by Rowan Thalia
"Keep thinking you've won, little girl. I'm a part of you now... I own you and your family. They are mine until I say I'm finished with you. Then I'll drag the empty shells left behind, down to hell with me.”
"Uh, no thanks. I heard Hell has really bad coffee, I think I'll stick with Earth for now. But thanks for the offer. I'd say it's not you, it's me... but that's a lie. You're a creepy bastard, and I'd like nothing more than for you to disappear," I goad him, pulling Asher with me toward the stairs.
"I can handle disappearing," he taunts, popping out of view again. This time the dim emergency lights flicker around us, and a fog fills the hall.
"Fuck, go!" I hiss at Asher, pulling him as we try to run to the foyer and the stairway doors. The further we get, the further away it seems we end up. It’s as if we’re running in place and not actually moving. Great, he's fucking with us again.
"Come in here. We can hide from him here," a little girl's voice echoes from the right, and I turn to see a ghost peeking out of a patient's room, her hand reaching out for us.
"Oh, a creepy little girl in an abandoned wing of a hospital with a demon taunting us, wants us to go with her. Shall we?" Asher deadpans, a hint of hysteria to his tone as he tugs me further away. The shadows keep closing in on us, making it harder to see as we move through the hallway. Echoing whispers fill the air, making it so hard to think or hear each other. I want nothing more than to hit the ground, cover my ears, and rock back and forth until it all goes away. Except, this isn't a nightmare... this is our life.
Asher's warm hand in mine is the only thing holding me together, as he pulls me further into the building. The door has to be close, we've been running for what feels like forever, but he seems to be able to manipulate the world in ways that shouldn't even be possible.
"You're alone now," the demon taunts, his hot fingers running over my cheek before I can flinch away. Asher's hand is still clutching mine, squeezing harder than ever, but neither of us is apparently willing to let go.
"I'm not alone, he'd never leave me," I say confidently, my words as strong as the echo through the area. The echo alone lets me know that we are in the foyer, finally.
"He isn't, don't you see. We're alone, and this is all in that delicious little head of yours," he cackles, the fog clearing to reveal him circling in front of me. When I look to my side, I only see air, no Asher. It doesn't matter, you know he's here, you can feel him!
"I'm not alone, but you are. What does it feel like to never know love? To only have those who work for you. They'd be happy if you died, yet here you are acting like it's no big deal," I counter, taunting him and strengthening my resolve even more. Fucker, you don't own me!
"I like it, I revel in it. I'm not a weak, fragile human, remember?" he shoots back as he moves closer. His acrid breath fans over my face, and makes me gag as he moves in until we're nose to nose. His molten red eyes dance with flames, as he reminds me just how powerful he is. A squeeze of my hand has me remembering what a huge weapon I have against him. My guys and I were brought together for a reason, and right now I need all the strength they give me. Asher's warmth and support, Sterling's charm and kindness, Dexter's snark that makes me laugh, and Alex's romantic side that always surprises me. All of it fuels me, making my chest warm.
"That's okay, I have enough love behind me. I'm not scared, and you have no power here." I say firmly, giving Asher's hand a yank to the left, toward the stairs and our goal. The demon snarls behind me, but I hold onto that feeling, and bear it like a shield as I dash down the stairs. Asher suddenly appears next to me, keeping pace. Neither of us react, only focusing on making it down there alive. The demon pops up at the bottom of the stairs, using a flip of his hand to send the both of us flying and hitting the concrete with a nauseating crack. My left wrist is dangling at an odd angle, and from the feel of it, I've dislocated my shoulder. My left hip is tender, probably already a brilliant shade of purple. I mean, I'm a goth, but I'm not that hardcore. I could have done without the bruising.
"Jun?" Asher asks, his leg jutting out at an odd angle, as he uses his arms to army crawl my way. The only thing the demon didn't accomplish, was to make us bleed. Thank god for small miracles.
My goal is on the other side of the room, around some old furniture and boxes, but it looks like it's miles away as pain radiates through me. I grit my teeth against the agony, a rogue tear leaking down my cheek as the adrenaline dies down, the pain flaring worse and my body shaking in shock. The urgency is real, if I don't get closer now then it's over. I'll pass out from shock, and then he will have us for good.
