Alison and Logan knelt before an altar made of stone. Candles
surrounded them, lighting the darkened room. A small iron pot sat in the
middle, surrounded by bones and other artifacts. Alison held up a silver
dagger, and sliced it once across the palm of her hand. She turned to
“We beseech thee to protect us
from harm. Allow us to carry out the task we must do. Allow none to impede us,”
Alison recited. “Blood to blood.” She then picked up two of the bones and
placed them into the pot. “Bone to bone. Accept this, our humble offering.
Grant us the power.”
The earth beneath them began to
rumble, red energy swirled around them, encasing them completely. They both
threw their heads back, absorbing the surge of power it gave them. As it
dissipated, Alison turned to
“That should do it.”
“It won’t be long now. That was
just the beginning. The Dark Ones have granted us access and safety. The rest
is cake. There’s no stopping us now,” he assured her.
“They will try,” she informed him. “Stephanie and the others.”
“Let them. You think your
friends can really do anything? They’re nothing. Peons. Specks of dust. The
only reason they’re still alive now is because we let them live.”
She stood to her feet and
nodded, “I know.”
He pulled her closer to him, “you
aren’t feeling that remorse crap again, are you?”
She glared at him, “are you
doubting my devotion?”
“Should I be?”
“I’ve done everything you’ve
asked of me. Everything. I’ve given you my soul. And you have the audacity to
question my loyalty?” She hissed at him.
He reached out and caressed her
face. She flinched away from him.
“Don’t be like that, princess.
I’m not questioning you.” He tried to smooth things over. “It’s just that I
know your stupid friends got to you. You can’t let that happen. We have to
sever all ties to this old world, before we can relish in the kingdom that is
to come. The kingdom we will have created.”
“I have severed the ties.”
“I want to hear you say it,” he
whispered to her.
“Say what?”
“Say that you’re mine. That you
belong with me.”
Alison didn’t answer him. She
couldn’t bring herself to utter the words he was demanding of her. She knew
that they were true. At this point, she’d never needed anything more than him.
His power fed her own. It twisted and melded together, forming a twisted bond,
that in his mind passed for love. For her, it was much less clear. It was a
constant power struggle with the two of them. Neither of them willing to
relinquish that control they both so desperately craved. Every time Alison felt
the balance of power shift in his direction, she felt inclined to even the
scales. She would never let him think he owned her.
“Stop acting like you’re better
than me,” he growled into her ear. “You’re just like me. You are me. We’re one now. Don’t ever forget
it.”
And she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. But
he needed to understand where the true power lie.
She ran her hand down the side
of his cheek, “I don’t belong to you.”
He shoved her away from him,
angered by her refusal to comply with his wishes. Riled up, she shoved him
back, sending him sprawling to the floor. She stood above him with her foot
planted firmly on his chest.
“Don’t ever put your hands on me
unless I say you can,” she admonished him.
He defiantly stared at up at
her, his blood boiling at her insolence.
“You’re gonna regret that.”
“Am I? What are you going to do?
Kill me? We both know that’s not going to happen.”
“I’m sure I can think of some
other ways to make you pay,” he said sinisterly, as he attempted to run his
hand up her leg.
She dug her heel into his chest,
“I said not to put your hands on me.”
He cried out and his hand
dropped to his side. She lowered herself over him, straddling his chest with
her thighs. She leaned down, inches from his face.
“We both know I can leave here
any time I want. I’m the one calling the shots here, not you.”
“If you leave, you’ll lose it
all,” he reminded her.
“And so will you,” she surmised.
“So the way I see it, you’re the one who belongs to me,” she whispered into his
ear. “I choose to be here with you. But you didn’t have a choice, did you? You
have no where else to go. What do you think might happen to you in Hell if you
go back?”
“I’m not going back.”
“If you fail at this, the world
still stands—just as it is. Me? I’ll survive. But you? Do you think they’d
welcome you home after such a failure?” She laughed.
“What do you want from me?”
“Hmm…maybe I want to hear you say it. Say that you belong to me.”
“I belong to you,” he assured
her. “I’m yours.”
She leaned down and kissed him
roughly. “Say you love me,” she commanded.
“I love you. Baby, you know I
do.”
“Show me.”
