Dearly Departed

by Katie May

  The man chuckles, leaning down close to her face. “You are in no position to give me orders, not yet. Soon, I will be yours to do with as you please. But until you come into your own, give in to your potential, I’m forced to take control of every fucking inch of your body.”

  He slides his hand under her sweatshirt, pushing it up, and my heart skips a beat.

  “Get your fucking hands off me, dammit!” she cries out, trying to jerk away as he squeezes her breast.

  “Fine,” he bites out, jerking his hand back “If you don’t want to play nice, we’ll do this the hard way. I was going to provoke you through lust, but if it’s wrath you crave, then so be it.”

  The asshole straightens, leaving the underside of her breasts uncovered by her shirt. I think he’s giving her a moment’s reprieve, but I’m fooled. The fucker pulls his hand back and connects his palm with the side of her face. Hadley’s head jerks, blood gushing from her split lip. He strikes out again, backhanding her this time. She cries out, her face already bruising, and swelling by the minute.

  “Is this what you want? My anger instead of my devotion?”

  “No,” she spits, blood flying from her lips, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I want you to fucking die!”

  “Not before I show you all you can be.” His hand slithers around her neck and squeezes. Hadley chokes, thrashing, desperate for air. Seeing her like this hurts so badly I think my heart might burst. “Let’s see how much you like it when I try to kill you, when I control your air as much as your body. My bet is you’ll show me your true colors.”

  Hadley’s face darkens, her cheeks reddening. Her movements grow less and less frequent until she lies unmoving on the table.

  “Let me serve you. Let me be with you… Us, together forever,” the creep whispers devoutly.

  As abruptly as it came, the vision vanishes, and I’m once again in the rafters of Serenity Cathedral with Karston. I feel gutted, torn apart, my heart barely beating in my fear for Hadley. I look over at my brother. Worry mars his features, his expression likely mimicking my own. After all, we’re identical.

  “Well? What did you see?” he asks impatiently.

  “We need to get back to the Academy. I’ll tell you on the way.” I summon my halo and grip on to Karston’s arm. Soon, we’re free falling through the sky, heading back to the Academy where I’ll have to relive those horrors. Where I’ll have to break his fucking heart and tell him the girl we adore might have taken her last breath.

  Chapter 31

  Braxton

  I’d bet my left wing she’s not in Hell. There is nothing down here that’s remotely white like the table in Auston’s vision, unless you count the white-hot flames that burn so fiercely it feels as if they might melt your eyeballs.

  But I’ll look.

  If there’s even a slight possibility that Hadley is down there, I’ll look. After spending the best moment of my life—or Afterlife, for that matter—with that girl, I’d go to the ends of the Earth to find her and ensure her safety.

  Tucking my wings in, I lower myself to the ground in front of the well in the cemetery. I peer down into the oblivion beyond, the swirling black vortex between me and Hell beckoning me. Not wanting to waste any time, I jump on in.

  Weightlessness engulfs me but only for a moment. I try and focus on that feeling, because anything is better than actually feeling my heart dying inside me at the thought of my sweet Hadley in the clutches of a deranged kidnapper. Doing Hell knows what to her. Hurting her. Touching her.

  I swear on my very soul that when I find them, I’ll kill them. And if they have harmed her, I will cut their fingers off one by one and shove them down their throats. Then, I’ll call on my fire and cook them alive while their screams play like music around me.

  Hell rises up quickly beneath my feet, and I loosen my legs as I plummet in preparation for landing. The heat hits me first, sweltering temperatures that most would find unbearable, but I don’t mind. As soon as I earned my ability to summon fire, the heat didn’t affect me like it used to.

  The corpses of the Hellhounds I killed alongside the other third years when Darren was injured have long since been eaten away by other monsters of the dark. Only a few hunks of burnt flesh and charred bone remain, littered across the rocky floor.

  I close my eyes and open my senses, hoping to hear or sense something out of place. But when I close my eyes, all I see is Hadley, her body stretched beautifully off that cave rock, the flush covering her skin when she came for me.