"Asher, stay with me. We have to get over there, we have to do this. Don't lose yourself to the pain. Keep yourself here, I need you, babe," I plead, tears falling freely now. The demon paces around us, refusing to back down. He's stronger now, that display clearly only draining him a little.
"Let's play for longer, I'd hate to see you go so soon," he taunts, crouching down in our way. A malicious smile curves his lips and pulls his face into something out of nightmares.
Fuck, please let us get out of here in one piece.
24
Dex
Blood is pumping in my temple as I watch Jun gouge her arm. This can’t be happening. Everything inside of me screams NO, but I can’t open my mouth fast enough to stop her. Every moment I’ve ever shared with Juniper flashes before my eyes, as I watch blood drip down her arm. Her smile, her sassy smirk, the way she pulls her hair over her shoulder when she’s thinking. I can’t lose her. She took a risk, and I’m not fucking happy about it at all. I move toward her as fast as I can, watching the horrific scene play out. It’s like there’s sand in my shoes, I can’t quite get there in time.
“"That's all you get, asshole!" she yells, backing up into the sunlight and leaving the demon’s space. I finally reach her and place my hand at her back, but I just miss gaining a good grip on her. All I can do is stare into her blue-green eyes as she falls back. The sound of her hitting the forest floor never comes however, she disappears in a cloud of fog.
“Juniper!” I scream as I look from side to side. Sterling is beside me, and we both dumbly drop to the ground and rifle through the thick bed of pine needles.
“ASH!” Alex wails.
The splashes and yells behind us barely register. I take a quick glance and manage to catch the moment Alex dives full into the water searching for his twin. With every fiber of my being rejecting the loss of my lover, I lean up on my knees, my head falls back, and I cry out, “Why!??”
“They’re both gone. He must have taken them,” Sterling’s voice is hollow.
“What! What do you mean he took them?!!!” Alex sputters from the shore.
“Well … uh ... they are gone. The only place that makes sense for him to take them is back to Dudley, where Juniper lost her blood the first time and awakened him,” Sterling scratches his head while he talks.
“Are you sure? I can’t leave this lake if my brother is down there!” Alex is bordering hysteria, and I feel myself growing closer to the same line.
“Okay. Let’s just think for a minute. Juniper disappeared into thin air. Could you see when Asher vanished too?” I ask, hoping to fuck he says yes.
Alex’s eyes harden, and he nods. “Yeah, I had his hand one minute, and then he was just … gone,” his voice wavers. The look in his eyes is another spear in my already fragile heart. How the fuck are we going to make it though this?
We all stop and stare at each other. If we’re going to get Jun and Ash back, we have to work together. As if I said that last thought aloud, both of my friends clench their teeth and nod. In unison, we turn and sprint back toward the cabins.
“What’s the plan?” Sterling huffs as we round the corner of the parking lot.
“Well, with Jun gone, maybe our truck will work. If not, we steal a cop car or whatever we need to do in order to get to them!” I practically scream.
Alex only answers with a grunt. He jerks the car door open and hops
inside. My body is trembling, and I hold my breath while he turns the key in the ignition. I nearly shit my pants when the engine actually turns over. About time something worked in our favor! Sterling and I scramble to get inside before he rips down the road. The entire scene might have taken ten minutes, but I feel like I haven’t seen Juniper in hours, and I’m panicked as fuck.
“Drive as fast as you can, but don’t get us pulled over,” I demand.
“Dude. Shut the fuck up. Do not side-seat drive now. Purple and MY TWIN are on the line here, I know what I’m doing,” Alex roars.
A tense silence fills the air between us. I want to say something to make him feel better, but in the end I say nothing. This situation is fucked as hell. The only thing keeping me from total insanity is the thought that Juniper is waiting there for us to come save her. That, and the thought that we have a chance to actually help her. I mean, we have to get her back. There is no other option.