He grabbed her into a tight
embrace and proved to her how devoted he was. In his twisted heart, there had
never been a more perfect union of souls. Bonded in blood and magic for the
rest of eternity.
****
Jax had heard from Marc, and he
was successful in restoring the text. Jax held it in front of him now and
sighed. He now knew the location of the key, but getting to it wasn’t exactly
going to be easy. Time was ticking away, and they still weren’t prepared for
what was to come. He had asked Stephanie, Jason and Melissa to his house to
discuss the latest development.
“So you said you knew where this
key was?” Jason asked.
“Yes, I do.”
“So why aren’t we getting it?”
“I’m afraid it’s not that
simple.” Jax scratched his head. “It’s protected.”
“Protected by what?” Stephanie
asked.
“A magical barrier of some
sort,” he explained. “It’s not something just anyone can retrieve.”
“Okay, so where is it and who
can?” Stephanie wanted to know.
“There is a cave, hidden in the
forest behind Devil’s
“What? Another dimension? How the hell are we ever going to get that?”
Jason groaned.
“Well, it can be done. Crossing over into the other world isn’t an easy task.
But for the right person—”
“You keep saying ‘the right
person’. Who is the right person?” Stephanie interrupted.
Jax lowered his head, “someone
from the Trinity.”
“Wonderful. Okay, so let’s go
get it.” Jason stood up anxiously.
“It can’t be you, Jason,” Jax
informed him.
“Why not? I’m part of the
Trinity, right?”
“Yes, yes you are,” he agreed.
“But I’m afraid that where the key resides is a place of purity and light. Only
the purest of beings are allowed passage. That’s why it’s there. To ensure that
nothing evil can get a hold of it.”
“So you’re saying I’m evil”?
Jason was offended.
“Of course not. But pure is hardly a word I’d use to
describe you.”
“Then I’ll go get it,” Stephanie
volunteered.
“You can’t get it either,” Jax
shook his head.
“What? I’m not pure?” They all
looked at her with raised eyebrows. Suddenly it sunk in. “Oh! Oh…you mean I
have to be that pure?”
“I’m afraid so.”
“Oh. Oh…no. Nuh-uh. Melissa is
not going to get this thing! Are you crazy?” Stephanie shook her head
vigorously.
“Steph, I’m the only pure one here,” Melissa spoke up.
“You’d better be,” Stephanie
chided her.
“Stephanie, it’s perfectly safe
for Melissa to retrieve the key,” Jax tried to assuage her fears.
“But it’s another dimension!
That’s just unnatural on so many levels,” she protested.
“I realize that, but it’s the
only way. If Melissa doesn’t do it, then we might as well give up now,” Jax
said with defeat.
“What if she crosses over and
can’t get back?” Jason interjected.
“She shouldn’t have a problem.
It’s all very simple, really. She’ll enter the cave, and only she will see the
access to the key. She merely steps through it then steps back out again.”
“I can do it, Steph. Really.
It’s not that big of a deal,” Melissa said confidently.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m sure. Besides, what
choice do I have? If we need this, and I’m the only one who can do it, then
I’ll do it.”
“Excellent. We should go now.”
Jax stood up quickly.
“Now?”
“Yes, now. We don’t have a lot
of time.”
“It’s okay. I’m ready. I can do
it,” Melissa nodded. “If I’m going to die a virgin anyway, might as well use it
to our advantage.”
“You’re not going to die a
virgin,” Stephanie tried to reassure her.
“Well, unless I get lucky in the
next few days or so…”
“Shut your mouth,” Stephanie
scolded her. “There will be no getting lucky until you’re at least twenty.”
“Twenty? So that’s how old you
were?” Melissa raised her eyebrow at her sister.
Jax and Jason looked at her with
amusement, waiting for her to answer.
“That’s not the point,”
Stephanie pouted.
“So then it’s ‘do as I say, not
as I do’?” Melissa asked.
“Of course. That’s the time
honored tradition passed down from every parent to child.”
“I’m not your child.”
“Well, close enough. Look, the
point is, you’re not going to die a virgin or otherwise. We’re going to stop
this.”
“Okay then, let’s do this,”
Melissa said firmly. “Lead the way, Jax.”
