Harbinger (The Bleeding Worlds) (8 page)

Gwynn groaned and shuffled out the door, colliding with an innocent passerby in the process.

“I’m sorry. I, I’m really, really sorry.” Gwynn said.

Intense dark almond shaped eyes probed him. Gwynn took several awkward steps back. The girl said nothing, just continued walking down the hall, hesitating a moment to give Gwynn the same glare he had seen in the cafeteria. A chill ran down his back.

He started down the hall, moving away from the chaos of the cafeteria. He had two choices, leave school, go home and hope the whole thing blew over. Or go to the office and face the consequences. He played the options in his mind for a few minutes. What would Jaimie have him do? There was only one choice. Gwynn made his way to the office.

Jaimie
made a dash for the ringing phone.

“Hello?” She puffed.

“Hi Jaimie.”

The sound of his voice helped ease her nerves. “Hi Gwynn. How are things with Sophia?”

A long pause. Maternal fury burned her insides. If Sophia had hurt Gwynn further, if she
had
betrayed him, Jaimie would make the girl wish she were back in an exploding house.

“Sophia’s not here.” He sounded hurt. “Her dad says she’s in the hospital.”

Jaimie scolded herself silently for jumping to conclusions. “I’m sorry Gwynn. Were her injuries worse than they thought?”

“No, nothing like that. He says she’s in the psychiatric ward.”

“Oh my god. Gwynn, that’s awful.”

“Her dad says she keeps asking for me. He wondered if I could go see her tomorrow.”

“Maybe you should, but I can’t tomorrow Gwynn. I think I stretched my boss’ goodwill to its limit taking today off on short notice.”

“Sophia’s dad says I can go with him. Her mom’s spending her whole time at the hospital. I’d like to see her Jaimie. But I understand if you don’t want me to…”

Jaimie sighed and rolled her eyes toward the white ceiling of the kitchen. How did she deny him? Until his suspension today, he had never once given her a reason to be mad at him. And didn’t that Eric Haze deserve a smashed nose after his prank nearly got Gwynn and Sophia killed?

“Okay Gwynn, you can go. But I don’t want you being a burden. I’ll give you some cab fare so the Murrays don’t have to worry about driving you home. And I expect you to keep me informed throughout the day, deal?”

“Deal. Thanks Jaimie. I’ll tell her Dad and then I’ll be on my way home. Bye.”

Jaimie hung up the phone and focused on some distant point. What was happening? Until a week ago, their lives had been so normal. No excitement, no change, just a dependable existence. She and Gwynn had found a good balance of friendship and parenthood in their relationship. Gwynn had started to have more nights without nightmares than with. The kid had good grades; she had a steady job with decent benefits. They had a comfort zone. Now, that security slipped away. Her sister, her parents, they had all gone without warning. That taught her life does change in a matter of moments. She couldn’t shake the dread that one of those moments had come again.

§

Gwynn hadn’t slept.

Down the hall, Jaimie’s alarm clock sounded with an angry squawk. He threw on some pants and an old T–shirt and headed downstairs for something to eat.

From the kitchen table, Gwynn could trace Jaimie’s progress in getting ready for work. A few stumbling thumps after the alarm were her getting up. The pipes creaking with a sudden burst of water from the washroom. Then a constant hissing meant a shower. More thumps, their pace hurried from before, were her moving to the closet. He waited for the sound of her bare feet slapping against the wooden stairs. He smiled to himself. She moved with the grace of a peg–legged pirate.

“There’s a bowl of cereal here for you and some toast with jam.” Gwynn said.

“Thanks.” Jaimie stuffed the toast in her mouth and went to the powder room where she would fuss with her hair for a few more minutes.

She returned to the table and sat down, finishing the toast and working on the cereal.

“Are you sure you’re okay going with the Murrays?” She asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

Her eyes said she doubted him. “I left some money on the front hall table for you. It should be enough to buy some food and get a cab home. Don’t make the Murrays feel like they need to worry about you. They’ve got enough on their hands.”

Gwynn groaned. “I know Jaimie.”

Jaimie smiled. “Sorry, sorry. I didn’t sleep too well.” After a brief appraisal of him she said, “Doesn’t look like you did either. I hope you don’t fall asleep on the poor girl.”

Jaimie would normally say something like that as a joke. This sounded humorless and biting.

