CHAPTER 59: SUPERNATURAL
Jason supports Iva’s broken neck while holding a cloth against her head to maintain the bleeding. Jessica is carrying her midsection and Eric has her legs. Jason carefully backs into Olivia’s apartment. Margie, Olivia, Kenya, David, Sharon, and Charles are following behind them. Everyone is filled with overwhelming fear and sorrow.
"Hurry, bring her to me,” Olivia orders them urgently.
Kenya grabs the couch pillows and tosses them to the floor and Olivia sinks into the cushions.
"Bring her here,” Olivia orders again, reaching her nervous hands into the air.
They carry Iva’s body into the living area and lower her, ever so gently, across Olivia's lap. Olivia is holding Iva’s upper body close like a newborn. The back of her head is resting on her forearm and her face is resting against Olivia’s chest. Iva’s arm is dangling lifelessly at her side.
“Let’s see what we’re dealing with here,” David urges Olivia.
Olivia uses her free hand to reach over and gently lift the cloth from the side of her head. With an anxious hand, Olivia uses the red cloth to carefully part the dampen hair. She quickly turns away and shuts her eyes tightly when see notices blood oozing from an open wound.
You can hear everyone’s breath leave their lungs when she unveils the deep wound.
“Jesus Christ,” David says in an aching voice. “She’s been hit hard by some kind of....blunt object. Her skull is literally split open. I don’t have the tools or men to treat her here. Her brain is swelling.”
“Here spirit isn't present with her body,” Olivia announces.
“Oh shit,” Eric says while turning away and gripping his hair tightly.
She lowers the cloth over the wound and David backs away, shamefully. Olivia breathes out deeply through her nose. The others are standing over Olivia, watching her comfort Iva with their sore eyes and burning throats.
“Give her space,” Kenya cries from behind.
Everyone sluggishly backs away, yet still watching diligently. Suddenly, her body goes into another violent tremor. Olivia holds Iva closer and reaches over her body to maintain control of her wailing arm.
“Come on, baby girl,” Olivia cries into her ear as she wrestles her dying body. “Don’t give up on me yet.”
She keeps her grip locked until her body stops trembling.
“Come on, child,” she speaks in a low voice into Iva’s ear.
Iva's body jumps hard again so Olivia tightens her hold. She waits for the episode to finish before loosening her seize. She looks deeply into Iva’s partially opened eyes, witnessing her life slipping away. Olivia begins to rock gently back and forth on the couch to comfort her.
"Come back to us child,” she says while sobbing.
She looks at the others as she struggles to revive her body.
"She has gone too far. It won't work,” she cries out with a broken heart.
Kenya collapses back into an armchair, unable to stand anymore. Iva’s body jumps again and Olivia pulls her close to help calm the spasm. A moment later, the episode ceases. She looks down at Iva again with tears pouring down her big cheeks, and leans her mouth close to Iva’s bleeding ear.
"Iva, if you are in there somewhere…" she takes a moment to swallow. “…this is your family. We are all here for you. You must come back to us.”
Everyone in the room begins to sob and cry as they watch their friend fight with her last dying breath. Her body wails again and Olivia holds her down. Then the seizure stops shortly after.
"Why isn’t it working?" Jessica asks.
Once again, her body goes into a hard uncontrollable seizure. Olivia tries her best to hold her down but her body is too wild.
“Someone help me,” Olivia cries out for help.
Jason comes over and kneels down to help control her trembling body. He closes his eyes, not willing to see her in such pain. She breaks into another episode, but this one is weaker than the previous ones. Her wailing body starts to calm and her breathing follows.
“I can’t feel her spirit,” Olivia cries out.
“She's lost too much blood, we’re losing her,” David explains. “Sharon…” he calls out to his wife.
“Adrenaline shot?” she asks him.
“Yeah, hurry,” he urges her.
Sharon digs into her purse with a shaky hand and pulls out a black box. Inside are various needles and jars. She fills a syringe as fast as she can and hands it to her husband. David hurries over and applies the dose to Iva’s shoulder. He then backs away.
"Iva,” Olivia calls to her again, still there’s nothing but void over her eyes.
Her breathing comes to a stop and her feet stops kicking. A long quiet pause comes over the entire room.
"Child…” Olivia calls to her.
She looks down into Iva’s hallow, lifeless, stare. Jason is still holding her body down firmly. Olivia places a gentle hand upon Jason’s shoulder and he gazes up at her.
“Let go, Courage. She’s gone child. She’s gone,” Olivia whispers to him.
Jason looks into Iva’s face with profound confusion and sadness. A moment later, he begins to hyperventilate.
“But this…she can’t be…” he mutters and can’t complete his sentence.
Olivia looks up at everyone with a deep sorrow.
“She’s gone,” she tells them all.
They can’t respond, only stare in disbelief. Olivia puts her hand onto Iva’s forehead and slides her palm down her face; closing her eyelids.
"It…" Olivia takes a pause to stop her words from trembling. "It was too late.”
"This is my fault,” Jason cries out. “She was with me.”
Jessica comes to Jason, collapsing on the floor, and comforts him with a hug. Eric comes behind his sister and places a hand on her shoulder to soothe her. Maria walks behind Eric. Together, they all mourn deeply for their friend.
“This is my fault, this is my fault…” Jason chants lowly to himself.
Olivia looks down into Iva’s bruised face and shakes her head.
"”This is not our fault. They did this,” she replies.
She removes the strands of hair from Iva’s face and brushes them back. She then looks over at Kenya.
"Shiva, we have to call it in,” Olivia tells Kenya.
Kenya slowly rises to her feet and nods to Olivia weakly. She walks across the living room and picks up the cordless phone. Everyone remains frozen as they hear the dial tone. Kenya presses three numbers and puts the phone to her ear.
“Someone, bring me a blanket to cover her body,” Olivia whispers. “You two...help me lift her up.”
Jason supports her neck and Eric slides his hands underneath her legs. Together, they lift her body into the air. Olivia stands to her feet, supporting Iva’s back, and gazing at her one last time.
"Hold on. I feel something,” Olivia states.
Out of nowhere, a gust of wind comes through the window and knocks a picture off her wall. Papers are blown into the air. Just like a thief in the night, the wind comes in and leaves quickly. Suddenly, Olivia’s face goes blank as the life force from her body is being transferred.
"Oh my God…" Jessica mutters underneath her breath, pointing at the floor.
Margie grabs Charles shoulder, seeking his attention. Before Kenya speaks to the operator, she drops the phone onto the carpet. You can hear the operator saying hello repeatedly through the phone. Eric, although he’s still crying, begins to smile. The blood on the floor rises and returns to Iva’s skull and the red bruises on her face fades away.
Iva takes in a huge breath. Olivia then becomes very weak. Her hands drop dead at her sides and her eyes roll backward. Her body falls sideways, but Charles catches her before she falls onto the floor. Jason rubs his hands through Iva’s hair, realizing it’s completely dry. He places his ear against her chest and listens to her heartbeat.
"She brought her back,” he says lowly.
He looks over his shoulder at everyone, who is staring back at him; bug-eyed and breathless.
“She brought her back,” Jason tells them in a higher volume.
They begin to cry again but not with sorrow, yet with tears of joy…