What Lies Beyond

by B. B. Palomo

  With the snap of his fingers, the lights went out, only his voice surrounding me. “Let the games begin.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Willow!”

  I shot up and out of Noah’s grip. My teeth still rattled with the force of his shaking. The sun had slipped behind the tree line, and Grammy had lit a fire in the middle of the unbroken circle. Mom watched from afar, holding her arms across her body for both warmth and comfort.

  I hurt. My muscles screamed in protest as I shifted on my butt.

  “How long have I been out?” I asked, but the lingering suspicion that I forgot something sat bitterly in the back of my throat.

  “A couple of hours.” He reached for me and quickly withdrew when I flinched from bruises that tenderly covered my skin. “I was really worried, but your grammy just kept telling us to wait. What happened?”

  “I don’t really know.” I kneaded the back of my neck, searching for the memories that were hidden behind the curtain. “I was standing here and then…” I reached for the pendant, needing to busy my hands, but came up short. I patted the spot like it would reappear before moving the action to the ground around me. “My necklace?” I looked up at Noah, who reached back, pulling the destroyed piece of jewelry from the ground. The strap had snapped into two, and the crystal cracked down the middle.

  Suddenly, it came back like someone had yanked the blinds open mid-afternoon.

  “Willow,” Noah called after me, confused as I took off toward Adira, who looked shell-shocked to see me standing at all. My hands bit into her shoulders as I looked up to check her eyes.

  “W-what’s wrong?” she asked. “Willow?”

  “How do you feel? Different?” I looked her up and down as if I could see his presence inside her, but the Adira I saw was the same I’d known for years. “Think!”

  “I feel fine.” She tried to break from my grip, but I only squeezed tighter. “Until now, let me go!”

  “I don’t understand,” I whispered, finally stepping back.

  “What’s wrong?” Grammy walked to my side.

  I ignored her. It didn’t make sense. Adira had been longing to see her aunt, and out of all of us was the most connected to Cora. She had every reason to be an easy target for something from the other world, yet I couldn’t tell the difference in her. Even as Grammy touched her cheek, checking on her, I never saw the realization of something being amiss flicker in her gaze like she’d seen in me previously. Did something happen? Maybe I’d exorcised him after all?

  “I-I think I did it.” I smiled at her, relief making me laugh. “I—”

  I stopped as his laugh erupted from behind me, sending the hairs on my neck shooting up. The sound shook the trees and demanded the living to run for their lives as the more intelligent animals took off in any direction but ours. I turned slowly, everyone else’s eyes already plastered behind me. I didn’t want to be scared, but my legs quivered, struggling to hold my weight.

  “N-no,” was all I could say when I saw it.

  Noah held his stomach, much like I’d done before, as murderous laughs brought tears to his eyes. His hair bounced with the motions, and if it wasn’t for the voice I knew didn’t belong to him, the humor would be contagious, bringing light to everything around him. Instead, black mist surrounded his body, vibrating like millions of gnats but never touching his skin.

  He righted himself, a smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth, a mouth I’d kiss a hundred times and now looked so foreign to me. We collectively gasped. Those brilliant, sparkling blues had bled pitch-black, void of the softness they usually had.

  “Oh.” Noah––no, the demon laughed through him. “Now, that was priceless. You should have seen your face! I think I did it.” Roland mocked. “Sweet Willow, have you learned nothing?”

  “Noah?” Adira asked, moving forward, but I stopped her. “You sound funny.”

  “Adira,” he moaned and licked his lips. “You’re just as beautiful through these eyes as you were through Willow’s. Speaking of which, did you know she was convinced you were the weakest person here? Honestly!” Roland threw up his hands like anyone had scoffed at its ridiculousness. “Ask her yourself.”

  “Who are you?” Grammy demanded, drawing the attention of everyone except for me. I already knew Noah was no longer sitting in front of us.

  “Roland, pleased to make your—”

  “Your real name, demon,” she snapped.

