Chapter 30

He was falling. Panic seized him in an iron grip as he plummeted for what seemed like forever. He shouted out into the darkness surrounding him. Falling, falling. Black wind whipped his hair as he fell. His stomach felt like it was trying to climb out of his throat. He looked about for the floor that would destroy him but the darkness was so absolute that it was a futile gesture.

He continued to fall.

Slowly, Sean began to master his fear. He was falling forever. There was no floor for his impact, no end to his descent. When he thought about it some more, it was more like flying than falling. Sean floated in the eternal fall.

There was something else here with him. He could feel it, a shadow amongst shadows. It was blacker than darkness, this thing that followed him in the abyss, gliding on silent winds. Sean cast his eyes about and searched for the dark terror and nightmare that crept about the corner of his vision. He knew what it was. He was too familiar with it to ever forget that feeling.

A great light blazed above, throwing warm beams down below and giving depth to Sean's surroundings. There it was, its black silhouette now on display in the light as Sean felt himself drift up. A great winged terror with terrible eyes and a piercing beak. Its feathers darkly glimmered in the light. The Raven.

The feathered beast beat its huge wings, spanning twenty feet from wingtip to wingtip, and buffeted him with winds that forced him up into the light. So, it has finally come to claim me, Sean thought. He looked up. It was so beautiful, the light. Distantly he could hear a beautiful song caressing his ears as he neared it, beckoning and promising a release from his worries. In the light a pair of shadows stepped forward. Sean looked.

Sean was stunned by the sight of his mother and father greeting him. They gestured for him to come with open arms. Tears streamed down Sean's cheeks. It had been so long since he had seen them. He reached out and floated towards them of his own volition. He remembered the proud look on his father's face as it beamed at him now. His mother looked down as well. Sean was saddened that he could not remember her face, so long had it been. But he remembered her warmth when he was cradled in her arms. He felt that now, the light holding him and bringing him to them. Bringing him home.

A fierce cry pierced the silence from below. Sean looked down and saw another bird racing towards him. It was as beautiful as the Raven was terrible. Bright flames blazed over its golden plumage, a creature of fire and passion. It shrieked again, challengingly. The Raven cried out and positioned itself between the Phoenix and him. The two birds collided, a flurry of flapping wings and shrill cries echoed through the cavernous space as the battle was joined. Beaks and claws slashed the air, sending feathers flying about. Sean watched the crazed battle, confused. He looked up again as his parents waved for him to join them, pleading. He drifted up and the flaming bird below shrieked again. His attention was split between his parents above and the battling birds below. Sean was familiar with the Raven; it had been with him for many years. It kept him company in his years of loneliness. Sean looked to his parents. If he joined them he wouldn't be alone anymore. The light beckoned.

For Sean the Phoenix was a recent development. He knew there was something more to it. Her? Sean shook his head. Why didn't he remember what the Phoenix was? Or who? The birds clawed one another and beat upon each other with broad wings of flame and shadow. In an exultant cry the Phoenix broke free and hurled the Raven into the darkness and rushed towards Sean. Who was she? Who? Sean felt he should know the answer but his mind was muddled and confused. He strained with all his might to bring back the name. Her voice broke the distorting shrill cry of the bird, calling his name. Sean!

That voice... Elizabeth? Was that her name? Elizabeth! Memories of tender and joyous moments flooded into his mind and he staggered before the deluge. The bright Phoenix changed before his eyes, melting into his Love's familiar shape. Stay with me! She called out to him, her liquid brown eyes reached out. Don't leave me!

Leave her? Why would he do that? Sean reached out to her, his Love. A pair of voices called out his name from above. His parents. Torn, Sean stood between his choices, indecisive. Farther below the Raven roared in fury as it raced towards them. Harsh winds whipped at him, forcing Sean to drift higher.

Warm hands touched him, loving and tender. His parents smiled at him and Sean felt at peace. A tranquility he had never known flowed into him. They loved him, he felt them say, but now wasn't his time. He needed to go back. Go back. But why? It was so peaceful here. His parents placed their hands on his back and pushed, taking away his choice. Elizabeth awaited him. That was why he couldn't join his parents yet. They loved him and they wanted him to be happy. They wanted him to be with Elizabeth. Sean wept as his parents drifted further and further from him. Goodbye.

Elizabeth.

Sean turned for her. Invisible winds pulled at him, trying to drag him back into the light, but he fought on. Inch by difficult inch he struggled to reach her, his beloved. Elizabeth, too, stretched out her arms, fighting for his touch. The Raven shrieked in fury as its ebony wings beat at the air. She wasn't far now but neither was the Raven as it closed on them. Every succeeding inch became more and more difficult to attain as he pushed forward. Sean strained until he could feel his sinews stretch and pop.

Just... inches... away...

Elizabeth was too stunned to react. He shouldn't be here, she thought as she stared down the barrel of his gun. She couldn't move. If she did, and he fired, then Sean could get hit. Elizabeth stood her ground as she held onto the bed rail for support.

