Chapter 35

Thirty-Five

The smell of smoke filled my nostrils as the sounds of muffled voices and rain pulled me from the darkness, dragging my consciousness from the empty pit. My lids strained, struggling to open, heavy and exhausted. "Lazarus," I groaned softly, my head still spinning. There was no answer. I ached, reaching my hand out into the abyss, when a familiar shape approached, nudging me gently as it rubbed along my hand and licked my face. "Alastair." He whined, dropping as he curled up against me, the warmth of his large frame soothing my nerves. "Hey, handsome." I smiled, stroking his soft, pitch-black fur. My uneasiness melted away as I sat there, petting him. "Where's Lazarus?" Alastair huffed, returning to his feet before walking away, disappearing as I blinked.

My vision slowly returned as the numbness in my body began to prickle, the sensation of feeling returning to my limbs as my nerves began to wake. My eyes stumbled around, trying to understand where I was, grasping at the hints of my surroundings. I was laying on the ground, padded with blankets in a small room. No, this isn't a room. I stared at the moving walls, deep green and wavering with the wind. Where am I?

My brain slowly sparked, realizing I wasn't in a room, but a tent. It wasn't anything spectacular, just a simple tent you'd use for camping. Aside from the pile of blankets I was nestled in, there was a small lantern that provided little light. The entrance of the tent was unzipped and exposed to the woods, allowing the heavy smell of smoke and voices to trail inside. Rain tapped against the tarp-like fabric above, the storm now relaxed, nothing more than a simple downpour. My eyes moved to the rounded ceiling of the canopy, watching the shadows of the trees rock back and forth, the sound of nightlight singing in the distance. It was almost relaxing.

"Hey." Lazarus' voice pulled my focus to him as he leaned inside the open flap. He was wearing a clean shirt, no tears or blood, his old, shredded t-shirt gone. "There's my little dreamer. How are you feeling, darling?" He carefully sat down next to me, his hand gently brushing my hair aside as he examined me closely, his fingers gliding sweetly along my skin.

As he observed me, I watched him. Despite everything we had been through, he was still beautiful, his dark eyes full of life and longing. I wished I could freeze time so that we could live forever in sweet, innocent moments such as this. Peaceful, yet full of emotions. I closed my eyes, inhaling his scent while his warm touch calmed my soul. I had been denying it for so long, but I knew how my heart truly felt, how it only beat so chaotically for him.

"What are you thinking about?" He gently tapped my nose. "Daydreaming?" I opened my eyes, smiling as they met his.

"Is it still daydreaming if it's night?" Lazarus laughed lightly at me, my own laughter echoing his. My hand touched his arm, my fingertips tracing the design of his tattoos, following the faded ink up his arm to his covered chest. I could feel his eyes on me, heavy, as my fingertips reached his collar, gently tugging at the cotton. "How's your chest feeling?" My hands grazed the material over his wound. It felt different. My hand gripped his shirt, my body raising as I began pulling it out of the way as he chuckled.

"See for yourself." He held the shirt up while my hands delicately ran along his wound, the blood-soaked bandages gone and replaced with fresh stitches. I lightly touched his skin, running my fingertips along the thread. "W-who did this?" I looked up at him. "What happened? Where are we?"

Lazarus dropped his shirt, cradling my hand. "Well, as you know, Ruby got her foot caught in a bear trap." He ran his lips across my fingers, kissing them sweetly as he spoke. "I personally blame those ridiculous boots of hers, but that's not important. I tried to open the trap, but I couldn't, and that's when you helped her break free from it. You used your magic, more than I have ever seen you use before. It was pretty amazing to watch. Terrifying, but amazing. That is, until you passed out. That part really scared me. You must've really exhausted yourself, Alaska." He kissed the top of my hand. "I've never seen you exert your power like that. How do you feel?"

My other hand touched my nose, remembering how it bled. "I-I didn't hold back. I unleashed everything I had. All of it. I must've pushed myself too far."

"Hey." His burned hand touched my cheek. "What matters is that you're okay and we're safe." My thoughts trailed, scanning over everything that had happened when I remembered the old man and his harrowing words.

"The man who found us, where is he? Who is he? Was he the one who stitched you up?" Lazarus pulled his hand back.

"Ahote. He's the one who found us, the person Cain rented the cabin from. He and his group heard Ruby's screams while they were hunting and went to investigate. We're lucky they were out here who knows what would've happened had they not found us and offered help. And yes, he personally patched me up. Did a real good job too. Probably going to leave a gnarly scar though." He smiled.

"Are you sure we can trust them?" My voice strained from screaming. "What if they were the ones hiding out here, watching us that first night?"

"They were. Ahote and his group live out in these woods. Apparently, they rarely get any visitors and so when we stumbled into town, they searched Cain's car. Probably thought we were doing drugs or something. But they seem harmless."

"Harmless? Lazarus, he carries a rifle. I don't think you should be so trusting."

"What choice do we have, Alaska? Cain, possessed by a vengeful hungry serial killer, is hunting us. He's dangerous enough being well, Cain, but add the fact that John Crowe is just hanging out in his body—pass. And with the Wendigos—"

"Wendigos?" I stopped him, confused.

Lazarus laughed lightly to himself. "Yeah, you might want to come with me. Ahote was waiting for you to wake up before explaining everything." He kissed my hand one more time, his lips lingering as his eyes raised, glancing up at me. "Ready to return to reality?" My brain was unable to focus, still struggling to grasp the information of what was happening while fighting back an overwhelmingly sudden urge.

My fingertips faintly began to glow as I bit my lower lip. "Do we have to go right now?"

Lazarus lowered my hand, grinning as he leaned across the tent and dragged the zipper of the entrance, closing it off from the outside, giving us some privacy. "I'm sure we can take our time." He returned to my side, crawling to me on his hands and knees as his body hung over me, leaning close. His lips hovered above mine, causing both my breathing and heartbeat to race. I couldn't help but smile as he whispered into my mouth. "Try not to be too loud, darling."