12. Jason
Twelve
Jason
Smoke and burning flesh linger on my tongue when I return. I spit, trying to rid my mouth of death and disease.
The second Daisy looks at me, the anxiety inside me dissolves. She’s alive. My breath hitches when I see that her eyes glow red, like the same rapturous words I heard are now echoing in her mind. She must be seeing what we have been tasked with preventing. The voice—our God—speaks to her, too.
I hold myself tightly, preparing to face the truth.
I don’t want Daisy to die.
I don’t want her to die because, for some inexplicable reason, I can’t stop myself from gravitating towards her. My subconsciousness knew this all along—perceived our undeniable bond—and now I see everything clearly, too.
Tonight, death surrounds us, and somehow it pushes me straight into Daisy’s arms.
Grimwood is our home, and I won’t let it fall. The soul of the town, our dark deity, speaks to us. It’s within us. If we fail, everything will be overtaken by these blights. I will not let them take Daisy from me.
I suddenly realize that our shared destiny is why Daisy so easily enthralls me. Together, we’re meant for more, and saving the town is just the beginning.
“Are we gods?” Daisy asks, studying her hands like she’s seeing herself differently.
“Yes.” The moment I answer, confirmation resonates throughout my body.
The sudden burst of power leaves me gasping.
“We’re gods,” I murmur in disbelief, before a grin stretches across my face.
I laugh and look up at the ceiling that’s pulsating in celebration, rainbow trails dancing around the light fixtures. “We’re fucking gods, Daisy.”
The dark being hums its approval and pushes me towards Daisy. I take her hand, and our fingers entwine. Light ignites at our contact, and our souls merge.
“Do you feel it too?”
She nods, eyes blown wide with shock.
With me as your guide, you will rid Grimwood of the blights, and usher the town into a new era of greatness, the voice proclaims.
We fix our gaze on the next door, drawn by its throbbing crimson energy. The luminosity whispers a thousand voices, beckoning us.
We’re made for this. Our presence is fate.
This is it.
“This is it,” she echoes.
“We’ve been given a great power,” I say out loud.
“A great blessing,” Daisy whispers.
“We’ve been chosen.” Our voices merge into one.
Hand in hand, we walk toward the glowing door. Its convulses, fracturing into pieces, then returning to its original form.
Daisy grins. Her eyes mirror our dark deity, revealing our path to deliverance.
“Come on, Brother. It’s time.”
She opens the door and steps into the red void, disappearing completely.
A grin stretches too wide across my face as I ready myself to chase after Daisy.
It’s time to hunt and claim my stepsister as mine. And it’s time to save Grimwood.