Through the Haze - Part Eight

Days seem rather dull and gloomly at times. Sometimes it takes a smile to liven and brighten them up. --Carizma Sahenji, Book of Hope
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Gabriel was seated on the couch, hands clasped together in front of him as he bent forward. There was a sharp pain between his eyes that no amount of aspirin could get rid of. With a heavy sigh that lingered in the silence of the room, he closed his eyes and focused his energy on the headache that was brought on from the gift. If the gift brought the pain, it could get rid of it, too.

Focusing so hard that it made him sweat, he felt the pain slowly ebb away. Once it was down to a dull throb, rather than a sharp pain, he opened his eyes to see Loukoi looking at him from where he was seated next to him on the couch.

"You okay now?" Lou asked, rather accustomed with the headaches the gift brought, and what Gabriel did to be rid of them.

Gabriel gave a small nod. "Yeah, it's just an annoying throb now."

Lou nodded and wordlessly handed him a glass of water, along with some aspirin. "Take this, okay? Since it's just a throb, it should get rid of it."

Gabriel sighed and took the water and aspirin. He put the aspirin in his mouth and swallowed them with a sip of water. Lou was quiet for a while, but he knew he was worried about him. He didn't like his friend being worried. It made him feel somewhat guilty.

"So, the dreams?" Lou prodded. "You said they were cold."

"Yeah. Cold. Always so very, very cold...." he mumbled, staring at a spot on the floor as if it were the most interesting spot in the world.

"Cold how?"

"Every way. Physical, mental, a warning going off in your head...." he shivered suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

"It's cold. Right now."

Lou blinked. "Cold? It feels pretty good in here. How does it feel cold?" he waited, but Gabriel didn't answer. "Gabe? Are you okay? Hey?" he waved his hand in front of Gabriel's face, but his eyes didn't follow.

He continued to stare.

"Gabe? This isn't funny, okay? Hey?"

Gabriel was listening to a different voice, though. "Come, please..." this wasn't the usual moaning voice that brought the cold. This was the voice of someone else. "Please...."

And then the voice was drown out with the coming of the moaning voice that made him get goosebumps as a shiver ran through his spine. "Come to me....Gabriel..."

"Gabe?" Lou had his shoulder and was shaking him when he finally came to his senses.

He looked around quickly, somehow forgetting where he was. Lou was looking at him, his face pinched with concern.

"Are you okay now?" he asked, his eyes scanning him over.

Gabriel nodded slowly. "Yeah, I'm okay. I just..." he frowned to himself.

Who was that other voice?
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Isaac was running, gasping for breath. He was running toward the house. The chill was all around him, and the moaning voice was taunting him, laughing at him, drawing him in.

"Isaac....you'll never get...there in time..."

Isaac growled lowly, unsure of what the voice was getting at, when he remembered. Ember. He was in the house. He pumped his legs faster, working his lungs harder. 'Leave him alone,' he thought to himself. 'You've done enough!'

And suddenly, it was clear to him. The chill. It had come onto Ember so suddenly, just like it had come onto him. But it had brought Ember down, where with him it'd only given him a shiver. Ember now lay on his deathbed because of the chill.

The gift brought the chill. The chill brought the cold, and the cold brought the illness.

And he brought the gift that brought it all.

He was to blame. For everything.

'Don't worry, Emb,' he thought to himself. 'I'll make sure you get better. I'll help you.'

The chill closed in.

'It'd be nicer if I had help,' he thought again. 'Where are the others? Surely they know I need them...'
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Isaac awoke, panting, eyes wide and wild. He sat up immediately as things started rushing back to him. Throwing the covers back, he got out of bed and stalked closer to the door, where he pried it open and migrated, slowly, down the hallway to Ember's room.

He hesitated before opening the door. He didn't like seeing his friend so still, it made his heart ache. But he had to do something. He entered slowly, cautiously, and made his way over to the bed.

Ember looked no better. No worse, either, but not better. Isaac sighed heavily and touched the back of his hand to Ember's forehead. It was scalding to the touch, but he forced himself to leave his hand there.

He blinked back tears. He'd done this to Ember. To his friend. Not on purpose, but his gift had brought the chill here.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, his throat constricted. "I'm so sorry, Emb...I never meant for this to happen." Not that he could have changed it, of course, but he felt responsible.

But what could he do to help Ember? He had the gift, but he didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know how to control it, didn't know what to do to help his friend.

And because he didn't know what to do, Ember was paying the price. With his life.

A tear trailed down his cheek. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry....I wish I knew what to do..." he went to his knees next to the bed. "If I knew what to do, I could help you...I'm so sorry..."

He bent his head low as his body trembled.

"I'm sorry...."
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Gabriel sighed as he watched Lou pace. "So you don't know what this voice was?" Lou asked, his expression pensive.

Gabriel nodded. "That's right."

"Hmm. Well. Maybe...." he frowned. "Maybe it was another gifted, you know, seeking you out..."

"You think?" asked Gabriel.

"Yeah. I mean, think about it, Gabe. There are three of you, like you told me. Three gifted. Well, surely there's a link between the three of you, right? You may not know what that link is, but it must be there. I bet that voice was one of the others."

Gabriel frowned and then sighed heavily. "I don't know," he murmured. "But I'm tired." he rose to his feet. "See you in a few hours."

Lou nodded. "Yeah. If I hear you thrashing again and it wakes me, I'm kickin' your ass."

Gabriel chuckled. "You do that."
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Karaya was sitting by the fire while Cassius slept in his sleeping bag. The area grew chilly, and she pulled her wool blanket around her, glancing into the flames.

"Come, please...." a voice echoed around her. She stffened, but she didn't feel threatened. This was a new voice, and it sounded nothing like the moaning voice she was used to. "Please..."

Karaya frowned thoughtfully. "Who are you?" she whispered to herself.

Cassius blinked his eyes open for a moment, and his vision went blurry. Groaning inwardly, he wondered if he was getting another cold, as a sudden chill began to creep up on him. He sighed and closed his eyes. "Get some sleep, Kar...." he mumbled.

And then he was out.