The Grasp of Nighttide

by Sadaf Zulfikar

  “Let me get you some water,” she said and strode off to a corner.

  Finally taking her gaze off Veronica’s face, she looked around, noticing a few mattresses that lay bundled in a corner, an old wooden cupboard, a wired table.

  “Damn this tap!” Veronica repeatedly tried the dry faucet.

  “That’s okay. I’m not thirsty,” Alice said. “So is this your… our house?”

  “No,” she said returning to her seat. “Actually this was a cottage where Ray lived when he was a kid. He never agreed to sell it. Our house is fifteen minutes away from here. But after Ray’s death, we’ve had a number of temporary places to stay. You didn’t have any problem getting here. Did you?” Veronica was able to talk more casually. But yes, Alice did face a problem on the way, not too far from there.

  “Did I have any enemies? Any person who may have wanted to kill me? Is that why you sent me away?”

  “No. That was not the reason.”

  “Then what was the reason?”

  Veronica went to the cupboard and opened a drawer, taking out a book and a file.

  “Rave, I have taken great care to not leave anything out, “she said, offering the book to Alice. She continued, “This should answer your questions. But you must promise me one thing.” She was holding back slightly.

  Alice looked puzzled. “OK, and that is?” she asked curiously.

  “You must promise to destroy this once you have read it. Do you understand? Promise me, please. No one else should find this.” Veronica waited for Alice’s reply, before giving her the file. “This are all your real documents- your license, passport, certificates all those stuff.”

  Alice nodded and took the book, turning it over, but not opening it. She noticed some loose papers tucked in the back. Careful to not drop any of the pages, she put it in her bag along with the blue file.

  Veronica smiled genuinely. “For now can we just talk? It's been so long. I've missed you.”

  "I missed you too mom. Until now I was lost. I couldn't understand. I was alone."

  "I was alone too. You are all I have left in my life Rave. As I said the past is in the notebook. No further discussion on it."

  Both of them sat quietly for a long time. Veronica seemed to be waiting for Alice to speak up because she had no words.

  "So, how are you mom?"

  "Can't complain." she said. "Feel better with you in front of me."

  "Mom?"

  "Yes dear."

  "About... love. How do you know if it is real?’

  “Are you talking about him?”

  “Who?” Alice doubted whether Veronica saw her arrive with Derek.

  “Lance.”

  That caused Alice to flinch. Surprisingly, she had forgotten all about him, she had instead been referring to Derek.

  “I don't know,” she said, not looking up.

  “Of course you mean him. You are just confused that you don’t remember him. You can’t lie to me,” Veronica pointed to Rave's jeans. "What you have written there, that is a mark of love. I was against the two of you seeing each other at first but now, I feel there must've been nothing I wanted more in a man for you. He risked his life to save yours, even after knowing the truth.”

  "What truth?"

  Veronica pointed to Alice's bag, reminding her that everything was there.

  "Where is he by the way? Didn't he come to meet me?"

  "No, but I let him know that he could come back to you."

  “He abandoned me like you did.”

  “He was in the hospital for several months, after he tried to save you, and I was the one who restricted him from seeing you.”

  “He saved me from what? You what?” The only point she held against Lance was gone. He hadn’t been away from her out of his choice. But he could’ve tried at least. Did he?

  Veronica decided to skip answering the first question. “I had to. It was for your safety and Lance knew that too. By the way I have let him know your address now, he will contact you soon. He says he knows someone who can help you, who can make things alright. And I trust him.” When Alice didn’t say anything she continued. “How has life been for you these past months?”

  “Miserable, thanks.”

  “Freedom was what you wanted all your life, away from your fears, threats, to have a real life. When I got the lead that it could be possible after all, I kept you away.”

  “What do you mean?” Alice stared at her.

  “Etsy will meet you tomorrow and go through more details that I haven’t written down.”

  Alice looked at the wooden floor. “I do not know yet why you sent me away but I am so glad to see you. I love you.”

