CHAPTER 6
INSUFFICIENT HUMAN SOULS

HER visions were starting to become a constant continuum. They were scaring her, awakening her senses to something big. A cataclysm was on the horizon, lingering over the edge of town. She wished she paid more attention to the signs. Maybe she could've stopped the impending doom. However, she was sane enough to realize that nothing could stop the inevitable – not even her visions.

As Francesca drove bumpily to the nearest hospital, Coraline's thoughts drifted to another place. She was outside her high school again. Familiar screams echoed from the inside. Coraline heaved, wanting to release a string of words, but nothing came out. She couldn't even run. Stumbling forward, she took note of the attire that barely covered her body: a tight, purple dress with a short skirt that flared out at the bottom. Coraline picked at the material, lifting her eyes to the scene ahead of her. Colored lights flashed inside the school. A banner hung above the entrance.

Her vision went blurry. She couldn't see the banner. She needed to see what it said. It was life or death now.

A hand clutched her arm, immediately pulling her back. The grip was gentle, yet firm. Soft fingers caressed the goosebumps that raised on her skin. Coraline stood there, watching the lights change colors with each shriek. She didn't know who was gripping her arm, but she felt the need to hold their hand. Her heart beat rapidly as the figure hissed, "Coraline Rose."

She finally turned. Two black eyes stared back at her.

•••

Michael sped to his house once he saw Francesca Avery drive away with her unconscious daughter sprawled out in the backseat. He jumped from Coraline's window ledge, landing perfectly on the patchy grass. He ran as fast he could down the gravel sidewalk, hardly missing a step and refusing to trip. Every move he made was so precise. He didn't experience normal human inabilities.

The door was unlocked. Miriam Mead was sitting in the living room, a set of candles circling around her as she sang to herself. Michael halted his steps once he noticed her humming. She sensed his presence immediately, opening her bright eyes and whipping her head in his direction. "Back so soon? You seem to be walking a lot lately." She huffed under her breath.

"I need you to drive me somewhere."

Miriam lifted a brow. "Why?"

Michael swallowed hard. "A friend of mine is in trouble." He wasn't trying to admit to going behind Ms. Mead's back by visiting Coraline, but that's definitely what it sounded like. At this point, he didn't care. She was his guardian, but she had no authority over him.

"A friend?" The short woman stood up from her position on the floor, approaching Michael with hesitation. "I don't understand, Michael. Why waste your time on these ... insufficient human souls? All they're good for is a sacrifice to the Father. They mean nothing to –"

"Miriam Mead," Michael snarled, "I am not asking you to do this for me. I am telling you. I know you are doing these things for our own good, but remember that you follow me." He lifted his chin. "You will drive me to the nearest hospital. We're leaving now."

Miriam pursed her dark lips and nodded. "Yes, yes. Okay, yes."

They were gone within minutes. Miriam revved up the engine of her 1994 Subaru Leone, almost backing right into their trash cans sitting outside the small house. Michael pulled the seat belt over his body as Miriam began to speed down their street. He had never heard their car make such a powerful sound before. Michael swore that Miriam was pressing down on the gas pedal so hard that it was going to break. That would be so cool for him to see.

They were lucky no undercover officers were present on their drive to the hospital, which would've taken fifteen minutes to get to if they hadn't gone past the speed limit. Michael watched the clock with precision. It took them six minutes to get there.

"Stay in the car," Michael commanded. Miriam rolled her eyes at the order and sat back in the driver's seat. Slamming the door shut, Michael bolted to the hospital entrance. She had to be here. He knew she was here. He could feel her presence radiating off every corner. He could smell her.

Michael Langdon wasn't going to lose Coraline Avery. Not after what he witnessed.

He came to a full stop as soon as he walked through the gray doors. The lights above him were so bright, almost blinding him. People slept and waited impatiently in a small office space on his left. A desk was placed on the right, circling over the edge of the corner. Men and women in white coats lingered around the scene. They looked at Michael, taking in his distraught expression and knowing it was in their best judgment to walk away.

Michael's nostrils flared. A wild look took over his eyes as he approached the desk. A tall, blonde woman sat behind a computer, typing away as if she hadn't noticed his advance. After a minute, her pale, green eyes slid to his. Her lips formed into a straight line as she said, "Can I help you?"

"I – um –" Michael licked his lips. "I'm here to see a friend."

The blonde spun her chair around to fully face him. She locked her hands together in front of her red-painted lips. "Only family are permitted to visit patients."

"Listen," he spat, "I'm looking for Coraline Avery. Did you hear that? Coraline Rose Avery. Where is she?"

"I can't tell you that."

Pounding his fists on the desk, Michael snarled, "Tell me where she is!"

The woman jumped from her seat. "Sir, I cannot –"

From inside the waiting room, Francesca Avery sat up from her slumped position when she heard a loud voice echoing in the distance. She blinked her sleep-deprived eyes, adjusting them to the hazy light. Outside the room was the front office, where a familiar-looking blonde boy seemed like was threatening the hospital secretary. Francesca's eyes narrowed. The Satanists.

She quickly stood and grabbed her purse. The heels hugging her feet burned with each step, but she didn't care. She looked disheveled; she looked crazy, but that was the last thing she was thinking of at that moment. All she cared about was getting this Satanist boy away from her unconscious daughter.

"What are you doing here?!" She whispered loudly, trying not to disturb the peace, but it looked like Michael already had. Francesca tugged on the boy's arm, ripping him away from the front desk, and wagged her finger in front of his face. "You need to leave."

