Souls

by Kahilah Harry

  They seemed to form from the rocks themselves somehow. One of the faster creatures made it to our side and leaped into the air at Rita, long talons extending from its hands. Rita yelled and jumped in the air as well, twirling her weapon in front of her, slicing the creature in half. She landed back on the ground, two chunks of blackened flesh dropping to the ground behind her, oozing an orange substance.

  I let out an ew softly as the orange substance turned into black goo, solidifying into the mountain.

  “Don’t let them touch your skin for any longer than five seconds, it will burn!” Dmitri yelled out as he punched a creature.

  “Got it!” Dax yelled back as he leaped into the air and kicked a creature in the face.

  I grounded myself and put my thumb on the lighter’s cap, ready for a creature to come my way, yet none did. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

  Axel grabbed one by the throat when it leaped in the air and slammed it into the ground, shooting it three times in the skull. Black and orange skin flew in his face, but it didn’t seem to bother him at all as he wiped it off with his forearm.

  The feeling of wanting to gag was prominent, yet I held back, knowing that if I gagged, I would definitely throw up. I heard Dax yell excitedly, and I turned my attention to him as three creatures sprinted his way. He rose in the air atop a pillar of rocks as he raised his arms, controlling the pace. A creature launched itself at him and reared its head back to spit a ball of black goo at him. Dax exclaimed and threw an arm out, a rock colliding with the ball.

  He raised both arms, making more pillars appear, and ran across them expertly, launching himself into the air. Dax turned, faced the thing following him, and yelled, lifting his arms and clapping his hands together. The beast was crushed between two flat rocks. As he landed, the two other creatures tried to attack him, but Dmitri appeared out of nowhere, grabbing both by the neck and smashing them into the ground. There was a sickening crunch that made me cringe as black and orange oozed from them as well.

  “Thanks, man,” Dax said as he stepped down from his pillars.

  Dmitri nodded and patted him on the back encouragingly. All of the others were breathing hard, eyes darting around to make sure they were all good so far. Dmitri’s eyes landed on me, and I gave him a thumbs up, showing I was fine. He nodded.

  We prepared ourselves for the next wave. The fire creatures came in waves, and each time the team sliced, shot, and crushed each of them. One of the creatures slowed when it made its way to our side, head turned my way. It ran at me, its growls filling the air, and my breathing picked up. I flipped the cap up, and the lighter rumbled in my hand. It shot a few feet in the air and expanded, turning into a black staff with pure fire pulsing around it. I leaped up and grabbed it, slicing the creature. The smell of charcoal filled my nose.

  I felt at one with the staff, a certain familiarity that gave me newfound courage. I was ready to take these creatures on. I charged at them and stabbed and sliced, leaping up to catch the ones that tried to attack my team from behind.

  Out of nowhere, I was hit in the chest, and my staff fell from my hand as I hit the ground, pain igniting in my side. I sucked in a breath and clutched my chest, trying to get up. I came face to face with a fire creature.

  It took its time, walking slowly as it sniffed me. It looked smaller than the other creatures and just as ugly, but it was still bigger than me. Its hot breath fanned over my face as it panted. It didn’t have eyes. The only things on its face were two large holes that expanded and contracted rapidly. Its skin was scalier up close, the orange grooves glowing bright and swimming within itself quickly. I realized it was moving to its own heartbeat. I tried not to breathe, hoping it wouldn’t notice me and would just walk away. That proved to be more challenging than I thought.

  When it became too hard to hold in my breath, I slowly exhaled, as low as possible, without alerting the creature. It didn’t work. The creature snarled, its mouth opening, and black goo flew all around me.

  The creature swiped at me. I barely dodged in time, and I dove arms first through the narrow space between its legs. The rough ground scraped my hands and arms. On the other side, I snatched up my staff, prepared to destroy it, but more creatures swarmed around me.

  “Meadow!” Dmitri yelled and appeared in front of me.