They all hopped into Jax’s car
and headed towards the woods. The sun was just setting, casting shadows over
the small dirt road leading towards Devil’s
As they pulled off the road at
the entrance to the lake, Melissa took a deep breath. This was going to be it.
This was her time to shine. She didn’t want to screw anything up.
She looked at Jax, “Why would
they keep the key near Devil’s
“I suppose it’s a matter of
being in the last place anyone would look for it. Evil things would assume the
key was not right under their noses. If they even knew it existed at all. It’s
a highly guarded secret.”
“But if nothing impure can get
to it, it wouldn’t matter if they knew where it was anyway,” Stephanie deduced.
“True. But if someone wants it
bad enough, I’d imagine they’d find a way.”
They all got out of the car and
walked along the path. The moon was rising, creating a glow across the water.
On the far side of the shore, there was a rock formation, barely visible
through the trees.
“Is that it over there?” Jason
pointed.
“I believe so.”
They walked along in silence.
Nocturnal sounds from the forest created an eerie atmosphere. Everyone was
uncomfortable with the situation, but they were almost to the cave. No matter
how creepy the forest noise was, there was no turning back now. They got to the
entrance of the cave and stopped. It was an opening not much bigger than a
child. Jax and Jason had no hope of getting inside even if they wanted to.
Melissa peered inside, “it’s
awfully dark in there. How am I supposed to see?”
Jax offered her his flashlight,
which prompted Stephanie to ask, “what about us? If you give her that, we’ll be
in the dark.”
“So you want me to go into the
Hell cave alone and in total
darkness?” Melissa asked tersely.
“That’s not what I meant. It’s
just that we should have planned a little better. This place gives me a majorly
bad vibe,” she shivered.
“Well, I’d wager things are
going to get a lot worse soon enough so we’d better get over the bad vibeage,”
Jason told her.
“Look, I’ll hurry. I-I don’t
wanna be in there any longer than I have to anyway.”
Melissa grabbed the flashlight
and started to crawl into the opening. She looked over her shoulder, “there
won’t be bats in there, will there?”
“It’s possible,” Jax guessed.
“Wonderful,” Melissa muttered.
“Be careful!” Stephanie called
to her.
“I will.”
And with that, Melissa
disappeared into the cave.
“Do you see anything?” Jax
called out.
“Nope!” Melissa’s voice echoed.
“Oh! Eww! Sick!” She shouted suddenly.
“What? What is it?” Stephanie
scrambled to poke her head into the opening.
“There’s a dead furry thing in
here!”
“Is it evil?”
“No, it’s just a raccoon.”
“God! Give me a heart attack,
why don’t you?” Stephanie griped. “Just step over it and get the freaking key
so we can get out of here.”
“I don’t see any key,” Melissa
told them. “I don’t see anything. Maybe I’m not the one?”
“Perhaps you need to move
farther in.” Jax suggested.
“But it’s smelly in here,”
Melissa complained.
“Oh dear lord…the world is
certainly doomed,” Jax muttered.
“Mel, just go a little farther,”
Stephanie told her. “If you don’t see it, then you can come out.”
“She can’t come out until she
gets it,” Jason reminded her.
“Well, she’s freaking out in
there. I’m not going to force her.”
“You have to force her. Our
lives depend on it.”
“Well then we’ll figure out
another way.”
“And what way—”
“Will you two please be quiet?”
Jax whined. “Jason is right, Stephanie. She has
to do it.”
“Fine. Gang up on me. Both of you
suck,” She grumbled at them.
“Do you see anything now?” Jax
called out to Melissa, but there was no response.
“Melissa?” Stephanie peered
inside and saw nothing but blackness. She looked at them, “she’s gone.”
“I’m sure she’s not gone. The
cave probably veers off to the side,” Jax reasoned.
“Melissa!” She shouted, and
again nothing. “She’s not in there.”
“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
Jason said hopefully.
“How is that good? My sister
just got sucked up by a Hell cave.”
“If she’s getting the key, then
she’d have to be gone, right?” He explained.
“But wouldn’t she have said she
found it before she went?”
“Perhaps there wasn’t time.
Portals can be tricky. They can suck you in before you know it.”