"Thought I'd left, didn't you, bitch?" Charles sneered. The door was locked securely behind him as he grinned maliciously at her. "Cute trick with the Feds. They were all over the place but I wasn't even in town. Most of my money was frozen but they couldn't touch my offshore accounts. Got to love the Swiss, eh? I thought I'd get a little payback for sending the Feds on my case so I decided to take a little trip to your boyfriend's university. Too bad I didn't finish him off when I whacked him with the car, you too for that matter. Oh, well." Charles raised his weapon and leveled it at her. "At least it made finding you that much easier."

Within, Elizabeth shuddered. Sean's plan had worked, too well it would seem. They left behind enough clues to let Charles know that it was they. He would come after them. They hoped that Charles would surface and when he did, the authorities could bust him for attempted murder. Elizabeth never thought that Charles would go through with it himself though; he always hired other people to do his dirty work. But now here he was and Elizabeth was too stunned to react. She had expected Sean to be with her when she finally faced Charles down, he always had been nearby ever since they found each other. But now, Elizabeth felt very naked and vulnerable.

"What? Nothing snide to say this time, Elizabeth? Your poor boyfriend too broken to rescue you?" His eyes glinted madly as he laughed. "You always were weak. That's what made tying your legs open so much fun. You made it so easy."

Painful memories surged to the forefront and Elizabeth was shaken out of her inaction. Those memories burned away in an all-consuming hatred for the man who stood before her. She remembered every humiliating and degrading second of those tortuous two years where she suffered at her ex-husbands hands. And now this, her fiancé battered into a month long coma from which the doctors were now beginning to think he would never pull out. Blood pounded in her head as Elizabeth's eyes grew flinty and cold. Anger surged through her veins as the woman sprang into action.

Her actions were quick and her motions instinctively decisive from all the training Sean put her through. Elizabeth feinted quickly to her left, then her right and charged in, closing the short distance easily as Charles first fought back the surprise of her sudden movement and then tracked her with his gun. But he was too slow and Elizabeth far too quick, her speed fueled with ingrained fear turned hatred. She deftly ducked as the pistol thundered in the confined room, nearly deafening her from the close quarters. She charged forward anyways ignoring the ringing in her ears. A swift kick knocked his hand aside but it wasn't enough to dislodge the gun from his hand. No matter, it perfectly set him up when he brought his arm back around again to shoot her. Charles' arm gave a sickening crunch as Elizabeth followed through using his momentum and her own power as his elbow snapped at a backwards angle. He howled in pain and dropped his weapon but Elizabeth's fury demanded more. Her elbow swung in tight and close and a solid crack was heard as a rib gave way. Another twist of her arms and Elizabeth tore his arm back around again, extracting another delicious cry in pain.

Lost in the bloodlust, Elizabeth rained blow after furious blow down upon her tormentor. How many nights had his laughter caused her to cringe in fear? How many nightmares of terrible rape destroyed her sanity? How many times did she have to remember the feeling of a tiny unborn life die inside of her? How many? Charles tilted back and fell over as much from surprise as pain. Elizabeth swung her knee up and hit him solidly between the legs. Charles was unconscious from the pain of his testicles rupturing even before he hit the floor.

And now justice, Elizabeth thought as she raised her bloody fist for one final blow. Elizabeth lunged, her wrath seeking completion of justice.

Slap!

Elizabeth's arm froze in the air as an iron grip held her. She struggled with what restrained her, the maddening fighting frenzy held at bay. "Elizabeth, no," his whisper cut through the haze like a blade through cobwebs.

"Sean?"

Elizabeth's breath caught as her eyes widened at the thin voice. Slowly, she turned around, the unconscious man at her feet already forgotten. Sean knelt beside her, his pale body a tangle of wires and tubes that ran around him. She stared at him, her mind scrabbling to catch up with the situation. His tired eyes burned with fierce determination to stay her hand. Elizabeth relaxed her arm and he loosened his grip. Her mind crumbled as she pivoted her body around and fell into his arms on the thinly carpeted floor. "Sean? You're awake." Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as she cried hysterically. The past five minutes had been too much for her. First Charles furious and now Sean awake, holding her in his familiar arms.

There was a pounding at the door. The doorknob jangled as someone unlocked it with a set of keys. A nurse and a pair of orderlies stormed into the place followed by Dr. Lander. They stood shocked at the scene. The EKG and IV bag were lying on the floor, pulled down when Sean arose. There was an unconscious man lying broken at their feet. A patient who had been comatose for the past month was now wide awake and holding his fiancé in his arms. Dr. Lander ordered the nurse to get more help and then quickly began inspecting the large stranger lying on the floor while questioning Elizabeth and Sean. The two orderlies and a couple more recently arrived nurses helped Sean back into bed, since he was in no shape to walk, and then set the fallen equipment upright.