by Lee Hayes
Even if that was the case, at this point, she’d willingly sign her life over to him.
After Simon showered, he returned to the bed. He walked with much more vigor than he had only moments ago. He climbed into the bed and lay on his back. Brooke felt his forehead, which was still hotter than it should have been. She went into the bathroom, took a small washcloth and ran it underneath the cold water. She returned to the room and placed it on Simon’s forehead.
She waited a few moments before speaking. “Simon, what’s going on? Please, talk to me.”
“I’m . . . becoming . . . ” His words drifted off.
“Becoming? What?” She swallowed hard.
He didn’t respond. Instead, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. Brooke didn’t know what to think or do; but, in spite of the grave warning in her heart, she remained certain that she wanted to be at his side.
Simon leaned forward, with some effort, and placed one hand on her cheek. “Just know that you are safe. I don’t care what you see or what you hear, you are safe with me. Can you trust that?”
She shook her head, unconvincingly.
“Baby, I need you to believe in me—in us.”
“I do, it’s just that—”
“Trust me, okay? And love me. I will keep you safe from all harm.” When she looked at his face this time, it warmed her. She believed him and she let go of the fear.
“I trust you, baby. I do.”
“Promise me one thing—above all else.”
“Anything.”
“Promise me that whatever happens, whatever I become, that you’ll never stop seeing me.”
She leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips; not one full of passion or desire, but one that sealed their covenant. “I promise.”
“I don’t want you to leave. I want you to be here when I wake up.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He smiled.
Brooke moved into the living room to let Simon sleep. She poured herself a glass of wine and dropped to the couch. The temperature in the house had leveled off, returning to normal.
Beneath her feet, something moved; more like, slithered.
Instinct told her to yank up her feet from the floor, but panic seized her heart and froze her limbs. She prayed there wasn’t a snake near her feet. If she looked down and saw a serpent, she knew she’d faint.
With her heart pounding, she slowly tilted her head downward so that she could see her feet on the floor. She exhaled when she didn’t see a snake.
Out of her periphery, she saw something move in the corner near the kitchen. Then, she heard a hiss.
Broooooooooke.
She screamed. “Who’s there?” she asked in a panic as she faced the corner. She didn’t want to wait for an answer. She grabbed her jacket and headed toward the front door, picking up her keys from the table. When she tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. Not an inch. She pulled with more strength than she knew she had, but to no avail.
She turned and ran back into the room, looking for an escape route. She focused her attention on the window. She looked down at the snow-covered ground from the second floor window and contemplated how she could get down.
Broooooooooke.
In a hurry, she tried to lift the window, but like the door, it wouldn’t open. Tremendous fear gripped her. She sprinted into the kitchen and grabbed a large skillet and raced back to the window. Without hesitation, she threw the pan into the glass, but it didn’t break. Or crack. The skillet simply bounced on the window and hit the floor, without so much as making a sound.
She felt defeated. Trapped.
Resigned to her fate, she wiped the tears from her eyes, calmly removed her coat and went back into the living room, picking up her glass of wine and downing the contents in one gulp.
She wasn’t going anywhere, just as Simon wanted.
As she sat on the couch she told herself that it was all in her head. All of this was some bizarre waking nightmare and all she had to do was to take control of her reality. There were no snakes; the doors and windows were probably frozen shut; no one was hissing her name. It was all in her head. She took slow, deliberate breaths to calm herself and soon the depressing effects of the wine took hold of her and her eyelids drooped, heavy with fatigue. Before she knew it, her eyes were closed.
“Wake, my child,” a gentle voice called out to Brooke. She opened her eyes and jumped when she saw a woman standing in the living room.
“Who are you? How did you get in here?”
“Don’t be scared. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to save you; to save us all.”
“Look, lady, I don’t know what’s going on—” she said as she looked around the room.
