chronicles of eden - act I (105 page)

“No…” she shakily breathed out.

"Daniel!" Alyssa screamed as she gripped her hat with fright. Triska trembled as she stared at Daniel's image, her heart skipping a beat as she felt a cold chill run down her spine.

"No… no! NO! DANIEL!" Triska screamed out in agony, dropping down and holding onto Daniel. Squeak stared at the boy's image with shock and slowly shook her head, a few tears welling up in her eyes as she squeaked quietly. Triska cried out as she held onto Daniel, her tears dropping down onto his neck as she clung to him tightly. Alyssa stared at the image with horror then looked down to seeing Daniel no longer moving, his chest remaining perfectly still. She gasped and quickly held her hands to his chest, feeling no heartbeat or breathing.

"No… NO!” she screamed out, shaking her head with a frightful expression. Triska cried out into the air, tears dropping from her face as she shook her head violently. Specca held a hand over her mouth as she started to cry, tears welling up behind her glasses as she shook her head in sorrow.

"Daniel! DANIEL!" Triska yelled out, holding onto Daniel from around the neck and keeping him close as she felt her own heart breaking.

“Daniel! Daniel, please don’t die!” Alyssa sobbed loudly as she held onto his arm desperately, tears dropping from her face.

"It's not real, Daniel, it's not real!" Triska cried. The girls looked down to her with remorseful expressions as she sobbed loudly, holding onto Daniel as her arms trembled.

"Please, Daniel, wake up! Don’t die, please don’t die!" she shouted out, shaking her head as she shut her eyes tightly. The group watched as she sobbed loudly while holding onto the boy that was no longer breathing, her cries being heard over Alyssa, Specca, Squeak, and Luna’s whimpers as they watched with devastated eyes. Falla clenched her fists with frustration and looked down, shaking her head slowly as she closed her eyes. Triska trembled then started to loosen from her embrace, her body feeling like it was drained of strength as she wept quietly.

"Daniel… please don’t go…" she shakily cried. Slowly she looked over to his face as she struggled to hold back her tears, seeing that he wasn’t breathing and lying perfectly still.

“No… you can’t leave me like this…” she pleaded softly. Taking an unsteady breath she held Daniel close, resting her head next to his as the others watched with pained expressions.

"Daniel… I don't know if you can hear us… or me, I don’t know if any of this is reaching you. But… you have to know something…" she whimpered with tears dropping down onto the floor.

*****

"Tris… ka…" Daniel strained out as his eyes slowly began to close, his hands holding onto the bloodied blade that was pierced through his chest. Triska glared at him as she held her sword with one hand, her other holding onto his shoulder and keeping him pulled forward.

"Shut up, Daniel, just die," Triska said coldly as the surrounding world started to turn dark and hazy. Slowly the red bloom from the mist faded away as everything started to vanish into the darkness.

*****

"I've… wanted to tell you something, ever since we left Edgewood, ever since we were little. I've wanted to tell you, but… I was too scared," Triska choked out between her sobs as she held onto Daniel, trying to control her breathing as she continued to cry. Alyssa, Squeak, and Specca glanced to each other with remorseful looks then back down to Triska, all of them knowing what she wanted to say. However none of them felt the urge to interrupt her this time.

"Daniel…" Triska said softly. She started breathing heavily as she glanced up to seeing Daniel's spectral image, his eyes closed as his hands had dropped to his sides. All the girls watched with sorrowful eyes as the image started to slowly rise up towards the nightmare, the monster letting out a small ghastly wail as it smiled coldly at its victim. Triska trembled as she felt her heart aching, her breathing becoming ragged, her hands shaking, and her mouth quivering. She struggled to hold in her tears, to pull back her screams, to pray that this was all just a nightmare of her own, that none of this was real and that Daniel was alive and well.

"No… Daniel…" Alyssa whimpered as she watched with teary eyes. Specca and Squeak started crying as they watched with sorrow, both shakily reaching out for the spectral image that continued to rise up towards the nightmare. Luna started crying as well while Falla watched with frustration and despair.