  Those thoughts quickly morph into something more sinister, more evil. The murderer who killed so many others throughout the past month has my girl. I guess a part of me should be grateful that he didn’t hang her or remove her essence like the rest of them. Maybe that means there’s still hope she will survive this.

  Then what exactly are his plans for her?

  There’s no doubt in my mind that there are two murderers. The body in that hidden morgue beneath the school was killed in a vastly different way than the corpse Hadley and I found swinging in the trees, making it clear there are two. The Darkness… and whoever the hell is hanging people. I suppose the most important question is: which one has my Hadley? The Darkness? Or a regular, everyday murderer? Neither one strikes fear in me, only the fact that they have my girl fuels my terror.

  Not picking up anything remotely helpful, I open my eyes and scan my surroundings. The same cavern as before greets me. The opening beyond still houses the giant wall of flames. If I head that way, I’ll go back to that massive wall with tunnels scattered on its face where those skittering, spider-like creatures attacked the other Demons and myself only a few weeks ago. Thankfully, the wound in my thigh has healed due to Afterlife super healing abilities, though Darren is still on the mend. Having your entire leg inside a monster is not something I’d recommend trying.

  Deciding I would never survive heading into those tunnels alone, I turn back towards the wall behind me and head through an auxiliary tunnel we searched during our second year. Beyond the dark walls is a lava canyon, the only place I could think of in Hell that might have anything that sounds like running water.

  As I make my way through the dark and narrow shaft, the light from the cavern dissipates. Not wanting to creep anywhere in Hell in darkness, I summon my flames. They ignite in my palm, lighting the way. I hold my hand up and illuminate the tunnel, allowing me to see any hint of glimmering eyes that might be watching me. When I’m not met with any lurking gazes, I’m almost disappointed. I’m very much looking forward to chopping heads off some bodies to alleviate this anger swirling around inside me.

  The heat increases, and my body responds, sweat making my skin tacky. I pull off my shirt and toss it behind me—no need for that here. Hell, I’d strip my pants off too if I wasn’t worried about some terrifying creatures biting my dick off.

  I like my dick.

  Light seeps through from the other end of the tunnel, and I know I’m getting close to the lava canyon. My feet speed up, anxiousness pouring through me at the thought that Had could be just on the other side. Maybe I’ve been stupid to think she’s not in Hell and the cost of my ignorance could be her life.

  Angry with myself, I run towards the end and burst through the opening into the lava canyon. I haven’t been back since my second year, but I find it just as overwhelming as the first time I saw it.

  There’s not just one word I can use to describe this place. Haunting, hot, and harrowing, the canyon is a matrix of interwoven lava rivers that descend out of fissures in the walls and surge out of the ground like fucking fountains. A main lava shaft sits high in a wall, on the far side of the canyon, spewing the molten rock from its maw and down into the canyon below.

  Sounds of the rapidly moving red liquid reach my ears. Crackling and popping as it rumbles around the narrow corners of the rivers, spewing over sharp turns. The rock in here burns bright white from its proximity to the heat, which is the reason I thought to look here in the first pl
ace. Craters litter the ground, making pools of lava that mimic stars as far as my eyes can see.

  Spreading my wings, I jump off the ledge and soar through the steam-filled canyons, looking for any sign of life. But through the veils of fog and rivers of lava, hissing as it flows under me, I see no signs of life. Not even the monsters of Hell come in here because there is nothing to sustain them.

  I decide to give the area another sweep when I notice something I didn’t see before.

  A person is standing at the entrance, perched on the ledge.

  “What the fuck?” I mutter to myself before veering off towards the ledge. I narrow my eyes and see a man holding a scythe above his head, the blade glowing a bright blue.

  “Preston?” I call, as I fly towards him.

  “Yeah, it’s me. Surprise!” He waves his weapon like a flagger at an airport as if I couldn’t see him.

  Fucking Preston.

  Beads of sweat pour down his face in droves, his white shirt wet from perspiration. His green eyes dart around, taking everything in.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I ask, landing softly beside him. “And where is Karston? Did you guys find anything on Earth?”

