Grey Dawn

by K L Rymer

  There are little words to describe it, but I must not lose focus. I need to find Crystal.

  She’s somewhere amongst all these stars, and a foolish part of me hopes that if I hone in on the brightest, I will find her.

  No one shone like Crystal after all. The brightest star in the sky.

  The lights giggle, and I roll my eyes. “What’s so funny now?”

  “You’re really sweet when you want to be, Eli. Just my kind of man.”

  It’s my admirer again, and I exhale. “You’re too much at times, you know that?”

  “Not as much as you, Mister Romantic!”

  They laugh louder, and I just wish they’d drop me into the nearest black hole. I’ve had enough.

  “I preferred you all when you looked like supermodels,” I gripe, and they pretend to drop me once again.

  My heart hammers as I keep my eyes on a bright light ahead. It’s a giant star.

  Finally, we’ve reached our destination.

  Everything turns white, and then we pass through a pristine heavenly sky.

  “Where are we now?”

  “You’ll see.”

  I shake my head, spotting that tall green mountain peak below my feet. It reaches up to the atmosphere, overlooking the landscape.

  We descend towards the summit, and then the lights drop me onto the fresh grass, and I land on my back.

  They could be gentle at least. I am but a vulnerable human after all, and I bruise like a peach.

  The air tastes so crisp and fresh up in the clouds, and I don’t even get hypoxia from the high altitude. But I have just travelled through the realm of space and time, so what else is new? So I lie back and gaze up at the azure sky.

  The sun gleams down on my face, and I close my eyes, wishing I could stay this way a while longer, but I must go on.

  I saw a glimpse of the ruined city on the other side of the hill. My next destination.

  Hopefully, it will lead me to Crystal.

  I hear giggles next and peer up.

  I’m surrounded by supermodels again as they sit on the grass beside me, and I smile.

  Now this is heaven.

  “Get up, sleepy head. Your next destination waits,” the foxy redhead says, nudging my shoulder.

  “Just five more minutes,” I say, shutting my eyes, but then she tugs on my arm, and she’s not the only one. They all tug too, and soon I’m up on my feet again.

  “No, Eli. You have to get up,” my admirer tells me. “Crystal waits beyond in the city.”

  I peer into her sparkling blue eyes. “She does?”

  “Yes, but before you can be reunited, you must past the final test. Both of you,” the redhead says next.

  My heart pounds and I brush my hand through my hair. It falls over my face. Also, I have grass stains on my arse now.

  “Think you could all spruce me up again? Want to look my best now for my angel.”

  The redhead pulls out a small comb, and brushes my hair back. “There. Done.”

  I raise a brow. “That’s it? No mouth spray?”

  She shakes her head. “Where you’re going, Eli, the last thing you want is to smell like peppermint. Trust me...”

  I peer over the horizon. The city skyscrapers stretch across the land like giant, pointed needles, and I shiver.

  Somewhere, my angel’s in there, and I dread to think of the horrors she’s seeing.

  “What a shithole,” I say. “Why would Crystal be in a place like this? She’s one of the good ones.”

  I can hear the anger rising in my voice, but I rein it in, trying to keep my cool.

  “It’s the city of Lost Souls, Eli. It’s a testing ground to assess the soul’s resistance to temptation before they move on. Many never make it out.”

  My blood simmers and I step closer to the redhead. My glowing red eyes reflect in her big hazel ones. “Who sent her here?”

  She sighs, shaking her head. “It wasn’t us, Eli. All souls have their unique guide. Whoever brought her here obviously had a good enough reason.”

  “It better be, because if anything happens to her...”

  She places a polished finger to my lips, and I stare at her aghast. Most wouldn’t dare touch my face, but she’s not like most people. She’s beyond human.

  “Go down and find her. That is your next task. No point in arguing up here.”

  I narrow my eyes, never looking away from her hazel ones. She raises a brow, as if asking me to challenge her further, and I pull away.

