Chapter 379

Nathan

I had managed to get some sleep after my brief phone call with Edward, but it was a fitful sort of sleep. The flu I was suddenly inflicted with made it difficult to get any proper rest, and I found myself tossing and turning in an attempt to make myself comfortable.

But my body was sore all over, and no matter which way I laid, I just couldn’t lay there without feeling like my bones were digging into the mattress in some way or another.

Finally, with an annoyed sigh, I flopped over onto my back. I attempted to sit up, figuring that maybe a little walk around the house would do me some good, but it was no use. It was as if my body was filled with bricks, and I was sinking under the ocean.

I wasn’t sure how long I laid there. An hour, maybe two? All I knew was that the house was quiet and the sky was dark outside. Olivia wasn’t in her usual spot beside me, but I didn’t blame her. I was so sick that I figured she didn’t want to expose herself to whatever this was all night, so maybe she moved to the guest room for the night.

Not that it made me any less lonely.

But then, after what felt like an eternity, I heard footsteps approaching down the hall. It had to be Olivia; maybe she was at least coming to say goodnight. I then heard the door open, and I mustered enough strength to lift my head off of the pillow so I could see in the dim light.

There was a figure standing in the doorway, backlit only by the nightlight that was plugged into the hallway. Long hair, slender, wearing a white nightgown. That was odd; Olivia didn’t usually wear nightgowns. Was it new?

“Olivia?” I called out, my voice hoarse. “Hey, honey… Could you maybe bring me some water, or maybe some of that tea? I feel like shit.”

But as my eyes adjusted, I realized it wasn’t Olivia standing there. Instead, it was someone else. The last person I would have ever expected. Her silhouette was unmistakable in the doorway. My heart skipped a beat, a mix of shock and disbelief coursing through me.

“Jenifer?” I croaked, my brow furrowing in confusion.

“Hello, brother,” Jenifer said, taking a step into the room.

All at once, I felt panic rise into my throat. Jenifer was supposed to be in the asylum; I was the one who put her there. And yet she escaped a little over a month ago, and no one could find her. I assumed that she ran off, maybe found another place to live.

“Where have you been?” I found myself asking. “The asylum reported you missing.”

She didn’t say anything, just walked over to me with an eerie calmness in her movements. Every instinct in me screamed that something was wrong, but my body felt too weak to react. I wanted to call for Olivia, to raise the alarm, but something held me back, like a strange sense of paralysis was creeping over me and holding me hostage.

As Jenifer approached, her features came into focus, her expression unreadable in the dim light. “Jenifer, what are you doing here?” I managed to ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

She simply stood beside the bed, looking down at me. Then, without a word, she reached out and placed her hand on my head. A cold shiver ran down my spine, and a sense of dread filled my body. I tried to pull away, but my body wouldn’t respond.

Panic set in as I realized I couldn’t move, couldn’t even speak. When I opened my mouth, my voice came out in a strained whisper, like air being let out of a hose. My mind raced, trying to make sense of what was happening, but it was like wading through a thick fog.

“Jenifer,” I tried to say, but my voice was gone, my throat useless. I wanted to accuse her, to demand answers, but I was trapped in my own body, helpless and mute. And all I could think about was Olivia and the twins; were they okay? Or had I, in my weak state, left them to a horrible fate? All I could imagine was their lifeless bodies, surrounded by blood.

No, it couldn’t be. Jenifer wouldn’t do something so heinous. Not to infants. She couldn’t.

Jenifer leaned down, her face inches from mine, her enormous gray eyes glinting with a dark triumph. Her hair fell around my face like a curtain, and it clouded out the rest of the room.

“Did you really think I would back down so easily, Nathan?” she whispered, her breath cold and lifeless against my skin, like a corpse come back to life.

I tried to respond, to fight back, but it was useless. My wolf was gone, dormant, and my body was betraying me, succumbing to whatever power she wielded over me. The room seemed to spin, and the edges of my vision started to blur.

The last thing I remember before succumbing to the darkness was the sound of her soft, chilling laughter echoing in the room.

Then, there was nothing but void.

…

I awoke with a start. It was dark, and I let out a wry chuckle once I had caught my breath.

“Just a dream,” I murmured. I blinked my eyes rapidly to make them adjust to the pitch black room, but they weren’t adjusting. I rubbed them, but nothing happened. Everything remained black.

And then, I looked down at my hands. I could see them perfectly in front of me.

That was when I realized.

I turned my head around quickly, only to find myself in a dreamscape, a terrifying expanse of nothingness that stretched endlessly in every direction. It was as if I had been thrust into a black void.

I don’t know how long I wandered. Time had no meaning. It could have been moments, days, or even an eternity.

And then I saw it. Or rather, I heard it first: the sound of machines beeping.

I followed the sound for a while. Then, up ahead, there was a hospital bed floating in the void. I approached, my brow furrowed. For some reason, it didn’t shock me.

I looked down at my body laying there, hooked up to all kinds of monitors. I looked so frail and weak, nothing at all like my normal self. And beside me, sleeping with her head on my mattress, was Olivia. Her tear-streaked face spoke volumes.

“Olivia,” I called out, reaching for her. But my hand went through her like she was just a mirage. She remained, unmoving, oblivious to my presence.

I was alive still; I knew that much. But for how much longer? I turned around as if there would be some sort of explanation, but of course I was met with nothing but the void.

Cursing, I turned back around to face Olivia, but the scene before me had changed. Olivia was gone now, and it was just me in the hospital bed, alone. How long had I been laying there? Was it years? Had she given up?

No, it couldn’t be. I shook my head, more confused than panicked.

Olivia wouldn’t give up. I knew that much.