“My name is Adelaide. Adelaide Thibodeaux.” Brooke’s heart froze when she heard the name. It was the woman that Simon had been looking for; the one he said he had dreamed about.
“You’re Adelaide? The Adelaide?”
“Listen to me. I don’t have much time. Simon is not to be trusted. The dark in him is strong. You know of the dark of which I speak, don’t you? This wretched storm is because of him; because he lives.” Brooke remained silent, wishing she could disagree. “He frightens you, doesn’t he? He frightens us all.”
“He loves me.”
“Still, he will destroy you. It is he that prevents you from leaving this place. His powers have sealed you here. No one can enter or leave this place; it is his will.”
Brooke gasped.
“What has he told you? About who he is? About what he is?” Addie asked.
“N-n-nothing.”
Addie stepped closer. “He is the destroyer of worlds. He will kill everyone you know and love. Your mother. Your father. Your brothers and sisters. Everything will burn.”
“No, that’s not true. You’re lying.”
Addie moved closer to Brooke and took her by the hand. She placed Brooke’s hand over her heart. “Here, look into my heart. Know what I know.”
Heat surged through Brooke’s body as a rapid-fire succession of horrible images flashed through Brooke’s mind.
The world on fire.
Screaming children.
Earthquakes swallowing whole cities.
Bloodied angels falling from a flaming hole in the sky.
Simon, on a throne in a golden castle, smiling.
Brooke yanked her hand back. “Make it stop, make it stop!” Tears poured from her eyes. “This isn’t true! You’re doing this!”
Addie smiled delicately. “What you have seen shall come to pass unless we stop him. You know this. You have felt it.”
With trembling lips, Brooke spoke. “H-h-ow. How do we stop him?”
“Not we,” Addie said as she pointed her finger at Brooke, “you.”
Brooke awoke with panic in her heart. She quickly looked around the room, searching for the woman she had seen in her dream, but the room was empty. Her heartbeat was rapid; pounding with force in her chest. Even as she pulled herself together, she knew that, though she had been asleep, what happened to her had been real. She was certain of that. Like Simon, she had been visited by Adelaide Thibodeaux in her sleep.
“Brooke,” Simon said as he stood in the doorway of the living room, eyeing her strangely. “Who were you talking to?” he asked, an accusation coloring his voice.
“Huh?” She heard his question but was distracted by a faint, red pulsing light that seemed to be radiating from his skin, like a hidden heat source. She closed her eyes and shook her head, but when she opened them the light was gone.
“I heard you talking to someone.” His voice was now stern.
Brooke shook her head and rubbed her face in her hands. “Oh, I must’ve been asleep—talking in my sleep. It’s been a long few days.”
“Tell me about it.” The tension left his voice. “Would you come and lay next to me? I miss you.”
Her stomach tightened into a ball. “Of course, baby.” She moved over to him, watching his face brighten
as he stared at her, but as she moved nearer, all she could think was: destroyer of worlds.
CHAPTER 27
On December 21st, at the stroke of midnight, Adelaide Thibodeaux’s binding spell on Simon’s powers finally collapsed.
It broke, not with a bang.
But a whimper.
As Simon lay in a tepid pool of bathwater, his body expelled the last of the slimy residue that had continued to ooze out of his pores throughout the nights; it was a sign of his transition.
And then he ascended.
Quietly.
And the snowstorm ended.
CHAPTER 28
“The ties that bind make them tight, stronger than the blackest night. The ties that bind make them tight, stronger than the blackest night.” Her words had echoed throughout the room since the previous night. She had spent the evening fortifying the shack with her magic, hoping to erect a barrier strong enough to keep them out. They were coming; she had no doubt about that. Their birth date was today and presumably, they had their power, but Addie couldn’t be sure. There were no signs, no omens as she had expected. The only thing she could be certain of is that they wouldn’t be satisfied until they stole the power of the sister-clan and the power from this sacred ground; they’d have to come here to do that, which would be the final nail in the coffin for her. Yes, they would come. They would come to claim her; to kill her.