The back door to the red-bricked dorm is propped open when we arrive, another piece of good luck. As soon as the engine clicks off, we burst from the vehicle and run toward the opening. My heart is constricting painfully, and I feel like I’m running through molasses. I need to get to her, now! A dark dread washes over me the moment we step over the threshold. The air in the hall is damp and cold, not at all what it should be in the middle of summer in Louisiana. This is it, I can feel it … if we don’t get to Jun soon she’ll be gone forever.
“Do you guys feel that?” I rasp.
“Yeah. They’re definitely here. We need to detour to the dorm and grab any salt and sage that’s left in my room, or we’ll have nothing to fight with,” Sterling gasps.
“We are totally unmatched for a fucking demon guys. It’s been nice knowing ya,” Alex groans.
“Shut the fuck up, Alex. You can’t go into that hall thinking that way. He’ll use that against us. We got her away from him once, we can do it again!” I grit my teeth. “We just need to burn this motherfucker down to the ground. Jun’s blood is in the concrete, this building has to go ….” I trail off as I stop to open our dorm.
“I’m just saying we are out fucking matched. I’m not backing down, I can’t,” he snaps back with fire in his eyes. I get it. I can feel the seeds of doubt trying to grow inside of me too, but I refuse to go down that route.
Without a word, we shuffle into the dorm suite and spread out. The sound of objects being shoved around is all I can hear. I run into my own room and grab my baseball bat, the cross my mom insisted I hang on my wall, and the backpack of salt and shit that I never unpacked from when we went to the twin’s cabin. I wish we still had holy water, but knowing Specs, we might. With that thought, I leave my room in search of him.
“Specs, do you still have any …” I stop as a chill runs down my spine and a female scream fills the air. Following the scream is the low chuckle that we’ve all come to know and hate. “Fuck. We need to MOVE now!!” I yell through the suite.
Sterling and Alex pop out of their rooms, each holding a backpack. We all give each other tight lipped frowns, then we race out of the room and down the hallway. Our feet barely make any noise as we make our way to the back entrance of the creepy fucking corridor. The chain is lying on the floor, and the door is wide open, which is not a good sign at all. I peek in, but it’s pitch dark within the space.
“This fucking sucks!” Alex clicks on his flashlight and waves it around.
“Asher, PLEASE,” Jun’s voice echoes.
“Juniper?” I yell into the darkness. “We’re coming, baby!”
“Baby?” Sterling glares at me and pushes forward, straight into the gloom.
I shrug and follow, Alex hot on my heels. Even with the flashlight, we can’t see dick in here. I growl with frustration and heft my bat over my shoulder. I don’t know what to expect from this asshole, but I don’t want to be caught off guard again. I wonder if it would be a better weapon if I rubbed salt on it …. I decide to try it out. As I fumble with my bag, we come to the first turn in the hall. I don’t know how it’s possible, but it’s even darker around the stairwell - which leads to the demon’s lair.
“Let's play for longer, I'd hate to see you go so soon," the demon’s voice chortles, and Juniper screams.
Every hair on my body rises. I curse and run down the stairs as fast as I can, only to stop short at the last step. Juniper and Ash are side by side on the ground, the demon crouched over Jun as if he’s her lover. My chest aches just as his tongue laps up the side of her face, and he grins lasciviously, his body grinding over her. She’s still, as if in shock, and my stomach ties into knots watching him touch her so intimately. Ash is groaning beside them, his body barely moving.
“Get off HER!” my voice is ripped from me.
The demon looks up at me, hooks his arms around her, and sinks his teeth into her arm, right over the bandage. Juniper howls with pain and starts kicking and punching at his form. Everything inside of me is breaking at seeing her defiled, so I step forward and raise my bat, aiming at his head.
“Your little bitch tastes so fucking good,” he growls, right before he rips the bat from my hands and throws me to the ground with the flick of his wrist.