Michael had to think of a lie. Lucky for him, that was one of his specialties. "I saw you guys leave in a hurry. I ... I wanted to see if there was anything I could do. Coraline has helped me. I want to help her."

"You ..." Francesca's lip curled in disgust. She jabbed her finger into Michael's chest. "You will stay away from my daughter."

"She's my friend."

"No difference!" She exclaimed, flailing her arms in the air. "She was ruined after her first episode. The minute her peers find out she's been dilly-dallying with the local Satanist, I ... I don't even want to think what they'll do to her. I want the best for my Coraline. I want her to be happy again."

Michael's fists shook. He felt himself about to explode. How dare she tell him what he couldn't do?

Slowly, he turned to look at the frazzled secretary again. The loitering doctors and nurses had disappeared from the scene. The second Michael laid eyes on the blonde secretary, her back straightened. The lights began to flicker above their head. Francesca's brow furrowed as she viewed up. Something was very, very wrong.

"You will tell me what room Coraline Avery is in," Michael demanded.

The secretary's eyes were glazed over. She wobbled from side to side, paralyzed from the power that oozed in his stare. "Room one-oh-four."

"NO!" Francesca shrieked, grabbing Michael's arm again to hold him back. Her eyes blazed with fury at the secretary. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

It didn't take a lot of strength for Michael to pull his arm out of Francesca's grasp. In fact, she let go willingly when he glanced to her, as if his bright eyes held a command of their own. He nodded curtly towards the blonde behind the desk. "Thank you," he said, before breaking into a sprint.

He heard the screams of Francesca Avery and various doctors as he ran. They weren't far behind him, but he was faster. He was always faster. Confusion wracked his brain as he sprinted down the sterile hospital corridor. Why was he doing this? All for Coraline Avery? It didn't make much sense, given his track record. He crashed into a few doctors, sending them an annoyed glare, before looking over his shoulder. They were close. He had to hide, just for a minute.

He was approaching a maintenance closet on his right. Michael took a swift turn, as if he was made of lightning, and shoved his whole body inside the small room. He clicked the lock in place. Outside, he could hear several pairs of feet run past the closet, all shouting for him. "He went that way!" Francesca hollered. "Take a left! Hurry!"

Michael chuckled under his breath. Adults were so stupid sometimes.

He pressed his ear to the door. Nothing. He didn't detect a sound anywhere near him. Michael slowly opened the closet door, peaking his head outside, before finally stepping out. He turned his head from left to right. Spinning on his heel, Michael began to walk casually through the corridor, amused that the mob had yet to find him.

Room 104, he reminded himself. Room 104.

Michael counted each room he passed. His stare was focused solely on the numbers. Doctors shuffled on around him, but didn't question his presence at all. It was almost like he was invisible to their hectic consciousness. His eyes darted from time to time, wondering if he truly was invisible, or if these people were simply ignoring him.

100 ... 101 ... 102 ... 103 ... 104.

Michael stopped short. There was a small window on the patient room door, allowing him access to look inside. He inched closer to the door and leaned down to look in. All he could see was white. White sheets. White walls. White computers. Everything was so ... sterile.

He was too impatient. Turning the handle, Michael hesitantly pushed the door open, but kept his feet planted in place. He wondered what his expression looked like as he stared at her in that blue patient gown, sprinkled with polka dots and little diamond shapes. He felt disgusted to see her in such a light, but he also felt relief. Confusion then hit him like a truck. Where did this caring come from? He hadn't known her long. Did fate place an inevitable bond of trust between them that they couldn't run from?

Sheets and blankets of the same color were scattered around Coraline. It looked like she had kicked them off the bed. Only one, single knitted blanket covered the bottom half of her body. A beeping sound repeated every few seconds. Her heart rate was normal. There was an IV in her arm, connected to a device Michael didn't recognize. They used it to make her go to sleep, he theorized. But why?

Michael took several steps into the room, almost afraid to get near her. She looked so peaceful. He didn't want to disturb her, but she had a hypnotic pull that tugged him forward. Michael didn't like sleep. It was when the nightmares haunted him at night. But seeing Coraline Avery sleep was a beautiful sight in a world full of very ugly things.

He inhaled heavily, standing just an inch from her cot. Her hand lay idly on the cream blanket. Instinctively, Michael reached out. His hand paused, hanging in the air, like a gentle force was repelling him back. He pursed his lips. Heat diffused off every part of his body, or was it something radiating off of her?

Michael brushed his fingers over her hand, and a spark emitted.

Not a real spark. Nothing appeared out of thin air. It was something he felt on the inside; a premonition in his gut. His insides swelled and flip-flopped. There was something within her – something he didn't expect. That wasn't just a spark. That was power.

Michael kneeled before her cot, taking her hand in his. Quiet snores escaped from her lips, but all Michael heard was a ringing in his ears.

Miriam was wrong. Coraline Avery wasn't an insufficient human soul. Power surged through her veins like a disease, making every hair on his arm stand up. She wasn't a witch. She was something bigger than that: a bearer of knowledge for the unknown. This power within her – it could end the world.

Fate had wanted this to happen. It didn't start with Coraline Avery deciding to be nice and befriend the Satanist kid down the street. It started because fate wanted it to. This was a plan; a future they both should've seen coming. But time was subjective, and so was power.

His ears were still ringing when security stormed the room. He heard Francesca Avery's voice again, but it was drowned out and hazy. It took a lot of strength for Michael to let go of her hand.

•••

A/N: I love a man who takes charge 😩😩😩