Heart-Shaped Locket

Aarons Point of View.

With careful movements, Aaron chips away at the rough cavern wall. After searching for so long, guided by nothing more than a legend, he was finally so close to what he had been searching for. The Locket. Though thought to be a myth, and nothing more than a tale, those who knew of the validity of the legend had searched for years hoping to find the subject of the tall tale. Those in the right circles knew of its power and had been hunting for decades to find it and take its power as their own. As the son of a professor, he had always been ensnared by the story… and his father's quest to find it. Finally here, in this moment, he would have what so many had searched for, what his father had died for. Any minute now, his search would end. He has to remind himself of patience as his hand slips and a rather large piece of rock tumbles to the cavern floor, echoing loudly.

Chink. Chink. Chink.

At first, he thought his father's bedtime story was just that, a story, but as he grew, he realized his father didn’t share his sentiments. He was bewitched by the legend. Ensnared by its promise of power and all the other things magic fictional stories tell you. Enthralled as his father was, he would go on long quests. Journeys to find this fabled heart shaped locket of unknown, but great power. He began doubting his father's sanity. His grasp of reality as he searched endlessly for this magic locket. What kind of person would believe in magical jewelry from children’s stories? Those that held such powers of both beauty and destruction. Powers unknown and untouched for eons, as the legend goes. It wasn’t until he walked into his father's study one day, returned from university, that he started to believe. His father, absent most of his childhood and thought as crazed, was slumped over his desk, dead from a gunshot wound to the chest. His father was well known for his quests. Quests for the locket and whatever power it held. It was then he started to question the story and its truth. Question whether his father was right. He began where his sire had left off. He found his notes and journals. Found his maps and his contacts. Aaron immersed himself in his search and lost his very self in the process. Pushed by his father's memory and his own guilt, he dedicated himself to the search. It was for this his father lost his life. It was for this he lost his father. It was for this that he lost everything he knew and held to be true. It was in those dark days, hounded by memories of his father but always spurring himself on to the next clue, that he found her. Deven.

She was his salvation. His safe place when things got too dark or overwhelming. She was why he was out here doing all of this. As he paced himself so the fatigue wouldn’t set in too soon, he continued to think about her in her hospital bed. All frail and weak. The color that drained from her once beautiful tanned skin. She looked like a corpse with her hair tangled in mats. Like it hadn't seen a brush in a decade. The thought of her looking like that was almost too much to bear for him.

Chink. Chink. Chink.

'Almost there. This has to be the spot. All the evidence points here. Patience is a virtue,' he had to keep reminding himself. Sweat poured from his brow as he continued to hack away at the large rock wall before him. His long reddish hair clung to his face and neck, evidence that he had been here for hours. His muscles in his neck, back, arms, and chest were crying out for relief, but he didn’t care. He would not stop until he found it.

Chink. Chink. Thud.

His eyes grew wide and his heart quickened as he tossed the pickaxe to the side and used his hands to remove the remainder of the debris in his way. It was then he pulled the box away from the rubble. With careful movements, he slowly set the box on a nearby table that held a lantern for light. He studied the box and noticed strange markings in a language he had never seen before. The box was made of a pale white wood with golden markings and patterns. The symbols looked as if they were burned into the box, as if to keep time itself from fading its eerie message. He smoothed his hands over the top before gently opening the lid to reveal its inner secrets.

That was when his dream faded out and he was woken up by a twig snapping in half. He quickly glanced around the little camp he crafted for her. When he realized he didn’t notice her lying beside him snoozing soundlessly, the panic started to set in once again.

“Deven!” He whispered through clenched teeth.

No answer. He quickly jumped to his feet and almost stumbled on his boots he had beside the makeshift bed. His eyes darted from one side of the small clearing but he still couldn’t see her.

Worry driving him, he ran as quietly as he could to search for her. Through the trees he saw a small stream of running water. Next to it folded up ever so neatly were her clothes.

“Deven!” he called again.

“I'm here. Did I wake you?” He saw the confusion and worry evident on her face as his eyes finally fell to her. She looked much healthier now. Her blue hair was now flowing down her back in the pools of waves she normally wore it at. Even through the darkness he could still see the faint glimmer of light that radiated from the locket he gave her. It was the only thing that kept her alive.