My head crashes against the wall, and the bat falls at my feet. I see stars for a minute, and bile rises to my throat. When I can finally see again, I chance a look around. My backpack landed a few feet away, I eye it and then look up at the demon. His eyes are back on Jun, who’s fighting him like a wild animal. Ash is beside them, whimpering in pain and trying to kick the demon away from our girl. Before I can move, Sterling steps forward with two boxes of rock salt and dumps them over the black skinned creature. His skin sizzles, but he continues to molest Juniper. Her already pale skin is becoming blue, as I crawl my way over to her. Please God, let us get her out of here in one piece.
“Let’s see how you like this, mother fucker,” Alex shouts as he douses the demon with a bottle of 151 alcohol. Then he gives me a wink as he lights a match and throws it on the demon’s back. A horrendous howl rips through the room, and the demon rises up, flailing his arms, his teeth dripping with Juniper’s blood. There’s only a split second for me to act, and I take it with renewed energy.
“Juniper!” I cry, grabbing her hand and dragging her away from the monster.
The weight I’m pulling gets heavier, when I look back Jun has a hold of Ash and they are both scrambling their feet, trying to help us move. From the corner of my eye, I watch as Sterling and Alex team up on the demon with more alcohol and fire. The sounds coming from the monster are ear piercing, and I curl my lip in triumph. We can do this. We can win. I grit my teeth and focus on dragging Juniper and Asher out of his reach.
When we get to the corner of the hall, I can’t go any further. Dropping Jun’s hand, I turn and assess the situation. We need to do three things: get the others, get up the stairs, and burn this fucking place to the ground. Jun looks worked, and Ash looks worse. He’s favoring one leg and trembling like a leaf on a tree. Shit! The two of them look half dead already. I want to pull Jun into my arms, but I’m also sort of afraid she might be possessed again by the look on her face.
“Babe?” I lean over and make eye contact.
Jun’s eyes are black, and her mouth is slack. Fuck! Asher is leaning against the wall looking like warmed over shit, and the other two are still in there making noise with the demon. Taking a chance, I swing my arm around Juniper’s waist and pull her into me.
“I love you Juniper Nevels,” I whisper, before I seal my lips over hers.
25
Jun
Dexter’s lips on mine help pull me out of the demon’s fog, but I can’t seem to get the memories to stop. Moments before they burst into the room, the demon used his extra energy from my blood to attack us, done with the simple taunting. The screams that ripped from Asher as his claws ripped into his flesh were haunting.
"We need to finish this!" Dexter growls, lifting Asher up and propping him against the wall. He drops a
bundle of sage on the concrete floor before lighting it and putting salt around him. I can barely stay upright, blood loss and pain making me numb, as exhaustion hit me like a tidal wave. I waver on my feet, but Dexter is back before I can fall, scooping me up and running with me down the stairs. A screech of outrage rings through the stairwell following our descent. I ignore it, instead focusing on rummaging in my pocket for my lighter.
Dex wraps his jacket around my wounds to stop the blood from spreading, before depositing me on the ground and gathering scraps of nearby papers and wood, then piling it on top of my old, dried blood. The moment the papers finally catch, tension fills the air. My pulse thunders in my head, as the lights overhead flicker at the same pace. Screams from upstairs call to me, before I hear Sterling's voice bellowing down the stairs.
"Help me, Juniper! Don't let him hurt me! Don't you love me?" his voice calls, but I know it isn't him.
"Don't listen, Dex. That's not him," I warn, his face turning hard as he flicks the lighter open and clicks on a flame. It takes a few tries but the paper finally catches fire, slowly burning at first, before it finally picks up. We watch on in silence, the blaze burning brighter as the lights finally give out with a pop, shards of glass showering over us before the emergency lights kicks on, giving at least a soft glow to the room. Though with a dim light comes bigger shadows.
White figures form, practically pouring out of the walls around us. Within moments we are surrounded by spirits, an ethereal glow filling the room with light, as my blood burns off the floor in the middle. The screeches upstairs reach a crescendo, the walls pulsing harder, as red fog rolls in the room, trying to get to us. Black creatures form in the fog, the shadow people joining the battle. Dexter pulls me closer as we watch it all happen.The fire is now so big, that it’s making me hot, sweat rolling down my forehead at its intensity. Emotions fill me, as I realize this is coming to an end.