Let it be done, she thought.
She felt strong; stronger than she had in years. This cabin, these grounds, this swamp, was hallowed by the bloodmagic of her ancestors and it was here that she would be the strongest. It was here that she’d make her final stand. She prayed, chanted and called upon the ancient powers with a fervor she had never known. She hoped their spirit would strengthen her spell and protect the world, although she wasn’t quite sure how.
In the morning light she felt calm, almost serene; this just might be her last morning and her last sunrise.
She stepped out onto the porch and inhaled the fresh scent of morning. The snow had finally stopped falling and the sun shone bright in the sky. Even at this early morning hour the temperature was far above the freezing point and the snow that covered the land began to melt. She listened as droplets of water slid from the roof of the house and splattered against the fractured wood of the porch. If this was to be her last morning on earth, she wanted to enjoy the simply beauty of nature.
She didn’t fear death, at least not hers. She feared the death of the world. She feared that this day might end with the swamp water that surrounded her shack turned to blood, with hundreds of discarded corpses floating in the muck; she feared the day when the stench of death choked out any hope of life. She would willingly die if she could be certain that the world would be spared the brutality of the shadows.
But for now, she wanted to enjoy the view and remember things the way they were; the tranquility of the bright morning didn’t last long.
Her serenity was splintered by the foul scent of burning sulfur. Instantly, her body tensed and she took an offensive position as she looked around quickly, hoping to find the source of the odor. Shadows. It could only be the shadows. They were here.
She heard a low rumble from the sky and watched as flakes fell from the heavens. Was it snowing again? she asked herself but it was far too hot for snow. One of the flakes drifted down and landed in the palm of her hand. It didn’t melt. She raised it to her nose and took a whiff. It wasn’t snow. It was ash. Gray ash was falling from the sky as if heaven itself were burning. The ash rained down in heavier, thicker flakes.
Addie wiggled her fingers to activate her protection spell that she had placed around the house. She heard a low rumble in the sky and rushed inside the house, closing the door behind her.
“Hello, Grandmother.” Addie froze. They were already inside. She spun around and saw Eli standing in center of the room, his head cocked to the side and his mouth curled into a devious grin. He was dressed in tight, white slacks and a white vest, with his hands in the pockets of his pants. “I must say that I didn’t expect to see you here, of all places,” he said as he looked around the room. “I expected you to be hiding, cowering under some rock far from here. But here you are, in this place—the last bastion of your power. I will burn it to the ground myself with you in it and take its power,” he said boastfully, “but, first, have you noticed the beautiful snow falling? It’s marvelous, isn’t it?” He strolled around the room speaking casually. “I’ve missed you, Grandmother. Have you missed me?” Addie knew that he couldn’t be alone; her eyes scanned the room. “Do you like my outfit? I thought I’d dress for my big moment.” Eli did a quick three hundred and sixty degree spin on his toes. “You didn’t know that I’m a dancer, did you?”
Addie didn’t have patience for his little games. “Where’s Simon?”
“Oh, don’t worry about my brother. He may not come when you call, but he’s always on time,” Eli said with a deep laugh. “Oh, I’m sorry—that was funny. That’s what you people used to say about you know who,” he said as he looked up. “I wonder what he’s doing now as ash falls from heaven?”
“Eli, it isn’t too late. You can still change—come to the light. Stop all this before it starts.”
Eli paused as if he were seriously contemplating her offer. Then, his expression changed. “Why would I ever want to do that, old lady? You don’t get it, do you? It’s so much better in the dark. And soon the dark will lay waste to this land. Your time is up. Finally, my time has arrived!” He extended his arms to what seemed like the length of the room. Quickly, he put his hand in his pocket, pulled out a closed fist and extended his arm toward Addie. “You wanna see a trick?” Before she could respond, he opened the palm of his hand to reveal a fistful of dull, gray ash and then blew hard on the substance. The ash flew from his hand, but remained suspended in air inches from where he stood. Then, he smiled and blew again and the ash sprayed across the room like machine gun fire, stinging Addie’s flesh so hard that it brought her to her knees.
