The Way the World Ends by Aaron Hodges

Author:Aaron Hodges [Hodges, Aaron]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The National Library of New Zealand
Published: 2019-04-22T22:00:00+00:00

33

Chris’s wings beat harder, hurling him through the sky. The dense clouds churned, enfolding him in their cold embrace, until he could see nothing but the whirling black. His heart raced as he fled the unseen creature behind him. Its howls whispered in the darkness, chasing after him. Its stench filled the air, putrid, decaying, death.

A shadow flashed at him, dark claws extended towards his throat. His wings twisted instinctively, sending Chris spiraling sideways. Pain seared down his back as something struck him. Screaming, he slammed his wings down, rising higher.

“Chris!” a voice screamed.

Choking, Chris spun, seeking the source. His wings beat the swirling clouds as he hovered, spinning, searching. The voice was filled with warmth, with love—but also a desperate fear. It was a voice Chris had never thought he’d hear again.

“Mom!” he called as the clouds closed in.

His throat contracted as a figure took shape. She strode towards him, her bare feet seeming to float on open air, green eyes aglow. Her curly auburn hair swirled in the breeze, though where Chris hovered, the air was still. She drew to a stop in front of him, a ghost from the nightmare of his past.

“Son,” Margaret Sanders whispered.

“Mom,” Chris choked. Hot tears streamed down his face.

He drifted towards her, arms outstretched, desperate to hold her again, to be held. She smiled as he approached, a gentle warmth that reminded him of cold winter nights, of dinners by the fireplace, of the safety of childhood.

Yet as he reached out to take her hand, her smile faded. Her face seemed to change, her lips turning hard, her eyes flickering to hazel, her hair growing straight, fading to blonde. And suddenly it was no longer his mother standing there, but the Director. Rage glinted in her eyes as she caught him by the wrist.

“Christopher,” she growled. “You failed me!”

Then Chris was falling, his stomach rising into his chest as he plummeted through empty air. Screaming, gasping, he tried to stretch his wings, only to find them gone. Helpless, he fell. All his old fears came rushing back, and Chris found he could do nothing but scream and scream and scream…

“No!” Chris shouted as he sat bolt upright.

Chains rattled as he thrashed, trying desperately to cling to some impossible ledge. Eyes shut tight, he fought the darkness that still held him, pulling him back down, drawing him into the abyss. He opened his mouth to scream again.

“Chris!” a voice called, only this one was a man’s. A hand grasped him by the shoulder.

A trace of sanity trickled into Chris’s consciousness. He realized he was no longer falling. Panting, he cracked open his eyes and was met by the harsh glint of fluorescent lights. Pain lanced through his skull and his vision flashed red. The strength went from him in a rush. He collapsed back on the bed.

An ache began in his back as he landed on his wings, followed by relief that they were still there. Taking another breath, he tried opening his eyes again.

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