Ella Awakened (6 page)

It was like
being in someone else’s dream.  Burke could both see what was happening from an
outsider’s perspective and feel what was happening as the victim.  He was out
jogging along a narrow paved path.  It was a beautiful cool morning; the sun
would be coming up within the half hour.  Burke looked around.   He recognized
the running and biking paths in the city park.  Suddenly, someone stepped out
of the woods onto the path in front of him.  Burke stepped to the right to make
room and ran around the man. 
Weird
, he thought looking over his
shoulder.  The man was keeping pace just behind him.  Suddenly, the man’s face
changed.  His eyes glowed red and his gaping grin showed rows of teeth like a
shark.  Burke was gripped with panic and his steady jogger’s pace instantly
shifted into an all-out sprint.  The man matched him step for step, toying with
him while grinning his maddening grin.  Unexpectedly, Burke tripped and fell
hard, breaking his arm.  Unnaturally fast, the Demon was upon him and holding
his head much as Burke was at this very moment holding the victim’s head.  It
bent over him and slowly and steadily began to inhale over his face.  The Demon
was literally sucking the life out of him.  At first he tried to push the
creature off, but then he was oddly distracted with the realization that his
arm must be broken.  Within seconds of this realization, he was weakened and
his good hand fell.  He felt pain, but more than that, he felt a sense of
panic.  It was as if he were being smothered or drowned.  He quickly became
dizzy, and his heart began racing then stopped all together.  Burke let go of
the victim’s head and took a step back as well as several deep breaths.  The
Demon had claimed his second victim.  Carl would probably determine that the
poor guy had died of sudden cardiac arrest.  Only Burke knew the truth.  Burke
looked up as Carl walked in taking a huge bite out of a half-finished sub
sandwich.

“You just
can’t stay away,” his friend said around a mouth full of food.  “I’ve got a
dictionary in my office; do we need to go look up the word
relax
together?”

“I was
actually just out making another beer run when it occurred to me that you might
be in here completely lost without my guiding genius,” Burke teased back.  “How’s
it going?” he asked, gesturing toward the table.

“Pretty
smoothly.  Like I told you before, the right arm is broken.  I’ve ordered a tox
screen, but I’m leaning towards heart failure.  The guy was in pretty good
physical shape, definitely an athlete.  Maybe he had some kind of undiagnosed
heart condition, or maybe he was juicing.”

Burke knew
there wouldn’t be steroids or any other drugs showing up on the toxicology
report, but of course he didn’t mention this.  “I just stopped by to grab
something out of my desk,” he said instead.  “Let me know if you need anything,
otherwise I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Okay pal,
drink a beer for me,” Carl said as Burke left the room.

~~

Burke drove
back to his house.  Looking at his watch, he saw that he’d been gone just over
an hour.  At least he’d been able to get in and out of the office faster than
he had expected.  That was about the only good news that came from his little
trip.  The Demon was working both quickly and efficiently.

As soon as
Burke got home, he checked on Ella.  Everything was just how he had left it. 
He pulled the note off the refrigerator, crumpled it, and tossed it into the
waste basket next to the bed.  When Burke noticed how peacefully Ella was
sleeping, it brought the realization of his own exhaustion crashing down on
him.  He walked to the dresser, pulled out a pair of running shorts, and
changed into them.  After folding his jeans and setting them neatly on the
chair in the corner, he started to head towards the living room couch to take a
much needed nap.  He paused to pull a quilt up over Ella.

“Screw it,”
he whispered, and crawled into bed next to the girl who was coming to mean more
to him than he’d ever expected.  He wrapped himself around her, reached down to
pull the quilt over them both, and was asleep within seconds.