  “I love you and Ray did too. It is both of our last wishes that you take care of yourself, be safe.”

  “Last wishes? Your last wish?” Alice swallowed a lump in her throat. “Why you saying that?”

  “Promise first that whatever may happen, you will be safe. And you will sort this problem out.”

  “Okay, I promise. Now answer me, what is wrong?”

  “I am tired of this life Rave. I want to go to Ray.” Veronica stood up, saying no more. It was as though she had fallen into a trance. “I’m sorry Rave, but this is what I want. It is not your fault.”

  Before Alice could make any sense of her words, she was out of the door to the little house and strode farther away.

  “Mom, Mom, stop!!” Alice was shouting, trying to run after her. But it seemed as though her feet were hardly moving.

  Just as suddenly, Alice’s vision clouded, her head flung back and she felt as though she was falling. Moments later, she came to, and felt sharp pain in her knees and palms of her hands. She looked up in time to see the same black car that tried to kill her, ghost-like now, speed and hit Veronica, throwing her over the hood and onto the road.

  Alice looked around. She was fuming with rage. She tried to stand, limping, just in time to see the figure behind the car look back at her. It was the girl covered in black. Alice vowed to herself that she would make her pay for what she did to her mom. As Alice started to run, she felt strangely light and different all at once.

  CHAPTER 30

  Stephanie ran for her life. If not for her car running off on its own, she wouldn’t have been here, so unprepared. Now, she was making way through the dark woods, her breathe coming in ragged gasps. This was not how it was supposed to happen. Steph knew that she could run for long distances without tiring, she knew that she could effortlessly climb the trees, but this time she was scared. The terror made her clumsy, stumbling slightly in the darkness as she panted her way through the trees, and one slip could ruin her pace. The loud chuckles were deafening. Alice, demon, whatever she was, was closing in on Steph, but Steph wasn’t going to just give up. As she ran, the reasons why she was there, why she had burned for vengeance all those months flashed through her mind...

  Two years ago, Rosalie had stopped the car on the way back from a late night at Jane’s place. A card had fallen out of Stephanie’s hand. Both of them knew it was nothing more important than an old invitation card, but Steph was grumpy and wanted it back. Rosalie, who was well acquainted with Steph’s behavior, threw up her hands in surrender. It was going to be another fight, another pointless butting of stubborn heads over what amounted to nothing more than fighting for fighting’s sake, so Rosalie simply agreed to go out and get the stupid card back.

  When she heard Rosalie shout, she turned back and a car was driving fast towards her. Rosalie didn’t move her eyes wide and paralyzed with fear.

  “Help,” Rosalie had given one last cry just before the van impacted with a sickening thud, sending Rosalie’s body flying.

  By the time Steph got out of the car, it was too late. She rushed to Rosalie’s blood shattered body, but it was too late. The car had stopped a distance away. Steph felt a presence, lurking and seeping evil into the air nearby. Through the tears, there was a smile, a sense of malevolent joy not far away. Steph sensed a girl, surroun
ded in a kind of black mist standing yards away, trying to hide in the darkness. But it clearly wasn’t a mere girl, it was evil. Steph had always a sixth sense to detect evil things like the other Grasp members, and this presence took her breath away. The figure moved in a flash, its pace was so quick that at times Steph wasn’t able to see it. But losing track was impossible for Steph. White-hot fury burned through the grief and shock of seeing Rosalie die and she ignored the consequences, giving chase to the evil that seemed to laugh at her as it ran away. For five minutes of running, the presence did not seem to be running to escape, but laughing at Steph, taunting her.

  When Steph finally caught sight of the girl again, she was with an older lady, and her appearance had changed. The girl looked perfectly normal, her chestnut hair pulled back in a ponytail. She stared, memorizing the girl’s face with the intensity that unforgiving vengeance brings. She would come back for the girl. She would not let her get away.

