The four wanderers traveled on in silence: Carrie deep in thought, Emilia, Lindsay, and Rebecca watchful. No one spoke. No one dared to break the silence that hung over the group. They walked on in this fashion for what seemed like hours, each in her own little world.
Suddenly, a large crash followed by loud cursing violently shook the girls from their thoughts. Emilia, Carrie, and Rebecca spun around to see Lindsay lying in a tangled heap on the forest floor. Her blonde hair was streaked with dirt and was pulled from her braid, sticking out every which way. Her skirt had a long tear up the side, her leg was scratched, and her face was smeared with mud. She stared up at her friends, a petulant look on her face.
Laughter bubbled up from Carrie’s lips. She knew it was wrong to laugh at her friend’s accident, but Lindsay looked so silly sprawled on the ground, she could not help herself.
“Stop laughing at me,” Lindsay whined at her.
“Sorry,” Carrie said. “I honestly didn’t know you knew so many swear words.”
Rebecca looked down at her, shaking her head. “I told you not to wear platform shoes for hiking through the forest. You never listen to me.”
Lindsay pouted. “They’re comfortable. And besides,” she said pointing at her feet, “like I told you before, these ones are the flattest shoes I own. I have to wear tall shoes or else all my skirts are too long and I’ll trip over them. I can’t stand being short.”
Carrie sighed, put her backpack down on the ground, and began rifling through her stuff. “You know you can always get your skirts shortened a few inches. Then you wouldn’t need those shoes,” she told Lindsay. “Anyway, luckily we have the same size feet. You can borrow my extra sandals. They’re flats. You can roll your skirt up a bit at the waist so you won’t trip over it. You should’ve asked me about it ages ago.”
She pulled the sandals out of her bag and handed them to Lindsay, as well as a bandage for her leg. Lindsay cleaned herself up as best she could and thanked Carrie, pulling herself up off the ground.
Emilia stared at the platforms in interest as Lindsay put them away. “Why do they even make shoes like that if they are so difficult to walk in?” she asked.
“People like to appear taller,” Lindsay explained. “And we’re told they make your legs seem slimmer.”
Rebecca jumped in. “In other words, people do stupid things to themselves to look a certain way. They paint their faces, wear uncomfortable clothes and shoes. I’m sure it’s no different here.” She looked at Emilia. “You can’t possibly tell me that every piece of clothing you own is super comfortable and you wear it because it feels good.”
Emilia shook her head no. “I cannot. We are not so different in this way.” She turned to Lindsay. “You were not badly hurt when you fell?” she asked. “We can rest if you need to.”
“I’m fine,” Lindsay said with a smile. “I’m used to this sort of thing. I’m a klutz. I fall quite a bit at home. Down stairs, playing sports, in the shower…all over the place.”
“Klutz?” Emilia asked, confused.
“Clumsy,” Rebecca explained. “She’s very clumsy. A complete and utter schlimazel as my bubbie would have said.”
“You should be more careful,” Emilia said. “You could get seriously hurt here if you are not.”
Lindsay nodded. “I’ll do my best,” she assured the group. “Is it okay if we rest up a bit? My leg kind of hurts.”
“It’s all right with me,” Rebecca answered. Emilia and Carrie nodded as well.
The four girls settled down on the ground and relaxed. Rebecca took a sip from a bottle of water and closed her eyes, her face peaceful in the dim light. Carrie began to drift off. She didn’t realized how tired she was until she had stopped moving. She felt her eyelids getting heavy. The ground she sat on was soft. It had a thick covering of fallen leaves. The air was clear and smelled of fresh rainfall. Carrie could feel herself start to nod off. She knew her friends would be watching the time and would not allow them to stay for too long. So Carrie made a decision and just gave in to her body’s overwhelming desire to sleep.
Carrie’s dreams found her in what appeared to be a ballroom. The floor was a single white marble slab. The ceiling was supported by several golden columns. Adorning the ceiling was a nightmarish fresco depicting the sky alight with flames. Flying through the smoke were beasts as black as ink. Their leathery wings beat the smoke into funnel clouds. Their eyes seemed to glow; their talons and teeth dripped with blood. Whoever had painted them had given such care to detail that from her spot on the floor, Carrie could see the mats that littered their shaggy coats. There was no discernible light source where she was, yet the room was as bright as day. The walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors on all sides, reflecting her in a dizzying panorama. No matter where she turned, she was faced with her own reflection staring back. In the mirror, her face was contorted in rage and hatred. Carrie knew she was not making that expression, yet there it was on the face in front of her. She kept turning away, trying to escape it, but everywhere she looked, she was confronted by it.
“You don’t like what you see?” one of her reflections asked. A cold grin stretched across her face.
“What do you want from me?” Carrie asked back. She was shaking with fear.
“I just want you to take a good long look at yourself,” another reflection replied. She laughed and gestured around the room. Some of the reflections waved, others joined in the laughter.
“What makes you think a pathetic girl like you can defeat someone as powerful as Asmodeus?” a third asked. “You are going to get your friends killed, you know? After all, you went and gave away your only source of protection. You’re pathetic. You’re out of your league. You’ll never win. Adom was a fool to choose you.”
