Internal battle
"Aylin?" Karson spouted.
"Hmmm?"
Her lead lay between her legs with her eyes closed. She was beyond tired yet her neck was stuck in a horrid position trying to get proper rest.
"I need to talk to Reaper, but please leave Lian alone for the rest of the night."
"Did it turn out okay?" Aylin asked.
"He is on painkillers sleeping peacefully," Karson stated.
"Where is the device?" She inquired.
He opened the door showing the various wires along with dismantled parts covered in blood in a towel on the floor while a pale of blood-soaked water could be seen beside it.
"Whoever did this was well versed." He explained.
"Poor Lian…"
"He is safe now. I will be going now." Karson answered.
"Thank you so much."
He gradually walked away with nothing more to say for the rest of the day. Raising his hand in the sight of the tall Reaper happy to see his friend. Aylin checked inside to find Lain lying inside thick blankets sound asleep.
"I see…rest well Lian…"
Aylin could hear the laughter and mumbles of talking from inside the hall. Something had left tingling on her shoulders moving to her neck.
A sense of grief washed over her. Gasping out loud she didn't how to fend off this attack on her body causing her to sharply drawn breaths. Bracing herself against the wall.
No words came out of her mouth in horror. Silent pleads for help fell on deaf ears as the adults on the other side of the wall cheered out in familiarity for their friendships while Aylin speechless suffered from some invisible force eating at her soul.
She had a way of communicating the horror. Smashing herself against the wall acknowledging that Lian was in the other room she clumsily fell to her feet on the floor crawling away so as to not wake her master.
Aylin's life was in danger. She could feel something reach deeply into her soul. A formless river in the back of her mind created from her non-existent tears to a domain covered in an eerie fog could be seen.
Hands outstretched high above the entity's head could be seen. Eyes like fire dug into her mind. A scream could be heard attracting Karson and Reaper to find Aylin as a sword alone in the middle of the corridor.
"Aylin?" Reaper asked.
"Something isn't right…" Karson spouted.
Looking around he couldn't figure out what happened. An unknown feeling hung heavy in the hall. A linger unexplainable essence could be felt.
Reaper picked the sword up. Instead of her usual vibration, she sat in his hand without even a sentence to him.
"Aylin? Aylin?" Reaper called.
"Maybe she is just hibernating?" Karson replied.
"Maybe…"
Reaper opened the door to Lian's room observing his small room. Lian was completely unconscious unable to notice the people peeking into his room to check.
"We need to get rid of that junk," Reaper whispered.
He sat Aylin beside Lian's bedside. Placing his hand on the boy's forehead to notice he was giving off heat.
"Karson, is he supposed to be this hot?" Reaper asked.
Putting his bag down he checked using the digital thermometer he had on hand placing it under Lian's tongue by prying his jaw open awakening the sickly kid.
"Lian, are you feeling alright?" Karson question.
He didn't answer. He was muted by the indictor forced into his mouth waiting to find out what was going on. Pulling it out shortly after it started to beep loudly only to shut it off after looking down slightly not as shocked as everyone would think he would be.
"103°F, Reaper do you have a spare room here?" Karson asked.
"We do. I will show you where." Reaper answered.
"Looks like an infection has manifested."
Lian tried to sit up to notice Aylin there. He felt too weak to grab her only lying back down after realizing the presence of Reaper and Karson there in the room.
"Can I go back to sleep now?" Lian asked.
"Yes, I will be soon again to take care of the fever."
Karson exited pulling the crimson scarf off his shoulders only to have Reaper follow him on the way out afterward.
"Aylin, wanna sleep by me?" Lian asked.
She was motionless. Lian was in too much pain to touch her blade to know she wasn't completely there at the moment.
"I guess you wanna sleep that way today…"
Lian could twist or turn. The bandages were keeping him stiffly in one place waiting to be healed. He wanted to check on Lily and couldn't do anything. His spine was aching from removing the device that had been placed on him.
Karson was delicate as possible at least he thought. He hated the fate being pushed into his being. He wondered what happened to him long-term here at the funeral home and how unusual it is.
He shut his eyes just for a moment to see glowing eyes gawking back at him. Quickly opened them again to see nothing at all.
"Aylin…Aylin…wake up!" Lian spouted.
She said nothing. He knew something was wrong that very moment as Aylin likes to talk more than anyone else. The fever was making everything worse for him in his attempt to get up to check his weapon.
"Aylin?" Lian questioned.
He could have sworn he heard laughing from outside the window. He became worried and had no one to contact in this state he was in.
"Aylin…please wake up!"
Begging from the deepest part of his soul for Aylin to awaken with something lingering on his doorstep. Perhaps it is actually harmless just a soul wandering.
He was freaked internally about how Lily has not cried out to him about how scary this place could be. It took a lot of his strength to get back up from the bed to pick Aylin up trying to examine her every detail.
A drop of water could be seen dripping down her blade. What could this mean he thought?