Awakening

Lucy awakes from a coma in the hospital and has a couple of visitors, but one of them isn't someone she expected or wanted.

4

Awakening

Lucy stands in her childhood home, her mother bloodied and lying dead on the floor of the living room. A figure in black stands over her mother. Lucy can make out the details of his clothes, faintly, in the diminishing light; A black dress coat hanging down just past his waist, black dress pants that are pressed and neat that stop just above his polished loafers. He turns and Lucy sees his coat is buttoned, hiding a dark red tie within. His hair is slick and combed back, a streak of color through it, but the light is too dim for Lucy to see.

The figure’s face is still obscured, though his piercing orange and red eyes flicker brightly like a powerful flame.

So you’re the child?

He takes a step towards her, leaving a flame in the wake of where his foot was just at. Lucy takes a step back, tears welling in her eyes and clouding her vision.

How pathetic.

He takes another step, leaving another flame which lurches towards the original and spreading beyond.

You’re weak. Insignificant.

Lucy’s mother is shortly engulfed in the flames, which spread quickly to the living room furniture and the walls of the house. She tries to call out but her voice is trapped within her throat.

Just like your mother.

Lucy turns to run as the figure continues moving closer, making her way to the front door. It swings open and she sprints across the lawn, looking back towards the burning building, before colliding with someone. She looks up to see Chief Ramsey, albeit much younger and wraps her arms tight around him, sobbing into his shirt.

“Shh. It’ll be alright child…” He says calmly, waving for an EMT as firefighters rush past, focusing their hoses on the inferno. Lucy looks back towards the house, seeing the faintest image of a shadowy figure in the archway of the front door before it fades into smoke.

As the old, Victorian-style, home burns, Lucy’s eyes roll into the back of her head and she collapses from exhaustion.

“Is she gonna be alright?” A voice cuts through the darkness.

“The bullet missed all major organs, but became lodged dangerously close to her spine.”

“But will she be alright?” Lucy opens her eyes slowly, keeping them narrow as they adjusted to the light. Her vision is blurry, unable to make out her surroundings. She could hear voices talking both close by and off into the distance, slightly overshadowed a steady beeping to her left.

“Only time will tell, Mr. Torre. We don’t know if she suffered permanent damage or not. She may regain the ability to walk, she may not. All we hope for now is that she’ll wake up from her coma.”

Fernando sighs and looks into the dimly lit hospital room. Lucy lay, slightly inclined, in a bed. Her left arm is wired to an IV drip; a cocktail of saline and morphine. He eyes her face, slightly obscured by the tube shoved down her throat, and notices her eyes starting to open. He smiles briefly before her heart rate begins to spike and she gags uncontrollably.

The physician turns his attention and races to her bedside. “Ms. Deville?! I need you to calm down please!” He says, donning his gloves. “I’m going to remove the tube from your mouth, please relax.” Lucy closes her eyes as the doctor removes the tube then takes a deep, natural, breath. “Good, Ms. Deville. Can you speak at all?” He asks, changing his gloves and pulling out a small light.

“Y-yes…” Lucy replies weakly. She looks around the room then to the doctor, a man in his late forties with dark skin and no hair. His name tag read Forrester. He begins to scan her eyes then taps her chin.

“That’s good. Open your mouth please.” Dr. Forrester takes her jaw and shines the light within, checking for any damage from the tube. Placing his light away, he smiles softly. “We’re happy you’re awake. It was a little touch and go for awhile. Can you answer a few questions, please?”

Lucy gives him a weak nod. “I think so.”

“What is your name?”

“Lucrecia Beatrice Deville.”

“Occupation?”

“Detective…” She pauses, “Shadmont Police.”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty.”

“Your father?”

“Never met the guy.”

“Your mother?”

“Jael Esther Deville, deceased.”

“I think that’s good.” Dr. Forrester picks up her charts and fills in some spots as Lucy takes in her surroundings. She eyes Fernando standing in the doorway and cracks him a smile, reaching towards him, too weak to wave. He smiles back, but continues to stand there. Dr. Forrester’s voice pulls her attention back. “Alright Lucy, you’re at Saint Mary’s Hospital. You were shot in the line of duty. Luckily the bullet passed by all of your major organs, however we had to perform surgery to remove it after it lodged itself close to your spine.”

Lucy closes her eyes and takes a moment to let what she’s been told sink in. She closes her eyes and thinks back. She remembers the Newman’s, lying together on the living room floor of their quiet home. She remembers walking down basement stairs and seeing John Phish. After he knelt back down she had reached for his hand and when he leaned for the gun, she shot him twice. Yet he  didn’t fall over, hell he didn’t even cringe; his grin just got bigger as he raised his hand and shot her back, like he wasn’t even injured. He fell over after she did, laying face to face with her, that menacing grin and his eyes shining like gold medallions. It wasn’t until Fernando came down the steps that his face changed. His mouth agape and eyes glossing over as they slowly rolled into his skull. Then it went black.