  “Willow, the resemblance is uncanny,” he deflected. “Oh, well.”

  “Adira,” I hollered, but she’d already made her way across the circle, fisting Noah’s cotton shirt.

  “You let him go,” she cautioned, venom in her voice. “I will not let you hurt my friends.”

  “So strong,” he mused. “However, I’m stronger.”

  Roland sent Adira flying back with one swift movement, her body sprawling to the ground just shy of the salt. She landed with a thud, dirt flying up around her. The air was knocked from her lungs as she held her chest and choked, trying to get the oxygen back in through the pain.

  “Adira!” I called again, about to run her way before Roland tsked me.

  “No, no.” His words froze me. “She’ll be fine. It’s a lesson on listening, and one day, she’ll thank me, maybe even call out to me—”

  “You’re sick,” I spat, casting another glance her way when he stepped closer.

  “Your boyfriend, on the other hand…” Roland shook out his palm before holding up a single finger, the nail growing out to a sharp point. He touched it to the top of Noah’s cheek, dragging it down as it sliced through his skin like butter, the crimson appearing at first like little dots before dripping steadily down his chin. “He’s a little tougher than I thought, fighting hard in here, so we might need to make this quick.”

  “Stop,” I screamed when the nail moved to Noah’s throat, blood trickling the trail.

  “You know how to stop this, Willow.” He licked Noah’s blood, the red staining his tongue. “His safety, their safety.” He motioned to everyone. “All it costs is your soul. Hurry on now. I tire of this. I’d hate to have to convince you the hard way, use these delicious human bodies to get you moving a bit faster––but I will, of course.” He ended with a cynical smile.

  “You can’t,” Adira shouted at me. “This is crazy!”

  “I have to save him.” I reasoned, not seeing a plethora of options.

  “You can have me,” Mom screamed from outside the circle as Grammy whipped around to look at her.

  “Oh, Abby.” The words slithered from his lips. “Don’t you see? I will have you this way.” He smiled, and Noah’s teeth razored.

  Grammy had come to stand behind me, and I tried to keep my shoulders wide, not missing the way Roland watched her moves. She held the broken pendant in her hand, and all I could do was pray that it still worked in some way, that it could still protect the person holding it.

  “I don’t know what to do,” I whispered to her, the tears building in my eyes.

  “Calm down.” She reached for my wrist, and even though her words were strong, I couldn’t mistake the slight tremble in her grip. “You need to look into yourself. This isn’t like the movies. You don’t need to read through a book to do this, not with your gift. Listen to your heart.”

  “I can’t, Grammy.” The same heart I was supposed to be listening to pounded as the realization of my situation sank in. I couldn’t do this. “You’re going to have to.”

  “I wish I could.” She squeezed me. “But the moment I tried, I believe he’d kill Noah and jump back to you.”

  “What if I can get him back without hurting Noah?” I asked, needing another way. “Can you exorcise him from me?”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Because of your gift, his energy is weaved into yours. Doing it would kill you. The only way is for you to do this. You’re the only one who can send him back.”

  I wasn’t capable of exorcizing Roland. I wasn’t even able to bring on
e spirit to peace. How could I have been so blind to what my abilities were? The only thing I could do to save them was give up, and was that really so bad if it meant everyone else would get to live? I didn’t want to die, I knew that much, but it would be worth it in the end. It wouldn’t be in vain.

  “Willow.”

  I turned to see mom standing inches from the circle, her hands up in front of her like she was pressing against an invisible force field.

  “I believe in you.” She smiled, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.

  I choked on my own, trying to keep them from streaking my face. Her words reached down into my soul, pulling me from the tailspin of self-doubt that almost defeated me before I’d even tried. I nodded at her, grinning to try and hide the fear still racing through my veins. It would not stop me, though. Instead, it would act as the catalyst to protecting everyone around me.

  “Looks like you’ve made your decision.” Roland shifted his weight, readying himself. “Let’s see what you’ve got.”

