Ria
My head and everything else hurt as I thrashed in the floor. It felt as if they were ripping my heart out.
I had felt like this before, when I had saved Arsheus. It was the worst pain imaginable.
The man in question was on the floor, his eyes closed, unconscious. The weapon must've hit him too. He looked just like how he had when he had almost died back in the demon's realm.
By his side Rin also looked like shit, unconscious too.
The only one of us who wasn't writhing in pain on the floor was Raphael, but he wasn't much better off. He was being held by an angel, blood pouring out of the wounds he had sustained while fighting against them.
He had been braver than me. He had attacked them even though he had known he had no chance of winning.
I had just stayed there, staring as everything I cared for came crushing down.
There was nothing I could do, nothing at all.
In the mist of the earth shattering pain I was feeling eating me up I had to contain my emotions and tears so as to not start crying right then and there.
I could see how this all would play out and it wasn't pretty.
For a few seconds I even wished Arsheus and Rin hadn't come to my rescue. If they had stayed in their own rooms, not caring for me then we wouldn't be like this. They wouldn't have caught up to us and I wouldn't have to watch them die right in front of my eyes, but as usual life was a bitch and didn't care about what I wanted.
I pushed the tears in my eyes back as I watched how Allea walked up to me, her eyes darting every few seconds to stare at Rin, who had collapsed unconscious into the floor.
She looked apologetic and horrified as she looked at him, her hands twitching in harmony with her legs, as if she wanted nothing more than to run over to where Rin was and comfort him.
She didn't do that though, she kept walking towards me, following Cordelia. The woman in question was wearing a smug smile as she moved closer.
When I looked into her eyes all I could feel was burning hatred. That woman had destroyed my life. I wanted her dead.
I thrashed on the floor, trying to get up and attack her, even if all I managed to do was get one hit. No matter how much I tried my body refused to listen to me. All I could do was swear as she smiled smugly.
I wanted to wipe that smug smile off her face more than anything else in this world. I hated her.
Against my expectations Cordelia didn't walk up to me, but rather turned in the last second to face Raphael, a smile filled with pity on her lips.
Raphael glared at her and growled.
Cordelia seemed to find it amusing as she laughed, her obnoxious and sweet laughter reverberating off the walls.
" What, are you pissed that your little escape plan failed?"
Cordelia's eyes were filled with disdain and another emotion I couldn't quite place as she regarded Raphael.
" Don't make me laugh" Raphael spit blood at Cordelia's face, his expression serious.
The woman laughed harder, not caring enough to wipe off the blood and spit in her face.
With the drops of blood streaming down her face she looked even more like a crazy psychotic killer than ever.
" Whatever you say, darling"
What the fuck?
I stared at Cordelia, looking at her as if she had grown two heads and then at Raphael. Why had she called him darling? Were they going out? Was I tricked, yet again?
The questions in my mind along with the constant hum in the back of my head and the splitting pain that made me want to give up made it impossible for me to even think straight.
My heart calmed a little when I saw Raphael scoff and look away, his body still being restrained by the guards.
" I told you to stop calling me that, you crazy bitch" Raphael's voice was nothing but cold and filled with hatred as he spoke.
The way he said those words, as if he was conveying his very soul assured me that he wasn't in cahoots with Cordelia. It was just her and Allea, which didn't make things much better.
Cordelia's eyes twitched when she heard what Raphael had said, her hands suffering from spasms.
She looked ready to murder someone, but she didn't. Instead of lashing out as I thought she would she smiled calmly and grabbed Raphael's chin. He looked disgusted as he tried to pull away, but he was being firmly held by the guards, unable to even move his head from the way. He was stuck looking at Cordelia in the eyes as she leaned in and gave him a peck, her lips touching his.
For a second the old thought that he had betrayed us surfaced again, but as soon as it appeared it was gone.
Raphael looked disgusted as he tried to push away Cordelia as she forced the kiss. Even from where I was on the floor, thrashing around in pain I could tell he didn't like the kiss.
When Cordelia finally pulled away she was smiling again, the real genuine smile that I had seen her wearing on the ball all over her face.
Raphael, unable to move his hands to wipe off his lips, which he clearly wanted to do, spit on Cordelia instead. She didn't care as she looked at Raphael with something like love in her eyes.
It was weird, specially if you took into account the fact that that woman had had several husbands over the years and I was now sure she had murdered at least half of them.
" What about your husband?" Raphael sounded truly disgusted as he looked down on Cordelia as if she was a bug. The woman in question didn't seem to notice, or care, about how he was looking at her. She seemed in heaven as his eyes fell on her. " I think he would disapprove"
Cordelia begun laughing, leaning against Raphael, touching his skin as much as she could.
I felt Raphael flinching and wished I could help him. He was clearly uncomfortable as he tried to push her away and run away, unable to even say as he wished as the guards placed their hands over his mouth, silencing him at Cordelia's behest.
It was disgusting. If Cordelia liked him she should say it out loud, not try to mess with his head and force him to like her. He would never like her that way.
Disgust crawled up my stomach as I imagined myself on Raphael's shoes. I hated it. I had to save him.
I looked all around me, searching for a weapon. My brain was mush as I tried to formulate a plan. Each time I thought I had managed to come up with something even half decent my mind would scream in pain and the plan would go up in flames.
I didn't even have the mental capacity right now to plan how to get out of here, much less defeat the crazy bitch and take the others with me.