  My admirer comes up to me next, wrapping her arms around my shoulders. Then another hugs me from behind, and I’m soon surrounded by supermodels again.

  Nothing new for me, but I wish I could stay this way. They’re all so warm, and it sure beats whatever shit’s waiting for me down in Craphole City.

  “We believe in you, Eli. We know you’ll find your sweet angel again,” my admirer says, squeezing me tighter.

  I roll my eyes. Just any excuse to get closer to me, but then I think about Crystal, all alone and frightened, and I set my sights on that concrete jungle, moving off.

  “That’s the spirit, Eli!”

  “Go and find Crystal!”

  “Oh, he looks so hot!”

  I march down the hill, finding a stone footpath that leads to the city. They soon stop calling, but I don’t look back, having only one goal on my mind.

  I just hope I make it through the city alive. If it’s as bad as they say, temptation will greet me on every corner.

  Smog soon fills the air, and I cough, trying to see my way through the haze. Next, I trip on something soft, and I hear a small groan, but I don’t bother to check what it was.

  By long I’m treading through a pile of rubbish, and I panic when I see all the dirt.

  Fuck, now this is hell (The Devil’s got me right where he wants me).

  There are old banana peels and used shitty nappies. At one point I think I spy an old syringe, yet I wade through all the shit, eager to get to my princess.

  For Crystal, I will do it.

  Soon I find myself on dirty tarmac, peering around a misty street. Neon signs dazzle every building, promising “Girls”, “Strippers,” and “Free Booze”, and I chuckle.

  Do they really think they can tempt me so easily? That old Eli is dead and gone.

  There’s only one girl I want naked on my lap, and I start to make my way to her.

  There are prostitutes prowling the streets, looking for their next thrill. Like moths to a flame, they jump at me at once, tempting me for a good time.

  I’ve got no cash anyway, but it doesn’t stop them trying. One pushes me back against a grimy wall, raking her long, garish nails down my chest. Then she stops at my package, and releases a high-pitched cackle.

  “Ooh, we’ve got a big one,” she purrs, batting an ugly pair of pink feather eyelashes, and I push her away.

  Her breath smells like a toilet.

  “Aw, come back,” they all cry in unison, but I press on, never feeling so dirtied and violated.

  Fuck this city. I hate it already. There are gangs of knife-yielding thugs, and just like the prostitutes, they surround me, asking for my money.

  They won’t take no for an answer, so I have no other choice but to fight them.

  Before long there’s a pile of bodies lying on the street as I gasp for breath, wiping the blood from my face.

  It’s not my blood, don’t worry.

  Demonic red eyes stare straight back at me when I meet my reflection in a window, and I curse this city.

  I really didn’t want to use my powers, but it was the only way.

  I’m too pretty for this city, and thank god I’d forgone the peppermint mouth spray. I’d have stuck out like a sore thumb.

  My heart sinks when I think about Crystal all alone in this gruesome place, and now I growl, punching a hole through the window.

  Wait till I get my hands on whoever decided to send her here.

  She was pure; she should have had a first-class
ticket to heaven. This place was for corrupt souls, like me.

  People avoid me now as I keep my demonic eyes on display, a warning to anyone who even tries it with me.

  A gunshot echoes behind me, and people scream, but I carry on. Even when I find a man bleeding on the street, I step over him and continue.

  Cars crash into buildings, and it’s no wonder. The roads signs make no sense, arrows pointing in all directions, and I shake my head.

  There’s just no order to this place whatsoever. Everyone just does what they want.

  I hear a small ‘psst’ from inside an alleyway, then gasp when I lay eyes on that ragged child.

  Shit. They’ve got kids here too?

  She stares up at me with the biggest, shiniest eyes, and my heart clenches. It’s one thing to bump into a destitute adult, but a child? It makes my chest hurt.

  She probably wants food or something, but I have no money. Just the clothes on my back.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have anything for you,” I apologise, pulling away before her glassy eyes shatter me to pieces, but then she grabs my hand.

