by ID Johnson
The second he was behind the wheel, Kyle scooped up her hand, and Ru found it remarkable how complete she felt already. It was as if her hand belonged in his. “How did it go today, working with your sister?”
“Good,” Kyle replied, turning to check over his shoulder before he backed out of the driveway. “She feels a lot better about her setup now.”
“That’s great. It’s always rough the first year when it seems like everyone else has everything, and you have nothing.”
“Yeah, I think that’s how she feels.” He turned the car so they were headed out of town. “You spent much time out here at Rockefeller?”
“No,” Ru admitted. “I went there a few times when I was in high school. Stupid kids looking for the Headless Horseman.” She almost chuckled, as she had every time she’d told that story in her life, until she remembered what Cutter had told her. What would Kyle say if she told him that the Headless Horseman was real? That she was half-angel? That she had once produced blue lights in the palms of her hands? He’d think she was psycho.
“Think we’ll run into him?” Kyle asked, a crooked grin on his face.
“We better not,” Ru replied, hoping she sounded like she was just being silly. Knowing what she knew now, she wouldn’t be shocked at all to run into a monster in the woods, though. The thought made her stomach restrict a bit. Cutter had mentioned that the Reapers were after her, too. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to be going out into the middle of the woods near dusk….
Kyle glanced in the rearview mirror, a strange expression on his face. Ru wanted to ask if something had alarmed him, but she didn’t. When he did it again, her concern got the better of her. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah. Fine.” He looked at her and smiled before returning his attention back to the road, but something looked off. As discreetly as possible, Ru looked in her side mirror to see if there was anything unusual behind them. She didn’t see anything, so she decided to let it go.
The drive was only about another fifteen minutes, and while they were riding, Kyle listed off some of the other places where he’d gone hiking. Normally, Ru wouldn’t be interested in hearing about excursions into nature, but if Kyle was reading her the phone book, she’d be fascinated by every nuance.
Even though he was talking about something that interested him, she couldn’t help but notice he seemed a little more tense than usual, and every once in a while, his eyes would shift back to the mirror. Ru thought he might just be an extra-cautious driver, but she hadn’t noticed any of that the other night when they’d gone out. She found it a little odd but thought she must be growing a bit paranoid. Learning that a group of demons was chasing you down could probably do that to a person if they chose to dwell on it a bit.
The trees were growing denser out the window, and eventually, Kyle pulled his car to the side of the road. Ru knew there were actual parking lots scattered around the park, and she thought it strange that he just pulled over, but he turned to her and said, “One of Jess’s coworkers said there’re some really interesting trees back through here. I think this is the right place if I looked at the mile markers right. May as well check it out.”
“Okay,” Ru said, smiling. “Sounds good.” Before opening his door, Kyle leaned over and kissed her, and Ru found herself growing weak in the knees again. She slid her hand up the side of his face and caressed his cheek as his hand made its way up her leg, inside of her coat, stopping near her rib cage. The entire path was on fire.
Just when she was beginning to melt into him, he pulled back. “Ready?”
Disappointed at being cut off abruptly twice in a half hour’s time, Ru reluctantly nodded and got out of the car. Kyle met her in time to shut the door for her. He looked up and down the road in both directions and then took her hand and led her toward the trees.
“Is this Rockefeller?” she asked as they began to wind their way between gnarly trunks. There was no path, no markings, nothing. “The trees look different to me.”
“Rockefeller’s on the other side,” Kyle explained, moving a dead vine so they could get through. “This area butts up to it.”
“Oh.” Ru was puzzled. She thought Cutter’s house wasn’t too far from here, and these trees reminded her a lot of the ones near his old home in the middle of nowhere. Their trunks were crooked and scraggly, their leaves brown and wilted. There wasn’t a trace of the brilliant fall colors she’d expected to see, though mainly on the ground at this point. Still, she continued to follow him, trusting that he had a plan. If there was something in particular he wanted to see, and this was the best way to get to it, she may as well go along.
