A tickle of eyes caused me to stop. As the bodies parted, Evan’s lean physique shone amongst the dim shadows. He wore casual dark jeans with a rouge-collared shirt that fit him perfectly. His hair was swept back by his hand, curling against his head like a wave. He had stepped out like he had been waiting there for a lifetime. The music pulsed throughout my body.
He didn’t say anything when he reached my side. The distance between us vanished; he lifted his hand and ran it along my neck. I inhaled sharply. I was surprised by the heat that radiated from his touch. Evan looked at me questionably with his hand held out, the question lingering in silence above us. I nodded my head, accepting his hand to dance.
He took my arms and pulled me into the crowd. The music was too fast to slow dance, so he pulled me into him, our bodies swaying with the tempo. Excitement had me on my toes, laughter had my head tilting backwards and I felt myself really smile without restraint, like we were meant to be here together at this moment. If he had not died and I had met him under different circumstances then this could’ve been our lives together. Our bodies fit perfectly, his hands big enough to cover my own. He spun me around playfully, then cupped my waist while we swayed. His head was held against my cheek, and I felt his every exhale like fingers caressing my skin. I shivered against him and I felt his grip tighten. As I always imagined, fireworks shot into the sky above our heads. He stayed close enough that I could hear even his softest whisper.
I lifted my gaze upwards and cupped my hand gently against his cheek. He nestled against my palm and placed his hand on top of mine. Sometimes words are just not necessary. A look is enough to let you know everything is will be fine, everything will sort its self out. The music fell silent behind us. The space shifted and we were alone, standing in the vast depths of the forest. Wild flowers climbed the tress and a stream burbled not three steps away.
The forest was full of so much green life that every breath was refreshing. I turned back to him to find he had changed his clothes to a black vest over a white collared shirt. He looked perfect against the sunshine spilling between the gaps above, his green eyes shining with an inhuman beauty. I looked down to find I was in a long white dress with my hair pinned up in curls.
The soft tinkles of a piano played behind us, lost somewhere in the forest. He pulled me in close, placing my hands on his neck and turning my head against him. My nerves calmed, making me feel light with happiness. This felt like the most natural thing in the world. This is exactly how I imagined it would feel like, but at the same time I held my breath unsure what to expect. I lay my head against his shoulder and he started to sway. Have you ever felt so in tune with someone that the world around you just softens? That you stand there, completely and utterly obsessed with your partner knowing they felt the same? He kissed me on the top of my head before bringing his hand to my chin, tilting my face up. I could almost feel the frantic beating of his heart, the nerves trembling through him making his fingers shake. He was nervous; I could sense it as if it were my own heart fluttering. He touched our foreheads together before whispering something so soft I could barely hear him…
When I woke I was still sitting on the bed looking into Evan’s eyes, his face mere inches from mine. He lifted his hand upwards, fingers slack as I lifted up my hand to match his. My soul mate died when he was just fourteen and he was now trapped in the body of a tainted ghost. I never wanted to leave the world he had built for me, but the moment I reached out and my fingers fell through his I knew this world would never be for us. Despite it all, Evan was smiling. Suddenly, all the mean things I had said to him, of all the times I lashed out to make him feel horrible about himself had guilt twisting at my chest.
“I’m sorry for saying those awful things to you.” I whispered guiltily, “You can tell me off you know.”
“Why would I yell at you?”
“Because I’m horrible!”
“No.” He shook his head, “You can never be horrible.”
I rolled my eyes to stop the fresh tears from spilling, scoffing at him with sarcasm, “Yeah right, you treat me as if I’m perfect.”
His expression did not falter, “Of course. To me you are perfect.”
There was a knock at the door and the hinges screeched open. Mum marched in carrying her stuff strapped over her shoulder, “Rachael? Rachael, come sweetie, we’re going home!”
“What? Really?” I scrambled off the bed. Evan lifted upwards and leaned against the wall. Doctor Hearth walked in, hands clasped behind his back.
“We’re releasing you…”He confirmed. I glanced over at Evan, grinning. Then the Doctor added, “But not the demon ghost Evan.”
“What? You can’t do that!” I argued; mum quickly came up to me, taking my hands.
“Rachael, don’t fight with them. He’s right, that spirit shouldn’t be here. Please, come with me. Let’s go home.”
“I’m not leaving without Evan!” I growled and tore myself from my mother’s grip.
“Go…” His voice surprised me as I turned. Evan nodded, repeating himself, “Go.” He unclasped the chains from my body and lifted his hands above his head, displaying his innocence. “Find the others, get yourself to safety.”
“Evan! I’m not leaving you here.”
“I’ll be fine Rachael; I’ve let you go there’s no reason for them to hurt me anymore.” I looked at both Evan and Doctor Hearth, not sure what else I could say to convince them. The Doctor looked over at Evan before turning on his heel and leaving. I was angry again; I didn’t like how they gave me no choice in the matter. There was one thing I had as an advantage, though, I still had Chō; which meant I still had power. I chased after him and caught the Doctor in the hallway. Teal flashed in my eyes. I snared his collar and picked him up by the throat.
“Rachael! What are you…?” Mum gasped as she caught up to us.