  I gaze down into her small, dirty face again. A shame. She’s cute too, despite the ragged appearance. In fact, she kind of looks like a child version of me, but female. The same jet black hair and grey eyes. Odd.

  She drags me along, and my heart thumps when I step into the dark, shadowy mouth of an alleyway.

  I’m too afraid to go on, wondering if I will be jumped by a group of starving orphans, but then one look into those shiny grey eyes, and I know the girl’s trying to help. Perhaps she’s leading me to Crystal.

  It’s wishful thinking, but I continue to let her haul me down the filthy alley.

  It smells of shit and piss, and I hold my breath. The girl doesn’t seem to be affected though as she drags me further, and soon her little legs pick up speed.

  We come to the end of the alleyway, and the child stops, pointing to a wall across the street.

  My heart clogs my throat when I spot that poster of Crystal.

  I found her.

  Laughing, I swoop down, pick up the child, and swing her around. Her smile lights up her whole face.

  “Thank you!” I cry, blessing this child who could only be sent from heaven.

  She doesn’t deserve to be in this rotten place.

  When I drop her back to her feet, she glows with a bright light, and her dirty, torn clothes vanish. A beautiful white dress takes their place, and now she disappears, leaving the squalor of the city behind forever.

  Helping me locate Crystal must have been her final test, and I wish her luck.

  With the child gone, I make my way across the street, staring up at the woman I love.

  My heart skips when I gaze upon her perfect blue eyes, placing a hand on her poster.

  She wears a stunning dress, and I read the words below her picture. “The beautiful Crystal White, the voice of an angel. Showing tonight at the Lost City Theatre for all eternity...”

  The acids burn in my stomach, and I search for an address on the poster, but I find none.

  Not to worry. I’ll find her sooner or later.

  A drunken teenager stumbles pass me next, swigging back a bottle of beer, and I grip a hold of his shoulders, gazing deep into his bloodshot eyes.

  His face whitens, and then he sobers up, crying like a little girl. “No... please... there’s still time. I... I don’t want to go to Hell!”

  “Shut up!” I yell, flashing my eyes, and then I look deeper into his soul. His memories play out before me. He died drinking and driving sometime in the 1980s by the looks of things (thought the mullet was a bit out of place), and a shiver runs down my spine.

  Shit. He’s been here that long? Now I’m more determined to find Crystal, so I thrall the teenage son of a bitch for all he’s worth.

  Crystal and I will not meet the same fate.

  “You will take me to The Lost City Theatre...”

  The boy’s face falls slack, and then he looks up like a zombie, leading the way. The beer drops from his hand, smashing to the floor, and its contents bleed across the pavement.

  The blood pumps hotter in my veins, and quickly I fix myself up. I smooth back my hair and fix my cravat. Then I check my breath.

  All good.

  Just as I take a step forward, I spot that bearded silhouette standing across the street.

  It definitely hadn’t been there five seconds ago.

  It takes me a moment to recognise him, but when I finally do, a growl reverberates deep in my chest.

  Lord Fucking White... So he finally kicked the bucket and ended up here, did he?

  If he thinks he’s getting anywhere near Crystal, then he’s got another thing coming.

  The bearded silhouette disappears into the alleyway, and I suck in a deep breath, following after him.

  14. Crystal

  My feet are shackled to the polished wooden floor of a stage, a red velvet curtain to the front of me.

  I’m about to sing to a live audience, just like I’d always dreamed since I was a little girl.

  Only I never dreamed it would be like this. As a slave to a wicked master.

  Be careful what you wish for they say.

  Mr Noface had tricked me, and I’d fallen for his cruel trap. And now I’m destined to sing for his sick entertainment for the rest of my eternal life. There was no escape. This truly was the end.

  I’ll never see Eli again.

  My heart aches when I think of my handsome demon, and then the tears roll from my eyes.

  How could I have thought that monster was him? Had I really been that desperate and pathetic? Just latching onto anything that so much as resembled him?

