CHAPTER 33: THE END IS NIGH

D-Day-5

Suzanne stood in the shower, allowing the scalding hot water to blast her skin. As the steam rose from the bathroom floor, lacing around her body and over her head, Suzanne scrubbed furiously at her palm trying to rid herself of the mark. In a matter of hours, the black mark had spread like cancer all the way up to her elbow and her once pale pinkish arm now looked as if it had been dipped in black ink, with black looking roots snaking all the way up her arm.

*Refuse us and you will surely die,* the figure had whispered deep into her mind the other day. It was the same voice that had called out to her at the airport.

*Fuck you,* she had said to the faceless dark figure. She would rather perish a child of the light than be a servant of the dark. But for all her bravado, Suzanne Summers was afraid.

No, she was not afraid. She was terrified. She did not want to die.

She had seldom thought of dying, death had always struck her as the least of life’s worries. But that was before the black mist.

*This is so unfair*, she thought to herself, scrubbing her skin till they were raw and red. Then she shook her head furiously. *Get a hold of yourself Suzanne Summers! This is not the time for self-pity!*

Taking slow deep breaths, she tried to calm herself by humming a song, it was an old lullaby that her mother used to sing to her. She had been very young then, so she could not recall the lyrics, but the melody of the lullaby was reassuring to her, bringing back some fond memories of her mother before she had left.

And as she hummed the lullaby, she began to relax and allowed herself to enjoy the splashes of hot water streaming down her naked body. She looked at the bathroom tiles as the shower rained on her and admired the cascading rainbow that bounced off the wall.

What a beautiful rainbow, she thought, closing her eyes. And at that very moment, the words to the lullaby suddenly all came rushing back to her;

*Walk on a rainbow trail*

*Walk on a trail of song*

*And all about you will be beauty*

*There is a way out*

*Of every dark mist*

*Over a rainbow trail.*

Her eyes snapped open.

*There is a way out of every dark mist over a rainbow trail….*




***

Outside the bathroom door, Tom paced back and forth, one hand rubbing his chin and the other clenched in his side pocket.

*Should I go down on one knee? *he wondered, stopping in front of the bathroom door.

*No, no, no*, he shook his head and continued pacing. *Too cliché.*

*Maybe I should just throw her the box and get her to open it herself?*

He rolled his eyes and smacked himself on the head. *Seriously?*

Then he sighed and plonked himself onto the bed, his weight causing the mattress to sink slightly under him. He knew this was not the right time for a proposal, but he didn’t want to wait any longer.

Today could be their last day for all he knew.  

Just then, the bathroom door opened and out stepped Suzanne. She was breathtakingly beautiful; even with her black arm she still looked like an angel to Tom. With her wet locks hanging loosely over her shoulders and nothing but a towel wrapped around her, she appeared was very sensual too.

Tom sat up straight and cleared his throat.

“Hey beautiful, “ he croaked. *Damnit, I sound like Hermit the frog!*

Suzanne smiled at him, “Hey yourself.”

Tom had never felt so nervous before in his entire life, not even when he had to present his paper at Princeton in front of the late Stephen Hawkings a few years back. He stood up and walked over to her, and from his pocket, he pulled out a small but beautiful velvet ring box.

Suzanne’s eyes widened with realization at what he was about to do. She had not expected this, not at all.

He stopped right in front of her and went down on one knee, surprising her.

She giggled nervously.

Tom opened the box and looked up at Suzanne, “Suzanne, will you…”

“Dinner’s ready!” the twins popped their heads into the bedroom, flashing their brightest smiles. They had not bothered to knock., but upon seeing both Tom and Suzanne, an ‘O’ formed in their mouths.

They smiled awkwardly, this was a bad time, “Ignore us, carry on.” The door slammed shut with a bang.

Tom looked at Suzanne and they both broke into a laugh, he got up, took the ring and gently slipped it onto her finger anyway.

“You’re mine now, so you better stay with me till we both grow old and grey, you hear that Suzanne Summers?” he said, his eyes looking straight at her. His words were light but Suzanne could feel the weight of his words; he was begging her to stay alive.

She looked at the gold band on her left hand, it was simple and beautiful, just like Tom’s love. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he embraced her, pulling her closer to him.

“I love you, Tom Banks,” she whispered, her head tucked neatly under his chin as he stroked her locks.

At her words, he looked down, cupped her chin in his hand and lifted her head to meet his gaze.

His eyes darted between hers before focusing on her lips, then he shifted forwards and pressed his lips against hers. He slid one hand up to the side of her neck, resting it behind her ear, gently massaging her earlobes as he deepened his kiss before pulling back.

“I love you too Suzanne Summers.”
COME TO ME
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