As they walked, Kyle pointed out different types of trees and other plants to her, but Ru knew very little about flora so she couldn’t contribute to the conversation. The deeper they walked into the woods, the thicker the canopy above them seemed to grow, and Ru realized it would be dark much quicker in here than it would be in an area where the sunlight could penetrate.
“Kyle,” she said, about twenty minutes into their stroll, “it’s getting dark.”
“It’s okay,” he said, smiling at her and squeezing her hand. “You don’t need to be afraid of the dark, Ru. It’s just the absence of light.”
She stared at him for a moment, not sure what to make of that answer. It made sense, though it was a bit deeper than she expected, and though she continued to walk along with him, she was growing more and more concerned with each step. “But… we won’t be able to see to get out if it’s dark.”
Kyle stopped and turned to face her. “What’s the matter, Ru? Don’t you trust me? I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Of course, it’s not that,” she said, seeing the hurt in his eyes. “I totally trust you. I would never go off into the woods with a man I just met a week ago if I didn’t completely trust you.” Saying the words out loud made her realize she was being a complete idiot. What did she know about Kyle anyway? Just because he was incredibly hot, had a gorgeous smile, and knew how to kiss her so that her insides turned into molten lava did not mean he wasn’t a serial killer.
As if sensing she was beginning to grow a little scared, Kyle took both of her hands in his, and looking her in the eye, he said, “Come on, Ru. We’re almost there. I can feel it.”
With a nod, she gave her consent, and he dropped one of her hands and began to walk again. This time, Ru could feel his pace was quickened, and she started to feel like he was dragging her, like he was about to break into a jog. She glanced behind them and saw nothing at all familiar. She had no idea where they had come from, and she doubted she’d be able to find her way out of these woods easily. She had to put all of her trust in him.
“Kyle, slow down,” Ru said tripping over a branch. “Why do we have to walk so fast?”
“I want you to see the place we’re going to, Ru,” he said. Something about the tone in his voice caught her off guard. He sounded strangely serious. “I think you’ll really like it.”
“Kyle,” Ru implored, pulling on his hand a bit to make him slow down. “Seriously, I have to admit, you’re starting to scare me a little bit.”
He stopped again, turning to face her. Even though it was growing dark and shadows began to creep in around his face, Ru could see an intensity behind his eyes, which looked oddly more green than hazel in this light. “Ru, I told you, you have nothing to be afraid of. You do trust me, don’t you?”
The second time, it was not as easy to answer that question. Ru began to feel an odd sensation in her stomach, sort of like the time she’d gone to a walkthrough of a haunted house one Halloween, where all of those actors jump out and try to make people scream. That’s how she felt right now, like something was about to jump out at her. “Please, Kyle. I trust you, but I’m afraid we’re lost.”
A smile spread across his face, one Ru had never seen before. In the dim light, he looked a bit ghoulish. “We’re not lost, Ru. We’re almost home.”
“What?” Ru asked, completely
confused. “What are you talking about?”
Suddenly, as if the veil had been lifted, Ru realized Kyle was not who he had said he was. Looking around her at the tangled, twisted tree trunks that reached out for her in all directions, she knew she had been here once before. Only, that time, she’d thought she was dreaming. And it wasn’t Kyle standing next to her. “Thanatos!” she shouted, releasing his hand and taking a step backward. She collided with a tree trunk and almost lost her balance, but she managed to stay on two feet.
“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Ru. You trust me. You said so yourself.”
Before her eyes, his face morphed, the changes slight, but it was enough. While Kyle did look an awful lot like the Thanatos she’d met in her dreams, he had certainly done something to alter his appearance. She wondered what other manipulation had been going on. Ru couldn’t dwell on that right now. Cutter’s words came to mind. He’d warned her not to go anywhere with Thanatos, and here she was, deep in the middle of the woods, the sun going down. And she’d gone here willingly. Was it too late for her to get away?
