Accidental Demon Slayers: Melody of Light pt. 36

When the van stopped, Max was the first one out.  His anger was building again, pushing his fear back, blinding him to the dangers that he knew he was about to face.  He had one goal, and only one goal. 

He had to get Clare back. 

“Max, wait!”  Rita was running up behind him, a flashlight in her hand. “You aren’t going to be saving anyone if you break your neck.  Don’t forget, that house is falling apart.”

He didn’t say anything, but when Rita offered him a flashlight he took it.  Then he was off again, making his way into the witch’s house, down those crumbling stairs, towards that black pool being watched over by that angel of death. 

The others were following him, but he was barely aware of their presence.  He had complete and total tunnel vision. 

They stood in the basement, Q and his stupid crystal orb to his right, Ashtyn and Rita to his left. His eyes were locked on that black pool, that water so dark, and yet no reflection was cast.  He scanned his light over the glassy top, but the beam just seemed to bounce off the onyx surface. 

“What now?” Max glanced at Q. 

“I… I don’t…”

The orb clutched in Q’s hands started to glow, a bright white light.  It started to shake, softly at first, and then more violently. 

“Let it go, Q.” Ashtyn’s words seemed to stab the man. 

He shook his head.  The crystal orb was shaking more violently.  His fingers were clasping the orb more tightly, trying to hang on.

Max couldn’t take it.  He reached out, grabbing the orb, pulling it free.  Q screamed, reaching for his prized possession, but Max held him back.  The orb sailed through the air, over the black pool of water, then it froze, hovering over the glassy surface. 

The room went still, not even the sound of the nighttime breeze could be heard.  Everyone froze. Then, softly at first, there was the sound of a woman’s voice. It was singing a wordless melody.  The sound was smooth and calming, and with it, the room began to become brighter.  The orb was glowing, white hot, and its light penetrated the inky, onyx darkness of the water. 

“No…” Q was crying. “Give me Aria back.  Give her back.” 

A part of Max felt bad for Q.  He could sense that they both shared a pain, a sense of loss.  Q was unwilling to take the risk required to bring what he had lost back, but Max couldn’t let that hold them back. 

He needed to do whatever it took to get Clare back. 

They all watched as the light grew brighter, and the song grew louder. Then, in a flash of blinding light, the water in the stone lined pool vanished.  In it’s place was a steep, polished black staircase leading down into a darkness that not even the orb’s light could penetrate. 

Standing at the top of the stairs was a young woman.  She was familiar, she was…

“Aria!” Q pushed Max away, and rushed towards the woman.  When he reached out to touch her, his hands couldn’t make contact. 

“My body is not here, Q.” She smiled.  “It is down there.  I can guide you for a while, but…” 

“Are the others down there? Is Clare down there?” Max stepped towards the edge of the now empty pool. 

Aria nodded. 

“Then let’s go.”

Aria nodded, turning, and she started down the stairs.  The others followed her, not speaking.  Max was terrified, and he was sure the others shared this emotion, but it didn’t matter.  They had a job to do. 

Eye See You: Randy pt. 8

I ran out of that apartment so fast. 

My feet carried me down the three flights of stairs from the walk up that Dave and I shared.  They carried me across the chipped tile in the lobby, and out of the cracked glass door that kept the outside out. 

Cold air slapped my face. 

I was scared. 

I didn’t want to admit it, but I was scared. 

I hadn’t sent those messages to myself.  I hadn’t…

Had I?

Was it possible that I didn’t remember? 

“That isn’t the original list.”  Her voice was a chirp. 

Janelle had followed me home. 

“How did you know?” My voice was shaking. 

She held up her phone.  On the glowing screen, there was a picture of me. 

“You’ll get them soon.  Videos, too.” She looked away.  “You won’t like the videos.”

She turned, walking away from me.  “Sorry about all of this.” 

I screamed at her, asking her if she was the one sending me the messages.  Why would she do something like that?

“I didn’t send them.”  She didn’t stop walking.  “I’m still sorry, though.” 

She was gone. 

Pom Pom Angel: Love Rescue pt. 18

The bar was packed, and Gus could already feel his body temperature rising.  Just what he needed on his first date with Regina, pit stains.  He squeezed past a couple of finance bros, and made his way up to the bar, signaling the bartender the best he could. 

The bartender, a young man in a shirt so tight that his nipples threatened to rip through the fabric, made his way down the bar, leaning over the bar top towards Gus.  Even then Gus could barely here the guy asking what he wanted to drink.

“A beer!” His voice was instantly swallowed up by the noisy crowd. 

The bartender nodded, and wandered off. 

When Gus turned back towards the crowd, he found Regina standing directly in front of him. 

“Hey!” He yelled at her, but from the look on her face she hadn’t heard him. 

