“Ugh.” I opened my eyes to see my clock blinking that wonderful twelve. I was wondering what woke me when the pain hit. Tossing off the covers I ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time. Dropping to my knees before the toilet my muscle tensed up as I expelled the contents of my stomach. After several minutes passed it seemed the worst might be over, only to have the pain start again in my abdomen.

I managed to muster the strength to crawl back to the bed, dragging the bathroom trashcan behind me. I could make out the clock again, still blinking but this time it was one twenty-three. So, not only was I sick and spent over an hour puking my toenails but the power had gone out too. I knew I needed to fix the clock and its alarm but once I had managed to get into the bed I lost all strength. I just wanted to sleep. I hope that it was just the nasty food I ate and that I had not come down with something else. I had to be back at the hospital tomorrow for my sons, I just had to.

“Angelik” I heard someone softly calling my name. “Please Angelik. You have to…” I could barely hear the voice calling out to me as a wave seem to pull me further under. I moaned, not wanting to open my eyes.

“Mom, are you there? Mom, please we need your help.” This time my eyes shot wide. I heard Samuel yelling for me. I stood in the middle of some city that looked abandoned. Vehicles were left in disarray, much like a child that had forgotten to pick them up. The buildings had windows missing from some of them, mouths forever gaping open. Doors hung ajar, some busted off hinges, silently screaming in pain scorched from some fire. I was taking this in as I began walking in the direction of my son’s voice. He sounded so quiet as first. “Mom, where are you? Help us! I don’t know what to do. I’m so lost! Come find us! I’m scared!” I could hear him calling me; his volume increasing along with the intensity. My normally overconfident child was no longer apparent in his voice, he was the frightened little toddler again.

“I am coming, baby! Hold on, I’m coming to you both.” I took off down some side street; sure it was in that direction I heard him. “Samuel, is Chase with you? Talk to me.” I kept running, the buildings flying by in a blur. Turning a corner to find more empty buildings, cars littering streets, but not my children. “Samuel! Chase! Answer me!” I kept running in the direction I heard Samuel last, when blocked by a building I would turn the corner. My eyes greeted by more desolation, some great tragedy I had no knowledge of.

“Mom? Is that really you I hear? Please be real.” This time I hear Chase reply sounding so heartbroken, almost defeated. He seemed to be just around this last corner, but everything echoed, sound bounced off of the buildings and cars in cruel ways.

“Chase! Are you and your brother together?” I could not stop the tears of relief. I was so afraid for some reason. I hastened my pace, rounding the corner to meet a dead end, an alley to nowhere. I back tracked, I felt I was losing precious moments. But only seconds had passed by since I went this way.

“Mom, we’re together. But we don’t know where we are. We woke up here. Help us. It is so strange. It hurts so much. I don’t like what happening.” I could hear the panic in Chase’s voice. “Mom you have to hurry. There are some strange people here. I don’t like it.”

“I’m coming. Just hold on. Protect each other! I will be there shortly! Just hold on.” I tried to pick up my speed. But try as I might, where the buildings were flying by before, they now had slowed in my vision. I began to feel sluggish. My feet became ensnared in something that I could not see. Not matter how much I struggled I could not move forward. I tried to scream but even my mouth now seemed frozen.

“Angelik” the voice from earlier was back, at my ear now. It was tickling a memory somewhere locked in my brain. “Angelik, submit please. You have to, just this once. I can stop this. Just give in this once. Please.” The voice was soothing, pleading. I felt my mind release as I mentally agreed. Anything to stop this nightmare of not being able save my children. I felt myself floating and then melt into warm arms as tears began running down my cheeks.

“My children, I have to help them. They’re in danger. I can feel it.” I was sobbing at this point, something I don’t do. I don’t cry like this. I hate crying, I swore long ago I would not cry, would not show that weakness again. I could feel the warm arms wrap around me tighter as if to protect me from something. The body I was being pressed against began rocking back and forth gently. The warmth of this person was seeping into me, slowly trying to ease this fear and growing sense of foreboding.