  “Whoa there, Brax. One question at a time.” He lowers his blade and runs his hand through his hair. With a sigh, he tells me, “No, we didn’t find anything. Not a trace of Hadley. I didn’t think we would though. Whoever has her wouldn’t have gone through portals to get her back to Earth.”

  “That’s what I think too,” I agree, retracting my leathery wings behind me. “There’s no way we're finding her down here. I mean, look at you. Already melting from all this heat. Only Demons can tolerate it for any length of time. And since the kidnapper hasn’t hung her in Auston’s vision like the rest of the victims—”

  “He obviously wants her alive,” Preston finishes for me.

  “But why?” The question has been plaguing me.

  “I don’t know, but I’m fucking grateful he does. She’s strong, she’ll fight for her life now just like she did on Earth,” Preston asserts.

  “I know she will, I’d expect nothing less from her.” I let out a mixture of a growl and a groan and brush my hair out of my eyes. “There’s nothing more to see down here. Let’s head back up and find the others.”

  Preston follows behind me as I maneuver back through the tunnel leading to the main cavern. I hear him mutter something behind me, and his blade lights up. It’s almost like he has magic, which I guess is pretty cool, but scary in Preston’s clumsy hands.

  Extending my arm, I call on my sword instead of my fire this time, wanting to be armed in case any rogue monsters find us. The tattoo on my forearm burns, then cools as the blade appears in my hand.

  Guess I kinda have magic of my own.

  A series of weird chitters float down the tunnel, like a bunch of birds talking to each other, only much more sinister.

  “Wha-What the fuck was that?” Preston stutters behind me.

  “I don’t know, but we’re about to find out.”

  I swirl my blade in my hand a few times then hold it up, gripping the hilt in both hands in case I need to attack.

  Another scurry of chitters flows down the tunnel, louder this time, confirming what I already knew—we’re not getting out of here without a fight.

  Igniting a fireball, I launch it down the shaft and into the cavern, causing the room to illuminate, but only for a moment. Dozens of dark figures stand idly inside. A high-pitched screech sounds as my fire hits a target, but my flames quickly die out and the room beyond once again becomes eerily silent.

  That’s when it dawns on me…

  “Preston, turn off your damn scythe.”

  “Like hell I will!” he snaps, holding the blade up higher.

  “No, you don’t understand,” I implore, dropping my voice to a whisper. “The creatures out there, I’ve encountered them once before. They’re drawn to bright light, so they have probably been following you since you entered Hell.”

  “What kind of Hell creatures are drawn to light?” he asks, snuffing his scythe.

  “They are Verniquins. And they’re vicious.”

  “And what the fuck are those?” His voice gets more high-pitched as fear sets in.

  Ignoring him, I continue, “The key with Verniquin is to be as silent as possible. If you move too loudly or quickly, they will hear you and attack. They have no visible eyes, relying on their sense of hearing to guide them.”

  “May I breathe?”

  “At your own peril,” I answer him honestly. “Now, the portal back to the Academy is going to be just beyond them. Fifty feet separates us from safety and finding Hadley. Please, Preston. I need you now more than ever not to be clumsy. Our lives are on the fucking line this time.”

  “I-I’ll try.” His voice shakes, and I know he’s forking his fingers through his hair like he always does when he’s nervous.

  “Okay. Follow me. If they startle, hold still and they will lose you.”

  “Just like Jurassic Park,” Preston mumbles. I ignore him and creep to the edge of the tunnel. The firepit beyond the cavern illuminates enough of the cave for me to see the Verniquin.

  Grotesque, distorted humanoid bodies come into view, hideous, gray, and hairless. Their limbs are bent at unnatural angles, and their heads are comprised of only a giant mouth, adorned by rows and rows of sharp fangs. They are disturbing, to say the least. There must be a hundred of them spread around the chamber, making our passage out very difficult.

  I can feel my brother shudder behind me. “Holy shit,” he whispers, getting his first glance at the creatures.

