by J. Clarice
But there they were sitting side by side. One, the gasoline, and the other, the flame. An explosion waiting to happen.
“I’m going with you,” Cain broke the silence but didn’t face Scarlett. She knew those words were coming. Either that or he simply would’ve accompanied them without saying anything.
“I don’t know what you expect me to say,” she truthfully responded. Her shoulders sagged as she took in the grey plains they were an hour from crossing.
“You don’t need to say anything. Just sit with me.”
Her heart melted at Cain’s words, and a pressure built in the back of her eyes. Scarlett couldn’t refuse the urge to glance at him. He leaned back on his arms, and at the tilt of his head, she reverted her gaze.
Together they sat in silence. Who knew they’d end up like this? Certainly not them.
A few minutes passed before the others behind them began to rustle, signaling the final stretch to complete their mission. Putting an end to their moment, Scarlett rose from her spot and returned to her people as they gathered their weapons with hardened faces.
“We’re embarking on a historical journey, people,” Raxon announced as he carried a pack on his shoulders. It didn’t take a genius to know what was inside. They didn’t even want to question him. “Most would label this step as too soon into our relationship, but you’re all going to meet my father.”
Jayden clenched her jaw as Raxon winked her way. She ignored his poke and moved to stand beside Scarlett. “I can’t fucking wait till this is all over,” she whispered.
“You, me, and everyone else,” Scarlett responded.
“Crossing the plains is not going to be an easy task,” Cain announced as he stood at the opening of the cave.
“Well, well, brother. You are coming along after all.”
Not bothering to entertain Raxon, Cain continued. “Others have tried crossing. They never made it very far or were never heard from again. From the moment we leave this cave, keep a wide barrier of power surrounding you at all times. Whoever is at the front and back of the group will be in charge of holding a wider barrier to encircle everyone.”
No one said anything as they took in his instructions. They neared the entrance of the cave, facing the grey flatlands of the Nether Realm.
Grey flowed from Cain’s palm and wrapped around him like a sheet. He stepped out from the cave, and everyone held their breath.
“Don’t just stare, let’s go,” Raxon pushed as he followed his brother. Red circled him as he walked beside Cain. Scarlett followed with a black barrier. It was thin enough for her to see through and watch over the others.
Trevor was the last to leave the cave, and his dark blue power spread from the back of the group until it mixed with Cain’s, which started from the front. A wall of mingling blue and grey surrounded them as they began their trek into the grey vastness. From any distance, they stuck out like sore thumbs, the color of their powers and armor erasing any chance of blending in.
“Why do Nightmares look different here?” Jasper was the first to ask the many questions that ran through their minds.
“They’re in their dream forms. In Ever Realm, they’re banned from being able to trick a Dreamer with their disguises,” Cain replied.
“A waste in my opinion,” Raxon countered. “My people, stuck to not being able to access their full potential in their true home.”
“They were checked for a reason,” Jayden snapped. “If they’d been let to roam free, even you wouldn’t have been able to control for as long as you did.”
Raxon scoffed. “They willingly followed my rule, and I did enough damage to prove that to you.”
Jayden took a step toward him, and Scarlett gave her a warning look. No fights amongst them could happen while they entered a killing field.
“Enough,” Cain clipped at Raxon. “It was for the best that Nightmares be kept in order, it was either that, or they’d been killed off.”
“Even that wouldn’t have been possible.”
Heads turned toward Scarlett when she blurted the words. She spoke her thoughts aloud and bit the edge of her lips. “Nightmares are simple reminders of the horrors that could occur but aren’t real, at least to most of those on Earth. It allows them to know that it can’t be rainbows for everybody. There needs to be that presence of fear to drive them.”
“She’s right,” Jude broke the silent thoughts following Scarlett’s view. “That balance of darkness and light need to be present. One without the other would only result in a restlessness that’d lead to chaos.”
“But no one’s keeping them in check right now. Why aren’t they terrorizing those left?”
“There’s no need for them to terrorize the rest of the Dreamers at this point, but the ones that would be feeling the difference are the people on Earth,” Scarlett grimly answered Jasper. “They would notice the more frequent Nightmares they’re getting. Night terrors would be taking most of their sleep. For some – the few latched onto by the Nightmares that’d been locked up – those people are dying.”
“That’s fucked,” Jasper lowly whispered while averting his glare to Raxon.
He wasn’t the only one thinking it. They all hated that the very reason they were embarking on this journey was walking beside them. Without a care in the world too.
Despite how aloof Raxon acted, he had been the King of the Dark Realm for years, all the while keeping his reign hidden. The reminder was enough to bring back Scarlett’s doubts and nerves. He may not be stronger than them all, but he had smarts, and that outweighed all else.
A zap from the back of the group made everyone jump. The smell of burned rotten flesh reached their noses, and a familiar parasitic mouth laid on the ground before Trevor.
“What the hell is that?” Jayden questioned as they stopped their pursuit and inspected the Nightmare.
“Veiled parasite,” Cain answered. “Their skin is what we use to become invisible.”
