Chapter 42 #2
Maria morphed into a ball of light that shot toward the demon, disappearing into his body.
The large snake started to fall to the ground, but mid-fall, the serpent morphed into shadows.
As the dark mass arranged itself into the shape of a man, all the ghosts in the room became even more frantic.
I understood the sudden panic. I’d never wanted to wrestle free of my restraints more than I did in that second, because the very aura rolling off this newcomer promised only two things.
Suffering and death.
The shadows solidified. Standing in the middle of the room with that forever dull green stare was Coldin. He glanced up toward the ceiling, and with a wave of his tattooed hand, the golden bars and seal over the doorway shattered with a thundering boom and raining down of tiny gold particles.
No sooner had the seal been decimated than a new shadow appeared right by my side, and I knew who it was, even before he finished taking shape.
“You came,” I breathed in relief.
Xander stared down at me with wild golden eyes. He grabbed the restraints and tore them off as he answered, “I’ll always come after you, remember?”
“Don’t just fucking float about!” Riddle roared to all of the phantoms around the room. He pointed a clawed finger between me, Coldin, and Xander. “Get them!”
Compelled by a command from their master, the many ghosts rushed forward like an avalanche of phantoms, even as they screamed and howled their disagreement.
I braced for the impact, but with a bored scoff under Coldin’s breath, the spirits froze in their haste.
A wide net of snakes made of smoke appeared to hold them back.
The spirits fought uselessly to get through what should’ve been as thin as air but was as solid as real prison bars.
Riddle looked around at his ghost army, who couldn’t break past the red-eyed shadow serpents turned rope. Baring his teeth, he shouted furiously at Xander. “You’re an embarrassment to all Mischief demons! You can’t face me yourself, so you call in your fucking dog like the pussy you—”
A clawed fist shoved deep into the demon’s mouth, cutting off his words.
A bellowed, wet scream tore through the room as Coldin yanked his hand back.
My stomach rolled when I saw the long, bloody tongue clutched within his fist. A river of sputtering blood poured out of Riddle’s mouth as he crumbled to his knees and held his face with trembling hands.
“I believe they told you I don’t like being called a dog,” Coldin stated calmly.
Flames burned away the green of his eyes, and that fire roared in the now black holes.
Ram horns emerged in his brown waves of hair.
He studied the bloody, twitching tongue within his clawed fingers before nonchalantly tossing the tongue aside, which landed with a wet splat near the bed where Xander and I still huddled.
I quickly turned away from the sight, and Xander pulled me closer, scooping me off the table.
“This is only going to get bloodier,” Xander told me as more wet pops, cracks, and screams came from behind me. “Let’s get out of here.”
Shadows swarmed us, and when they cleared, Xander and I stood on the rooftop of Mountview.
“What about the ghosts?”
Xander looked me over as though searching for wounds. “Once Coldin kills that demon, the spirits will be free. It might be a minute, because Coldin wanted to … play with him first. But forget about those ghosts for a second. Are you okay?”
I grabbed his hands to stop his search of my body and squeezed them lightly. “I’m fine, Xander. Nothing happened.”
“I tried to pull you back,” he rambled with a shake of his head. “I tried to call you back to me, but he was just too fucking strong. I’m sorry it took me so long to get to you. I had to wait on Coldin to break the seal for me.”
“Shh. It’s okay. You came. That’s all that matters.”
The worry didn’t fade. We stood there silently and just held each other’s hands and gaze.
I wasn’t sure what was going through his head, but my own began to fill with worries on how frantic he must’ve been.
He’d probably guessed the demon’s plan to kill me and claim my soul.
I couldn’t imagine how scared he must’ve been, how he probably feared being too late to save me, too late to do anything we’d always talked about.
I’d had the same dreadful thought up until he and Coldin showed up.
Never again.
We’d never have to fear that again, because after today, things would be different.
Instead of focusing on the terrified expression Xander must’ve worn in his search for me, I pictured the one he’d wear when I finally told him everything I felt.