  “Mind their hands, Pres. Instead of fingers, they wield another set of jaws to bite their prey. And its body oozes a pus that bursts from boils along its skin. If any of the pus gets on you, it will eat away at you like acid until it creates a hole in your skin.”

  “That’s comforting,” he whispers sarcastically.

  “Just… remember what I said,” I say, my voice growing impatient. I don’t have time for his shit right now. “Slow and quiet.”

  “Okay.”

  “Follow my lead.” I keep my sword drawn but lower the blade, tucking it neatly beside my leg, and begin to move through the crowd of Verniquin. The first one stands about four feet in front of the opening.

  Careful where I place my feet, I slip into the cavern and press my back against the right wall. I slide down a few steps, allowing Preston to come in beside me. I can hear his panting, his anxiety getting the better of him, but I can’t try to calm him down or the monsters might hear me.

  I take a step forward, then dodge right. A Verniquin chitters from across the room, and I still, Preston freezing behind me with his hand on my back. When they don’t move to attack, I continue.

  I pass through a pair, having to turn sideways to avoid touching their displaced limbs. The slightest brush will set them off, a fallen eyelash or piece of hair, and they attack like piranhas. I’ve never been more grateful for the wall of flames and the noises it makes as it covers up Preston’s panting.

  Behind the pair Verniquin is a large space. I let out a silent breath when I successfully pass between them, then I turn and wait for Preston to maneuver through. He joins me and lets out an exhale that has me clenching my teeth.

  “Shut up,” I mouth, glaring at him. He simply shrugs in response, making me roll my eyes. Turning away from him, I gauge the distance to the portal. Twenty feet, maybe a bit more.

  We can do this.

  A cluster of them block my way, their lanky limbs outstretched to make moving around them impossible. I’ll have to go under their arms.

  I slowly sink to my knees, then crawl below the canopy of limbs. A pus-filled boil on the leg of the nearest Verniquin threatens to burst in my face. I turn a blind eye and force myself to keep moving quietly past them. I make it and let out an exhale, then stand back up and face Preston behind me. I watch as he crawls along the same path I took.

  Exc
ept his turn doesn’t go as smoothly.

  The boil on the Verniquin’s leg bursts, sending the acid-like pus squirting at Preston’s leg. He shrieks as the ooze starts searing his skin, and chaos ensues. I pull him to his feet as he’s trying to strip his pants off, and a Verniquin attacks, snapping jaws coming at us.

  Thinking fast, I swing my sword up and cut through its neck. The head goes flying off, and the body collapses. A few Verniquin attack the rolling head and we duck under a set of arms. One biting hand lands on my shoulder, ripping the skin from my body. Another digs into Preston’s side, causing him to scream in agony.

  “Preston, duck!” I shout as a gaping mouth descends where his head just was. I summon my fire and raise my sword. To my utter shock, the blade of my sword catches fire like a fucking flame thrower.

  With a shout, I thrust it into the Verniquin lunging at my brother. Its body ignites like it was comprised of gasoline. Screeching, limbs flailing, it runs around the room blindly. Any creature it touches bursts into flames alongside it.

  More chitters and screeching erupt as the Verniquins ignite like wildfire, their fang-filled jaws snapping at each other as well as us. Preston says something to his scythe, and it glows a bright green. He wields it over his head like a fucking light saber and slices it through the bellies of several Verniquin. They go down in a shrieking heap.

  “Come on!” I shout, motioning for him to follow me. I chop and stab, slaying my way through the monsters trying to attack us. Preston follows behind me, fighting with a ferocity I didn’t think he had.

  The portal looms up ahead.

  “We’re out of time, Pres!” I yell, grabbing his collar and hurling him towards the opening. As I jump behind him, a Verniquin launches itself at my legs. I feel the fangs on its hands sink into my ankle and I slice down, cutting off its arm just as the vortex swirls me back up to the Academy.

  Preston and I land with a thud, rolling onto our backs as we lay there side by side, panting and sweating. Me with no shirt and my brother with, well, no pants. I lift my leg and see my ankle, the jaws of the Verniquin’s hand still embedded into my boot. I pull it off and toss it aside before flopping back onto my back.