The parasite lay singed and still on the ground with only part of its body visible. It had two muscled limbs like the legs of an ostrich attached to a torso. Its tunneled mouth partially hidden behind its veil.
“It was looking for a meal and met an unfortunate fate,” Raxon apathetically said. “Let’s keep –”
Trevor shushed him. “Do you guys feel that?”
Everyone stilled.
Jasper opened his mouth when a rumble vibrated through their feet. It was constant and grew more potent by the second.
“What the –?” Cain cut himself off as he lifted his head and found the sight of his answer. A line of dust headed their way, and flashes of legs popped from thin air.
‘Holy shit.’
They realized what it was, at once.
The hoard of veiled parasites was moving at an unbeatable speed, and they wouldn’t have the chance to move out of the way.
“Stand your ground!” Cain didn’t have to say it twice.
At once, they each erected a wall of their power into the shape of an arrow. Bracing for the creature’s impact, they huddled together and dug their feet into the ground. The pounding of feet neared and swallowed all other noise.
The impact of the hoard rattled their shields. It held firm as it seared the skin of the Nightmares. The time maintaining their stance felt endless before it began to trickle and thin.
As the last veiled parasite ran into their barrier, Scarlett stood from her spot behind Jude. She voiced the thing that ran through all their minds. “They didn’t even attack us.”
They were running.
From what?
Scarlett kept her eyes on the vast area in front of them. They were about a quarter of the way to the mountains and hadn’t encountered a single thing.
That’s because the thing hadn’t been home. Holes on the side of the hills opened as if alerted their owner was home.
As the dust from the creatures' stampede settled, the outline of a figure came into Scarlett’s view. It walked a few more steps befo
re blurring, stretching, and coming into focus.
Scarlett’s breath left her lungs as her eyes settled on someone she thought she’d never see again.
Her mother.
Scarlett’s heart wrenched as she stared into her mother’s honey brown eyes.
“Mom?” she lightly called as her throat tightened.
What was she doing there? How did she get into the Nether Realm?
The questions flurried through Scarlett’s mind like a hurricane. Everyone was muted as her sole focus was her mother.
“Why Scarlett?” Cher questioned. “How could you let me die?”
Scarlett was barely able to breathe as pain clawed through her chest. “I didn’t let you die,” her voice cracked. “I tried to save you.”
Her mother’s features locked as anger flashed through her eyes. “You lie to Ever Realm, you lie to your friends, and you lie to yourself. You didn’t try to save anybody.”
With each word, Cher stepped closer. “Your father died because of you! If he hadn’t been distracted, he would still be here!”
Scarlett stood, unbelieving at the words thrown at her face. It shredded her insides.
“Please…,” she broke. “I tried. I really did.”
“You’re a disappointment. It should’ve been you that died. Not your father, not Jenna, and not me,” Cher snarled as she broke into a sprint. As her mother grew closer, Scarlett couldn’t move, even when she was six feet away. Even when she rammed into her and threw her a great distance.
Scarlett landed on her back and the wind knocked from her chest. As she tried to breathe, her limbs wouldn’t move. With a paralyzed mind, Scarlett could only watch as her mother neared.
“I’m going to enjoy tearing you to shreds, you pathetic –”
A grey dart flew above Scarlett’s face and embodied itself into her mother’s abdomen.
Her eyes widened in horror but quickly changed to confusion as black muck dripped and spread from the wound. The image of Cher glitched and what shone through slapped Scarlett like a brick wall.
With no eyes, nose, or visible ears, its head homed a wide hole like a mouth. Its leathery skin was tight and translucent. Grey wisps swirled in its chest – the screams of its victims. The thing had arms and legs, but in place of its hands and feet were long bloodied sharp pegs. Excellent for running, but fighting, not so much.
“It’s not real!”
The voice took a second to register in Scarlett’s ears. She closed her eyes, and a jarring headache set in.
‘It’s not real.’
Opening her eyes, her angry mother faded to show the monster she briefly laid eyes on. As if knowing she could see its proper form, it shot forward with its pegged limbs. Scarlett rolled out of the creature’s way as its leg stabbed through the area she’d been lying on.
Scrambling to her feet, Scarlett sent a wave of power at the monster as rage seared through her.
‘It wasn’t real.’
The thing’s body locked and shook as the shocks fried its insides. As it flopped to the ground, Scarlett laid eyes on her team, and each faced a creature of their own. The grey figure zipped around and broke them from their trances while striking where they could.
“Follow me!” the person yelled as they bolted toward a small hill. The rest followed as the creatures pounded behind them. Scarlett occasionally shot flares to slow them down, but their limbs were perfect for traveling through the sand.
Their grey savior ran until they slipped and disappeared. Jayden, the one closest, hesitated before following suit. One by one, they cleared the plains and Scarlett could feel the creatures nearing as she fell behind. She pushed her legs, but running had never been her strong suit.
