When I find out who did it I did care about the consequences, they will be dead.

"They say the funeral is tomorrow the forager groups were notified and are getting some plants for the funeral," Sam whispers new tears falling.

I wipe my face brushing off the salty streaks. We sit in silence again unsure of what it says. Taking a deep breath I raise my head "they wouldn't want us to be sorrowful, they would not want us to remember them in sadness but with joy at how much happiness they brought to us. If we were able to hear them now they might yell at us for taking their deaths a hard way, and tell us to continue living on remembering what they did for us and take that into our lives and do the same for others."

Sam nods smoking slightly "Jen was always smiling whenever I saw her. She would light up a room even when it was the saddest of days she would still be smiling for others making them smile." Sam brushes a tear away looking at Liam and I "I hope I could do that one day for Jen."

Liam takes Sam's hand planning a soft kiss on her knuckles. "I know you will." Sam smiles at him hugging him close. Liam holds Sam a sad smile on his face. "Kaitlyn was so smart she may have seemed like a boring not funny person but she was hilarious to me. I didn't know her or Jen for long but with the time we had, they became some of my closest friends and will remain that way for the rest of my life."

My sight flickers on taking in the sad glow around our table. Diana's partly white glow flickers with a saddened blue. "It may seem weird to people who look at us for why I stay with a group of young teens instead of people older than me but this is why. Yes, you all may be young but you are all so much more mature than most my age. It's a deep loss to have two bright young girls I looked at like young sisters leave us but they were and still are happy. And are both proud to call you friends and family as am I." Diana looks beside herself smiling softly to nothing that I can see.

A light bulb goes off in my head. "You are a spirit reader" I poke Diana's arm from actors the table jaw slack.

She nods "I am, I may be only half-angle but I got blessed with the ability to see talk and use spirit energy." Her eyes glimmer slightly with an inner light as she tilts her head to the side like she is listening to someone talk.

Sam tears up again looking at the spot Diana was looking at. Our friends are here with us sitting beside Diana. Diana turns her attention to me once whoever was talking finished "They see wondering when you are going to see your family."

I jolt a little I will have to tell their family they are dead, goddammit. "Tomorrow night I am." She nods to me shaking her head at who I am 99.9% positive is our friends.

I hold a small collection of dandelions and twigs as I stand outside of the gate watching my friends get lowered into a hole. Many tears are being shed by most people. I stand here motionless and tearless, all my tears are dried out from yesterday I tell myself. Looking that's the case.

Liam, Sam, Diana, and I walk forward once they are done being lowered. We are going to be the first to say goodbye as those families are not here and we were the closest to them. I let my other friends go first Sam is wailing by the end holding onto Liam like he is her life support.

Once they finish I step forward. Taking the bundle into one hand I drop it piece by piece into the hole. "I will see you in the stars and meet you in the darkness, till we met again." I recite the same words I said in polish before stepping back.

Small footsteps crunch on the heading towards the base. "Kaindra Kaindra Kaindra" A small familiar voice screech's coming out of the trees. Guards run towards the small figure coming towards me.

Gold-rimmed eyes and black hair shine quickly before she is blocked by the guards. "WAIT" Running forward quickly I push my way through the crowd sprinting at a human pace towards the little witch I saved. Pushing the guards to the side I collapse onto the ground.

Opening my arms Enya runs into pushing me back slightly as I envelop her in my arms. "What are you doing here little one?"

Enya shakes in my arms squeezing me as hard as she can. "They found me again there was so much blood and screaming I didn't know where else to go Kaindra."

She cries into my shoulder shaking. "Shhh little one it's okay I'm here." Brushing her tangled hair with my fingers I rock us back and forth.

"Bella tried to keep them safe but they got to them first, Kaindra I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save them." She cries harder turning her shimmering eyes to me. "I'm sorry I'm so s-sorry it's all my f-f-fault."

"Shh Enya I don't understand, what happened explain it to me." I brush some hair out of her eyes as she continues to cry.

"They got them The humans we couldn't stop them we tried to stop them but they were too strong." She curls into herself crying.

Humans what does she mean by humans the only humans with them were Jen, Kaitlyn and my fam... Turning to Enya I grab her face gently in my hands "Enya you don't mean..." She nods sadly looking to her lap.

The wall in my mind cracks slightly.