She spoke, her voice never reaching his ears, but it looked like her mouth was making the words “This place is packed.”  Or she was telling him that someone had just gotten sacked, but he couldn’t be sure. 

A minute later Gus had his beer, and Regina ordered her own.  Then, drinks in hand, they made their way towards the terrace, which really was just a few tables on the sidewalk blocked in by some rusted metal fence. 

“Sorry about that.” Gus plopped down into one of the metal chairs. 

Regina sat across from him, “I was hoping for somewhere a little more… relaxed.” 

“I’m not to familiar with most of the restaurants around here. Or the bars, actually.” He cleared his throat. “Honestly, most of my life is spent with take out and cable.” 

“And you gave all that up to go out with me tonight?” She smiled. “How sweet.” 

“Why’d you ask me out, Regina?” Gus sipped his beer, hoping that alcohol would loosen the knot of muscles that was building in his back. 

“Why do you ask?” She leaned back, crossing her legs at the knee. 

He was finally able to get a good look at her.  She was wearing black skinny jeans and a light blue t-shirt.  Her make up was light, her hair hanging loose (save for a little clip holding her hair away from her face.)  She looked totally, and utterly relaxed.  She looked calm. 

She looked beautiful.

“Well,” he took another sip, “you’ll think I’m crazy for saying this but my friend, the one you met earlier, she thinks you’re some kind of succubus out to steal my soul, or something.”

Regina laughed.  She laughed loud, throwing her head back.  She laughed so loud that the people in the bar turned to look at her. 

Gus felt a little chill zing up his spine. 

“I am not a succubus.” She leaned forward, taking a long drink from her beer.  “Don’t worry about that.” 

Eye See You: Randy pt. 7

My phone was hooked up to Dave’s computer.  I stared at it, like it was a time bomb, or some alien creature. 

How much did I depend on that little piece of technology, and how quickly had it seemed to turn on me?

“This is weird…” 

I didn’t like hearing those words.  My day was full of enough weird. 

He turned the computer towards me, showing me a long line of code. 

I shook my head. 

“Basically,” he cleared his throat, “you sent it to yourself.”  

Accidental Demon Slayers: Melody of Light pt. 35

Ashtyn slipped into the back seat of the van, Max sitting next to her.  Rita was up front, Q next to her, guiding her towards the house. 

This was a brief moment of stillness, of calm, and Ashtyn took advantage of it.  She closed her eyes, drifting through her mindscape into that familiar stone temple.  She needed to regroup, she needed to plan, and she needed Tabitha’s advice. 

The temple was as it always was, a stone chapel, the archways that made up the walls revealing the nearly endless sea of clouds.  Tabitha was kneeling in front of the altar, her eyes closed. 

Ashtyn paused.  Did deities pray? 

“Tabitha, I…” Ashtyn took a step towards the other woman. 

“She has Bobby, which means that witch has taken my mother.”  Tabitha did not turn when she spoke.  “I can still sense her, but the connection is weak.  I cannot join her, or Doctore.”

“We need to do something.” Ashtyn did her best to hide the fear in her voice.  It was a fear that she was sure Tabitha shared with her.

Tabitha turned, her eyes glistening with tears. “What can we do?  What can I do?  I am alone.”

“We can fight!” This was not the conversation she was expecting to have. “We must fight! I know we haven’t been together as long as your mother and Bobby, but we have trained, we have fought together.  We can do this.”

“I do not know if I can join you in battle for this.” Tabitha stood, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “This is not a realm of the Nameless, or one that Scribes have any control over.”

“You’ll still be with me.” She embraced Tabitha. “You are always with me. You are a part of me. My body is your weapon.  Even if you can’t be there next to me, you will be inside of me, guiding me, giving me strength.”

The embrace broke slowly.  Both women stood there in silence for a moment, bracing themselves for what lie ahead of them.  It was true. They had battled together, but not without support.  The prospect was terrifying, but they had no choice. 

“Do not ask my why,” Tabitha broke the silence, “but Aria, the girl in the glass orb, she will be the key to this battle.” 

“The Scribes slipping you a little knowledge?”

“It is how they work.” 

“Those wonderful, mysterious ways.” Ashtyn laughed.

Tabitha smiled.  It was a smile that seemed almost alien to her features because of its infrequency, and yet, it gave Ashtyn hope. 

“I should still be able to materialize weapons for you, but not much else.” Tabitha glanced out at the sea of clouds, at their beauty.  “We must bring Juktha and Doctore back.  Without them, we are not whole.”

“We’ll do whatever it takes.” 

Tabitha glanced back at her, the smile gone, her face a mask of seriousness. “You must return to your plain now.  You draw close to the gateway to the witch’s house.” 

Ashtyn hugged Tabitha one last time, then pulled back. 

The temple faded, and so with it the sense of security that it gave Ashtyn. 

As much as she knew that Tabitha was with her, it still felt like she was on her own in this battle.