“Shhh, there, there now. It’s okay. Hush. Don’t cry my love. We will find them.” A deep male voice I knew from somewhere spoke softly into my hair. As a buried my face into this man’s chest I felt him rubbing my back, attempting to soothe me. The scent of sandalwood and patchouli invaded my senses and seemed to unlock something inside me.

“It has to be a nightmare. My children, I couldn’t get to them.” Another round of sobs threatened to start as my heart felt as if it was ripped from my chest. The thought of losing my kids, it terrified me. I reached my arms around this man’s body, holding on, grabbing the one thing in front of me. Digging my fingers into his flesh in desperation to steady myself, knowing I was causing him pain. “Please don’t let go of me right now.” I didn’t know this pleading sound in my own voice. I have never thought of myself as weak or timid before. At this moment I was weak and needed someone to hold me.

“I will not let you go. You don’t need to worry about that. Angelik, it’s okay. Your children will be fine.” I started to shake my head, to deny what he was saying. “Shhh.. Listen to me. Yes, you heard them but you nor them are strong enough to get to each other in this space yet. That is why you were stuck.” His words were confusing to me. It didn’t make sense. “This is a dreamscape of sorts. You were part right before.”

“Before?” It was only after I had asked the question that it had dawned on me. I remembered where I had heard his voice before. It was that weird dream when I had fallen asleep in the hospital. But this felt so real, was I really dreaming again?

“Angelik, this is not a dream. I pulled you out of the scape that your boys had created. Don’t get me wrong. They are having a hard time; the change is not easy for them. They don’t have someone like me to help them.” My mind was starting to race. What was he talking about? I loosened my grip on him and attempted to push him away. The result was not what I expected.

“The hell?” He was no longer holding me but I could not see him clearly either. I was now seated at a long dining room table with him at the opposite end. His face was in shadow but I could tell he was not pleased with this development.

“I did not want to do this. But you tend to react violently to things. While normally I appreciate that about you, in this case we don’t have time. I would have preferred a gentler way of telling you, but gentle seems to not be the way we are going to do this.” Gone was the soft voice he used earlier, now was a stern commander. He expected no questions, arguments nor interruptions till he was done. My guess was he could see my momentary weakness had passed.

“As I was saying before.” he continued. “Your boys and as well as you have contracted what the humans are calling Umbra Mutatis. With some of you humans it will act as the flu however, a larger amount it will kill…” It was the mention of the word kill that I started to speak. I guess he seen it coming because he held up his hand for silence. I glared at him but would allow him to finish. I did tap my finger on the arm of the chair I found myself now trapped in unable to speak even if I wanted to. “Before you even think of interrupting me, remember you submitted to me this once. So, things in this environment, including you, are under my control. Now to continue, very few of those infected such as yourself will change. Go through a metamorphosis if you will. It will be painful. My guess is, that is what is happening to your sons.” He motioned that I may now speak. The arrogance of this man knows no bounds I couldn’t help but think.

“You are an arrogant asshole. Taking liberties where I did not give any. Furthermore, how dare you use my children to take advantage of me! Why should I believe any of this? Why should I trust you? Just who the hell do you think you are!” I wanted so badly to scream it, as is it all came out between clenched teeth. I felt angry at him for using my children and for seeing in tears.

“I did not take advantage of anything. I came to you in your time of need. As to who I am, I am a Lord, and your mate. I don’t think I am anyone because I am someone. You will believe it because I have no reason to lie to you. Do you think dealing with you is easy?” he replied in his own barely controlled tone. “You call me arrogant, I call it confidence.” He seemed to be looking around, as if he could hear something I was unaware of. “Not now” I heard him mutter.

Then I heard it too. “Angelik, come on. Don’t die on me, you bitch!” I knew that voice. I knew it as well as my children’s voices. It was Lexi.

“Listen to me, you leave here and you go back to pain. Your body will burn but there will be no water that can quench it. You will feel your bones snap and regrow, muscles and tissues rip. Stay, stay here where I can keep you from that.” He had stood up and was progressing in my direction. I could hear Lexi still calling my name; feel someone hitting my chest hard. He was almost to me and I knew I was about to leave this place. He made one last attempt to reach out his hand to me and I guess it was my finally act of defiance; I flipped him off with a grin. I was done with Silvereyes, for now at least.