My brain filtered out the conversation Cordelia was having with Raphael, if you could call it a conversation when only Cordelia was talking non-stop, covering Raphael's mouth so that he couldn't speak. As I didn't listen to them I looked around, the whole world foggy with pain.
I could barely see a few feet away from me even though the smoke was now gone. Everything hurt and I wanted nothing more than to lay on the floor forever, but I had to get out of here.
My eyes darted to the blurry figures that were Cordelia and Raphael, checking that they were still engrossed in their business. I also had to rescue Raphael, but that could be done later.
I imagined myself running away, into the hallway and disappearing, coming up with a plan to save them and saving the day.
It was a good plan. No one was checking the exit and I was close enough to it. I just had to run fast enough and I could make it.
My head kept screaming that I couldn't abandon them here, but there was nothing I could do. The longer I stayed the more my strength was sucked away from me. Soon I wouldn't even be able to think straight. If I stayed all of us were doomed, but maybe, and just maybe, if I left I would be able to concoct a escape plan and save everyone.
The plan was good enough. Now the only thing stopping me was my own body. As pain flashed through my eyes I couldn't even move my hands, much less my legs. Running away like this would be impossible. The door was too far away.
The window was closer. I could see myself jumping off of it. All I needed to do was get up, take a few steps and lean against the window. Gravity would do the rest. The problem was, precisely, gravity. I didn't have wings. If I tried to jump off the window I would end up on the ground, dead and flat.
I didn't want to end up like that.
That plan was also out.
I was running out of ideas and out of time. I had to act fast before Cordelia turned to look at me.
I looked at Rin, collapsed on the floor near me and then at Arsheus, further away.
Maybe I could drag Rin with me if I got enough of my strength back, but running with Arsheus was impossible.
As I was thinking about my plan another spike of pain striked me, making me scream as my body spasmed involuntary.
My screams were so loud that they caught Cordelia's attention. She turned to look at me with a smile, her steps deliberate as she walked closer.
I felt the hatred inside of me rising as she came closer, but there was nothing I could do.
Just as I was about to begin to despair I heard Raphael's voice, clear as day as he spoke to Cordelia.
" So what now, will you take me back to your prison to be your little prisoner until I fall in love with you? Haven't you noticed yet it won't work?"
Cordelia reacted immediately to Raphael's words. She clenched her fists and walked back, glaring at him.
At that same time I saw Raphael smiling at me and winking so subtly that I almost missed it. He was giving me a way out. I had to make use of it. I doubted it would work for long.
I pushed the pain deep down, as down as I could and got up with much difficulty.
I focused completely on getting up despite the pain, not wanting to listen to Cordelia rambling about how Raphael was her bitch and would always be.
I felt so fucking bad right now for having ever doubted Raphael. I had been a bitch, and yet here he was, saving my life. I owed him one.
I swore to myself I would help him and Arsheus escape as I finally managed to get up with wobbly feet.
No one looked at me, sure of our defeat, as they focused on the angels having a conversation. I dragged my sorry ass to where Rin was and grabbed him by the arms, pulling him until he was by my side near the window.
That hadn't been so bad. Everything hurt now, but it already did.
I looked at where Arsheus was laying on the floor. Maybe if I was fast enough I would be able to get him too.
I was hesitating between dragging him with me and losing more precious time or escaping and then coming up with a plan later to save him when Cordelia turned to look at me. I saw her face getting red with anger when she saw me near the window, Rin propped up against me and the wall near me.
From behind her I saw Raphael looking at me with a sorry face. I didn't have time to nod at him and tell him silently he had done enough. I also didn't have enough time to hesitate anymore as Cordelia screamed at the angels to kill Rin and capture me.
Only when the angels looked at us and charged did I regret getting Rin into this. They didn't want me dead, they wouldn't kill me. I couldn't say the same for him.
All I could do as I opened the window with great difficulty, wishing the pain would finally go away, was look back one last time at Raphael and Arsheus and promise silently that I would come back for them.
As the angels ran towards us, their faces angry and their weapons drawn I didn't have more time. As I pushed Rin off the window and then leaned in myself I could only wish I hadn't messed it up.
As soon as I leaned against the window I felt gravity taking a hold of me, pulling me down into her embrace.
Before I closed my eyes, utterly terrified of what was going to happen and with not many certainties I could've sworn I saw Allea punching an angel in the gut.
I didn't have time to think about the hallucinations before the pain went away and I found myself thinking clearly for the first time in a while, falling from the sky.
As soon as my mind cleared up fear took a hold of me.
What the fuck was I thinking?
I was going to die!!!!
I screamed as I got closer and closer to the ground, closing my eyes in fear.
Fear gripped me, making me regret every decision that had led to me jumping off that window.
I fucking hated my life.
I felt the ground coming closer at me by the second.
Just when I thought I was definitely going to die I felt something grabbing my hands and I screamed as pain erupted all over my shoulders, whatever had taken a hold of me pulling so hard that my shoulders dislocated, making me scream in pain.
I was no longer falling, but now I was in so much fucking pain that I wondered if it was worth it.
" Are you okay?" I could barely hear Rin's screams over the roaring sound of the wind clashing against his wings as he flapped them as hard as he could, trying to outrun the guards following us.
All I did was look up and glare at him.
I was going to tell him what I thought, as soon as we were safe.