“Well, it sure as hell better
spit her back out again. Quickly. Preferably right this minute. Because I’m not
liking this.” Stephanie shook her head.
Jason moved over to her and put
his arm around her shoulder in effort to comfort her.
“She’s going to be alright.
She’s not in a Hell cave. She went someplace pure, remember? She’s probably
safer there than we are right now,” he told her.
Before Stephanie could answer
him, Jax muttered with horror, “oh no. Dear God…Jason’s right.”
“Is that really so shocking?” He
asked him.
Jax shook his head and pointed
towards the lake. “We aren’t alone out here.”
Thousands of red lights floated
along the surface of the lake. Some hovered in mid air before plunging back
down into the water. Their familiar humming began to fill the night air.
“We need to get out of here,”
Jason said.
“Not without Melissa.”
“This isn’t a good scenario. We
can’t risk losing the key if these things somehow find out why we’re here,” Jax
fretted.
Stephanie turned and headed into
the cave opening. Jason grabbed her arm, “what are you doing?”
“I’m getting my sister.”
“You can’t.”
“I’m not leaving without her.”
“Relax, Steph. We aren’t
leaving.” He looked at Jax, “Right?”
“Of course not. She’ll be out
shortly and then we’ll figure out how to get past them without them detecting
us.”
“I’m still going in,” Stephanie
insisted.
Before either of them could talk
her out of it, she disappeared into the cave. Moments later, they heard her
shrill screaming coming from inside the opening.
“Stephanie!” Jason shouted out
frantically.
A few seconds passed, then, “I’m
okay!” Stephanie called out.
“Then why’d you scream? Let me
guess? The raccoon again?” Jason asked.
Melissa stuck her head out of
the cave, “no, me. I sort of freaked her out.”
“Melissa! Thank heavens,” Jax
said with relief.
She crawled out of the cave,
with Stephanie just behind her. She held up a long, dagger like object made of silver.
“I’m back with the goods!” She
proclaimed proudly.
“Awesome. You alright?” Jason
asked her.
“I’m perfect. It was easy. You
were right Jax.”
“Wonderful. Splendid. But now we
have bigger things to worry about.” He burst her bubble.
“What?”
Jax and Jason pointed over to
the lake. The lights were still swirling, dancing across the water
effortlessly.
“How are we supposed to get past
them?” Melissa whispered.
“I vote for running really fast,”
Stephanie suggested.
“I’ll second that,” Jason
nodded.
Jax scratched his head,
uncertain it was the most helpful idea. But at this point, it was the only one
they had. After all, the lights had appeared more than once, and didn’t appear
capable of doing actual harm. Jax only hoped that they didn’t start now.
He nodded to them, “fine. Yes.
We’ll run.”
And with that, they all took off
down the path, trying to stay as far away from the water as they could. Melissa
clutched the key to her chest tightly, praying she wouldn’t trip and impale
herself. It would really suck if she died now after her one and only moment of
greatness. She didn’t even get to bask in the victory before they had to run
for their lives.
They were nearly to the car when
Stephanie suddenly stumbled over a fallen log, sending her sprawling to the
ground. She tumbled over the embankment, dangerously close to the water. The
lights suddenly seemed to take notice of the commotion, realizing there were
intruders in their space. They all began to swirl violently, churning the
waters up until they lapped at Stephanie’s feet.
She tried to scramble to up,
when something grabbed her ankle. It began pulling her into the water. She
screamed loudly, and everyone stopped running. They were in such a mad dash,
they hadn’t seen her fall.
“Stephanie!” Jason shouted, as
he doubled back to where she had fallen.
He could see her hands clawing
at the ground, trying to keep herself from being pulled in. He grabbed her hand
tightly.
“Hold on! I’m gonna get you
out!” He assured her.
By then, Jax and Melissa had
come to his side and were trying to help him.
“Something has my ankles! It’s
pulling me in!” Stephanie yelled frantically.
The lights were directly over
their heads now, buzzing their ears. Jason ignored them. His only thought was
pulling Stephanie to safety. He pulled at her, but the thing in the lake pulled
harder. He lost his footing and tumbled down into the water himself. They both
slid under, as the water churned tumultuously.
