[musesandlyrics] 4.17 - And If I Should Die Before I Wake...
(Camillie is training_wings, Bobby is maninflannel. Anyone else is an NPC and this is a cross-verse moment for her. More drama depending on the verse.)
"My cousin, the priest, said it's all a part of God's plan, like God's got a plan. You know what, if there is a God, then he's got a shit load of explaining to do." ~Rescue Me
"He wants her to remember."
"Why?" Camille blinked, a slight frown on her face.
"It's not our place to question His wishes."
"I only ask for the reason, not to protest it," she said quickly.
"Knowledge is power," the elder angel said. "They have pasts so they can improve the future. If she continues suppressing this she can never get passed it. Which she needs to do in order to understand the threat in her life."
Camille nodded slowly. "It'll hurt her."
"It will."
"I wish there was another way..."
"She will be fine. She has people to help her through this. She should remember the demon that killed her mother."
***
There was a crash and a scream and Nellie awoke with a start. The room was cold and there was a bad smell in the air. It was the smell of something burning, but her young nose couldn’t decipher what. She opened her eyes and rolled over in the large bed, she wanted to curl up to Mama, but Mama wasn’t there.
Another scream. Shouting.
Nellie sat up. There in the room she could see her mother, and a man. The man had his arm around her mother’s throat, her back held firmly to his chest. A blade gleamed near her side.
“Mama!” Nellie cried out.
“No! No, Nellie, baby...go back to sleep.” Mama was crying. “Go back to sleep, you’re just havin’ a bad dream.”
The man smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile, it was a scary smile. “Hello Nellie,” he said slowly.
Libby’s heel slammed onto the man’s foot, and he tightened his arm around her neck. “Don’t talk to her.”
“You’re in no place to threaten me,” he hissed. His dagger started to press into her side, slicing through her clothing.
“Mama…” Nellie’s voice shook in fear.
“Watch closely sweetie,” the man said. “You’re watching your future.” Then he forced the blade through Libby's skin.
The woman tried so hard to be brave for her little girl, and not scare her more. She held in her scream the best she could, but it was reverberating in her throat. He wasn’t satisfied with that, so he turned the dagger and pushed it in more. Her mouth open and the screams cut through the room.
“Mama!” Nellie was now screaming, too. Her little body pushed its way off the bed and onto the floor. As she did, the man let Libby fall to the ground, then stood and watched Nellie approach.
“Maybe I should finish you before you have the chance,” he mused aloud.
The small girl cowered away from the man, but watched her mother closely. Libby wasn’t moving, but she was watching her daughter. Her fingers were moving, almost reaching for Nellie, but then they stopped.
Nellie watched all the red. Everything was going red.
A sound came at the door. A knock. “Everything okay in there?” A gruff voice shouted in at them.
The mean man glared down at Nellie. “It’ll be time soon enough,” he said. He went for the door and opened it. The motel manager fell in at him, and the demon caught the old man, before snapping his neck and letting him fall to the ground. Nellie heard the crack and covered her eyes. She counted to ten, and when she couldn’t hear anything more, she slowly pulled her hands from her face.
No one else was there anymore. The one motel manager lay at the entrance to their room, while her mother lay on the floor towards the foot of the bed. Nellie ran over to her mother and fell to her side. “Mama? Mama…” She climbed over her mother, patting her cheek, her chest. She ran her fingers through her mother’s hair, but Mama wouldn’t wake up.
Mama looked awake, she was looking to the spot Nellie had stood in before. Her face wasn’t soft and warm like it always was. It was cold.
“Mama,” Nellie’s voice cracked and tears started rolling down her cheeks again. “Wake up, Mama.” The red was warm and sticky and everywhere. Nellie curled up, her head resting against her mother’s chest. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and closed her eyes. She would just sleep. Take a nap with Mama. Then they would wake up and it would all be okay.
***
When Bobby got through the doorway of the motel room, he froze. He had to step over the dead man outside the door. He knew he had to figure something out before the cops showed up. Libby had called him in a panic, and he rushed over, but he quickly saw that he was too late.
She lay on the floor in her own blood, eyes open but lifeless. Her daughter lay on top of her, and for the briefest moment, Bobby feared that the demon had killed the little girl too. But then he saw movement and he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
He moved through the room, his heart pounding as he got closer. Everything hurt inside, and he wanted to sit on the floor and cradle the woman. He wanted to cry and tell her how sorry he was. He was sorry. He was a sorry excuse of a man, who couldn’t save her. But he knew how much she loved her daughter, and Nellie was his priority at that moment.