  He couldn’t look any more different to my Eli. For one, my prince’s eyes weren’t lifeless. They were always a beautiful, intense grey, piercing my essence.

  That monster was nothing more than a poor imitation, his eyes just as soulless as the woman who applies red rouge to my lips.

  It’s the fourth time she’s had to apply my makeup, but I don’t care. Crying means that I still have a soul, unlike her.

  I will not become like the soulless people out on the street. I will get out of these chains and find Eli.

  I flinch as a set of footsteps creeps towards me, staring at me as if I’m the most disgusting thing in the world.

  “Leave us, Gerta.”

  At his order, Gerta disappears into the shadows, and now it’s just me and my new master.

  He still speaks in Eli’s voice, and my blood boils. How dare he soil my memory of him.

  Next, he reaches his hand across and grips my chin, forcing me to look at him, but I keep my eyes on his shirt.

  “Look at me.”

  I refuse to look, and he squeezes my chin. The bone crushes beneath.

  “I said, look...”

  I meet those stone-like eyes. He still wears Eli’s face, knowing full well it pains me. The mouth and jawline are the same, and it’s torture to see something so like him. Real, real torture, and more tears gush from my eyes.

  “Don’t cry. You will ruin your makeup,” he says, brushing a thumb over my red lips.

  It smudges even further, but he doesn’t stop, and I shiver under his touch. He opens my mouth and I gag, pulling away.

  I’ve never felt dirtier in all my life.

  “Simply beautiful...” he breathes. “I see what the demon sees in you now.”

  He leans down and kisses me next, and my eyes snap open when his vile taste invades me. I push him away, my body glowing with a heat, and the shackles burn my flesh. I yelp, withdrawing.

  The cold iron is designed to supress heavenly power after all. Now I can’t even so much as defend myself against this beast.

  He chuckles, wiping away the red that stains his lips. “You can’t defeat me, little angel. You’re mine now. Free for me to do whatever I please.”

  His fingers grasp my hair as he holds my face up, breathing me in. “So beautiful... I can’t w
ait to hear you sing. Your heavenly pipes will be making me a fortune for the rest of eternity.”

  He releases me next and sweeps away, leaving me alone on stage. My tears run like rivers now, and I wipe my eyes, wishing I’d never come to this vile city.

  Greta appears once again, dabbing my face of tears, then re-applies my makeup for the hundredth time.

  Finally, she manages to finish and holds up a mirror, and a beautiful woman stares back at me.

  I really do look like a heavenly creature. I’m covered in a long, white flowing gown as tiny crystals pepper my golden hair. They’re real too, and I blink when they catch the light.

  I’m breath-taking.

  Greta leaves, and then a voice booms across the theatre, and my heart bangs in my chest.

  It’s starting...

  A dark silhouette appears to the right of the stage, and I glance at my master. I don’t see his face but I know what message he’s trying to convey.

  If I even dare mess this up, an even worse fate than eternal slavery awaits me. I gulp, gasping for breath.

  “Ladies and gentlemen. Give a round of applause for the beautiful Crystal White, the voice of an angel!”

  The curtain parts and I freeze up like a deer when that bright light shines down on me.

  Everything’s silent. I can’t see the crowd as the stage lights blind me, and I start to sweat, my mouth dry.

  At some point or other I’m supposed to sing, but I can’t get my words out. They’re stuck in my throat, and now the memory of every horrible audition I’ve had flashes through my mind, and I become that shy little mouse again.

  I hear people cough in the crowd as I feel their eyes. My heart beats so loud, it’s visible in my chest, and I start to shake.

  “Uh-hum.”

  My head snaps to the right. My master’s patience’s wearing thin. If I don’t hurry up and sing, I will be destined for a far worse fate.

  The room starts to spin, and I sway on the spot, losing focus.

  I think of Eli next, envisioning myself kissing his tender lips, and slowly, I start to sing. It starts off small, like a long, pealing bell, but then it rises and soon the room’s filled with the sound of my voice.