  A squelching sound reached my ears, making me shudder. He yanked his arm backward, and his hand dripped with black and orange goo as he squeezed it tightly. The creature fell and melted into the ground. I shoved my staff into more of the creatures, but it wasn’t enough. They kept coming. I let out a slow breath, clutching my staff with both hands, the heat radiating off of it flowed through my veins. It filled me up, and I closed my eyes as the pressure grew in my chest, traveling to my head. I had to let go. My eyes snapped open. The scream that left my mouth echoed, and I slammed my staff into the ground, fire leaving the staff to engulf the fire creatures. As I screamed, the wind whipped at me, helping carry my voice to the origin of the fire creatures. Once the pressure was gone from my chest and head, I closed my mouth, my body going limp from exertion, and I slumped to my knees. Sweat rolled down my face, and I heard whispers from my team.

  “Mutatio.” The word rolled off my tongue naturally, and my staff became the lighter once again.

  “Whoa. How the hell did she do that? I thought this was her human form. There’s no way she should’ve been able to wield that staff.” Axel was the first to speak, and I got up from the ground. I looked up, and they were all staring at me in awe. Dmitri was the only one who had a soft smile on his face.

  “It seems the closer we get to retrieving her memories, the more her true self comes forth. It was just a theory I had, which is why I gave her the staff. Seems I was right,” Dmitri hummed in satisfaction.

  I smiled at his explanation. That was insane. It was like I had no control over myself while fighting. Like my body knew what to do. I gave the lighter one more glance before pocketing it. Now I could adequately defend myself.

  “Let’s get going, guys. It’s getting dark, and we need to find a place to rest.” Dmitri grabbed his pack and started walking. I grabbed mine and followed him, my mood boosted from the fight. I was giddy and itching for another. We quickly found a cave and got settled. The sound of packs dropping to the ground echoed off the walls, and I heard some water dripping deeper in the cave.

  Dax let out a tired yell, collapsing to the ground. “Ah, I am so worn out. I don’t think I’ve exerted this much energy in years. That was actually really fun,” he said, fatigue evident in his voice.

  “Dax, that was not fun at all. We could’ve died out there, and for what? I’m not looking forward to what’s coming next,” Rita grumbled, sinking to the ground beside Dax, who rolled his eyes.

  “You’re always a buzzkill. You know you wouldn’t ever pass up an opportunity like this.” A yawn escaped Dax’s mouth after his statement, and he smacked his lips during the process.

  “I have to agree with Dax here,” Axel chimed in, dropping onto the other side of Dax and stretching out his limbs. “This was the most fun I’ve had in years.” He clicked his tongue at Rita, earning himself a middle finger from her. He chuckled and blew her a kiss, and she turned red.

  I agreed with Dax as well. That was really fun. I smiled at their playfulness, even though it made me a little sad. That was the type of relationship I once had with Caspian. But not anymore. I slid down to the cave floor, trying not to think of it much or else I would stay in this sucky mood.

  “Guys, remember we only have five hours to sleep and regain strength for more fighting tomorrow. We may not have to fight, but we always have to be prepared,” Dmitri reminded us.

  Everyone murmured in agreement and started rummaging around in their packs for their sleeping bags. I dug mine out as well, expanding it. This time, I kept an eye on Dmitri while I got ready for bed to see what he did this time. He sat down at the mouth of the cave again.

  Why does he do that? Was he trying to be
on the lookout even though the caves were supposed to be safe? Was he not able to fall asleep? Did he get sleep in between watching outside the cave? So many more questions ran through my mind and wouldn’t stop. I needed some answers. Pushing my thoughts aside, I got into my sleeping bag and laid down as if I were going to sleep like the others. I waited until everyone was asleep before peering over at Dmitri.

  He was still at the entrance, in the same position. I quietly got out of my sleeping bag and picked it up, dragging it with me to where he was sitting. I gently placed it next to him and got comfortable inside of it again, this time sitting up. There was no moon in the sky tonight, so there wasn’t any light shining to see clearly. But he still had a frown on his face, probably not happy that I was beside him.