“I’ve played by your rules and now I’ve had enough. You can’t stop us from leaving here. He’s coming with me and that’s final.” I shook the Doctor by his collar. There was something about him that felt off; a type of smell that seemed unnatural. I could almost see it on his clothes like someone covered in soot had been running their hands along his jacket. “What changed your mind? Why are you letting me out?”
“I…I am….” The Doctor wracked his brain, trying to dig up the answers. It was at that moment I pinpointed the scent. It belonged to a Hunter.
“Because I told him to…”
“Chaos?” I spun around and Chaos stepped into the hallway, dressed in a white lab coat with a surgical mask pulled down around his neck. He looked out of place wearing such clothes and being so young.
“They know about Banished, but not about Hunters.” He winked as he approached, giving my mum a brisk nod. Then he turned and waved his hand down Doctor Hearth’s face, sprinkling a white dust that caused his eyes to close. He whispered something so softly that I couldn’t hear.
“How did you find me?” I ran to him and pulled him into a hug.
“It wasn’t easy. Every Reaper and their Goon are out looking for you. It was actually a Banished that led us here. Apparently, he was an old patient but he managed to escape. You look horrible…” He lifted my chin to inspect my eyes. I moved his hand away.
“I’m fine. I just want to get out of here, please, get them to release Evan too.”
“I intend to release all the Banished.” Chaos exhaled, “Believe it or not, we’re running out of demonic soldiers. It’s a blood bath out there, I can’t even comprehend what’s going through Miira’s head, but it’s bad. Our soldiers are barely left standing.”
“What do you mean? What’s happening?”
“She’s recruiting, her numbers are sky rocketing with new Hunters and we’re becoming severely outnumbered.”
“Rachael…” Mum cleared her throat. “What’s going on?”
“Oh right, sorry mum; this is Chaos. He’s a friend, someone we can trust, I promise. Chaos, this is my mother, Dianne.”
; He nodded again, his smile delicate against his smooth face. “Sup! Not to be rude, but you guys better get moving. I have Jordon waiting for you outside. Don’t worry about Evan; he’ll be safe once I shut down the main system operating all the rooms. We’ll catch up.”
I nodded franticly before latching my arm around my mother’s waist “Come mum, let’s get out of here.” When mum resisted, I pulled her around to face me, “I know this is confusing, but you have to trust me okay? I’ll get you home.”
“We both are going home.” She almost pleaded, but I shook my head. Panicked, she snared my arms. “I can’t lose you too.”
“This is the only way… You have to trust me.”
She shook her head again, not wanting to hear it, “Why you? Why do they have to take you too?”
I swallowed down my remorse. “It will be okay. I’ll come back. I promise.”
Chapter Forty-Three:
The underground institute was a maze of corridors and security gates but, thanks to Chaos and the help of Reapers, we finally got to the exit and out into the open. The entire base was situated in a low-key town that appeared to be abandoned due to radiation poisoning. That may have worried me if I wasn’t already dying. The moment sunlight hit my gloomy skin; Raix pounced out from the shadows with Jordon. He looked exhausted, his cloak torn and his face marred with gashes and dark circles under his eyes. Even Raix walked with a limp.
“Rachael!” He picked me up into a hug, “I’m so glad to see you’re alright. If you need me to, I can send Raix in there for some pay-back.”
I chuckled lightly, I was just too exhausted to properly laugh, “Best that you don’t. They’ve worked out a way to trap spirits.”
“They can trap spirits now? Is that why Evan never reported back… Where is he?”
“He’s still inside, but he’s okay, Chaos is with him.” Jordon glanced over my shoulder and finally noticed my mother loitering nervously behind. She was silent in her confusion; so many strange things were happening that she withdrew into herself.
Jordon’s face softened, “Aunty Dianne?” He then shook his head, “To see old family in a time like this… What is she doing here?”
“They were worried…”
“Rachael? Who are you talking to?” Mum clasped her hands together anxiously. I looked over at Jordon as he gently sighed.
“I don’t know if I should reveal to her who I really am. Once you can see Reapers you will always be able to see Reapers. It takes a lot of power to remove that type of curse…”
I gently nodded before turning to her, “He’s also a friend mum, please don’t worry.”
At that moment, a fleet of ashy missiles came torpedoing out of the tunnels behind me. They were so blindingly fast that all I felt was the air whipping past my ears before they disappeared above. Chaos must be releasing them. I checked over my shoulder for Chaos and Evan only to have more Banished fly at me. We quickly got out of the way.
Jordon then asked warily, “Where’s your father?”
I licked my lips nervously before shaking my head. “He err…. He got really sick. They couldn’t revive him.”
Jordon let out an exhausted sigh. “I’m so sorry; I didn’t know things were that serious...” He looked over at me with the type of concern you carry when someone was dying. He was a Reaper after all; I shouldn’t have been surprised that he could see the difference in me now. “Rachael, what did they do to you in there? Your life span is nearly gone; I can smell death all over you. Has Evan-?”