Melissa frantically looked at
the lake and up at the lights. Something inside of her began to take shape. A force
she had never felt before. Her fingers were clutched tightly around the key, so
tightly, she had drawn blood. It dripped down the blade, creating a glow along
her skin. She felt a surge enter her body suddenly and she screamed piercingly.
A powerful white light shot out of her mouth, spewing into the sky. The red
illuminations seemed to howl in fright as they swirled quickly away from the
scene, disappearing into the body of the lake.
Stephanie and Jason shot to the
surface of the water, gasping for air. Melissa and Jax ran over to pull them
out of the now still waters.
“Oh my God! Are you guys
alright?” Melissa cried.
“I’m okay, I’m okay,” Stephanie
sputtered, spitting water from her mouth.
Jason waded his way through to
where she was and helped pick her up out of the water. They collapsed onto the
shore, breathless and exhausted. Jax was relieved that they were okay, but he
was more curious about what exactly had happened with Melissa. He stared at
her, as if he’d never seen her before.
“What happened?” Melissa asked
them.
Stephanie shook her head, “I
don’t know. I tripped and fell and then something was trying to pull me under
the water.”
“I tried to save you,” Jason
said softly, feeling like a failure once again.
“How did I get saved? Where’d the creepy things go?” Stephanie looked at
the seemingly peaceful surroundings.
“Uh…I’m not sure,” Melissa said
weakly. “I-I think I accidentally did something.”
“You accidentally did what?”
Jax stepped forward and put his
hand on Melissa’s shoulder. “It was rather interesting actually.” He lifted one
of Melissa’s hands, revealing a long deep gash across her palm. “Is your hand
alright?” He asked her.
Stephanie noticed the wound and
became concerned. “What is that? What’d you do?”
“It was an accident. I-I was so
scared for you and worried about losing the key thingy that I squeezed it a
little too tight. Then all of a sudden I started to glow and scream and sort of
scared the red things away.”
“Glow and scream?”
“Yeah…”
“Apparently Melissa’s blood
activated something within the key. It was quite fascinating,” Jax said
interestedly.
“That does sound fascinating.
But can we please get the hell out of here now? Before the lake monster eats
all of us?” Jason interjected.
“That sounds like a good plan,”
Stephanie and Melissa agreed together.
Stephanie and Jason got to their
feet and they all took off quickly towards the car. Once inside, Jax quickly
turned the ignition and sped off. None of them were eager to stick around any
longer.
Melissa suddenly started
squealing with excited laughter. She looked at all of them and grinned broadly.
“Okay, who’s the man?” She
beamed.
“Who’s the what?” Stephanie
looked at her oddly.
“You know, it’s a saying.
Meaning, am I not the most awesome thing you’ve ever seen?” She asked
jubilantly. “I totally pulled that off! I got the magic key and also saved your
asses! I’m like a superhero or something.”
“You aren’t a superhero,”
Stephanie shook her head.
“I totally am! I think I can get
into this.” She sat back smugly and crossed her arms.
“Don’t go getting all power
trippy. You got lucky. You didn’t know that the key would do that. It was
luck—not superpowers.”
“Whatever,” Melissa scoffed.
“Either way, I rocked. Admit it. Otherwise you’d be monster food right now.”
Stephanie was worried her sister
was going to feel invincible and do something else stupid, like try and find
Alison again. She didn’t want to feed into that, but she did want to give her
credit. She deserved it.
She relented begrudgingly, “fine.
Okay. You’re the man.”
“Damn right.”
“But don’t go around thinking
your Wonder Woman or something. We’re in this together, remember.”
Melissa sighed, “yes, I
remember.” Then excitedly, “I wonder what other neat stuff we’ll be able to do once
we do the ritual?”
Stephanie turned to Jax, “you’ve
created a monster, you realize.”
“Me? I didn’t write the
prophecy, I merely translated it. Correctly, I might add,” he said proudly. “I
wasn’t too sure about that until now…” he added under his breath.
He had been fairly certain
they’d found their Trinity, but tonight was a test of that theory. If Melissa
could retrieve the key, they were definitely on the right track. Now if only
they could do together, what Melissa was able to do tonight, they might have a
chance of making it through without dying.
