Hellhounds

It feels so warm, I pulled the blanket over my shoulders and felt the soft covers hugged my whole body, this is the best feeling. Then a flash of red and a smell of blood, claws began ripping the sheets and at the foot of my bed a pair of bloodshot eyes staring at me, "Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

Then I opened my eyes, and found myself inside the condominium bedroom, and Ciel looking pale as he stood at the door, "Beth are you okay?" he said walking briskly at the bedside. My head hurts and every part of my body ached.

"W-what happened?" I found myself saying as he sat on a chair beside me.

"Hell happened", his tone flat and grim, I shivered at the thought, "let me get you some water,'' he said and was about to stand up but I grabbed his wrists.

"Please don't leave me alone", I was suddenly in tears. Ciel looked at me and sat back down, he just let me cry, not saying anything. I don't know how long I was crying but it felt like a very long time, and by the time I stopped I was again exhausted and fell asleep still clutching his wrist. When I woke up the second time Ciel was still sitting beside the bed but he was sound asleep. I slowly sat up and gently woke him up.

"Ciel?" I said to him

"Oh good you're awake," he yawned and handed me a glass of water. I drank it quickly, only then I came to realise that I was so thirsty.

"What time is it?" I asked

"It's around 4am, you've been out cold for the last 8 hours and before that you've been unconscious for about twelve." I couldn't believe it, I was asleep for a whole day?!

"I'll have food heated, I got some soup delivered and some bread, you need to eat before we talk about what happened."

All I could do was nod, I picked up my phone from the table and checked my messages, I found out that Ciel informed my family that I was staying in the unit still and was working from there. He was very thorough on how not to make anyone worry, this guy would make a good partner if he had real emotions and if he were human. He walked inside the room carrying a tray, he carefully placed it on the bed just over my lap. The tray had a big bowl of soup and a few slices of bread, it all looked so delicious that I couldn't wait to try it.

"Cream of asparagus soup and a garlic bread", he said to me

"Thank you", my voice was broken and I sounded awful, it must be because of all the screaming.

Ciel sat beside me the whole time as I ate, he was not saying a word, even with all this he always seemed to be wearing something good; a round neck sweater with cargo pants, and a pair of Birkenstock sandals. His sweater showed his neck tattoo, today his earring was different, today they were angel wings and I can't help but notice the bandaged on his arm, this must be because he came to my rescue. He poured water for me and even assisted me when I was having difficulties with raising my arms, if I was paralyzed this guy would have spoon fed me, he is such a decent guy if he was a normal guy. I smiled, this is stupid, crushing on a reaper, just how pathetic can I get?

"What's funny?" he said to me

"I was just thinking how much of a decent guy you are, you would make a good boyfriend material", I responded

He looked down with a somewhat sad smile, "Beth, you really are able to find humor in all situations," I smiled back finished up my meal. After cleaning up everything we began to talk about the thing I was afraid of, what happened.

"Do you remember anything?" he asked gently, I nodded.

"Do you think you can tell me what you can remember?", hesitantly I nodded again, I then began with my croaking voice. I told everything I remember, from the day that I had my legs scratched until the moment that I called for his help. Tears began to run down my face again, I was crying, the fear, the pain, everything was coming back. My body ached at the thought and my eyes can see blood on my hands and body, I just broke down on a flurry of sobs. Ciel comforted me until was calm, he handed me water and tissue, he didn't say anything, he just attended to me and when I was calm he began.

"When you called for me, I didn't think that you were attacked, I thought you were just lost and had car trouble. I got to your unit everything was a mess and you were nowhere in sight. I ransacked the place to find a trace of you, there was blood everywhere Beth. Broken glass and ripped rugs scattered on the floor, I called out for you but there was no response, then when I got to the bathroom I saw on the floor a saw a pentagram in drawn in blood, I realized in that moment you were not here anymore. Your were somewhere else, I knew that place where they took you will be inescapable. I promised that if you needed me I'll be there, I stepped into that blasphemous ring and found myself in an alternate version of your unit, it was a place filled with malice and evil. I searched for you throughout the place, I heard footsteps and your blood curdling shrieks, I ran out and when I found you I..." he paused took a deep breath, "I thought I was too late."

I stared at him. Then he asked if I can stand, I nodded and he helped me off the bed, and slowly we walked to the living room and I saw how thrashed the whole place was, everything was a mess, I idiotically began computing on how much it will take to renovate the place. In the far corner of the room there was a mound covered in a white blanket, "what's that?" I asked. Instead of responding Ciel helped me limp to it and he removed the sheet, I gasped at the sight of it, "Hellhounds", he said.

They were massive, each twice the size of two full-grown pitbulls at least, black-gray fur covered them from snout to tail, sharp canines that grew pass their mouth, sharp rows of teeth that followed. Their pupils blood red, paws the size of a small plate and the smell of decay came from them. I was shaking in fear, how in the world did these get inside my unit?

"How did you..." I couldn't finish

"My scythe", he responded, "they were about to kill you Beth, I raced towards you and did what I could, and even I can't fight a hellhound and leave unscathed," my eyes were once again drawn on his bandaged arm. He smiled at me, how can this person act like this?

"This is just a taste of what they can do Beth, these hounds are just a few of what he can do, this is him flexing his strength. You need to get yourself ready. You need to do what your supposed to do, because they won't stop until you die, they will kill you Beth and they will do it in any way they can." He looked at me indignantly, the way he spoke he almost begged but I was still questioning myself, how can anyone expect me to do something like this? Then Ciel turned back to the corpses of the beasts and poured what I assumed was holy water on the corpses and it burst into flames with the most ungodly smell, it was a miracle that the alarms didn't go off, and as the flames died out all that was left was a black patch on the carpet. Ciel poured more holy water on the floor and salt on the floor and looked at me again.

"Bethany, it's been a hundred years since I felt fear like that... The fear of losing someone" he looked at me, I felt his eyes but they were not looking at me, he was looking at another person, he was looking at Antonina Zaragoza.

"Thank you for saving me," I tried my best to smile so that he wouldn't worry but deep inside I was shaking in fear and confusion, I'm such an idiot.