Chapter 03: Supernova

It was straight out of a nightmare.

Agonizing wails and cries for help from all around her saturated Sookie’s ears and mind. The mental agony from the humans, the torment of the mortally wounded who just wanted to die to end the pain of dismembered limbs, pushed her to the brink where she wanted to die herself.

It was unbearable!

It was pure torture!

It was not what a human could remotely dream to live through. Sookie wanted to get up but she was paralyzed, pinned on the spot by the weight of the suffering around her. Her own conscience was drowning in the grief, to the point where she could not separate the pain around her from herself, and that pain became her own.

~~

When Sookie raised the alarm, it took Eric only a third of a second to reach her and another half a second to grasp and carry her to his office at the back of the bar. That happened to be his first response. In the next second, as surprised as he felt for having put the girl above the need to catch and stop the pathetic bomber, he was more frustrated with himself for having forgotten to even think about Pam, his child! He had barely made to the office when a huge explosion shook the building. He put the unconscious girl on the couch of his office and turned to see the whole front of the establishment ravaged with broken debris, smoke and flame. Eric knew how dangerous the fire could be for him but he could not leave Pam in pain. And Pam was in great pain. The area around Eric’s throne was the worst damaged. If he was sitting there two seconds ago, he would have met his true death today.

Pam had somehow ducked behind the platform with the throne as soon as the smell of explosive hit her, but her back was burnt. Eric could hardly walk because of the pain coming through their maker-child blood bond. But he didn’t pay heed to the pain. Right now, Pam needed him and his long years had taught him to master pain. He found his barely conscious progeny, bit into his wrist and held her mouth to his blood, to start the healing. With his free hand he brought out his cell phone and dialed 911.

As soon as Eric turned his back, Bill slipped into Eric’s office.

~~

Sookie was trapped inside a dark chasm within her. She ran, she screamed, she hid, but she could not shut out the cries for help. It was by far the darkest moment of her whole existence and she was fast loosing hope. Round and round she stumbled, looking for an opening, frantically searching for even a grain of light to guide her. Every particle of her being was being doused in the misery of those around her. She could feel calls from all around her…calls that just had to be answered. She stumbled again and this time, her body refused to get up. Mentally, she felt as paralyzed as she physically was at that time. No, the running would solve no purpose. She had to think of something. She took a moment and collected her thoughts. As if waiting for her to reach out, something started to glow ahead of her, a soft and gentle glow. A small flicker of hope made her rise again and start towards the glow. The glow surrounded her now and bathed her wounds from the chasm. Slowly, the glow she had walked into, started sticking to her body and she saw it channel and flow all over herself in a million estuaries.

~~

Pam’s burns started to heal and Eric started feeling relieved. Around him, everything was still chaotic. There was heavy smoke everywhere. Vampires didn’t need to breath but even he could feel the hot soot and smoke up his nose. He knew a lot of humans wouldn’t make it. He heard the fire truck sirens from a distance and put that matter away for the time being. Whatever humans had a chance would be tended to by the paramedics.

~~

Sookie was baffled and fascinated by the strange light enveloping her. Where had it come from? Who was sending it? Why was it coming to her in her hour of need? Was it already within her? Whatever it was, was warming, strengthening and calming her. She relaxed and gave into the sensation.

~~

Bill had run towards the back of the building the moment Sookie had shrieked the warning about the bomb. He knew he had to save himself first and if he did that, he could easily save Sookie through his blood. This was a good chance to give her his blood to tie her up to himself. So when Eric suddenly appeared and carried Sookie to safety he felt angry and bitter for the interference of the sheriff with his pet. No matter…even if she didn’t need healing, Bill decided to try and coax her to drink his blood. He entered the office and was immediately relieved to find her unconscious. Quickly, he bit into his wrist and forced it into her slack mouth.

As soon as the forced blood touched Sookie’s tongue, Bill was savagely thrown back from the unconscious girl with an unnatural force. The force came in the guise of a light so bright that it burned away Bill’s eyes before he could close them.

Eric was still kneeling by Pam, when the second explosion hit him with the force of a thousand sledge hammers. He was knocked over, stunned and paralyzed. Dazedly, he realized there was no heat this time. He opened his eyes and the whole room was burning anew with a bright incandescent light. Slowly he sat up again and looked around for the source.

Fucking hell! Why is my office shining like a fucking supernova!

~

When the firefighters doused the fire and finally broke in an entry into the building, there was a pin drop silence around them. People were sitting, standing and lying around, in a deep relaxing sleep. But as lord be their witness, even if the blast had not left one inch inside the building coherent, no one, living or undead, had a single scratch on their bodies. No one, except a comatose young girl with blonde hair and a vampire with burnt eyes.