I quickly shook my head no, “It’s not Evan. Turns out its Chō. Evan said he wished the Blue spirit would reverse all the damage done to me and my family. That’s why my dad was walking around and why my memories were blocked. But every time Chō taps into my emotions he takes away apart of the Blue Spirits magic…”
Jordon growled lowly, “Is that why it was so protective? Evan didn’t tell me… this is my entire fault. I should’ve done something earlier. We’re taking you to the Blue Spirit; we’re getting Chō off you right now before the damage can’t be undone.”
“First we’re getting my mother to safety.” I insisted.
“Rachael, you don’t really have the time to spare.” He protested, but I firmly crossed my arms.
“Please Jordon… I don’t want her to get hurt.”
He sighed defeated before nodding. “Okay, let’s hurry.”
***
I really had no idea where I was. I wasn’t even sure if I was in the right state anymore. I tried to block out my time inside the institute, yet it still felt like eyes were still crawling over my skin. I felt weighed down by my exhaustion and my mind was brittle. I wanted nothing more than to crawl into my own bed back home. It was still hard to accept the fact my father was gone. I had mourned him once years ago, so in a way I was grateful I got to spend more time with him. The rest of my family must be getting their memories back too; I wondered how they were dealing with the pain and confusion. We reached an unfamiliar town not too far from our position. Jordon had to take a vehicle and drive it to us. Being humans, mum and I couldn’t teleport with the others into the spirit world, meaning any travelling we wanted to do had to be done the old fashioned way. Mum had not let go of my hand since we got into the car.
I hadn’t seen Elliot or Teresa, or really any of my Reaper friends, since my return. Only Jordon. He told me that they had no choice but to retaliate after the fight at their base. Most Reapers had moved up onto the surface, openly challenging the Hunters and attempting to break down the wall they had built surrounding Heaven. Unfortunately, the Reapers were being soundly defeated as Hunters kept the fight on earth, drowning them beneath waves after waves of angels. Miira knew that the battle must be kept away from her gates at any cost.
“How up to date are you on this war business?” Jordon asked.
“Chaos mentioned something briefly; he said the Hunters are amassing a large army.”
“That’s an understatement,” Jordon snorted as he pulled into a car spot outside a motel. It wasn’t anything fancy, just the first place we saw with a vacancy sign. He added sarcastically, “Where do you think she’s getting her recruits? We can’t penetrate the walls, there are just too many now. In any case, you and your mother can stay here while I get the Blue Spirit.”
It was just an ordinary motel, simple red brick structure with very simplistic interior design. Brown walls, brown carpet and, hopefully, bed sheets that have recently been washed. However, judging from the state of their toilets, fresh sheets would be on the last of their priority list. I sat down with my mum on the bed and clasped her hands tightly with mine.
“Please, wait here mum okay?”
She pulled me back again. She really wasn’t going to make this easy for me, was she? “Rachael, you really don’t have to do this. I may not know what exactly,” She motioned outwards, “all this means, but I know you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
“I know mum. I’ll explain everything later.” I kissed her forehead before standing up. Jordon was outside on the balcony, so I met up with him. “My mum isn’t coping so well.”
“When Chaos gets here he can help. He can erase her mind, or at least ease her concern.”
“What’s taking them so long?” I looked out over the balcony, hinting to Evan and Chaos. The view was of the main streets with a furniture store on the corner and a tyre yard next to it.
“I’m not sure, but regardless we have to get you to the Blue Spirit.”
I nodded eagerly, “Okay. Where is she?”
“She’s in a place where she can’t be accidentally discovered, she’s in one of the realms of the seven sins. Five years ago, Miira destroyed a creature known as Mother. Since then, no Reapers or Hunters can get into the Realm of the Seven Temptations. That’s where we’ve been hiding her.”
“Wait… I remember that. Miira crashed her from the heavens?”
Jordon nodded, “Mother was destroyed and with her so were the gates to the S
ins. All the Banished and everyone trapped inside those realms are trapped forever. All the Reapers sent in there for punishment are now lost too.”
“What about the others?” I asked as Jordon lowered his head.
“We…er…” There was a loud bang as the earth shuddered. I grabbed onto the railing before frantically looking around.
“What on earth was that?”
“No! Not here too…” Jordon pushed off the railing and bolted downstairs and into the open car lot below. He stopped for a moment, looking upwards while he turned around, looking for something. Raix was snarling and pacing by his feet before bellowed a series of frantic barks. Jordon then swung his head towards Raix before disappearing into the shade.
“Where are you going?” I shouted out after him, but he vanished before I could finish speaking. There was another rumble and the concreted slabs started to split, and all the windows rattled in their frames. I turned to check on mum when Jordon reappeared not two seconds later.
“Jordon? Jordon!” I hailed, running down the steps to greet him. Before I could reach the bottom, twenty other Reapers accompanied by sixteen Banished rushed out of the concrete. I stumbled backwards as the dark wave erupted and immediately dispersed into the town.
Jordon lingered for just a moment to shout over his shoulder. “Go inside Rachael!” The earth shuddered again before there was a massive crash and an eruption of dust bursting into the skies. I nodded and scrambled back up the stairs before locking both mum and me inside.
My Demonic Ghost #3: Hunters and Creators Page 24