“Ru, I’m sorry you’re frightened. But you don’t need to be. You and I are very much alike, and you know it. Think about how comfortable you’ve been in my presence these past few days. That was me, Ru. I’m sorry I had to lie to you, to disguise myself, but I know Cutter and the other Keepers have poisoned you against me. Now, however, you’re here. And I can introduce you to your true brethren. The Reapers. Come, Ru. Come with me.”
His outstretched hand was only inches from her chest. All she had to do was reach her hand out and place it in his. She remembered his tears, how upset he’d been about the Keepers not allowing him to take Deena Jones, how he’d argued that he wasn’t really a villain, it was all in the way the Keepers portrayed him. Was it possible she really could be happy with Nat? That like her mother, she could attempt to unite the two battling sides?
She looked from his hand to his green eyes, glowing in the near darkness. While she had fallen hard for Kyle, she had to remind herself, this was not him; he didn’t exist. This person—this being—had just lied to her in order to trick her into going into the forest with him. As confusing and frustrating as Cutter was, he would never do something like that. She remembered the picture of her mother, the one Cutter had given her. Despite what Thanatos might’ve mentioned in her dream-state, Cutter promised he would help her find her mother and let her see her father. She could no longer trust anything Thanatos said.
“No,” she said, her voice weak with fear. His eyes narrowed, and her courage increased. “No! I won’t go with you. I’m not a Reaper. I’m a Keeper!”
A rage seemed to grow deep within him, taking a few moments to bubble to the surface. His face reddened, his forehead wrinkling. “Rune Raphaels Ronobes! I command you to come with me. Now!”
“No!” she shouted again, beginning to back away now, sidestepping the tree. Her hand dragged along its craggy trunk, breaking off chunks of brittle bark. “I will never go with you!”
Behind him, the darkness between the trees began to shift and move, the shadows taking form. Ru’s eyes widened in sheer horror as she realized what she was seeing. An army of Reapers stood behind Thanatos, scythes in hand, their hoods covering their faces. Each of them had to be well over six feet tall, and by their posture, Ru could tell they were angry. Outnumbered at least two dozen to one, she had no choice. Ru turned and began to run.
She heard the pounding of footsteps behind her, and though she thought Thanatos would overtake her at any moment, Ru concentrated on taking her next, best step, trying not to trip over anything. Tree branches snatched at her hair, scratched at her face, just as they had in her dream. Still, she kept running.
Unexpected noises behind her caused her to turn her head. Off in the distance, she could see she was no longer alone. How he’d known she was in trouble, Ru couldn’t say, but Cutter was there, as were the rest of his team, and as they engaged the Reapers, blue lights illuminated the darkness, the wind swirled from Lyric’s outstretched hands, blowing Reapers backward, and Ivy appeared to be deeply engaged with her powers of the Earth as well.
Ru didn’t have time to stare. She turned back around and almost face-planted into a tree trunk. It alarmed her that she had not seen Thanatos when she’d turned back. Where had he gone?
A blur to her left answered her question. Parting thin tree trunks with his wide shoulders, he flew out of the denseness of a thicket, hurling himself at her. With a scream, Ru dodged around a thick oak tree, making him miss. Thanatos tumbled to the ground. This was her only chance to escape him.
She ran on, hearing his footsteps closing in. Risking a glance over her shoulder would be too dangerous. And then, the ground gave out beneath her feet, and Ru found herself tumbling down a ravine. Unlike in her dream, she was able to throw her hands out behind her, grabbing onto the dirt and tree roots that protruded from the side of the chasm, slowing her fall. The ground rose up to meet her, and Ru’s right shoulder slammed into the earth hard, taking her breath away.
It took her a moment to recover, but when she did, she looked up to see Thanatos standing on the edge of the ravine, at least ten feet above her. He looked odd, dressed in the clothing of a normal human, one who knew nothing of the monsters that took souls in their sleep. But the menacing grin on his face revealed his intentions.
“Stop!” Ru shouted, clambering to her feet, despite the pain in her shoulder and a new, sharp ache in her ankle. “I told you, I don’t wish to go with you! And I know I have to choose!”
