“I needed a break and um, wanted to go see where Lexie was last.”
“She wasn't here last so why would you be here? I was here when she was so don't even try to lie to me.” I put my hands on my hips and stared him down.
He put his hands in his pockets and grinned, “I told you to stay out of it but you just couldn't, could you?”
“I know it was you. I know you set up Kellin. You're just going to let him go down for your own agenda that's going to fail. How you be so evil and be a Collector?”
“Well you see, it's fairly simple really. I died, became a Collector, didn't want to do it anymore, made some new friends, and voila, here we are,” he held his arms out.
“New friends meaning dark spirits.”
He placed a finger over his lips, “I can never tell.”
“Did you ever love Lexie?”
“Yeah, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.” He started to go around me and I grabbed him arm.
“I will make sure you pay for everything. You will pay for Kellin and you sure as hell will pay for Lexie,” I spat out at him.
“No, I don't see that happening. You are nothing to be afraid of,” he looked me up and down, laughing.
“We'll see about that.” The portal appeared and took me away before he could respond.
***
“Kale! Open the door, right now!” I banged on his front door relentlessly.
He swung it open, “What the hell is wrong with you!?”
I stormed in past him. “Do you have any idea about what you're doing to Lexie? She's still alive. Her light is still somewhere and I know that for a fact. What is Jackson planning on doing!?” I got in his face after he closed the door. “Don't even think about lying to me. You have messed with people I love and that makes me a dangerous being to fuck with, do you understand me?” I was fiercely pissed off. I stared through his eyes and into his heartless soul.
“Dev, you have to understand, I didn't have a choice,” he whispered.
“What do you mean you didn't have a choice? We all have the choice to say no and walk away.”
He shook his head, “Not this time, Dev. He was going to send the dark spirits after me and since I just got here, I would have no way of defending myself. I am ashamed, really, but when it comes down to your own life being at stake...you have to make sacrifices.”
“That was an asshole move. You could have come and talked to me. We could have figured something out or went to the Creator. You didn't have to get Lexie killed.”
“That was not on me. That was Jackson. I lied about Kellin, that's it, I swear to you.” He went and sat down on the couch with his head in his hands, shoulders sunk down some.
“That's it? Really? He's frozen away in solitude because of you. He's missing out on his afterlife because of you but all you have to say is 'that's it.' You're an asshole and I'm kind of glad I don't remember you from before. The Creator told me about the mind wiping thing.” I sat next to him on the couch. “How are you going to fix this?”
He shook his head, “I can't. The next phase has already begun and I can't stop it now.”
“What do you mean the next phase?”
“You're safe so long as you stay in here. They know not to come in here with me. I'm protected.”
“Kale, who is coming?”
He looked me in the eyes with his sad, sunken ones, “The dark spirits. They're wiping out the In-Between and taking over. The Creator will be uprooted and replaced by...” his voice trailed off.
“Oh. My. God!” I jumped to my feet. “When are they supposed to be here?”
“Right about...” He closed his eyes. The screams of the Collectors caught off guard shook my core. I ran to the window and looked outside.
They were being slaughtered in front of their homes, in their homes, walking around, and anywhere they could be found. The portal became locked. No one was leaving which meant no one could possibly survive. I spun around quickly and walked over to Kale who rose to his feet. I grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against a door. “How do I defeat them?”
“I-I don't know.”
“YES you do! Now tell me how, right now, or so help me God, I will rip your light out myself and crush it, damn it!”
“Okay, okay, maybe they told me once, in case they didn't listen and came into the house during the overtaking.”
“Tell me now then you're coming out there with me.”
“You have to stab them with a blessed metal dagger and no I am NOT going out there.”
“Oh yes you are. You helped create this mess, now you can help clean it up. How did they get up here and why isn't the Creator doing anything about it!?”
“They used Lexies’ light to get here. He can't do anything about it. Remember what he said about Lexie dying down there? It's the same here. He is safely hidden somewhere watching everything unfold. When he's out of Collectors, they will go for him. That's the only time he will be able to help with anything.”
“You have got to be kidding me!” I yelled. “Do you have this so called blessed dagger?” He pointed to a bookcase. I ran over to it and ripped everything off the walls until I found it stuffed inside a fake book. When I pulled it out, I looked it over briefly and headed for the door.
“I suggest you find another one so you don't suffer the same fate as him.” I opened the door and several of the dark spirits ran towards me. I pulled out the dagger and yelled at Kale. “Get your ass out here!”
One of the spirits lunged for me and I stabbed it, right in the dead heart of its chest. It made a loud cry and fell to the ground, becoming a puff of black smoke.
Kale stood at the door line, afraid to move. His eyes were darting around in horror. “Get out here, now! If I have to tell you again, I'm coming after you when I'm done!”
He took a deep breath and stepped over the thresh hold into the massacre. He pulled out another stake like mine and came down the steps next to me.
“Okay, but if I die, it's on you.” He took off in one direction and I went in the other, towards Jackson's house. There were so many Collectors falling; more than the number of dark spirits falling and it made me sick.
