Finn looked ghastly. He was tucked into a plain hospital bed, starch white sheets pulled up around his waist. A light blue hospital gown had replaced the tattered remnants of his shirt and his hair was disheveled. Two frantic nurses stood beside the hospital bed. One stuck a massive needle into his free arm. The needle was attached to a bag of human-blood that hung beside the bed. The other adjusted several machines attached to the wall behind the bed. A doctor sat on the other side of the bed, focused on Finn's shoulder. She worked quickly with a needle and thread, stitching his shoulder.

Sophie and Eli made sure to stand back, as far away from the hospital bed as physically possible — a feeble attempt to give the nurses and doctor enough space so that they could work their medical magic.

Eli leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest. His expression was marred with a mixture of concern and mild frustration. Sophie sat in a pale blue armchair beside him, her back ram-rod straight. She couldn't bring herself to relax comfortably in the chair. Instead, she focused her attention on the nurses. Her ears strained to listen to their hushed whispers about Finn's injuries.

From what she could gather, his injuries weren't that severe or immediately life threatening, aside from his shoulder. He had a broken wrist and a very deep gash. The gash tore through his skin and some of his muscle, stretching from the very top of his shoulder to roughly the center of his chest. It just barely missed the bones of his ribcage by mere centimeters.

The gash itself would heal over time — the nurses and doctor seemed almost certain of this. However, because of it, Finn had lost a lot of blood. And that notion caused a bit of panic amongst them, making them move at a frantic pace.

As the blood flowed through the needle and into his arm, though, Sophie could see the color begin to slowly return to Finn's skin. The pastiness of his cheeks warmed and the blue-twinge that had colored his lips began to fade away. The sight sent a palpable sensation of relief flooding through the entire hospital room.

One of the nurses turned to Sophie and Eli. He graced them with a reassuring smile and explained that Finn would remain under supervision for a bit. The doctor stepped up beside him, also smiling warmly at Sophie and Eli. She verbally walked through Finn's injuries and explained his expected recovery.

After discussing everything with Sophie and Eli, one of the nurses and the doctor left the room. The second nurse remained behind, rearranging the smaller medical supplies that were stored within a cart beside the bed.

Sophie heaved a small sigh. Eli reached down, his hand finding her shoulder and squeezing it softly. "I'm glad that you were able to find him in time," he told her.

She opened her mouth to respond, but the door opened, its metal hinges creaking with the movement. Aelia stepped inside. Her eyes scanned the room, taking in Finn's limp form. Then her gaze focused on Sophie and Eli.

"What attacked him?" she asked. A quiet anger trembled within her voice. "Were you able to see anything?"

Sophie stared at her mother for a moment. Then she shifted her gaze to the wall, her expression distant. The memories flashed across her mind's eye — fresh and perfectly detailed. The ghostly white skin, encrusted with layers of smeared dirt and dried blood. The elongated, bony limbs, with skin stretched so taunt that it fractured in areas, revealing dead muscle and sinew beneath. The foul stench and electrified screech still echoed through the air around her.

Yet there was only one detail that genuinely screamed at her. It appeared in the shadows of the wall that she absently focused on, staring back at her. Those clouded eyes.

Absently, she recited all that she could remember about the Revenant to Aelia. Her voice was low — so low that the nurse still present in the room would be unable to hear the terrifying descriptions. The last thing that she needed was to incite even more of a panic.

Aelia listened carefully. By the time that Sophie's elaborate description had finished, a deep crease had formed between her brows. Her lips were pressed into a tight, wrinkled line.

"I have never seen anything like it," Sophie admitted.

Eli crossed his arms over his chest, his expression a hearty mixture of stress, concern, and mild shock. "I haven't either," he added. "I've never encountered anything similar to a creature like that. Not even in literature."

Aelia shifted her gaze back to Finn. She watched him for a few moments, allowing silence to settle within the room. His chest slowly rose and fell around each breath that he took. A sigh escaped Aelia. "I don't think that I have heard of anything like it either, aside from the discussions that I have had with Finn. I am honestly amazed that the creature made it onto campus, considering there are armed guards stationed at every entrance."

"Are they also just patrolling the grounds?" Sophie asked. A frown tugged at her features. "I watched it literally climb over a building."

"They are supposed to be," Aelia murmured. She lifted a hand to her face, fingers rubbing at her temple. "We may need even more on campus."

She shook her head slightly and then frowned at Sophie. "What happened to your face?" she asked.

Sophie lifted her fingertips to her cheek. The faint pucker of scarred skin met her fingertips. "The Revenant scratched at me," she said. "Before it ran away."

