by Tiffany King
I sank to my knees, all the fight leaving me.
Mark had not only thrown our love away, but he had left us at the mercy of his father. Sobs wracked my body as my soul searched in vain for its missing Link. I welcomed my approaching death. I may have been created to survive a broken link, but I did not want to live without him. I felt awful for my friends and wished they could have been spared, but I was done.
I could feel the Daemons pressing in on us as they prepared to gleefully follow through with their orders. I did not look up, having no desire to see the death blow, but prayed only that it would be swift. Lynn pulled on my arm, trying to drag me back with her, but I shook her off. I wished for her sake that she and Sam would have used their gift and fled from the building, but I knew that they would never willingly leave their loved ones behind. I no longer fell in the same category. I no longer had a beloved or anything else.
My inner torment was put to an end when one of the Daemons above me took offense to my bowed head. Grabbing me by a handful of hair he dragged me to my feet until my toes barely grazed the lush carpet beneath them. My head burned and I could feel my hair giving way at the roots as they were pulled painfully from my scalp. Looking into the Demonic eyes of the beast that dangled me in the air, all thoughts of giving up were cast away as anger engulfed me. They had come in here, killed my friends and took the very essence of my soul. I would not let them kill anyone else without a fight.
I closed my eyes, attempting to connect with the soul of the Daemon. I saw nothing but darkness. No images, no pictures, just vast nothingness. I didn't care, though. I wasn't looking for a soul to save. I projected every negative emotion I could think of: anger, hate, deceit, vengeance. Suddenly, a great wall of fire appeared in my mind, rushing toward me like a unstoppable force.
My eyes were opened as the Daemon released me, dropping to the floor, gasping for air. It wasn't just him. The six remaining Daemons struggled on the ground, grasping their throats in search of the air that was quickly leaving their bodies. With no strength left to fight, they laid in a heap on the floor, unconscious.
Robert and Lynn rushed to my side just as my own legs collapsed from under me.
"Krista!" Lynn yelled. "Robert help her!"
I could barely make out anything that was being said. The only thoughts I had were of Mark. He couldn't really be gone, not the man I have loved my entire life. Sounds echoed through my ears making me want to cover them, but every ounce of energy was gone from me as I curled up in a ball on the floor. I could hear Sam comforting Shawn, but I could only stare at them with blind eyes as my soul threatened to collapse. I was not strong enough to handle this. I could not live without my Protector.
I could hear another voice from far off as Sam and Shawn's faces drifted away and Haniel's replaced them. Vaguely I realized the annoying sound was coming from me. Haniel knelt beside me and clasped my hands firmly in his. His face disappeared in a haze as I finally allowed the tears I had been holding back. I could feel the warmth of Haniel's touch working to repair what was broken in me.
Epilogue
It took several days after the Daemon attack to finally be able to talk about what had happened, and take stock of the damage to our group. Shawn thankfully was okay, and only had a few broken ribs and a concussion from the blow to the head. Injuries among us was scattered between broken bones and cracked ribs. The deaths of Grace, Thomas, Faith, and Michael were a blow to our group and we all felt the loss of them greatly.
My loss of Mark was a taboo subject that no one brought up. Haniel's claim that Guides could survive without their Protector proved to be true, but I was unsure at what price. My soul no longer felt like my own, and I felt like a lost ship at sea.
Haniel took care of cleaning up the mess at Mark's house that we had left behind. None of us had stepped foot in there since that fateful night, nor did we have any inclination to do so. The house was now the very essence of evil to all of us.
The funeral for our lost friends was both heartbreaking as we met the rest of the Links and the children of our new friends. My heart wept when I held Timmy, Grace's and Thomas's sweet curly-haired toddler for the first time. He was the perfect mix of both of them, with a happy nature that made me smile sadly. He would never know how fabulous his parents were and just how much they had loved him.
Our new friends departed the day after the funeral to go home and recover from the rest of their injuries. Sam and I wept openly as we hugged Kieran and Jaime one last time.
"You're going to be okay," Kieran whispered to me, hugging me tightly. I nodded mutely. I had no choice but to be okay.
"We'll be back soon," Jaime promised, giving us one last hug before she scooped Timmy up in her arms.
"We'll see you soon," Shawn said to them as he slung an arm around my shoulder, lending me the strength he knew I needed.
The ride back from the airport was quiet, and I sensed my friends' eyes on me, but I kept my gaze firmly on the landscape we passed. I knew they didn't approve of today's destination, but I had fought them over it.
"I'm going with or without you," I finally said, and the battle ended there.
Shawn pulled the used Explorer that we had bought by pooling all our resources together after leaving Mark's new Navigator behind, into the crowded parking lot. I climbed out, looking at the bright lights of the amusement park in front of me. My friends thought it was a terrible idea to re-open my wounded heart by visiting our spot, but they were wrong. My wound hadn't scabbed over yet, it was just a gapping painful hole.
I needed to visit here.
I needed to walk on our beach or all of it would drag me under. I had nothing left of him. The dreams were gone and my soul fluttered around helplessly, searching for something that was no longer alive.
It was a constant battle for me to tamp the grief that threatened to take over the now vacant spot in my soul. Haniel had helped me overcome some of it so that I could survive the now broken Link, but it took everything in me to keep moving forward. My soul screamed at me to let it be and wanted nothing more than for me to curl up in a ball and waste away. Every fiber in me agreed with my broken soul, but only one thought kept me moving on. I would not let the bastard win by proving he was right, that our Links caused more harm than good.
Walking by the ticket booth, I passed the rides we had ridden so long ago without a sideways glance, as I headed for the steps that would deliver me to our beach. Bending down, I removed my sandals mechanically and descended the stairs slowly. Each step made my heart skip a beat. After what seemed like an eternity, I stood on our beach. A spot we had spent our short lifetimes on, together. Sinking to my knees, I felt the loss of him more painfully than ever before. My tears ran hot and fast and I sobbed for my lost love, but most of all, I sobbed for his lost soul.
Sam and Shawn joined me giving me, their strength, as my tears finally ran their course. They grasped my hands firmly in theirs after I had cried myself out, leading me away from our spot. Pausing, I looked back one last time. I grasped the necklace Mark had given me in my hand and studied the words delicately etched on it before I curled my fingers firmly around it. God's plan had backfired. We may have been created to save the forgotten souls, but what happens when one of our own becomes the most important forgotten soul of all.
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