Audrey

Even before I woke up, I knew that something was wrong. Not the sinking feeling that I get when I'm light headed, nor the slow beating of my heart. It is the cold feeling in my lungs when I took a deep breath in. It felt like I took a deep breath in the coldest place, the cold burnt my nose, throat and lungs. 

The worst part was when I couldn't breathe. It was like I wasn't inhaling oxygen anymore. Maybe the pretty woman sent me to space without anything to survive.

When my body started coughing, my mind woke up, and I sat straight up on the couch. I took gasping breaths to get the oxygen back into my lungs. The respatory system felt like it was frostbitten. My hands went to my throat as I kept gasping for oxygen.

It was either the blood flowing through my ears, or there were footsteps running towards me.

My eyes felt like they were going to pop out of my face. I closed my eyes in hopes to focus. I felt arms around me as someone talked into my ear.

"Blow out all of the air that you have and take a deep breath." The soothing voice said encouraging words as I struggled to follow those instructions.

I felt like minutes before I finally did that.

"Keep doing that. The big intake of air I making your body calm down enough for you to gain control again." The voice said as I follow her commands.

As I kept dragging in deep breaths, I felt the cold burning sensation fade away. The arms around me disappeared, when the touch left I leaned towards is.

Then I opened my eyes. They adjusted quickly to the dimly lit room. I am on a very worn out couch and a heavy blanket lays on my legs. My head still feels light as I glance around the candle lit room. White, light and dark purple, blue, and black candles are lit around me. My body feels relaxed as the pain fades away. 

Footsteps pad towards me on the wooden floor, I look that way. A tall woman with long, dark hair walks towards me as she holds a cup on top of a tiny plate. She walked over the circle of candles, their lights wavered. She looks down at them for a moment before she sits on the couch.

"This is a mixture of Nettle and Chamomile tea. It is to calm you down and stop the inflammation in your lungs and throat." The woman hands me the cup and I take it with hesitation. I've never met this woman a day in my life and she expects me to drink this tea.

She is probably a witch, trying to poison me.

The woman watches me for a moment before she takes the cup out of my hands and takes a big swig from it.

"It's not poisoned. But its scalding hot. Drink it while I down a container of honey." She says after her face morphs into one of pain. 

She leaps off of the couch and into another dark room. She turns on the light and the kitchen is illuminated. She opens up the top cabinet above the stove and she grabs a bear shaped honey container with ease. She then unscrews the lid and chugs the honey as it slowly seeps out of the container.

I look down to the tea to see a weird green, watery mixture sit in my cup. I look back to the woman who is tapping the bottom of the bottle to get the rest of the honey out.

I'm probably going to regret this.

I take a little sip from the tea to find it is very herbal. So probably not poison. I keep taking small sips as my eyes scan the gray apartment. Dream catchers, ropes, chains, and different ornaments hang from the wall. Black and white rugs litter the wood floor all over her house.

"Do you want any honey before I drink it all?" She says from the kitchen. The bottle is almost empty.

"No thank you." I say quietly as I take another sip of the tea. The woman moves some things around in her kitchen before she comes back with a bottle of water. 

"Who are you." I ask before she sits down.

"I am Samantha Fischer. May I ask of your name?" She opens the bottle of water and takes a drink after answering.

"I'm Audrey. Audrey Miller." I set the cup on the plate.

"Well, Audrey, it is nice to meet you. You may be wondering where you are." The clock on the wall ticks away as I nod my head yes.

"From what I understand, the Queen of Hell found you getting beat up by your ex," My eyes drop to my lap. Samantha places her hand under my chin and picks my face up to meet her eyes. "I got word that you fought your best, but the bastard cheated. He used his demonic powers." My eyes scrunch in confusion at the mention of demonic powers.

"I'll explain those later. But for now, look at me when I'm talking so that I know that you're listening." Samantha says as she takes her hand away. I nod for her to continue.

"She sent the demon back to Hell while she healed you. You were so damaged mentally that the spell put you under for longer than expected. She then summoned Julian, a werewolf, and Dominic, a vampire, to transport you here. The Queen has stuff to take care of down in Hell.

"Once the boys got you here, you had been asleep for over five hours. Then after they ate and left, you slept for about a total of 12 hours total. It is seven in the morning, and you woke me up with a startle. When I got out here, your eyes were glossy and clouded over, and your arms were around your neck like you were choking yourself. Once I lit the candles to keep the spirits away and to calm you down, I looked through your body for any spirit but your own. But then I found that you were breathing in air without oxygen. I'll explain that theory after breakfast. But after I got you to calm down, I made the tea, burnt my mouth, and here we are. My apartment in Columbus, Ohio." Samantha explains as she gestures around the room with her hands open.

I look out the window over top of her kitchen sink to see the rising sun. Her house is nice, small and cozy. A fireplace that is built into the wall is crackling with red embers. The blanket on top of me is heavy and warm, making me sleepy.

"I think I want waffles for breakfast." I say before I start to regret staying in this person's house.