  “Now is not the time, Meadow. You need to get some sleep like the others,” he finally spoke, staring straight ahead.

  “What about you? Don’t you need some rest as well?” I countered, scooting closer to him so that I wouldn’t have to speak loudly.

  “I’m not tired,” he responded simply.

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Well, neither am I. Looks like we’re both going to be sitting here, staring at the sky.” I shuffled a little bit to get comfortable.

  His jaw ticked, and he inhaled deeply. “Please go to sleep.” He tried to tell me nicely, but I didn’t pay him any mind. I was on a mission for answers and wasn’t going to sleep until I got some.

  “I want to know why you’re sitting at the mouth of the cave like you were at the last one,” I spoke in almost a whisper.

  He finally looked at me, a look of mild surprise on his face. “You saw me?” He asked, eyes scanning my face.

  “Yes. I was going to say something to you then, but you looked like you didn’t want to be bothered and I was tired, so I decided not to.”

  He grunted, staring straight ahead again. A few minutes of silence passed, and I contemplated whether or not to ask him another question. I mean, the worst that could happen was that he wouldn’t answer, which I expected anyway.

  “Why are you always frowning?” I blurted the question, clenching my teeth in anticipation as I watched his reaction.

  His body tensed for a second before relaxing again. He turned his head to me, eyes piercing mine. He laughed dryly and shook his head, staring at his lap. I didn’t rush him, giving him time to gather his thoughts. He looked lost in them, different emotions passing on his face. A few more seconds went by, and he finally sighed, looking up and staring ahead. “My life used to be amazing. My childhood was filled with so much love and happiness. I wouldn’t have asked for it to be any other way.” He leaned on his legs that he had pulled up to his chest. “It was almost perfect. My life didn’t start going downhill until I was fifteen, an adult in everyone’s eyes. My parents were killed, and suddenly, I was orphaned, with no sense of direction in life.”

  I gasped softly. His eyes were filled with pain, and I was beginning to regret being so nosy and almost forcing him to answer my questions. “I am so sorry about your parents,” I said softly, looking down awkwardly at my hands, not knowing what to do in this situation.

  “It was a very long time ago,” he responded. His accent reminded me I had never asked him where he was from. Since he was already telling me about himself, I didn’t think asking him where he was from was too bad, right?

  “If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from? I’ve been trying to figure it out, but can’t quite put my finger on it.” I asked him.

  He seemed to relax at my question. “I am originally from Gralatia, a country between Greece and Turkey, but I was mostly raised in Macedonia.”

  “That makes sense,” I replied, getting lost in my own thoughts. We were silent for a little bit, but it was a comfortable silence. I tried to think of him as a little kid growing up in Greece, but it was hard. I needed pictures to visualize.

  “Would you like me to continue the story, or is that good enough for you?” Dmitri asked, looking me directly in my eyes.

  “I would like you to continue the story, please, if you don’t mind,” I answered, and he smiled softly.

  “As I said, I was young and had no sense of direction. I didn’t know what to do with my life. I felt like I had no purpose. So, I decided to join the army, thinking it would help me find my purpose. How, I have no idea. I was just so sure it would help me.” He paused, looking down at his hands, fiddling with his thumbs. “Joining was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever made. We were treated like slaves. We weren’t shown any respect, and I started losing more of myself, not that I had much to begin with. People I made friendships with died right in front of me.” His voice got softer the more he spoke, so I placed my hand over his to comfort him.

  That was the only thing I knew how to do in sad situations. A hug, a gentle touch, anything to let the other person know that I was there for them. To my surprise, he gave me a grateful smile and placed his other hand on top of mine, sandwiching my hand between both of his.

  “What happened after the war? What did you do?” I asked as a prompt so that he wouldn’t just stop talking about it. This was already way more than I thought he would tell me, and I didn’t want the moment to leave just yet.