“My friends chose to come!” Carrie shouted back. “I didn’t force them! I only traded my necklace so we could get the shamir. We will win! We have to.”
“You really think you can defeat this?” the reflections asked. As Carrie watched, horrified, the reflections twisted and changed. Carrie saw her face morph into that of a vicious, ugly creature. Her body followed. Soon, she was face-to-face with the creatures painted on the ceiling. They were even more horrific up close. Carrie had no place to run.
The creature in front of her started to come forward. “You will not succeed,” it taunted her. “You will never triumph. You will never see your home again. Your friends will never see their families again, and it will be all your fault.”
“No,” Carrie weakly protested. “It’s not. They chose. They chose to come. We will win. We have to.”
The creature broke free of the mirror and grinned at her. It opened its mouth wide, showing Carrie several rows of razor-sharp fangs and showering her with its fetid breath. It roared, and a searing ball of flame burst free, engulfing Carrie as she screamed.
Chapter Eighteen
Banumen
Carrie woke with a start. She sat up and rubbed her face with her hands. She wondered how long she had been asleep and thought that if those were the types of dreams she would be having from that point on, she never wanted to sleep again. She looked around for her friends and was surprised to find she was alone with Lindsay. She was sitting close by, a cryptic smile on her face.
Carrie shook her head, trying to clear it of any memory of her horrible dream. She was planning to talk to her friends about it but wanted to wait for Rebecca and Emilia to return. She did not want to have to relive it more than once if she didn’t have to.
“Sleep well?” Lindsay asked. It was clear in her tone and expression she knew full well the answer.
“Not really,” Carrie answered slowly. “Are you okay?”
“I’ve never been better,” Lindsay replied. She let out a low chuckle. “Any interesting dreams, Carrie?”
A chill came over Carrie, despite the fact that it was warm outside. She felt goose bumps crawling up her arms. Something was very wrong here. She looked hard at her friend in the murk
y light. Lindsay was crouching on the forest floor, resting her weight on her bare feet. Her hands were on her knees, fingers tapping out a rhythm on the fabric of her skirt. Her eyes were looking intently at Carrie, wide, maniacal. Everything about her screamed that whoever this girl was, it was not Lindsay.
“I don’t really remember my dreams,” Carrie lied. She tried to keep her voice even and friendly. She hoped she was convincing. “I never do. You know that, Linds. Do you know where Emilia and Rebecca are?”
“They’re…around,” Lindsay replied, vaguely gesturing to the air around her with her hands. “It’s just you and me now.” Her grin broadened.
“So it is,” Carrie said. She was nervous; her muscles tensed as if her whole body was telling her to run. She tried to project an aura of calm, as if she were oblivious to the fact that the person across from her was not her friend. She went through the possibilities in her head and realized that she was faced with two likely scenarios. Either this was a shape-shifter, or Lindsay was possessed. Either way, if Rebecca had remembered her stories correctly, she was speaking with a dybbuk.
“I wonder why they wandered off?” Carrie asked. “I mean, Rebecca was so adamant that we all must stay together.”
“The princess is with her.” There was no mistaking the derision in her voice. She clearly had no respect for Emilia. “I am sure Rebecca will be perfectly all right.”
“But will Lindsay?” Carrie asked, speaking aloud what she knew in her heart. “Where is my friend?”
“She’s here,” the dybbuk calmly replied, pointing at her temple. “Her screams to be set free are delicious.”
Fury rose in Carrie. How dare this creature use Lindsay like this? And to what end? She fought to stay calm. She knew it would do neither of them any good if she lost control.
“Let her go,” Carrie said.
“Or you will do what exactly?” the dybbuk asked. She threw back her head and laughed. “Little girl, you can do nothing to me. Anything you can do to this body, any threat you try to carry out, will only hurt your precious Lindsay.” The dybbuk cocked her head to the side. “Besides, we both know you are not prone to physical violence, and other threats are meaningless to me.”
“I am asking you to release my friend,” Carrie said again.
“You have absolutely no power over me.” The dybbuk laughed. “You lost all protection you had when you gave up your pretty necklace.”
The dybbuk’s words stung. Each one was a knife in Carrie’s heart. Guilt washed over her in a crushing wave. This was her fault. If she had not made that deal with the crone, Lindsay would have been safe. What else could possibly go wrong? Would Rebecca be taken too? Would she?
“It seems I am being cruel to you,” the dybbuk said. “Your pathetic little friend is upset with me. She is thinking all sorts of vile things. Such language for a lady! Who taught her such words?” The dybbuk laughed again, a low barking sound. Carrie found it a harsh sound to come from Lindsay’s throat. It was completely different than Lindsay’s usual laugh. The noise increased her feelings of guilt.
“Lindsay,” Carrie cried, in the hopes her friend could hear her. “You can fight this! I know you can!” She felt tears pricking her eyes, but she fought them. She would not give the dybbuk the satisfaction of seeing her cry. “Please, Lindsay! Fight back!
The features of Lindsay’s face contorted, and Carrie watched in horror as her body started shaking. As soon as it started, she was still again. Gone was the crazed look in her eyes, the wide grin.
