And Plague Flowers the Kaleidoscope

[Deamon]

[[Ana Ford continued from Hysteresis]]

From a corner of the upper floor of the compound, sobbing could be heard. The source of the sobs was Ana as she sat with her knees pulled up to her chest. She had saved August and he'd pushed her away, rejected her. He said he was going for a walk but had been clear that she wasn't to follow him. So she had sat with her knees pulled into her chest, crying. She didn't want to be alone and didn't understand why he had left her. The parasite lay tucked between her arm and her hip. It had been subdued ever since they'd left the recesses.

She had no idea where he had gone. After he had pushed himself free of her and instructed her not to follow she had stood, stunned and silent watching as he walked away. She had saved their lives and he had been angry with her. Ana had felt his anger in his body language and his tone. He may as well have slapped and screamed at her. Her mouth had fallen open and she felt the feeling of the corners of her mouth being dragged downward.

After a few desperate moments of panic and hyperventilating she had disobeyed August's order and rushed after him. Ready to beg for forgiveness but she had waited too long. There was no sign of him that she could find. That was when she had found the most secluded corner she could and sunk to the ground to let her emotions out.

Ana hated the feeling. She hated that she had let August make her feel guilty for trying to help. She hated that she had killed Isabella. She hated that she was so stupid to think that August had even liked her more than them just waking up near each other. She felt guilt and embarrassment and fear. Ana made the parasite rise up to nuzzle into her face and then tried to convince herself that it chose to do it. Still, she sniffed and tilted her cheek down so it could do so easier. It was a small comfort to her even if it was artificial.

"I guess it's just us for a bit." She whispered to the parasite, her voice still croaky from the events in the recesses. The parasite gently rubbed her cheek as a reply, again something she bid it to do. Her throat was scratched and hoarse, the cut on her hand was larger, more distended, and more blood had seeped out since the centipede had tried to invade her body. Meanwhile, her legs had a web of bite marks and stings across them that periodically stung and burned in equal measure. Ana shuddered as she thought about how close she had come to dying.

"We should probably find Austin." She continued quietly. She had no idea if August had already sought out the other boy. If he had she didn't know if she would have been welcome in their group anymore. If she wasn't, Ana didn't know what she would do.

Suddenly, the parasite twitched and then shot upwards, freezing in place as if it had sensed something. Ana blinked in surprise then quickly looked around her surroundings. Her eyes widened as she noticed the chairs and cabinets she shared the room with start to shake and vibrate. Then the world exploded with light, heat, and a terrifying roar.

Ana screamed as the floor she was sitting on slanted before breaking apart beneath her. She tumbled through the air, glass, rubble, and chairs sailing through the void with her. As she fell through the air something collided with her face tearing through her skin. Her hands clawed at a piece of rubble as she fell, trying to find purchase before she slid off and continued to fall.

Up until the parasite wrapped itself around her arm with one end before the other wrapped itself around an exposed girder. Ana's whole body jolted as her momentum came to a sudden stop and there was a loud pop as her shoulder was violently yanked free of the socket causing her to cry out again. For a moment Ana swung like a hanged man before the parasite slowly released its grip causing her to finally fall to the ground as if she was a discarded doll.

For a long time, Ana just lay on the asphalt of the parking lot. Various small bits of debris fell around and onto her as she stayed on the floor. All she could hear was a ringing in her ears and her own panting. Everything sounded muffled and quiet, pieces of glass and brickwork fell around her but she couldn't hear them make an impact when they hit the ground.

From where she lay Ana could see the destruction that had been wrought upon the top floor of the compound building. The once perfectly square obelisk was scarred as an entire corner had jaggedly removed from existence. Smoke and dust rose up in a tall plume, blocking out the sky, a giant cloud of disaster. Planting her left hand on the asphalt Ana pushed herself up into a seated position, right arm danglingly useless by her side. Without thinking too much about the consequences Ana and the parasite took hold of her right arm and shoulder and quickly raised it upwards and then back.

There was another scream and Ana collapsed to her side, face pressed into the asphalt as she whimpered in pain. Once again she stayed in that position for a while. Her eyes screwed shut as she cried once again, both from pain and grief. The parasite formed a protective layer over her head in case any further debris fell. But eventually, Ana rose to her feet, silently picked up her backpack, and limped away from the epicenter of the disaster.

[[Ana Ford continued elsewhere...]]