Fantasy: The SHADOWS fallen (Dark Fantasy epic Occult Metaphysical Short stories) (Women's Adventure Fairy Tales Sword & Sorcery Supernatural, Visionary, Paranormal, Mythology) by Paula A. Obrien Page A

were unsteady. It was tedious to watch. She was as unsteady as a new-born horse.
    That was not made them both catch their breath. On her side, there was a thick coating of blood, still dripping down onto the ground, into the puddle. Her hands were painted red, like she just got down painting with them. There was a cut above her eyebrow, possibly from a blade. Possibly from a particular woman’s claws. Either way, her standing up caused blood to gush out like a waterfall, bleeding down onto her face. Avalon blinked the blood from her eye. She spat it out as it dripped down to her lip. She was on the verge of death.
    “Oh Christ-”Booker gaped, almost too shocked to help her.
    “Bloody hell-Avalon, lie down!” Iris ordered, her voice shaking. She was a bit of a blood freak, even then.
    She did as she was told. Booker rushed to her wounded side, digging in one of the pouches hanging from his belt for a long piece of cloth. He lifted a bit of her clothes and wrapped it around her stomach.
    “Don’t we have to clean the wound first?” Iris argued.
    “Do you have any medicine?” He snapped. He quickly regained his control. “I’m sorry-”
    Avalon groaned, trying to speak up. “I don’t need your help.”
    “Avalon, please, just once, would you let me help you?”
    “No,” she hissed stubbornly. She tried to stand, falling back to the ground and ruining her clothes further. Booker quietly helped her back up, letting her go.
    “I…Hate you,” she breathed, her anger rising. “I absolutely hate you. I’ve hated you ever since I first laid eyes on you. I would rather die than spend one more minute with you.”
    He took a deep breath, trying not to get frustrated. “Okay, look, I know this is hard for you-”
    “Hard?!” Her hands instinctively turned into fists. She clenched her teeth, her eyes narrowing. She had hardly any control of her actions as the pressure of it all finally came crashing down. Avalon raised her fist, punching him in the draw, sending him falling to the ground. “It's over! Everything! We can’t fix this-Can’t you see?! It’s over!”
    Iris watched in horror as her friends began to turn on each other. In desperation. In anger. In hopelessness. Just as she had intended. She took a step toward Avalon, letting Booker get to his feet. “Avalon-Please. Don’t let this happen…”

Chapter 5
    Her voice trailed off as the still furious girl marched in front of him, rain dripping down to her eyes. “Let me ask you something-Just one thing: Did you honestly think we could win this? Did you honestly think everything would be okay?” She paused, the pain of just who she had lost coming to realization. “Did you think we’d all make it out alive?!”
    “I didn’t know she would die-”he muttered.
    She took a few steps back, trying to prevent herself from punching him again. “I'm done. I’m done trying to fix things-Because we can’t! We just can’t! Sometimes you just lose and-” Her voice broke.
    Booker’s eyes flickered to the ground, then back to her, a memory hidden them. “I wish I could make the bad things go away, Avalon.”
    She gaped, putting one foot behind her so she would not completely collapse. Her hands slowly began to sink to her sides, unclenching themselves, her eyes wide with shock, the anger fading away. Because those words had brought her back. Brought her back to what was really happening. Why this was happening. She began to feel weak.
    So it was true. It was all true. Everything she said was true. How quick they could all turn on each other.
    Her time had run out.
    Avalon had fallen.
    She had lost her faith in human life.
    In everyone.
    While they lived-No, while she lived, the innocent died. Everyone she cared about would die because of her. People and wolves she had never even met would be punished because of her. So why was she still there, breathing? They weren’t. Not anymore.
    Maybe the lies were true, Avalon wondered. Maybe she just outta believe