  Two days passed before came back to extract her vengeance, but the girl and her mother had vanished. They had moved suddenly, and their neighbors had no clue of where they had gone. As Steph asked around, she discovered that the neighbors knew little about the girl or her mother, only that they claimed to be bakers and mostly kept to themselves. She enquired at bakeries in the area, but no one had ever seen or heard of them. The complete lack of any way to vent her frustrations and need for revenge made Steph even more violent than before, causing her to lash out at everyone. She didn’t know where she was supposed to look, what she was supposed to be doing. She wanted to pick up dad’s Grasp book which was still hidden in Jane’s house and follow it. Things would be easier if she had been involved in Grasp; she’d have all info on the demon that had killed Rosalie. She sometimes blamed herself because if she hadn’t let Rosalie out of the car, if she had sensed Alice beforehand, she could’ve prevented everything- but still Alice was the murderer.

  Steph had kept the top priority promise to her mom- to not use dark magic or join dad’s evil group- no matter how much she wanted to deep inside and how much easier finding Alice would’ve been. It was only by the strangest coincidence that she had seen the pictures of Anna and the girl with Derek. She found out the girl’s name was Alice, or at least that is what all called her. The name engraved itself into her mind. At last the hatred had a name.

  Steph would pursue this Alice, she would save people and gain vengeance her own way. As time moved on, her single-mindedness caused her to justify the means with the ends. She kidnapped the little boy, but had let Howie go when it became clear that Alice would not be lured into weakness and would rather kill him the little boy than lose any advantage. Jenny had died because Steph sensed Alice around and decided to throw Jenny to the demon instead of getting her hands dirty…

  Steph’s eyes were blurry as she kept on running. Her breathing was becoming ragged, and her legs were giving out underneath her. She turned around and threw the knife desperately through the layer of black mist, but it was of no use. The demon laughed and caught her by the hair. With a sudden and sickening yank, Steph was tossed backwards into a tree. A deafening crack and Steph saw flashes of light as she slid to the ground. Frantically, she realized that she could hardly feel her legs or arms. Her head hung at a strange angle, and Steph knew that her neck was broken. Terror seeped into her mind; she tried desperately to think of a way out.

  She knew that she might heal, an ability she had known from a long time. She needed to push herself away from the evil approaching fast. With the only option she could think that would save her, she began to roll over expecting to get cover. After the third roll she realized the danger, as she involuntarily rolled faster down the slope she hadn’t expected to be there. Her vision was spinning. Her aching back and shoulder hit the ground again and again. As she fell on the road, the gravel hit the back of her head pretty hard. If she was a normal human, she’d already be dead, but she was not. Willingly or not, she did belong to the Grasp and had inherited most of their common abilities. And with that, she’d get away from the demon who was now peering from the higher ground.

  “You think you have me cornered?” Steph’s laughter escaped through bleeding lips. “It’s what you think, you…”

  John had taught her that demons couldn’t control Grasp. It didn’t matter if she was on the road or not, if it was this demon or any other demon that Grasp possessed. Demons couldn’t control the Grasp- this demon couldn’t pin her.

  “You can’t get me,” Steph pointed her finger to Alice. But she just thought that she did. Her hand was lifeless on the ground. Thinking that it was only her hand that had stopped working, she tried to turn her head, but was unable to. An invisible force had gotten her.

  “No, this can’t happen,” she struggled trying harder. “You can’t hold me like this. I order you. I’m the Grasp.”

  Steph shouted but it didn’t have any effect. The demon girl slowly crept towards her, smiling and laughing evilly. She knew that she was going to die, that this demon was toying with her, allowing her last moments to be filled with dread and despair.

  “Let me go,” Steph struggled. She tried concentrating on the demon’s presence as she had the other day to suppress it somehow. But it was very very strong, and Steph wasn’t in a position to suppress the demon- either mentally or physically.