~~

Ella woke
with a jerk.  She would scream if she could breathe.  Was it really possible to
experience a full body charley horse?  She imagined this was pretty close to
what it would feel like to be turned inside out.  It was as if every bone in
her body was being shattered and every muscle was being torn.  The intense pain
was accompanied by a terrifying lack of muscular control.  Could she not move
because she was gripped by such incredible pain, or was the pain secondary to
the fact that she couldn’t move?  Did that even make sense?  She experienced a
brief moment of actuality, just before her body began to convulse, in which it
became obvious to her that she was being overcome by an astonishing sense of
panic and confusion.

Burke had
been lying behind Ella with her pulled against the length of him and his arm over
her holding her close.  He woke instantly as her body began to convulse.  He swiftly
rolled her onto her back and tore open her thin cami top in order to place one
hand over her heart and the other hand just below her right breast.  His hands
began to glow brightly.  At once her body became still.  Burke kept his
brilliantly glowing hands in place until her heart rate and breathing
stabilized.  Despite her continuing pain, Ella was rapt by the touch of his hands. 
Once confident the immediate danger to her welfare was past, Burke released her. 
He hurried to the dresser and returned with a syringe and alcohol pad.  He
wiped Ella’s arm with the pad and administered a dose of morphine that would
quickly kill any human; but at this point Ella was no longer human.  Everything
in her that had been of her mother was gone.  Ella reached out, took Burke’s
hand, and returned it to its previous position over her heart.  He sat next to
her on the bed, his hand over her heart and her hand over his, as she drifted
into a welcomed unconsciousness.

As Burke sat
next to Ella he wished it was as easy for him to calm his own breathing and
heart rate as it had been for him to calm hers.  He tenderly removed her torn
top and replaced it with a new one.  He was a nervous wreck.  Not only did he
have the activity of the Demon to contend with, but he was terrified something
was going to go awry with Ella’s awakening.  He knew when he laid his hands on
her to bring her body back into synchronization that what was once human in her
was completely gone.  Nevertheless, her awakening was an unprecedented
incidence.  He’d feel a lot better when she was through it and he could lay his
hands on her and know for certain that she was all right.  They had come to the
last day.  It would be less than twenty-four hours and she would be through the
change.  At this point there was nothing in this world or any other that could
make him leave her side.

Burke spent
that whole last day of Ella’s awakening sitting next to her on the bed.  Mostly
he sat and held her hand.  When he got hungry he ate the turkey and cheese
sandwich he’d made for her the day before and washed it down with the ginger
ale.  He left her only briefly to run to the bathroom.  The morphine had the
effect he had expected.  He hadn’t really wanted to drug her, but at least he
had gotten her out of pain.  Even though he hadn’t really done anything all
day, by late evening he was feeling mentally exhausted, if not so much
physically.  He stretched out next to Ella, wrapped his arms around her, and
let the sound of her breathing lull him to sleep.

Ella opened
her eyes and stretched.  As she rolled over she became aware that Burke was
beside her.  He didn’t look like he was sleeping peacefully.  Suddenly, he
flinched in his sleep.  Ella reached over and took his hand in hers.  He woke
with a jerk and almost shouted “Are you okay?”

“I’m
perfectly fine,” Ella reassured him.

When Burke’s
only response was to worriedly look her over and take her pulse, she reiterated. 
“Really Burke, I’ve never felt better.”

“You’re sure
you’re all right?” he asked.

“Well,” she
answered, “there is one problem.”

“What is
it?” Burke practically shrieked.

“I’m
absolutely starving,” Ella smiled.

Burke
grabbed her and kissed her passionately.  She was okay!  She had made it
through the awakening.  He was purely ecstatic.  “That, Ella, is not a
problem.  Come with me,” he jumped out of bed and went to the kitchen.

Burke
rummaged through the refrigerator and carried an armload of ingredients to the
kitchen shelf.  “I’m thinking vegetable omelet, sausage on the side, toast and
orange juice.”

“That sounds
wonderful,” Ella said. “What do I do?”

“Slice,”
Burke said, sliding both a red and green bell pepper and some mushrooms over to
her.  He pulled a skillet out of the cabinet and got the sausages started.