He bent down and touched Nellie’s arm. “Nellie, sweetheart.”
The girl awoke slowly and tilted her head to look up at him. “Mr. Bobby..”
“It’s-” his voice failed him. “It’s time to go,” he tried again.
“Mama’s nappin’,” she informed him.
“I know,” he nodded and held his hands out to her. They shook as they hung there in the air. “C’mon, let’s go outside now.”
Nellie moved into his hands and let him pick her up. “Mama too?”
Bobby closed his eyes as he stood. “Your Mama’s gonna stay here for a bit. We gotta go.” He turned and started for the door, unable to look back at the woman lying there.
Nellie held onto him and watched over his shoulder as he carried her out of the room. “We goin’ outside, Mama,” she said, desperate for the woman to answer. Nellie didn’t know what death was per say, but she knew that her Mama wasn’t there anymore. She just didn’t want to accept it. Her chin fell to Bobby’s shoulder and she reached out for her mother. “Come with us, Mama. Come outside,” Nellie whimpered.
As they got onto the front walk, Bobby wrapped his jacket around them both and started for his truck. All he knew was that he had to get himself and Nellie out of there. He had to take care of the little girl.
Nellie kept peering over his shoulder as they went, not wanting to lose sight of her mother. When she couldn’t see Libby anymore, she started to cry harder. Both hands reached out, clawing through the air. “Nooooo! I want Mama! Mama! MAMA!”
***
Nellie awoke with a gasp and sat up in bed. Her heart was pounding, as was her head. She could feel every piece of emotion from that night as though it were fresh. As though she were still that little girl. A night that had been locked away in her subconscious, far from memory. She had been almost thankful all of those years that she couldn’t remember anything about her Mama dying. And then there it was. She knew it hadn’t been only a dream. It was a moment coming back to her. A terrible, horrible moment.
She sat there, staring blankly ahead, trying to catch her breath, before breaking. Hot tears sprang up in her eyes and her body caved in on itself. Her fingers clenched onto the sheets surrounding her legs and she started to cry, the pain in her heart unbearable.
“Mama,” she cried softly, before letting her body fall forward onto the bed, and giving in to the wrenching sobs.
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"My cousin, the priest, said it's all a part of God's plan, like God's got a plan. You know what, if there is a God, then he's got a shit load of explaining to do." ~Rescue Me
"He wants her to remember."
"Why?" Camille blinked, a slight frown on her face.
"It's not our place to question His wishes."
"I only ask for the reason, not to protest it," she said quickly.
"Knowledge is power," the elder angel said. "They have pasts so they can improve the future. If she continues suppressing this she can never get passed it. Which she needs to do in order to understand the threat in her life."
Camille nodded slowly. "It'll hurt her."
"It will."
"I wish there was another way..."
"She will be fine. She has people to help her through this. She should remember the demon that killed her mother."
***
There was a crash and a scream and Nellie awoke with a start. The room was cold and there was a bad smell in the air. It was the smell of something burning, but her young nose couldn’t decipher what. She opened her eyes and rolled over in the large bed, she wanted to curl up to Mama, but Mama wasn’t there.
Another scream. Shouting.
Nellie sat up. There in the room she could see her mother, and a man. The man had his arm around her mother’s throat, her back held firmly to his chest. A blade gleamed near her side.
“Mama!” Nellie cried out.
“No! No, Nellie, baby...go back to sleep.” Mama was crying. “Go back to sleep, you’re just havin’ a bad dream.”
The man smiled, but it wasn’t a nice smile, it was a scary smile. “Hello Nellie,” he said slowly.
Libby’s heel slammed onto the man’s foot, and he tightened his arm around her neck. “Don’t talk to her.”
“You’re in no place to threaten me,” he hissed. His dagger started to press into her side, slicing through her clothing.
“Mama…” Nellie’s voice shook in fear.
“Watch closely sweetie,” the man said. “You’re watching your future.” Then he forced the blade through Libby's skin.
The woman tried so hard to be brave for her little girl, and not scare her more. She held in her scream the best she could, but it was reverberating in her throat. He wasn’t satisfied with that, so he turned the dagger and pushed it in more. Her mouth open and the screams cut through the room.
“Mama!” Nellie was now screaming, too. Her little body pushed its way off the bed and onto the floor. As she did, the man let Libby fall to the ground, then stood and watched Nellie approach.