Arms wrapped around her torso, and she was hoisted against a warm body. Long legs covered more distance than she ever could, and they raced ahead. Scarlett wrapped her arms around Cain’s neck as she fired at the Nightmares behind. They slid down a tunnel, and gravity left as the grey turned to black.
The creatures clicked with their open mouths and circled the hole they all disappeared into. They knew their pursuit came to an end.
Scarlett allowed herself to grip onto Cain. Despite her pounding heart from their near death, her body ached. She mentally cursed as she squeezed her eyes shut.
They reached the end of their slide and landed with a thump. Without wasting a second, Scarlett removed herself from his embrace and cleared her throat. She glanced around to find the others strangely quiet.
They all sported heaving chests with glazed eyes.
“What… What just happened?” Jude shakily asked. Everyone glanced at each other only to quickly avert their eyes. No one even noted Raxon’s state. For the first time, the former king had no quick-witted response. His muscles were locked, and he couldn’t control the panic that assailed him.
“It’ll take some time to get over it, but what you thought you saw wasn’t real,” a muffled voice cautioned from the darkened end of the underground cave. “Those things are Nether Wraiths, one of the worst kind of Nightmares. The strong ones that can access your greatest fears and lure you into its death grip.”
Cain cleared his dry throat. “Who are you?”
“You don’t want to know who I am.”
With a shaken mind, Cain took the answer. “Why save us?”
“Because you reminded me of something dear I once had. I could’ve left you all to die for all I cared,” the muffled voice strained. “But something compelled me not to, and here we are. You will need to regroup yourselves. This cave is safe from the horrors above ground; roam as you wish. Simply call out when you need me.”
“Wait,” Cain called as he lightly shot his power in their direction. It lit the start of another tunnel but their savior no longer there.
She could’ve left them to die.
She’d be lying if she didn’t admit that a tiny, tiny part of her did want to.
To easily turn her back on them as they did to her.
But hearing her voice… it broke through the wall she put up, like a knife through softened butter.
The Nether Wraiths had them all in their clutches. Had she been there a second later, they’d all be done for. Those nasty things weren’t the most dangerous of Nightmares, but they were pretty damn close.
They’d poke at a sensitive topic and weaken the sense of their prey until their mind turned to mush. Then, they’d get close and latch on with their vacuum mouths. Fighting wasn’t their strong suit, which led to their target being the strongest and weakest part of a being, the mind. The Nightmares could sniff a fresh soul from miles away and set on their journey. The only reason she’d gotten free of their grasp was that they tried picking at a fresh wound.
She regretted a lot of things and hadn’t made the best of choices. But that would be something she has to live with. It’s why she was bound to that hellish Realm in the first place.
This could be her chance to amend things and get back the family she lost.
A slim one.
But a chance, nonetheless.
Everyone huddled in their little corner.
They each saw something.
Scarlett went around to make sure they were all okay and only got a tight-lipped smile with pained eyes. They weren’t.
Knowing it wasn’t real sent only an ounce of relief through Scarlett. In reality, the Nightmare had been right. She let her family down.
If she hadn’t distracted her father, he could’ve deflected the strike that slid through his torso. If she had been stronger, she could’ve pushed her mother through the portal without another thought. If she’d been closer to her sister, she wouldn’t have confided in Ren’s word. If she hadn’t gone through her gate, none of it would’ve happened.
Her family would be alive and well. Ever Realm would still be trickling down, but they would’ve figured out another way to get more Dreamers through. Her father and mother wouldn’t have stopped until they
did.
“Don’t think that way.”
The comment caught Scarlett off guard, and she looked over her shoulder to find Cain.
“The bond. You left it open.”
‘Of course, he would know. Mine isn’t nearly as close to being shut off like his.’
Scarlett suppressed the urge to roll her eyes.
“I felt that too.”
“Cain, if that’s all you came here to say, then your presence isn’t wanted,” she snapped as she lifted from the wall. Jayden’s eyes shot to Scarlett, who shook her head. She’d be fine.
Leaving the room, Scarlett decided to explore the cave. She didn’t have to turn around to know he was following her. The tunnel went for a while before it came to a smaller shelter. They entered to find it void of anything.
Scarlett turned to exit when Cain blocked her way.
“I’m not in the mood,” she gritted out.
“You’re never going to be,” Cain stepped into the room. “Which is why you’re going to hear me out.”
Scarlett didn’t move as he neared. She crossed her arms. “You don’t need to say your part; your actions have said enough.”
He didn’t know why he was trying.
Scratch that, he sure as hell did.
He owed his partner an apology. He wanted her back, and even he wasn’t strong enough to hide that fact anymore. He lied and hurt her in a way he never thought possible.
Cain could feel the pain, guilt, and regret that flooded Scarlett’s system. It poisoned her, and he knew better than anybody what that poison was capable of.
He owed it to her, he owed it to himself, and he owed it to his mother to try and better things.
Her thin and pale face burned the back of his eyelids. With every blink, she yelled, cursed, and threw things at him. He knew it wasn’t her, but that didn’t help any either. Those monsters brought to light the one fucking thing he regretted.