Lucy opens her eyes again. “Y-yeah, I remember being shot. Nothing at first then a fire spread through me…” She glances up to Fernando, his face expression melancholic empathy. Or was it guilt?

“Due to the location of the bullet we’re unsure of the condition of your legs,” Dr. Forrester says, pulling the blanket up over her feet, “can you move them at all?”

Lucy looks down to her legs, thinking this was like the scene from Kill Bill. Wiggle your big toe. It was more than her big toe though as she rolls both of her ankles and wiggles all of her toes. Dr. Forrester smiles at this and returns the covers.

“Very good. You may still need some physical therapy and of course a leave of absence from work, until you’ve fully healed.”

“Can I eat?” Lucy asks, averting her gaze to Fernando who cracks a cheesy grin.

“Yes, you can. I’m sure Mr. Torre will help you order something from the cafeteria. I’m going to see to your charts and if you need anything, please call for a nurse.” With that, Dr. Forrester makes his leave, patting Fernando on the back as he exits the room.

Fernando makes his way over to Lucy’s bedside, pulling up a chair and sitting. “You gave me a hell of a scare, Luce. I mean, you’ve been in a coma for over a week now. Why didn’t you call me when you found him?”

“I…” She pauses, struggling to sit up and eventually giving up. “I didn’t think about it. He was cornered and I had him.” Fernando grabs the bed controls and uses them to let Lucy sit up. “Thanks, Frannie.”

“Yeah, yeah. If you had him, what happened then?” Fernando asks, setting the controls back down.

“He…” She pauses again, thinking Fernando would think she’s crazy if she told him the truth about that morning, and a part of her still had trouble believing it. Or maybe it was the drugs. “He was cooperating and then he just… dove for his gun and manage to get a shot off as I did.”

“Well you’re awake now. You better get on your feet soon and get your a*s back to work. It’s been boring without you there.” Fernando jokes and a smile crosses Lucy’s lips.

“Frannie, get me something to eat.”

“Ha, alright, alright. Le’see what’s in the cafeteria tonight.” Fernando stands and turns, looking for the menu.

“Oh f**k that, bring me a damn bacon cheese burger and a shake! Pop’s shop is open twenty-four hours!” Lucy exclaims, followed by a cringe of pain.

“Okay, okay.” He walks back over and playful nudges her arm. “More trouble than you’re worth, ya know?” He walks over to the door and stops, looking back. “Extra onions and a banana shake?”

Lucy nods and Fernando steps out of her room, his footsteps thundering down the hall, followed by an echo and then nothing but the steady beeping of her heart monitor.

Lucy sat in her bed waiting for Fernando to return. An hour had already passed and she began moving her feet from time to time. “Where the f**k is he?” She mumbles, a question to no one in particular.

“He should be back any minute now.” An old, familiar, voice cut through the air, drawing Lucy’s attention to the door. Her eyes lock with Nightmane’s figure as he steps through the open doorway. He was still wearing his brown overcoat and a dead man's top hat. “In fact he’s a couple floors below us, about to ride in an elevator to this floor.”

“You! What the hell do you want from me?” Lucy’s eyes narrow, contempt and rage in her voice and on her face. “I’ve got enough problems without you being here!”

“Yes, but I’m not as patient of a man as I used to be.” Nightmane steps into her room, approaching the foot of her bed. “You have been in a coma for a week.”

“And you aided the escape of a criminal who was in custody. When my partner returns, I’ll have you taken into custody instead.” Lucy says, as-a-matter-of-factly.

“I don’t think Mr. Torre will be much of a problem.” He said, his eyes darting to her heart monitor. Lucy looked to it and saw that it was frozen  and not beeping. In fact, she couldn’t even hear any noise. The whole hospital was silent. She brought her gaze back to him, trying not to let her horror show.

“What are you?”

“That’s not the question you should be asking, yet.”

“Then what is?”

“You tell me.”

“Enough of your riddles!” Lucy exclaims, her face flushed with color, fear and rage building in her heart. “How do you know me and my past?”

“It’s my job to know everything about you, Lucy Deville. Now think, child, what other burning question is eating at your soul? Think too that night just over a week ago.” Nightmane looks towards the window, averting his gaze. Lucy closes her eyes and thinks back to the night Nightmane had interrupted her and Ace and appeared before her at her home.

You feel that, child?

That pain and suffering.

That was what your mother felt during her last moments.

Moments she spent trying to protect you.

The fact you can feel that means the time is coming.

Your destiny awaits.

Should you choose to ignore it, the world around you will become a living embodiment of what Hell truly is.

I have the answers.

“That night… you mentioned that the ‘time is coming’. You said ‘my destiny’. What were you talking about?”

“That is the right question,” Nightmane says, returning his amber eyes to hers, “But are you ready to know the answers?”

“I’m ready for this nightmare to be over.”