Her fingers dropped to the scarf that had been rewrapped around her glowing neck. She hadn't quite included the tidbit of her mark in her explanation of the events to Aelia. She wasn't sure what to think of her mark scaring the creature away.

A small cough grasped at their attention. Sophie's head shot upward, her eyes fastened to the hospital bed. Finn coughed again. He blinked a few times and looked around.

The nurse was immediately at his side, her hands fussing with the monitors attached to him. He attempted to sit up, but she stopped him, instead pressing a button on the side of the bed that allowed the bed to shift upward.

Confusion marred his facial features. Aelia smiled and stepped forward, moving to stand beside his bed. "How are you feeling, old friend?" she asked him.

He stared at her for a moment, his brow furrowed. His gaze then shifted around the room, lingering on Sophie and Eli. "I feel like I was hit by one of those fancy newfangled automobiles," he admitted. His smile was a bit sheepish.

Aelia cracked a thin smile. "What do you remember?" she asked him.

Finn lifted a hand to his face, his fingers pressing against his temple. He closed his eyes for a moment. "I am not totally sure," he answered. His voice was soft. "I remember walking around. I remember hearing this strange sound — almost like an animal shrieking. And this smell."

The skin on the bridge of his nose crinkled. "It was definitely a Revenant. I have never seen one that close before. It smelled absolutely awful. Kind of like a vampire — but it wasn't."

Sophie watched as his hand drifted downward, fingertips brushing against the thick bandages that covered his right shoulder. His gaze met Sophie's for a moment.

"It's eyes were incredible," he said. A sense of awe appeared to have overtaken him. "They were a clouded gray color and shaded in such a way... I swear that I could see actual clouds within them. I have never seen anything like it before."

hello friends!

No, your eyes do not deceive you. This is indeed a brand new chapter for Obliterate! This author's note is going to be a long one and I apologize in advance for that!! ❤

As some of you may know, I have been (and honestly still am) very creatively blocked when it comes to this book. I have the rest of the plot planned/written out but I have really struggled with turning those general outlines into solid chapters like normal. Putting those thoughts into actual words/scenes has just been harder for me recently. I think a lot of it is genuine burn-out. And I think that some of it is really just that I have had a lot going on with both my mental and physical health. 

My goal is to get back into the swing of writing and regularly updating this book. So I want to talk through kind of what I am planning for this book moving forward, regarding new chapters and a set schedule.

Like with Ice (which has been regularly updated ONLY because I have contract deadlines), new chapters will appear on Patreon first. A new chapter will be posted every Sunday at 10 A.M. EST. Then those chapters will be posted on Wattpad a week later. The scheduled update day that I have planned is every Friday. 

This does NOT mean that you have to support me on Patreon in order to continue reading this book. 

It just gives you an option to read ahead. It also makes it easier for me to maintain a schedule and also helps me build a backlog (which makes things easier if there is a week that I am unable to write much/get behind). I will still have a chapter to post on here. This method has honestly been the only reason Ice has been consistently updated.

The only exception to this new schedule is this specific chapter and next week. I do not currently have chapter twenty eight finished yet. It is my birthday this weekend and I am hoping to take a little mental break from all of my writing projects. So I plan to write it next week. I have already gotten a little head start though so I should be able to meet the deadline. 

So TLDR: chapter twenty eight will appear on Patreon next Sunday (01/24). And then on Wattpad on the Friday after. And it should be consistently updated on both platforms each week.

Hopefully that all kind of makes sense! If you would like to read ahead on Patreon (once the next chapter is posted there), it only costs $1 a month. There is a link on my profile to it. Not only will you have access to new chapters each Sunday, but content polls and drawings that I've done and also older drafts/short stories that are already posted.

Again though, please do NOT feel pressured. This book will be regularly updated each Friday.  

Honestly, I seriously can't express how much I appreciate you taking the time to read this book, as well as waiting and being so patient with me. I know that it sucks to read a book and then have to wait so long for updates -- especially when those updates literally take years. I totally understand if you don't want to continue reading or if you want to wait until this book is completed. Right now, I currently have another 20 chapters planned. I am seriously hoping to have it finished by the end of this year. I genuinely appreciate each and every single one of you so, so, so much. Thank you for the comments of support and love on the last chapter, as well as those who have messaged me privately. 

I love you all so much and seriously can't thank you all enough for your love and support. You have been so incredibly kind and patient and I genuinely can't express in words how much I appreciate all of you. 

sorry again for the super long author's note! ❤ Definitely let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer.

ash ❤