  Steph closed her eyes. She had decided that she’d leave her life and start afresh elsewhere after killing Alice, but it wasn’t going to happen. She wasn’t scared of losing her life now. All that she regretted in her last moments was that she couldn’t finish Alice. She was different from Grasp- she loved her family. But Kim, Kate, Jane and Jacob were still vulnerable to this evil, and especially Derek.

  Can’t believe you actually got caught. She could almost see a translucent John before her saying those words.

  “This is the last time,” Steph said to the image of her dad, accepting her end.

  A light blinded her and Steph squinted hard to see what was coming. A dump truck speeded down in her direction, it wasn’t hard for Steph to calculate its path- It would first crush her left leg and then stop her heart, and then perhaps even go over her skull. She thought of Derek one last time before her thoughts snapped in momentary pain and then to nothing but darkness.

  CHAPTER 31

  As Alice awoke, she heard whimpering. Her head hurt like hell, causing her to blink a number of times before she could register where she was. She was looking at tall trees, to her left was a dead end to the trees-like a slope- and then she turned to the right… A hand! A red hand with broken wires like veins sticking out of it.

  “Aaaagh!” Alice screamed, stumbling to her feet.

  Some stray dogs started barking and she turned in the direction. At the foot of the slope was a narrow road, and two big dogs- one slightly muddy and one black- were near a shattered body. The skull had exploded- its contents scattered, one arm detached, the body unusually flattened and pulled apart- with one arm still in contact whose hand most probably lay by Alice. Remains spread across the road until there was the dump truck whose back tire had a lock of golden hair caught in its wheel.

  Foul odor crashed her senses, and the look of dogs tugging at the body caused Alice shake uncontrollably. She slipped on the slope but by a miracle her hands firmly held on to the land to help her back up.

  “Who would…” She stuttered,”…do this..?”

  It all came back to her; she was running behind the woman she thought who was the demon. Then… she felt different and began to laugh. There was no denial to the fact that she was the road demon all along. She killed her mother; she killed all the people these days. How was she… the demon?

  Alice picked up her bag, avoiding touching the dead hand even though she was faintly aware that she was the one who had ripped it off.

  Clutching her bag close to her chest in an effort to cover the blood stains on the front of her shirt, she ran in a panic. Afraid that someone would catch her, afraid that someone would see her and recogni
ze her for what she was, what she had hidden inside of her, afraid that someone would question her of what she didn’t know herself. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a girl standing by the side of road, half hidden in the trees. The girl was alone and calm, and was staring intently. Alice thought her to be sixteen or maybe seventeen. Her eyes twinkled through the darkness. Alice noticed a phone being held between her different colored gloves. She looked up to Alice and there was cold anger in those eyes. Alice rushed past her quickly, not knowing if the stranger had a clue of what she might be capable of doing.

  Her breath was ragged and hands were trembling. The wind charged through her hair. Her mind was reeling from everything, trying to make sense of what was wrong with her. Alice's eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and as bright headlights came up ahead, it caused her to shade her eyes with her bag still covering up the blood. After the lights were off, Alice peered to see who it was and she couldn't be more relieved. Derek.

  He was about to get out of the car. As stupid as it sounded, the demon story was true. And she was behind it, though she still was clueless of why she turned into such a demon, or how she killed people. She didn't want to believe it, but not believing did not solve the problem. She had to be careful.

  “Don’t get out,” Alice shouted, letting herself in Cloud.

  “What?” Derek said, alarmed. “Is that blood? Are you alright?”

  "Yeah," Alice said and took a deep breath to calm herself.

  "What happened?"

  But she couldn't be calm. No, not now. "Mom's dead." She tried to pass the news without crying, but it was impossible. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  "I'm sorry," he said. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. She rested her head against his shoulder, clutched his sleeve and sobbed.

  The past had shattered her life. She had had her options open that there was a slight possibility that she was a bad person- though she never felt like one. But it turned out that she was someone, or a better way to put it was - something worse than she had ever imagined. Everything had changed tonight. She was endangering people's lives.