  “After the war, I was even more lost than I was before joining it. I didn’t know where to go from there until someone approached me to join a group. A brotherhood called The Comitye.” He paused again and looked at me, a strange look in his eyes. I didn’t know what emotion that was and had a feeling I didn’t really want to know either. “The Comitye was advertised as a brotherhood where everyone helped each other out and grow together. I jumped on it so quickly. The idea of being surrounded by people who would help lift my spirits sounded better than winning the lottery.” He chuckled dryly and shook his head, his cheek expanding as he pressed his tongue against it. “At first, it seemed legit, and I thought I was helping people…until I realized what was really going on.”

  My eyes were wide as I ate this story up. He has been through so much. No wonder he was the way he was. I saw him as a trooper for surviving.

  “What was happening? Was it that bad?” I wanted him to finish the story.

  He twisted his lips and glanced around the cave, seeing that the others were still sleeping. I glanced back myself to make sure that no one else was up. I wanted this to be exclusive to just me and him.

  He continued, “I was being used to create an army, along with many others. We were changing humans into young, and what we didn’t know was that anyone who didn’t complete the transition was being killed. After discovering what they were doing, I became defiant and started going against everything they stood for. Instead of killing people, I started saving them. Once The Comitye found out what I was doing, I was punished. Tortured because I was saving innocent people. After months, I finally escaped with the help of Axel and Dax. I wouldn’t have been able to get out without them. I am forever indebted to them for saving my life.”

  I poked my bottom lip out, looking back at the sleeping forms. I didn’t know they all knew each other for that long. “So, that’s the reason why you frown all the time.” I mocked myself, now understanding.

  “I tried to find happiness again. Some light at the end of the tunnel, but it was hard to make connections with anyone. I even lost my best friend because I didn’t want anyone in danger of being pursued by The Comitye because of me.” He sighed after finishing his sentence, sliding his legs down.

  My hand fell from his, and I put it back in my lap. I noticed his breathing was heavier than usual and looked at his chest as it rose and fell. The fact that he was still here, trying to help people and use his abilities for good, warmed my heart.

  “Now do you think it’s a good time for you to sleep? Because I do,” he commented casually, making me laugh softly.

  “I guess it is. Will you be getting any sleep?” I asked, finally looking at his face.

  He shrugged. “We’ll see.” He turned his head lazily, giving me a
crooked smile.

  I shook my head, laughing, and got up to drag my sleeping bag back to its original spot. Sliding back into it, I got comfortable and gave Dmitri one last glance before trying to sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about Dmitri and his story. I wondered if I already knew this story, and telling me again was weird for him.

  But the way he was telling me, it didn’t seem like something he was repeating. He rarely spoke about this, I decided, and was grateful that he shared it with me. I stared at the cave ceiling, different thoughts flying through my mind. What if I had gone through something like that, but because I didn’t have those memories, it wasn’t affecting how I was as a person? Was I always bubbly and happy, or was I more like Dmitri, reserved and frowning all the time?

  What if… getting my memories back wasn’t a good thing?

  21

  The sun was shining bright in the red-inked sky on this new day, beating on my exposed skin. A total contrast to the rainy weather we experienced the day before. I expected it to be as hectic as the day before, but nothing happened for the first three hours. Not a growl or snarl, or even a little hiss. Those hours were slow, the entire time being spent on the lookout for the path blinking and making sure no one was sneaking up on us. They reminded me of Caspian and Victor being able to track us because of something Dmitri did. I wasn’t entirely sure what he did because he didn’t explain it well enough for me.

  Dmitri hadn’t even given me as much as a glance so far. The only good thing that had happened was that I was able to get a little bath in that morning from the spring I found inside the cave. The water was pretty warm, and I only needed a few minutes to get clean. I changed into a brown long-sleeved shirt and black cargo pants that I found at the bottom of my pack.