I envisioned a happy future full of movies, quiet moments on his terrace, sneaking into parks and attractions, and our happy little family with Catsper and a pretend daughter.
I pressed my lips together and stepped closer to him. Cupping his cheek, I said quietly, “Everything’s okay. I’m still here. See?”
His dark lashes fluttered shut, and he leaned into my palm. His brow twitched, and he took a deep breath like he was trying hard to keep whatever he was feeling hidden. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him. I didn’t resist and let myself melt into his hold.
“You’re right,” he whispered into my hair. “You’re still here. I’ve still got you.”
The air around us grew heavy and statically charged while the building vibrated violently.
When it stopped, hundreds of souls burst out of the building and shot off in different directions like soaring white comets.
Xander let me go so that we stood side-by-side to watch the spectacular show.
Wonder filled me as the ghosts who had been trapped by the demon laughed and rejoiced as they flew away.
“It’s done,” Xander announced beside me. “He’s gone, and the souls are free.”
One white, glowing orb stopped in its ascension and hovered in front of me.
It slowly settled near the rooftop and grew into the bright, transparent figure of Maria.
Not the little girl. Not “The Evil One.” But the woman who’d lived and died after enduring far too much pain.
She wore a hospital gown, but her body wasn’t as thin as it was in her monstrous form.
Her hair was free of tangles, and if she had color to her, I was sure the locks would’ve been a beautiful dark brown.
I could see hints of the little girl I knew in her eyes and face, and that made my chest warm.
“Kendyll,” she greeted timidly. “I’m so sorry for hurting you. I didn’t mean to.”
I gave her a reassuring smile and shook my head. “It’s okay. I know it wasn’t you.”
She looked down sheepishly. “It was me. At least, a version of me, something I only understand now that I’m like this.” She gestured to her spectral form. “My head and thoughts are much clearer now. Forgive me for the trouble I caused you.”
“There’s nothing to forgive, Maria. You protected and helped me, too, remember?”
She smiled sweetly. “I certainly tried when I was able to put the monster away.”
She worried her lip and hesitated. She looked so much like her younger self as she did. My heart twinged, knowing this was probably goodbye.
“D-Do you care to do something for me?” she asked as her form bounced gently like a body wading in water. “To help me rest easy?”
“Of course.”
“My body. It’s still down there in the last holding cell at the end of the hall. Would you … care to cremate me and scatter my ashes among some flowers? I always liked flowers but haven’t been able to see any since coming here.”
Emotion clogged my throat. I shoved that lump down while nodding with a smile. “I will.”
Her entire being seemed to turn weightless, and the smile she wore turned her very soul brighter like a beautiful glowing star. “Thank you. Thank you for saving me and setting me free. Setting all of us free. We can finally rest now as we should’ve been able to before he claimed us.”
I couldn’t form a response around the tightness weighing down my tongue. Maria turned too bright to look at, so I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, she had vanished. I blew out a shaky breath and watched the last of the soaring souls disappear into the distance.
“Where do ghosts go when released from a demon’s hold?” I asked Xander, wiping the tear that trailed down my cheek.
“They finish the journey that was cut short,” Xander answered quietly.
“Some move onto a place that’s peaceful and free of pain.
Those who were terrible people in life get sent to where demons play to be their new toys.
Some are reborn while others choose to remain as a ghost where they wander the world or finish whatever they couldn’t in life.
And some … fade away. Forever. It just depends on the individual soul and what journey each one wants or is meant to take. ”
I looked at Xander only to find him already looking down at me. “What about Maria? What will happen to her?”
“Only she knows that. A ghost’s journey is theirs with a destination only they know once they get there.”
I nodded slowly and looked back at the spot where Maria had just been moments before. “I hope she goes somewhere nice. Somewhere that lets her forget the horrors of the life she lived.”
“Me too, Ghost.” Xander wrapped his pinky around mine and squeezed it lightly. “Me too.”