“I won’t.” Gwynn snipped

Jaimie held her hands up in surrender. “I know, I know, that came out too harsh. I seem to be channeling my inner overbearing mother today.”

“And after I made you breakfast.”

Jaimie leaned back in her chair and rubbed at her temples.

“You’re right, I should relax. Things have just been so…strained. I’m just afraid everything’s falling apart.”

“Jaimie, I punched some asshole who deserved it. If it hadn’t been in the school no one would care.”

“Maybe. But that’s the thing. Since when do you punch assholes, whether they deserve it or not?”

“Well, it’s not like I’ve been blown up before.”

Even Gwynn winced at the growing annoyance in his voice. What was happening to him? When did his fuse get so short? Jaimie’s face showed she got the message.

“Okay, I’ll leave it alone. Just keep me in the loop. You’ve got my work number?”

“Yeah.”

She got up from the table and kissed him on the forehead. “Love you Gwynn. Sorry I’m getting all overprotective. Don’t want my favorite guy to get hurt, that’s all.”

Gwynn checked himself before answering. She loved him. That would be a lousy reason to attack her.

“I know. But geez Jaimie, sometimes I think you forget I’m almost eighteen.”

“Maybe I do. Almost a man. You’re right. I need to remember that. Have a good day Gwynn. I hope everything goes well.”

“Me too. Have a good day at work.”

“I will. Oh, and Gwynn?”

“What?”

Jaimie winked at him. “Thanks for the breakfast.”

Gwynn couldn’t help it, he laughed. “You’re welcome.”

With Jaimie gone, Gwynn dashed up the stairs for a shower and proper clothes.

He had just come back downstairs when the doorbell rang.

“Good morning Mr. Murray.” Gwynn said. Mr. Murray seemed dressed for a business meeting.

“Good morning Gwynn. Are you ready to go?”

“Yes sir.”

They drove to the hospital in silence. It struck Gwynn that Sophia’s father was not one to talk much. What kind of relationship did this man have with his daughter? Mr. Murray’s discomfort level seemed to rise with every step that brought them closer to the locked doors of the psychiatric unit.

Mr. Murray punched a code into a numeric pad beside the door. An orderly had them sign in and escorted them down the hall to a waiting area where an older woman sat staring out the barred window. The blond curls identified her as Sophia’s mother.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Mrs. Murray said. She smiled, but her eyes were tired.

“Thanks. Nice to meet you too.”

“The orderlies are just making Sophia…presentable. We should be able to see her soon.”

Mr. Murray cleared his throat. “Could I speak to you a second, Sweetheart? Privately.”

They went out into the hall and left Gwynn alone in the waiting room. The hospital had painted the room a pale green with soft fabric chairs bolted to the floor. There were no other pieces of furniture and nothing hanging on the walls. It felt cold and sterile. A disheveled stack of magazines, the newest of which being over a year old, seemed the single thing that gave the appearance of life. How could anyone’s mental health benefit from such stark surroundings? Minutes that Gwynn didn’t keep track of passed. The door opened and Mrs. Murray returned.

“They say we can go see Sophia now.”

Gwynn looked behind her. “Umm, where’s Mr. Murray?”

The question made her look flustered, maybe even angry. She recovered and attempted a weak smile. “He had an important meeting today. He appreciates you coming Gwynn, he just needs to keep working. I think it’s his way of coping.”

“Okay. Well, let’s go see Sophia.” Gwynn said it with enthusiasm, but it filled him with dread.

The orderly escorted them down the hall. They stopped and the orderly opened the door. Gwynn worked hard to compose himself. The walls had numerous drawings taped to them. There were monstrous images of creatures Gwynn had never seen, dark circles that spun inward to a dark point that frightened Gwynn more than most of the monsters. In the centre of the room, a small girl that had once been Sophia Murray rocked back and forth. Where once she had radiant blond curls, her hair now hung limp and dull. None of the life and vitality he had known Sophia to have lived within this shell. Gwynn understood why her father ran away to work. Seeing such vibrancy diminished was devastating.

“Sophia?” Mrs. Murray gently touched her daughter’s shoulder. “Sweetheart, you have a visitor. Gwynn is here to see you.”

Sophia’s eyes locked on Gwynn’s—too many swirling emotions made them unreadable.

“Alone.” Sophia muttered.

Mrs. Murray probed Gwynn, concern in her eyes. He shrugged his shoulders and put his hands up.