Together
they made breakfast.  They talked very little, but the silence was
comfortable.  They were each absorbed in their own thoughts.  When the meal was
prepared they sat across from each other at the table and ate.  The food was
delicious and Ella tried to savor it, but her body was desperate for
nourishment, and she finished quickly.

“Are you
still hungry?” Burke asked pushing a basket of fruit towards her.

“Maybe just
a little,” she replied picking up an apple and taking a bite.

“It’s no wonder,”
he said.  “You’ve eaten very little in the past few days and physically you’ve
been through the wringer.”

“I wouldn’t
have made it through without your help, thank you,” she said sincerely.

“I’m just
glad it’s done.  So tell me how you’re feeling now.”

“I never
knew I could feel this way.  It’s kind of hard to describe.  It’s as if I’ve
just come alive.  Like before I was walking around in a daze, or a fog, or
sleepwalking.  My senses are all so different.  It’s like I just got glasses
and I was hearing from underwater before.  Was it like this for you, your
awakening?”

“Yes, though
probably not as extreme a difference.  I was never human.  But even the change
from common folk was incredible.  You’re able to pick up on things and do
things you may have only imagined in your dreams, but now you aren’t dreaming -
you’re awake.  That’s how it has been described for generations.  I guess
that’s why we call it an
awakening.
”

“Yes! 
That’s it exactly!” Ella agreed.  “I think I’d like to go for a run.  I feel
like I need to stretch my legs after lying around for so long.”

“I would tag
along, but you probably want to push yourself and I don’t want to slow you
down.  Anyway, I have a few things I need to take care of around here.”

“I won’t be
long,” Ella told him.

“Please,
just be careful,” Burke said.  “The property borders a wildlife reservation
along the back.  If you head that way you can go for miles with virtually no
risk of being seen.  You’ll really be able to push yourself and get used to
your speed.  You may not get a signal anyway, but I’d feel better if you took
your phone.  And Ella,” Burke reached across the table and took her hand. 
“Happy Birthday.  I have something for you, but it can wait until you get
back.”

“Thanks,”
Ella said and gave his hand a squeeze before getting up from the table to go
change.

~~

Dressed in
light blue calf-length running pants and a fitted white sports top, Ella headed
towards the woods from the back of the house.  Burke couldn’t help but watch
her leave through the kitchen window.  Dear Mother of All, he was happy she was
headed out into a secluded area dressed like that and not into public.  Very
little of her toned curvaceous body was left up to the imagination.  She had
been an attractive young woman before the awakening, but the changes to her
muscle tone sure weren’t hurting anything.  She was firm, lean, and cut.  Not
to mention his best friend’s daughter.  Not that he thought James would care. 
As a matter of fact, he would probably want Ella to be with someone he trusted. 
Hell, age had never meant on his world what it meant here.  Technically he was
only three or four years older than her.  Ugh, what in the world was he going
to do?  Nothing stupid, that was for sure.  He was absolutely not going to
scare her off.  He’d kissed her that morning.  Man!  He’d just been overwhelmed
that she was… well alive, to be honest.  Maybe she’d let that one go. 
Obviously they were important to each other.  Look what they’d just been through
together, for the love of God. 
Shit.
  He was going to have to practice
a little more self-control.

~~

At first
Ella took it easy, just enjoying the feeling of being on her feet again.  After
the first mile or so, she decided to see just exactly what her new body was
capable of.  Her excitement mounted as she ran faster and faster.  She felt
like her feet were barely touching the ground; she was almost gliding along. 
Maneuvering around trees and obstacles required very little thought; it was
instinctual.  After sprinting further than she probably realized, Ella slowed
down a little so she could enjoy her surroundings.  It was gorgeous country out
here.  Seemingly untouched by man, there were huge hardwood trees and flowering
shrubs mixed in with the towering pines.  She came to a deep ravine some fifty
plus feet across.  She hesitated, took a few steps back, then ran toward the
ravine and jumped.  Ella landed in a crouch on the other side.  She turned,
looked over her shoulder and smiled.