****
Jason had gone home with
Stephanie and Melissa. They had ridden over to Jax’s place together, so he had
to go back there to get his motorcycle. Only he wasn’t actually planning on
leaving. Stephanie had offered him her shower to get cleaned up after the
debacle in the grimy lake. Now he was lying on her bed, wearing only his pants,
staring up at the ceiling. His hair was still damp, so he had his hands cupped
behind his head to keep from getting her bedspread wet.
Stephanie walked in then, fresh
from her own shower. She was clad in a lavender terry cloth robe and was towel
drying her hair. He looked up at her and smiled slightly as she came and sat
down next to him.
“You okay?” She asked him,
noting how far away he seemed.
He looked at her for a moment
before speaking. He was trying to form the right words in his head.
Finally he said, “Steph, this just isn’t going to work out.”
Her expression fell and she felt her heart sink. “What?” She asked
worriedly. “A-are you breaking up with me?”
He sat up then, and pulled her closer. “No, no. God no. That’s not
what I meant,” he explained. “I just meant this whole crap with me being some
kind of hero. Let’s face it. I suck.”
She heaved a sigh of relief, “oh, good. I-I mean, not good that
you suck. Because you don’t. I just meant that you’re not breaking up—never
mind,” she shook her head. “You don’t
suck.”
“Yes I do,” he insisted. “I was completely useless when
“Maybe because you didn’t have the key thingy in your hand?” She
pointed out. “Besides, Melissa saving us was pure luck. I’m pretty sure
screaming doesn’t usually work because I tried it.”
He plopped back down onto his back and stared up at the ceiling
again.
“I just don’t think I have what it takes,” he admitted miserably.
“Sure you do.”
“I just don’t want to screw this up the way I’ve screwed
everything else up.”
“You won’t. Everyone makes mistakes.”
“Yeah, but those mistakes don’t usually end the world.”
“No…you’re right, they don’t,” she had to agree. “But it’s not
like you’re the only one who’s feeling less than confident. Look at me. I’m the
lame ass who fell into the lake in the first place. If you wanna put blame on
someone, put it on me.”
“That wasn’t your fault.”
“Well, it wasn’t your fault either. So please, let it go,” she
urged him.
He was silent for a few moments, but she could tell his mind was
still working. She lay down next to him, putting her head on his shoulder.
“You know, I’ve never really been good at anything,” he admitted
softly.
“That’s not true.”
“Yeah it is.” He looked at her, “I didn’t even finish high school,
Steph. What kind of loser can’t even accomplish a simple task like that?”
“But you got your GED, remember? So you’re not a total loser,” she
reminded him of his earlier words.
He laughed slightly, “yeah, not totally.”
She tried to make him feel better. “Look, I didn’t even go to
college. So it’s not like I’m some kind of rogue scholar.”
“
“Huh?”
“I believe the term is Rhodes
Scholar. Not rogue. Although that paints a funny picture,” he laughed.
“See? I’m stupid too. I didn’t even know that. So don’t feel bad,”
she said supportively.
“Great, so we’re both idiots? I feel sorry for our children.”
She looked aghast, “children? What children?”
“Uh, the ones we might have someday. You know, a long, long time
from now,” he explained.
“You want children?”
“Don’t you?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
“You mean you’ve never thought about it?”
She sat up straighter and looked at him thoughtfully, “sure I’ve thought about it. Then reality hits.
Thinking about it is one thing. Actually doing it is a whole other ballgame. In
fact, I’m not even sure it’s the same sport. I-I don’t think I can do that.
Kids are all needy, and I’m too needy to have someone else needing me,” she
explained nervously.
“Alright then. No children it is.”
“You’re okay with that, right?” She wanted to be sure.
“Sure. I mean I was really only saying that because I assumed that’s
what you’d want. Maternal instincts and all that crap.”
“Well, Melissa takes care of my maternal cravings. She’s the only
kid I think I can handle.”
“Right.”
“Besides, having a child isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I mean,
babies are cute and all. But before you know it they’re glowing and screaming
and breaking through dimensional walls. It’s really very stressful,” she joked.
“I think you’re all I really need,” he said sincerely. “That is if
you’re sure you still want me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
He laid his head back again and closed his eyes. “I don’t know. I
mean, what can I really offer you, Steph? After all of this crap is
over—assuming we win—what can I offer you? The answer is, not much.”