  I remembered back to Emma and when she’d touched me. It granted a connection to her, and I wondered if doing the same here would give me an edge over him. I dropped my walls and raced toward him, outstretching my hand to test my theory. He sidestepped me easily, sending me reeling to the ground. My hand landed on the salt, and I was careful not to disrupt it when I stood, giving him a chance to escape with Noah. He watched me, and I couldn’t be sure if he’d known what I was trying to do or if he was only toying with me.

  “You’re afraid,” he said, standing back to allow me to right myself, unconcerned with his safety.

  “I’m not,” I snapped.

  “I can smell it on you, and it’s strong. It’s what’s motivating you, but it seems you’re still lacking the right drive.” An evil glint passed in front of his eyes. “Maybe I can help with that.”

  In an instant, he appeared behind Grammy. He kicked the back of her knee, sending her frail body down before wrapping Noah’s strong arm around her neck. Roland squeezed tight. Grammy’s hands shot up automatically, clawing at Roland to release her so she could get some air.

  “Let her go,” I screamed, panicking when Grammy’s lips turned purple.

  “Come on, stop messing around and just give up. I guess I could snap her neck first.” Roland toyed, tightening his grip. “Then I could move on to that beautiful friend of yours.” He smacked a kiss in Adira’s direction.

  I was running out of time. How could I take on a demon by myself?

  “Willow,” Cora called, drawing my attention. “Let me in.”

  “W-what?” I stammered, the words ringing so close to Roland’s that I feared it was a trap.

  “Just trust me,” she urged.

  I hesitated, but when Grammy gurgled in Roland’s grip, I nodded. I ignored Mom’s screams when I kicked my foot back and drew a line through the salt, breaking the circle. I held back a gag when the negative energy surrounding Roland doubled in size, suffocating me.

  He howled, unable to contain the laugher, which thankfully loosened his grip on Grammy, who snuck thin slivers of air. “Are you crazy? You’re making this too easy!”

  “You underestimate humans.” I held his gaze, feeling my own power increase. “And that’s why you never had a chance.”

  “Huh?”

  I reached into myself and destroyed my walls, ripping them to shreds, ensuring there was no trace of them left. I didn’t need protection. My sight had never been a curse. It was who I was, and it was why I was special. I would no longer be afraid, no longer wish to be normal, and most importantly, I would not allow myself or my friends to ever be his victim.

  I vaguely heard Grammy gasp as she was dropped, and when I looked up, she’d sat down heavily. Everyone’s eyes darted around us, not willing to believe what they were seeing. Encircling us were about twenty-five women, all standing with vengeful expressions across their faces. Their power emanated around us, pouring into me. My eyes landed on someone who resembled myself, and I knew from the expression on Grammy’s face that it was her mother.

  Cora hovered near my back, a hand placed on top of my shoulder, lending me her strength.

  “Wait,” I said when her spirit glitched, but she shook her head.

  “Energy binds me here, and once I transfer it, I don’t know if I will be back. Don’t waste this opportunity.”

  “You can’t go,” I cried.

  “I can’t stay either.” She smiled. “I’m already gone, Willow, but you”—she looked toward the others—“them. You all have to keep living. I’ll be okay.”

  In an instant, she was gone, but the warmth of her touch still lingered on my skin.

  “W-what have you done?” Roland stepped back, stopping when he got too close to a woman with ebony skin and a power that was discernible even from the distance between us.

  “I’m embracing who I am and sending you back to hell where you belong,” I declared.

  “You bitch,” Roland roared and bolted toward me.

  I took a deep breath, not moving or flinching back, and the moment his claws gripped my throat, I knew I had him. Roland’s eyes widened when I didn’t try to tear him from my windpipe, instead reaching my hands to Noah’s shoulders and latching onto him so he couldn’t pull away. I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly before opening them, and found myself back in the white room.

  Cora stood in the center, shoulders hunched over as she sobbed. I paused before moving forward, worried Roland was trying to trick me, but when she turned and those hazel eyes flashed, I knew it was truly her. I raced to her, crashing to the floor to throw my arms around her.