“Maybe I should finish you before you have the chance,” he mused aloud.
The small girl cowered away from the man, but watched her mother closely. Libby wasn’t moving, but she was watching her daughter. Her fingers were moving, almost reaching for Nellie, but then they stopped.
Nellie watched all the red. Everything was going red.
A sound came at the door. A knock. “Everything okay in there?” A gruff voice shouted in at them.
The mean man glared down at Nellie. “It’ll be time soon enough,” he said. He went for the door and opened it. The motel manager fell in at him, and the demon caught the old man, before snapping his neck and letting him fall to the ground. Nellie heard the crack and covered her eyes. She counted to ten, and when she couldn’t hear anything more, she slowly pulled her hands from her face.
No one else was there anymore. The one motel manager lay at the entrance to their room, while her mother lay on the floor towards the foot of the bed. Nellie ran over to her mother and fell to her side. “Mama? Mama…” She climbed over her mother, patting her cheek, her chest. She ran her fingers through her mother’s hair, but Mama wouldn’t wake up.
Mama looked awake, she was looking to the spot Nellie had stood in before. Her face wasn’t soft and warm like it always was. It was cold.
“Mama,” Nellie’s voice cracked and tears started rolling down her cheeks again. “Wake up, Mama.” The red was warm and sticky and everywhere. Nellie curled up, her head resting against her mother’s chest. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and closed her eyes. She would just sleep. Take a nap with Mama. Then they would wake up and it would all be okay.
***
When Bobby got through the doorway of the motel room, he froze. He had to step over the dead man outside the door. He knew he had to figure something out before the cops showed up. Libby had called him in a panic, and he rushed over, but he quickly saw that he was too late.
She lay on the floor in her own blood, eyes open but lifeless. Her daughter lay on top of her, and for the briefest moment, Bobby feared that the demon had killed the little girl too. But then he saw movement and he breathed a huge sigh of relief.
He moved through the room, his heart pounding as he got closer. Everything hurt inside, and he wanted to sit on the floor and cradle the woman. He wanted to cry and tell her how sorry he was. He was sorry. He was a sorry excuse of a man, who couldn’t save her. But he knew how much she loved her daughter, and Nellie was his priority at that moment.
He bent down and touched Nellie’s arm. “Nellie, sweetheart.”
The girl awoke slowly and tilted her head to look up at him. “Mr. Bobby..”
“It’s-” his voice failed him. “It’s time to go,” he tried again.
“Mama’s nappin’,” she informed him.
“I know,” he nodded and held his hands out to her. They shook as they hung there in the air. “C’mon, let’s go outside now.”
Nellie moved into his hands and let him pick her up. “Mama too?”
Bobby closed his eyes as he stood. “Your Mama’s gonna stay here for a bit. We gotta go.” He turned and started for the door, unable to look back at the woman lying there.
Nellie held onto him and watched over his shoulder as he carried her out of the room. “We goin’ outside, Mama,” she said, desperate for the woman to answer. Nellie didn’t know what death was per say, but she knew that her Mama wasn’t there anymore. She just didn’t want to accept it. Her chin fell to Bobby’s shoulder and she reached out for her mother. “Come with us, Mama. Come outside,” Nellie whimpered.
As they got onto the front walk, Bobby wrapped his jacket around them both and started for his truck. All he knew was that he had to get himself and Nellie out of there. He had to take care of the little girl.
Nellie kept peering over his shoulder as they went, not wanting to lose sight of her mother. When she couldn’t see Libby anymore, she started to cry harder. Both hands reached out, clawing through the air. “Nooooo! I want Mama! Mama! MAMA!”
***
Nellie awoke with a gasp and sat up in bed. Her heart was pounding, as was her head. She could feel every piece of emotion from that night as though it were fresh. As though she were still that little girl. A night that had been locked away in her subconscious, far from memory. She had been almost thankful all of those years that she couldn’t remember anything about her Mama dying. And then there it was. She knew it hadn’t been only a dream. It was a moment coming back to her. A terrible, horrible moment.
She sat there, staring blankly ahead, trying to catch her breath, before breaking. Hot tears sprang up in her eyes and her body caved in on itself. Her fingers clenched onto the sheets surrounding her legs and she started to cry, the pain in her heart unbearable.
“Mama,” she cried softly, before letting her body fall forward onto the bed, and giving in to the wrenching sobs.
1334