I started yelling out to all the ones who had managed to run away. “Get a dagger that's been blessed, if you can find one!” I would hold mine up and show it to them.
They looked at me like I was crazy until I stabbed spirits in front of them and they watched as the spirits went down and vanished.
At Jackson's front steps, I slammed my foot into the door and broke it down. I ran inside and checked all the rooms. He wasn't home. I had to quickly think about where he could be and then it dawned on me; he was searching out the Creator for the final battle after all his Collectors fell.
I hauled ass outside; slashing into all the spirits that I ran past. There were so many but I had to do what I could. I refused to be taken down or to let the system fall and all hell break out up there.
Looking around, more Collectors were coming back with the daggers and the battle took a sharp turn. We began to outnumber the spirits. One came up to me and took a solid form. It was in the shape of Lexie. I stopped and stared at it. “You have to save me! Help me, Devalynn!” It called out in her voice but I knew it couldn't be true. The twisted, tortured face shifted and began laughing before lunging at me.
I quickly drew my dagger and as it slammed into the chest, the spirit cried out in horrible agony...in Lexies’ voice. “Die, you fucking bastard!” I screamed as it fell to the ground like the others.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Jackson walking calmly towards the tombs. I began to follow him quietly. I didn't want him to know I was there. He weaved in and out of the tombs, a dagger tucked into the back of his pants. The Creator was sitting with his head in his hands as he wept for his kingdom and the souls falling.
“Jackson, why are you doing this?” He looked up at Jackson as the tears fell down his own face. My dead heart ached for him.
“Your system is failed. You have failed everyone. It's time for a new era; one that doesn't involve you being here,” he spat out at him.
“So what's your plan after you get rid of me? Let the Demon King run free and do as he wishes? You're working with him, aren't you?”
“He can fix everything. He can do whatever it takes to make things right.” Jackson pursed his lips together in a hard line, his eyes fixed on the Creator.
“He can't do anything like that for you. He will only make things worse. Think about your loved ones still on earth. Do you want them to suffer? The Demon King will only bring pain and hurt to them all and all of you who survive this.”
“He swore to me he won't hurt anyone and everyone will be much happier.”
The Creator stood to his feet and walked in front of Jackson. “He is a liar. He will tell you anything you want you want to hear to get you on his side. How do you think the dark spirits learned to do what they do? You sacrificed your love, Lexie, because she found out what you were planning on doing. Has your light really turned black?”
“I did what I had to do for the best interest of everyone.”
“Look around you!” He held up his arms and pointed to the throngs of Collectors on the ground and running away. “How is war in the best interest of everyone!?” His voice boomed through the tombs and shook the walls.
I decided it was then or never to get my chance and take down Jackson. I snuck up on him; creeping as lightly as I could until I was right on his back. When I held up my dagger to shove it into him, he turned around, locking eyes with me. “You cannot kill a Collector with the dagger, Dev.” Anger and hate filled his eyes.
My eyes went wide with horror. He reared back and slapped me so hard I flew back and hit one of the tombs, cracking the foundation with the force of my body. My vision got blurry. I tried standing but I got dizzy and fell again. Jackson knelt beside me and reached down to my chest. When I realized what he was about to do, I forced myself to focus. It was either try or die and never have existed.
I flung my leg up and kicked him in the shins. He fell and landed on his back. I jumped to my feet and went to hide behind a tomb while I tried to get a game plan together.
“I will find you, there's no doubt about that, Dev. You might as well just come out now and end this.” His voice was menacing. “You're a coward.”
Seriously? He just called me a coward!? No game plan, no idea what I was going to do, but I wasn't going to stand being called a coward. I came out from behind the tomb and walked right up to him. “I am not a coward. I am not the one who betrayed those closest to me; I am not the one who killed Lexie! I think that would be you and that's what makes YOU the coward!”
He stepped back, laughing. “I don't think so. I'm tired of all this talk. It's time to end this.”
“I agree. You're the only one left,” I smirked.
He spun around and ran over to one of the streets. All the dark spirits were gone. What was left of the Collectors were picking up the bodies of the fallen and moving them to the side of the road. He turned around and ran at me. I ran towards him and punched him in the face as I passed him by. He fell to the ground but bounced right back up. I ran out into the street with him quickly behind me.
The other Collectors stepped back and watched as we had it out with each other. I stopped instantly and spun around, digging my hand into his chest as his went into mine. I tried to find his unbeating heart as he searched for mine. I couldn't breathe and neither could he. We pulled apart and I swung at him. He ducked and when he came back up, he decked me in the eye. I flew back again and rolled onto the ground. I rolled over onto my back to pull myself up but he sat down on my chest and held my arms down with his feet.
“I'm going to enjoy this,” he whispered, “I'm going to make you hurt.” He slowly pushed his hand through my chest and wrapped it around my heart. I felt him start to compress it as my light was being pulled from my body. I closed my eyes and wished for a quick final death but he was making me suffer. He let go of my heart for just a second before starting it all over again and laughing the whole time.
A Collector tried to come and help but Jackson ripped his light out and crushed it. “Anyone else want to try and do something foolish like that!?” No one moved. Once more, he let go and then squeezed again.