Triska started breathing heavily, her gasps for air drawing everyone's attention. She began to shake with disbelief and agony, her body unable to remain still or calm down. The group watched as she started choking, struggling with something that was working its way out of her throat. She breathed heavily and rapidly, her mind racing as she witnessed Daniel's soul being taken away by a monster. She couldn't take it anymore, couldn't hold it in any longer; any fear she had before was thrown into oblivion as she quickly hugged Daniel close and buried her face into his shoulder, crying out with every ounce of strength she had the three words she so desperately wanted to tell him.

"I LOVE YOU!"

*****

Daniel's eyes shot open, staring ahead with shock as Triska's voice echoed in his head.

"I LOVE YOU!"

Triska stared at him with surprise and disbelief as he slowly looked up, straining to move as the distant yet powerful words reached him. His body felt cold, dead, and rigid. Yet a small fire seemed to burn within, just enough to remind him what the warmth felt like from inside. Slowly he felt the impression, although faintly, of somebody holding him and their warm breath on his neck.

"Tri… ska?" he breathed out.

"Just die already!" Triska yelled out. Daniel looked back to her, seeing nothing but rage in her eyes. Not once had she ever shown so much anger, so much hatred towards him in all the years he had known her. She growled and pulled him closer, pushing the blade further out behind him as it carved through his body. Blood spilled down his shirt and pants as he struggled to stay awake, staring into the harsh glare of Triska.

"I love you, Daniel, I love you!"

Triska looked around with a startled expression, seeing that the world had stopped falling into darkness around them.

"What is this?" she shouted out. Daniel slowly looked down, seeing the blade that was struck into him, seeing his blood that was dripping down on the steel as well as his clothing.

"Please come back, Daniel! Come back to me!"

Daniel shakily reached out and grabbed Triska by the shirt, the girl looking back to him with surprise as he was glaring at her with weary eyes.

"You're… not Triska," he coughed out. Triska looked down to the blade then to him with disbelief.

"No… how can you still be alive? You should be dead by now," she said with confusion. Daniel growled then grabbed Triska's dagger, the girl looking to it with surprise as he yanked it out and geared back with it.

"Impossible, how?" Triska cried out. Daniel let out a hoarse yell before striking down with the dagger, plunging the blade into Triska's head with a crunch. She jerked slightly before remaining still, staring at Daniel with wide eyes of shock. Daniel gripped the sword's handle and slowly pulled it out, cringing and straining himself as he gasped in pain. With one final pull he yanked the sword out then threw it over to the side, struggling to remain standing before he then pulled out the dagger from the girl's skull. She dropped down to her knees and wavered slightly before slowly looking up at Daniel, her eyes turning into cold blue orbs while her hair started to shift to black.

"How… can you…" she said in a ghostly voice, her hands and legs slowly darkening and crumbling into black ash. Daniel breathed heavily as he held a hand over his chest wound, glaring down at her as she slowly wavered. After a pause Daniel geared back with the dagger.

"This nightmare ends now," he declared, before swinging down and jamming the dagger into the skull of the monster. It let out a hoarse screech before dropping back, collapsing and shattering into black dust as Daniel watched it with a cold glare. He struggled to remain standing for a moment then dropped down onto his knee, breathing heavily as he looked down with closed eyes. Slowly he wavered then started to fall back, his world fading to white as he lost consciousness.

*****

The nightmare screamed with a horrible shriek, thrashing around as the girls looked up to it with surprise, all except for Triska who remained next to Daniel, holding him close and weeping quietly. Daniel's spectral image vanished as the nightmare started to dissolve into black smoke, with the girls watching it carefully.

"What's happening?" Luna asked nervously as she quickly hid behind Squeak. Falla scrambled back away from the wall while Alyssa and Specca watched the wailing monster with cautious eyes, a few tears still dropping from their cheeks as they saw the nightmare howling in agony. Its skeletal tail started to dissolve into smoke, trailing up towards its body as it yelled out with a ghostly cry. It flailed around before looking down to Daniel with a sharp gasp, the monster staring with wide eyes at the boy as its body turned to smoke and billowed away through the ceiling of the caravan. The girls all stared at where the monster had vanished then looked down to Daniel and Triska.

"No… is he… is he…" Specca whimpered nervously. Triska choked back her sobs and slowly leaned back from her embrace, looking at Daniel with sorrowful eyes.