“Then you’ll be sadly disappointed then.” He steps around to her bedside, sitting in the same seat Fernando sat in. “This is not going to be a walk in the park. This will be a descent into madness and Hell.”

“You’re f*****g nuts. This is bullshit!” Lucy exclaims.

“Is this any less crazy than John Phish?” Asks Nightmane. Lucy’s eyes return to him quickly. “Ahh, yes. See?”

“How did you know about that?”

“I told you, I know everything there is to know about you up until this very moment.” He smirks a little, the left corner of his mouth raising.

“It’s not possible. I was just seeing things.” She looks away from Nightmane and out towards the window.

“It is possible. Lucy, the world around you is falling apart at the seams and you’re the only person who can stitch it back together. You have to get ready for this.”

“This is s**t…” She looks back to Nightmane, whose face is hardened and stern. “What was he?”

“Do you really wish to know?”

“I f*****g asked, didn’t I?”

Nightmane stands and walks around the end of her bed again, making his way towards the window. “He was the living embodiment of Greed.”

“Greed? Like, the Sin?”

“Precisely.” Nightmane turns to face her. “The Seven Deadly Sins, in fact. You see, God has vanished. I, and the other angels, have no clue where either.”

“Wait, you’re telling you’re a f*****g angel and God is just gone?” Lucy sits up, ignoring her pain and staring in bewilderment.

“I’m more than just an angel, Lucy. I am your angel. Your guardian angel.”

Lucy cups her head. “This can’t be real. This has to be a dream.” When she looks up, Nightmane is leaning over her bedside, his eyes alight and glowing a luminescent blue.

“This is no dream. I am your angel and you have been chosen to save the world.”

“You keep saying that but you haven’t explained what I’m saving it from!” Lucy shouts, tears welling in her eyes. It was too much to be taking in.

“From the Sins. All of them.” Nightmane stands up straight, his eyes returning to their amber color. “God isn’t the only one who has vanished. So has Satan and now the Sins are assuming control in Hell and want to assume control on Earth in God’s absence. However, they face a problem.”

“What problem?” Lucy asks, wiping her eyes.

“Only one embodiment can be on Earth at a time. See, the Sins are not demons. They are something else entirely and, honestly, the angels don’t know how Satan created them. Only God knows.” He looks back out the window and up towards the sky. “What we do know is that the Sins have to exit through specific gates made for them, but once one is on Earth the others lock from the inside. Sins are smart, though. They know the other gates can be opened from the surface but the method is even unbeknownst to them. They will attempt to find a way regardless.”

Lucy stares in wonder and intrigue, then sighs. “Well what am I supposed to do about it? How can I stop Sin?”

“You have to kill them,” Nightmane brings his stare back upon her, “One at a time, so long as none of the other gates open.”

“How in the Hell do I kill a Sin?”

“That’s what we need to figure out.”

“You mean you don’t even know?” Lucy shouts. “And you expect me to just find a f*****g way to do it?”

“I expect us to find a way!” Nightmane snaps back. “This is bigger than just you,even though it’s your fight?”

“Why the Hell is it my fight?”

“Because you were chosen!”

“By who? Who declared I was the one whose shoulders had to bare the weight of the world?”

“God did.” Nightmane’s tone subsides and he sighs. “God left us only one thing before vanishing. God left us a scroll that said you would be the one to save the world from the Sins.”

“It’s too much… I-I don’t know what to think or to believe.”

“I need you to believe me. Believe the truth.”

“I need time to think.”

“We’re running out of time, Lucy! You can’t just sit around and…”

“F**k you!” Lucy snaps. “I said I need time! Now get out!” She demands, pointing towards the door. Nightmane nods and walks over to the door. “Fine then.” He pauses, setting his hand on the doorframe. “When it’s time, call for me. I’ll be at your side in a heartbeat.” With that, he takes his leave, turning right and heading down the hallway. His footsteps fade and the beeping of the heart monitor resumes. Not even a second later, Fernando walks into the room with a bag and a shake.

“Yo, Luce. I got you your grub.” He pauses, looking at her as she quickly wipes her eyes. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Y-yeah, Frannie. I just moved too much. In some pain.” Lucy lays back and chuckles. “It was a little much.”

“No, don’t give me that,” He says walking over to her bedside and sitting down, “I’ve been your partner for awhile now. I know when something’s eating at you.”

“I told you, I’m just moving too much and in pain. I just woke from a coma and I’m a little restless.” She runs her fingers through her hair. Fernando sighs and places his hand on Lucy’s. She looks over to him and smiles.

“Alright. If you say so, I’ll believe it. I just worry about you, ya know?” He says, cracking a cheesy smile back at her.

She chuckles. “Shut up and give me my food, Frannie.”

Author's Note

The next chapter is up for review. Previously stated, all comments are welcome. This one is mostly dialog and helped to push the story along. Tell me what you think and I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am writing it.