I screamed out in pain and anguish. “I hope you rot in hell and may the hell hounds rip you limb from limb over and over again, you psychotic son of a bitch!” I screamed at him. My eyes burned from the feeling of over crying but with no tears.
Jackson stopped laughing and fell to the ground beside me. Kale was behind him with his spirit in his hand. “Don't crush it,” I commanded him, coughing as I rolled to my side and grabbed onto my chest over my heart.
“Why not!? After everything he has put us through? He killed Lexie!”
“What could be a better punishment than rotting away for eternity?” I laid flat on my back and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths and trying to focus on them so I didn't lose my temper.
“So what do you want me to do with it?”
“Give it to me,” the Creator spoke, soft and gently.
“Yes sir,” Kale said, handing it to him. “Please, forgive me for everything I've done. If not, please make my death quick and not prolonged.” He closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame. He couldn't even look the Creator in his eyes.
“We'll talk about your fate later. I have to seal Jackson away now.” He looked around at all the destruction. “Until further notice, reclaiming of souls and second chances are suspended. Souls will get an ultimate fate as they come in. Everyone, go home,” he commanded. With their heads hung down, they all obeyed.
I stood finally and followed him. “What's going to happen now?”
“I will fix the system and once we have acquired new Collectors, we'll resume business as usual.”
“I have a question.”
“What?”
“Lexies' light wasn't crushed. Can she be saved?”
“Do you know where it is?”
“I can find it. It's here. That's how the dark spirits got in. They used her life force to get the portal to open to them.”
“If, and that's a BIG if...if you find it, bring it to me. I will see what I can do. I have some work to do now, so we'll talk later.”
“Yes sir.” I ran back into the streets. Kale was talking to one of the girls. “I need your help.”
The girl waved and walked off. He turned and looked at me. “What kind of help?”
“Lexies' light is here. She could still have a chance of being saved. Can you please help me try to find her? I need her to come back. You owe it to me and to her.”
“Don't try to guilt trip me, Dev. I'll do it.”
“Last time I saw it, it was in some kind of urn shaped container. I don't know what it would have been transferred in since then, though, so keep your eyes open for anything unusual or out of place.”
“Got it.” He stepped closer to me and wrapped his arms around my neck. “I really am sorry for everything,” he whispered into my ear.
“Prove it by helping me finish this thing off and get Lexie back.” I let him go and walked towards where the pavement ended to start from there. I canvassed the ground, looking for any and everything that shouldn't have been there. By the time I made it back to where I talked to Kale, I still had nothing. I began to feel like I would never find her and save her life.
“Did you find it?” Kale walked up to me a few minutes later. I sat on the curb and dipped my head down.
“No, nothing. I take it you didn't either?” He shook his head.
“I'm sorry, Dev. We'll have to look again in the morning. Go home and get some rest. You of all of us need it the most. We'll look again tomorrow and won't stop until we find her.”
I smiled, slightly, “Thanks for helping and realizing you were on the wrong side. You're right. I need some rest. I'll see you tomorrow.” He waved goodbye as I stood and tu
cked my hands in my pockets.
Chapter Twelve
I was sound asleep. No dreaming, no moving around...just dead asleep. I didn't hear the knocking on my door. I didn't hear the person walk in. I didn't hear them tip toeing across the house to my room. I didn't feel them sitting down on the bed next to me and lying down. If someone wanted to kill me for good, doing it that night would have been the perfect night to do it. I never would have even seen them coming.
Sometime during the day, I woke up. My eyes were trying to focus as I rolled over. It took a minute to realize there was another body in the bed with me. I screamed and fell off the bed, hitting the floor with a thud. I peeked up over the edge at the figure laying there under my blankets.
Jumping to my feet, I ripped the cover back off of them. He rolled over and smiled up at me. I felt my knees go weak and buckle underneath me.
“Kellin!” I screamed and flew across the bed, landing on top of him. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he embraced me so tightly I thought I would stop combust.
“God, I've missed you,” he whispered in my ear.
“You have no idea how much I have missed you,” I grabbed his face and looked into his big beautiful eyes.
He looked over at the ring on my finger and rolled me off him and on the bed. He gently took my hand and pulled it to him to look it over. “Do you know why you wear this ring?”
I shook my head, “No. I do know I had a memory wipe but nothing else. Why?”
“I gave you think ring after you said yes to being mine forever.” He kissed my hand and laced my fingers with his.
My eyes went wide. “We were promised to each other?” He nodded his head with a big shit eating grin across his face.
“Would you say your answer is the same or has it changed?”
I pulled my hands free from him and wrapped them around his head; bringing him closer to me as I whispered back, “I think that would be a big yes...but I might need some convincing.”
He pulled back just a little, watching me bite my lip. “Yes, ma'am, I'm pretty sure I can convince you.” His lips came crashing down on mine. The butterflies in my stomach went wild as his hands traveled down my side and up my shirt. His hand against my skin felt so perfect. The touch of him was enough to send me over the edge without even doing anything else to me.
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