“Sweetheart, since it’s his first visit, maybe I should stay.”

“Alone.” Sophia shrieked.

Mrs. Murray relented. She backed out of the room. “If you need me Gwynn, just knock on the door.”

“Uh… Okay.”

The door shut behind him and Gwynn stood alone with Sophia. He tried to speak to her, but he stumbled over his words.

“Sit.” Sophia said. She rocked back and forth, her hands in constant motion, but her eyes fixed on Gwynn. He sat.

Seconds took minutes, minutes hours, time played tricks with Gwynn. He started to believe the few intelligible words she had said were a fluke. The girl in front of him seemed broken beyond any hope of repair.

She lunged at Gwynn.

Before he could react, she grasped his face between her hands. He struggled in vain, she wouldn’t let go. He thought to cry out for help, but something in her eyes held him a silent prisoner.

“The shadow is moving.” She said. Gwynn’s eyes darted from side to side.

His mouth went dry, his voice a hoarse whisper. “I don’t see anything.”

“Behind you.”

Gwynn tried to turn his head, but Sophia held him in place.

“Doesn’t like
me.
Angry with
me.
Traitor.” Sophia hissed.

She released him and sat back.

The Sophia in front of Gwynn was feral, her words coming in growling spurts. But the room held another voice. A voice that belonged to the Sophia he knew. Beyond the madness in front of him, there stood a phantom image of Sophia. The phantom had the long shining blond curls, the blue eyes that sparkled, and the smile that had led Gwynn to Hell.

“I’m so sorry, Gwynn.” The phantom Sophia said. “To have to put you through this.”

This vision of the Sophia he’d lost broke him. Tears burned at his eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry. If I’d just stopped you. If I’d just been stronger…” He covered his eyes, no longer able to bear seeing her.

Arms wrapped around him. Not the fierce grip she’d had on his face, gentle and comforting instead.

The mad Sophia, solid and very real whispered. “Phantoms. Other worlds bleeding through. Wounds you need to heal.”

“I don’t understand.” Gwynn said.

“The beast long banished stirs. Blood taken through betrayal will release it. Only blood given can send it back.”

“Sophia, I don’t understand.”

The phantom remained, her eyes full of sorrow and pity.

The Sophia that barely held onto sanity still held him in an embrace. When she spoke, the warmth of her breath tickled his ear. “Dragons for good, dragons for evil. Messenger, prophets, harbingers. Fall, fall, fall. The shadow rises. Don’t let it drown you.”

Sophia let him go. The phantom Sophia had disappeared. Gwynn tried to process what she had said. None of it made sense. Then why did it feel so important? She sat away from him, rocking back and forth. Sophia’s eyes, that had held such power and focus, were now empty; focusing on some distant point which only she could discern the importance.

Gwynn stumbled to his feet and knocked on the door. Sophia’s mother had hope in her eyes when the door opened, but her face fell when she saw Sophia.

“Did she speak to you?”

Gwynn’s head buzzed. The world swayed beneath his feet. “Yes.” His voice sounded thin. “It didn’t really make any sense to me though. I’m sorry.”

Mrs. Murray managed a weak smile. “It’s fine, Gwynn. We had just hoped, well, maybe…”

“I’ll let you be with her now, Mrs. Murray. Thank you for letting me see her.”

The orderly escorted Gwynn down the hall and let him out the secure doors. Gwynn’s head seemed to be hurting more and his right arm throbbed so bad his fingers were numb. Shadows danced in the corner of his eye—something following him, something wanting him. He increased his pace, the hospital hallways becoming a blur of formless white. Gwynn trusted the deeper recesses of his mind to guide him out.

“Gwynn Dormath.” A voice, sounding like it echoed from some impossible distance.

Gwynn stopped.

Someone jogged down the hall toward him.

The man caught up to him, his breath huffing. “Gwynn, I’m glad I caught you. I thought for sure you’d still be in the hospital.”

Who was this person? He seemed somewhat familiar.

The stranger must have recognized Gwynn’s confusion. “It’s me, Gwynn, Pridament. We met when you first came out of your coma. I’ve been trying to see you, to finish our conversation, but there’s always been someone there.”

“Oh. Sorry. So much has been going on. And I had no way of getting hold of you.”

The man laughed. “I’m surprised to find you up and walking around so soon. The injuries your chart listed were extensive.”