“Carrie?” she asked hesitantly.
“Lindsay?” Carrie was filled with relief. She started to sob. “I am so sorry. Please forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, you pathetic fool.” The dybbuk roared with laughter. “You idiots are so easy to trick!”
“You’re a monster!” Carrie yelled. Her hands were balled into fists; she ached to hit something, someone. Never before had she been so angry.
“Not quite,” replied the dybbuk. “To think, our king was concerned about you. You have all the power of a little insect. All he will have to do is swat you down. You are nothing.”
“Lindsay! What is wrong with you?” Rebecca exclaimed as she came through the trees. Emilia was at her side. “I leave for a bit and you two are fighting? What happened?”
“That’s not Lindsay,” Carrie explained. She choked back a sob.
“What are you talking about?” Rebecca asked. She eyed Lindsay nervously.
Emilia came forward and looked Lindsay in the eyes. “She has been possessed by a dybbuk,” she said to Rebecca.
Rebecca went pale. “My God,” she breathed in horror. “What do we do? How do we get it out of her?”
“You can do nothing,” the dybbuk said. “I have no intention of leaving this body. I am having so much fun! Do you want to hear how scared your little friend is?”
“Leave her alone,” Rebecca said in anger.
“She is begging me to go,” the dybbuk said, smiling. “She is crying inside. Pleading. She yearns for her freedom. Screaming for it. Oh, it is exhilarating!”
Emilia gently pushed Rebecca aside. “Do you know who I am, dybbuk?” she asked. Her voice was soft, but her tone was commanding.
“Yes,” the dybbuk replied. “I know exactly who you are, Highness.”
“What do you hope to achieve with this?” Emilia asked.
“I am enjoying myself,” the dybbuk replied.
“I did not ask you if you were enjoying yourself,” Emilia said. Her voice was cold, her back was straight. Every inch of her radiated power. “Surely you realize what will occur if your king succeeds.”
“Yes,” the dybbuk said. It twisted Lindsay’s expression into one of derision. “He spoke of nothing else for ages until he succeeded in his plan.”
“Why would you want your world to end?” Carrie asked. Her curiosity overcame her anger. She wished to know why this creature would follow its king into this conclusion.
“What is left for us here?” the dybbuk asked back.
“You realize that if the world ends, you end with it,” Rebecca pointed out.
“Of course I do,” the dybbuk replied. “How can one exist without a world to exist in?” The dybbuk snorted in exasperation. “Either you think I am a fool, or you two are bigger fools than I originally perceived.”
“This is suicide!” Carrie said in disgust. “Not only that, but you’re taking everyone else with you whether they want it or not! You’re murdering an entire world of living beings! How can anyone be so evil?”
“I follow my king,” the dybbuk said stubbornly. “What he says, I will do.”
“What I say is for you to leave this girl,” Emilia forcefully said. “And I wish for you to do this now.”
“And if I do not want to?” the dybbuk petulantly replied.
“Then I shall be forced to take drastic action,” Emilia said, rage crackling in her eyes.
Lindsay’s body slumped forward, a sigh radiating from between her lips. Emilia caught her before she hit the ground. Carrie held her breath, willing her friend to be all right. It seemed a long while before she stirred.
“Is it over?” Lindsay asked. She opened her eyes and gazed around her.
“I believe so, yes,” Emilia answered.
“What were you going to do if he didn’t leave?” Rebecca asked.
Emilia sheepishly shrugged.
“You bluffed?” Carrie asked. “You based Lindsay’s survival on a bluff?”
“What else could I have done?” Emilia replied. “I know nothing about how to end a dybbuk possession.”
Carrie conceded. “Neither do we. Thank you.”
Lindsay, who had been quietly listening to her friends, pulled herself into a seated position and hugged Emilia tightly. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Chapter Nineteen
Har ha Zahav
The woods seemed to be never-ending. An endless stretch of trees surrounded them on all sides. Where it onc
e seemed beautiful, green, and lush, it now became tedious, and all prayed that it would end soon. Carrie longed to find the Golden Mountain, if only because it would be a welcome change to the leaves and bark they had been seeing for their entire journey thus far.
“Are we there yet?” Lindsay whined for about the millionth time that day. She was putting on a brave face for the other girls, and when asked what had happened to her, and how she had become possessed, she had merely shrugged and refused to speak about it. She seemed content to pretend the whole thing had never even happened. Carrie and Rebecca just let it go. They knew she would speak about it when she was ready.
“We are nearly at the Golden Mountain,” Emilia responded. Her patience was wearing thin, and her answer came wearily. Despite the fact that earlier she seemed to never tire, now she was walking just as slowly as the rest of the group. Her shoulders were hunched forward; her eyes seemed to close of their own volition, yet she pressed on. “Can you not see how the trees have changed?”
Carrie noticed how tired their guide seemed to be getting. “Maybe we should stop for a moment and rest,” she suggested. She looked around. “What do you mean that the trees have changed?”
The Song of Hadariah: Dybbuk Scrolls Trilogy: Book 1 (Dybbuk Scrolls Trillogy) Page 11