  “Willow.” She choked and buried her face into my neck.

  “How did you get here?” I scanned around like she’d simply taken a wrong turn.

  “I’m sorry.” She pushed me back enough to look up. “I wasn’t strong enough.”

  I shook my head, sensing the energy surrounding someone with a sixth sense for the first time. It made sense why she was different from the other spirits. I’d foolishly thought it was the bond of our friendship alone. “It’s okay. I’m going to handle this.”

  “You surprised me.” Roland’s voice had me shifting Cora behind my body to shield her. “That doesn’t happen often, but you”—he shook his head in disbelief—“you have an knack for it.”

  “You’re going to leave now,” I said, standing.

  “Leave? But we’ve only just arrived.” He motioned around.

  The white walls fell, exposing a plain of hot rock with molten lava rivers flowing through the cracks. The sky burned scarlet, with no trace of clouds or life. I looked back at Cora, who was still cowering on the ground, skin singeing from the heat. Roland sidestepped, and I matched his movement, not willing to let him get any closer to her than he’d already had.

  “You can’t save them,” he reasoned.

  “I don’t believe you,” I countered, and he frowned.

  The rocks crunched under Cora’s feet as she stood, and the brief moment my eyes left Roland, he’d disappeared.

  “Are you sure?” Cora said, but when I turned, her eyes were gone, leaving nothing but empty sockets.

  I stumbled back just as the ground opened up underneath her feet, debris cracking against the sides of the newly formed hole. I lurched forward just as she fell through, by some miracle able to grasp her hand. The other dangled freely, weighing her down as my palm began to sweat. I clenched my teeth, knowing I couldn’t adjust my grip without risking her slipping away.

  “Let me go,” Cora said plainly.

  “Are you crazy?” My nails bit into her skin as I struggled to hang on. “Help me!”

  Her face was deadpan as she watched on, uncaring if this was the end for her. Suddenly, she reached her free hand over, latching it around my wrist, and pulled herself up slightly.

  “Then come with me.” She smiled as I started over the edge.

  I searched for anything to grab onto, the rocks slicing through my skin. The only way to save
myself would be to let go, but I couldn’t. I refused to watch Cora fall. Abruptly, I stopped, confusing us both. The grin dropped from her face as I looked behind me, feeling something holding on to my shoulder. The breath hitched in my chest when my dad’s face came into view.

  “No.” Cora’s face contorted, the skin stretching too taut around her cheekbones as Roland’s face pressed its way to the surface. “You’re not going to save her this time.”

  This time?

  Flooding forward was the memory of the accident. I knew I was dying, the threads of my life being stripped from my body. Dad had argued with someone––fighting for me to stay where I was. Could it have been for my soul? Had he once again bargained his life to save mine?

  I begged him for the answer through my eyes, not able to ask out loud, both in fear of losing my grip on Cora and hearing his answer.

  He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to. The tender smile that pulled at his lips told me everything I needed to know. He’d saved me––time and time again. Just as he was doing right now. Protecting me from something bigger than the both of us. Guilt swelled in my throat as he squeezed my shoulder, urging me to stay strong––to overcome the evil trying to drag my friend to Hell.

  With his help, I turned back. Warmth spread through my body, zigzagging through my veins like a drug. It was electrifying, burning me from the inside out without a destination, and that’s when it hit me. Something Cora had said just as we entered the forest.

  “Cora.” I waited until she made eye contact with me. “I’ll never let go.”

  Just like that, the energy that coursed through my body shot out, ripping through my skin and into her. The battle raging inside her had shifted. Pure hatred struck me in the chest, and I knew it was Roland promising this wouldn’t be the end, but as quickly as it was there, it vanished, and Cora’s eyes cleared.

  With my dad’s help, I pulled her up, moving away from the hole. She was shocked when she realized who he was and could not decide who to stay focused on. He flashed a grin at her, and she, in a very Cora fashion, blushed.