"Daniel… I love you…" she said softly. Slowly Alyssa, Specca, and Squeak all laid down and rested their heads on his chest, all closing their eyes with sorrow. Triska looked over to them, the girls all holding onto his shirt as they wept quietly.

"I love you, Daniel," Alyssa said softly.

"As do I, Daniel," Specca sobbed quietly.

Squeak nodded and squeaked as she nuzzled against Daniel's shirt. She paused for a moment then jumped up with a quick squeak, staring down at Daniel with wide eyes. Triska looked at her with a slight amount of curiosity then over to see Alyssa and Specca quickly jumping up as well, both looking down at Daniel with surprise.

"What is it?" Luna asked. Specca quickly held a hand over Daniel's heart, her eyes widening as Alyssa put her ear to his chest.

"His heart… it's beating," Specca said looking to Triska, who jumped with surprise.

"He's breathing, he's breathing again!" Alyssa cheered out as she sat up and looked down at Daniel with amazement. Falla and Luna looked closely to seeing Daniel's chest slowly rising and lowering with each breath. Triska stared with an open mouth then looked to Daniel, seeing his mouth opened slightly as he was breathing again.

"D-D-Daniel?" Triska stuttered out with shock.

Slowly Daniel opened his eyes, groaning quietly as he started to come to his senses. He blinked a few times as his eyes adjusted to the dark interior of the cabin then saw four girls leaning over him, all staring at him with stunned expressions.

"Daniel," Alyssa breathed out as she smiled with tears in her eyes.

"You're… alive," Specca said with great relief.

Squeak started crying with joy as she squeaked a few times.

Daniel blinked then slowly looked over to Triska, the girl staring at him with loving eyes.

"Triska?" he asked softly. Without wasting a moment Triska quickly lunged down and kissed him, holding him close as a few tears of joy dropped from her cheeks. The other girls watched with surprise as Triska kissed him passionately, overwhelmed with emotions at seeing him alive once again. After a while she leaned back and looked down with longing eyes at Daniel, who was staring up at her with wonder.

"I… heard…" he breathed out.

"What I've wanted to tell you for the longest time," Triska finished with a warm smile. Daniel looked at her with wonder as she gazed down into his eyes.

"I love you, Daniel, with all my heart," she said softly. Daniel stared back into her eyes, rendered speechless by her words.

"I love you too, Daniel!" Alyssa cried out, lunging down and embracing the boy. Triska stumbled back with surprise as Alyssa held onto Daniel tightly, looking at him with loving eyes.

"I love you, Daniel, I do I do I do, it's true," she said softly before kissing him, the boy staring at her with surprise. Triska growled loudly through bared teeth then yanked the witch off of Daniel, holding her up and glaring at the girl with fury.

"Hey! Daniel and I were having a heartfelt moment, what the hell do you think you're doing?" she roared. She and Alyssa then looked over as Squeak was heard squeaking numerous times, nuzzling against Daniel's cheek with a loving smile as he was glancing to her with a surprised expression still on his face. Squeak then pulled Daniel into a kiss, with him staring with surprise at first before relaxing and showing a glazed look in his eye.

"SQUEAK!" Triska and Alyssa yelled out with shock.

Squeak pulled back from her kiss and smiled lovingly at Daniel, squeaking happily before being quickly yanked off to the side by Triska and Alyssa. Daniel blinked a few times as the euphoric sensation washed through his lips and mouth, his world blurring slightly before returning to normal. As he began to see clearly again, with his mind still reeling from the powerful kiss by Squeak, Specca gently guided his gaze over to her, the nixie lying on her legs next to him and gazing into his eyes with a loving smile.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Daniel, my heart couldn't bear to be parted with you," she said gently before pulling him into a kiss. He watched with wonder while Triska, Alyssa, and Squeak, the girls having halted instantly in their three-way struggle, stared at them with surprise.

"SPECCA!" Triska and Alyssa shouted out along with Squeak's loud squeak.

Specca leaned back from her kiss and smiled at Daniel. He stared at her speechless before Luna quickly jumped onto his lap and looked at him with an eager smile.

"Can I get a kiss too? Please please please?" she asked hopefully, bouncing up and down on his lap. Daniel just stared at her with bewilderment before Falla knocked Luna off of him, the red eyed butterfly girl then quickly taking her place on his lap.