“Who told you that?” he asked, folding his arms and laughing. “Cutter? He’s an imbecile. I will take you, Rune. I have to. You’re the only one who can do what needs to be done.”
“No!” she screamed again. “I won’t go with you! I won’t do what you want me to do!”
“Rune, think of your father! He’s locked away in constant torture. You’re the only person who can set him free.”
She began to shake her head, trying to keep thoughts of what Larkin must be going through out of her head.
“Your mother has been in hiding for over twenty years because of what those people,” he pointed over his shoulder, “threatened to do to her!”
Again, she shook her head, more vigorously now. It had to be a lie. All of it had to be lies. “I won’t go with you!” This time, she felt as if she’d lost some of the conviction in her voice.
Thanatos took a step off of the edge of the ravine and gracefully floated down to stand about five feet away from her. Ru was shocked to see how easy it was for him, as if he could levitate. She realized she needed to turn and run, but her shoulder was dislocated at best, broken at worst, and she must’ve turned an ankle, too. Sounds of fighting seemed to be drawing closer, but she had no idea whether or not Cutter or anyone else would reach her in time.
“Rune,” he said, the more gentle tone from her most recent dream returning to his voice. “Please, let’s end this. Your friends are bound to be injured. Come with me.” He extended his hand once again.
“You don’t have any power over me,” Ru said, quietly.
Thanatos laughed. “That doesn’t really work, Rune. It was just enough to wake you up, not to keep me at bay.” He took a step forward.
Ru stumbled backward, her ankle screaming at her. She realized he was about to take hold of her and drag her off to the pits of Hell, or who knew where. “No!” she shouted, but even to her own ears her voice sounded weak.
“Rune, if you’re stalling, thinking handsome Cutter will ride in here on a white steed and save you, you’re sadly mistaken. No one can help you now. You saw how many more Reapers there were than those four miserable Keepers. Now, stop protesting and come with me!” A black mist shot out of his hands, and before Ru could sidestep, it hit her in the stomach. A sharp, stabbing sensation filled her gut, and she cried out in agony. In an instant, Nat waved his hands again, and the black fog returned to his hand. “That is but a fraction of what I can do to you, R
u. I do not wish to hurt you, but you must come with me. Now.”
Once the pain had dissipated, she looked into his eyes, unable to believe she’d even contemplated the possibility of going with him. While Cutter might have some fanciful ideas that were hard to believe, one thing she knew for sure: Cutter would never, ever hurt her. Looking him straight in his electric green eyes, she resolutely said, “I will never go with you.”
Thanatos lunged forward at her this time, and Ru leapt backward, fighting the pain as she did so. She realize what he said earlier was right; Cutter couldn’t save her. No one could. This was her fight, her destiny, her lot. “NO!” As the word exited her mouth, a surge of power welled up inside of her, and Ru flung her hands up into the air, palms open. A brilliant blue light shot out of both hands, connecting with Thanatos, knocking him off of his feet and carrying him at least fifteen yards into the air before dropping him onto the debris covered ravine floor.
Ru closed her hands and the light dissipated. She couldn’t believe she’d wielded such power. She turned her palms toward her face and stared at them in disbelief until noise from the other side of the ravine caught her attention.
Thanatos had found his footing, though he looked more than a little shaken. He took another step toward her, and Ru reached out her hands, as if she would shock him again.
Noise above them caused her to impulsively turn her head. Ru looked up to see Cutter screeching to a halt just before he, too, fell into the ravine. “Ru!” he shouted from the very edge of the cliff.
“I’m okay!” she yelled back to him. Then, shifting her gaze to Thanatos, she said, “Now, I think I told you I’m not going with you. So, what’s it going to be? Would you like to join my father, or shall I chase you through the woods for a while?”
Thanatos looked at Cutter and then back at Ru. “This isn’t over!” he shouted. “I will be back for you Rune Raphaels Ronobes! I swear it on Lucifer himself!”