“You can’t keep wandering off. This new world is very dangerous. You know that. I thought something bad happened to you. And if something did happen, it would have been my fault. I can’t lose you. You know this.”

“I know. And I'm sorry. I just wanted to freshen up a bit. With our daily routine it's hard to have the time. Not to mention a source of clean water. Plus, you’ve been so stressed out lately, I didn’t want to burden you.” She responded after chewing on her lip.

He didn’t say anything, just pulled her closer to him. He could feel the warmth the locket gave through his shirt. At least the cursed thing is working to keep her alive. He thought as he breathed her in. He let out a sigh of relief at the same time a single tear escaped from the corner of his eye.

After holding her close for what seemed like ages, he released her and kept watch while she finished up. Hand in hand they walked back to their camp site and settled back down. Soon after, she drifted to sleep. Too awake with the worry he felt earlier, he couldn’t fall back asleep. So instead, he pulled her close and let his mind wander to that day. The day the apocalypse happened. He could never forget how it happened. Or why.

Two days prior.

He walked quickly through the white halls of the hospital, almost running. He clutched the box ever so closely to his person. So close it almost hurt. To passerby, it looked as if he had a get-well gift for someone special. He preferred to keep it that way. If anyone found out that he had the artifact, and the power it held, she would be in a constant state of danger. That he could not allow. He would save her, and protect her, no matter the cost.

“Excuse me.” He said to each person blocking his path. Weaving through the bystanders in the halls he finally made it to her room. He immediately drank in the sight of her. She had dark circles under her eyes, just below the long lashes that kissed at her cheeks. Her skin was void of all color, almost sheet white. Her full lips were splitting and cracked. How he longed for her to open her emerald green eyes and smile up at him as they had a few months ago.

He placed the box beside her bed after shutting and locking the door. He needed complete and total privacy for this to work. Ever so gently, he opened the lid to the box and removed the Locket. For a moment, he wondered what was inside, yet he quickly pushed the thought aside and placed it around her neck. Carefully connecting the clasp.

Nothing happened.

He could hear the sound of blood pulsing through his ears as the worry set in. 'Why is this damned thing not working!?' He cupped her face with his hands and watched very closely. Hoping and praying that this wasn’t just a tale. That is when the burst of white light filled the room. Confused, he looked down and saw the light was coming from the small diamond at the center of the golden heart-shaped locket. 'PLEASE!' The light flickered a few times then faded to a warm glow. As he looked back to her face, he noticed the color had returned, her lips were once again smooth, and the dark circles were gone. Yet her eyes were still closed. Still in a coma.

Anger took over as he backed away from her bed and almost lifeless body. He was afraid of hurting her. He began to pace the room with a fierceness that would scare a convict. He wanted to yell and scream. To bloody his fists on anything. It didn’t matter to him. That was when he heard it. So soft and angel-like, he almost didn’t hear it.

“Aaron?”

Deven’s Point of View

She opened her eyes, was almost blinded by the light. She had to blink a few times so they could adjust. She heard the faint sound of beeping and sobbing. Letting her eyes wander around the room she first saw where the beeping had come from. Monitors that were connected to her person by cords and IV’s. She saw a TV mounted on a wall above a white board that had her doctors and nurses' names on them. Although she couldn’t quite make them out yet as the room was still a bit blurry. Then her eyes landed on the source of the quiet sobs, there he stood with his hands over his face. Immediately she felt her heart flutter as it had each time she saw him before.

“Aaron.” She called out his name and saw him turn around. As he rushed over, she saw his tear-stained cheeks coupled with the biggest smile she’s ever seen on him. “What happened?”

He gave her a quick rundown of the past few months. What he found and what it meant. She listened to his story quietly. As he finished up, she heard a small voice. One that sounded much like her own. Open it. Let it out.

Confused, she looked down and noticed the locket nestled between her breasts. She picked it up as if in a trance. She felt Aaron watching her closely, he said something to her but she couldn’t make out the words. All she could do was open the locket. So, she did.

And that is when everything went black.