“Eli,” she said as she tried to cover her body with her hands. “Stop it! You can stop all of this!”
“Oh, Grannie. You’re so funny.”
“If you wanna laugh, my dear grandson, how about this?” Addie clenched her fist hard, and Eli let out a scream that bounced around the room. He fell to the floor, holding his stomach, writhing in agonizing pain. Addie stood up slowly. “I’m better at this than you are, little boy—never forget that.”
“I’ll fuckin’ kill you!” he screamed as he curled up in the fetal position. Addie clenched her fist tighter, intensifying the sensation that his insides were about to explode. He spat up a wad of blood.
“Not if you’re already dead.”
Addie pointed her finger at him and made his body rise from the floor. He hung in the air, suspended by her power. She looked him in the eyes—eyes that were like hers—and then flung him hard against the wall. He screamed out again.
“You—you—can’t kill me. I can’t die,” he stammered out, un-convincingly.
“Are you sure about that?” Addie raised an eyebrow. “You’re weak. You haven’t ascended,” she stated. When Eli’s eyes widened, Addie knew that she had gotten into his head. He was genuinely afraid that she would kill him. She could see his fear. “Surely, you weren’t foolish enough to come here, to face me, without your full power. Your arrogance is your undoing.”
“Please, Grandmother. Please. I’m so sorry for what I did to you when you were in the hospital. Please, don’t kill me.”
“My dear Eli,” she began, “such a beautiful child; so full of evil. It’s hard to believe that you are of my blood. This world has been protected by the blood of my sisters—your family—for eons; it is that same blood that pulses in your veins. We have nurtured every thing of beauty for so long that we are inextricably bound to the fate of this world. I love this world and will not let you destroy it. You crave nothing but blood and death. You are lost.” She tightened both fists and double
d his pain. His cries amplified across the room.
Then, Addie flew across the room and crashed into the wall.
From a room in the back of the shack, Rebecca emerged. She was dressed splendidly, as if she was ready for a runway show. Her short black gown showed her long, smooth legs; her makeup was perfect, except it couldn’t completely cover the deep scar on her neck where Addie had slit her throat. The sound of her heels clanked across the wooden floor.
“Adelaide, what have you done to my son?” she asked with little emotion. She extended her hand to Eli and pulled him up. “Mommy will always take care of you, darling.”
Eli stumbled to his feet and straightened his vest. “Do you see what that bitch did to me? She got blood on my outfit. She tried to kill me!” Eli’s fury filled the room in the form of flames that raced across the space, igniting loose pieces of wood and furniture. The fire formed a circle around Addie, pinning her in the corner, but she twisted her fingers in a circle and all the fire that raged around her coalesced in the palm of her hand; she snapped it out when she closed her fist.
“So, here we are,” Rebecca said with joy, “at the final battle. This is the moment when dark overtakes light, permanently.” Rebecca and Eli stood in line, almost shoulder to shoulder, and faced Addie, who stood on the other side of the room, her hands balled into tight fists, ready for battle. “Do you really think you can take us both, even in this place?” The smile vanished from Rebecca’s face.
“I have no doubt about that, Dark Mother. Your power is a shadow against the sun—a mere fragment of my true power. Do you really want to do battle with a Priestess Supreme? Do you really believe your artificial power can withstand an assault by me? Gone is the feeble woman you helped keep locked in a shell for years. She’s gone,” Addie said with emphasis on her last two words. “I am a warrior witch; born and bred to beat back the shadows. I am not afraid of either of you.” Tension, thick as fog, gathered in the room and separated the enemies; one wrong move would set off a powder keg, but neither side budged. They stood eyeball to eyeball, deciding whether to engage or whether to retreat.