#Chapter 267: Gone

Agnes Consciousness came in flashes. My head throbbed. A high-pitched ringing filled my ears, drowning out most other sounds. I tried to open my eyes, but even the dim lights pierced my vision painfully, forcing them shut again. Something was trembling against me. Thea. She was alive. “Mommy…” More shouting. Footsteps. The sound of boots on stone. Then warm hands on my face. I forced my eyes open again to see Elijah dropping to his knees beside me, his face streaked with dirt and blood. His mouth was moving, but I could barely hear him over the ringing. “Agnes! Agnes, are you alright?” His voice sounded far away. I tried to respond, but darkness swept over me again. The pain in my head intensified, and now I was aware of another agony—my palm. It felt as if I’d plunged my hand into molten lava, the skin seared away to expose raw nerves beneath. More flashes of awareness. Being lifted. Thea crying. Elijah’s voice. Other voices. Just