“Offer me? You offer me plenty,” she assured him.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know. Lots.” She hated feeling put on the spot. “Look, I
don’t care if you’re not the smartest guy who ever lived. Or if you make
mistakes and never clean your bathtub. I don’t care if your hair is messy and
you flunked out of school. I love you, okay? So just shut up about all of
this.”
He laughed at her now, “only you could make a declaration of love
sound so hostile.”
“Well, you bug me.”
“And you’re no picnic either.”
“Then I guess we’re perfect for each other,” she smiled.
“So you really can see a future with me in it?” He asked
uncertainly.
She sat up and looked down at him, “I can’t see one with you not in it,” she said sincerely. “I’ve
tried to. I wanted to. But then it was just too hard.”
He sat up and touched her face, “I love you, Steph.” He kissed her
gently.
“I love you too,” she whispered.
She leaned over and put her arms around him, snuggling close to
his chest. He held her there, kissing the top of her head.
“I’m sorry I freaked out,” he said feeling a little foolish.
“It’s okay. You’re entitled. I’m bound to freak out myself at some
point. It happens.”
They lay back down on the bed together, just holding each other
for awhile. Jason played with a lock of her damp hair. He felt like the
luckiest guy on earth to have a girl like her. She was everything he’d ever
wanted. But he feared that he was everything she never wanted. Getting her to give him a chance was hard enough. Now
that he had the chance, he didn’t want to mess it up. He never wanted her to go
back to seeing him as someone who was beneath her. He only hoped that when the
time arrived he’d be able to step up and prove his worth. Not just to her, but
to himself.
****
The time was drawing nearer.
They were all aware it wouldn’t be long now. If the assumptions were correct,
Alison and Logan were going to carry out their dastardly ritual on the night of
the blood moon. Jax had explained to them that the full moon at the end of
October was sometimes called a blood moon. Back in the day it was the best
night of the year for hunters to make their kills. The brightness of it would
light up the forest like daytime, proving a useful tool in hunting and tracking
prey. It seemed to take on a whole other meaning for everyone now. Alison and
Logan were the hunters, and the world was their prey. There was also slated to
be an eclipse that evening, which would plunge the night back into blackness
briefly, while the moon took on a red hue. Dark magical energies would be at
their peak.
As the days went along, it seemed that everyone in town was
starting to notice the changes. More and more people were coming into the shop
complaining of disturbances or otherwise unexplained happenings. Several of
Stephanie’s regular customers asked for her opinions on the matter, and it was
the first time she’d ever lied to them. She didn’t want to cause a mass
hysteria over something that none of them had any power to control. Part of her
had wanted to warn them, but what good would it have done? There would be no
protecting themselves from this. It was best they not know. She did tell some
of them that if they were religious, they should pray. Stephanie figured they
could use all the help they could get. Spiritual or otherwise.
They had everything they needed now. Everything was in place and
ready to go. The only problem was they didn’t know where Alison and Logan were
planning to carry out the ritual. Devil’s
Stephanie tried to remember more from the visions she had. She
remembered seeing Alison clearly, hovering over a makeshift altar of some sort.
But Stephanie always got the feeling she was inside of a building or a house.
That didn’t seem to fit with the idea that they would go to the lake. It had
been dark when they were there the other night, but she hadn’t seen any
buildings. It troubled her that they didn’t know the exact location. She kept
hoping for another vision or anything that would help them. But the harder she
tried the less clear her mind became. It seemed that there was not going to be
any psychic help with this one.
Right now, Stephanie and Jason were heading over to Shooter’s
apartment. Jason had to pick up some equipment from him, so they were stopping
on their way back to his place. When they pulled up outside they saw Shooter’s
van backed up to his front door. The back doors were open and a plethora of
junk was piled inside.
“What the hell is this?” Jason muttered, taking in the scene.
“Spring cleaning?” Stephanie shrugged.
“Cleaning and Shooter?” He laughed. “Nah, that’s not it.”
They walked up to the open door and Jason stuck his head in.
“Dude, you in there?” He asked.
Shooter came running out of his bedroom with a pile of clothes
under his arm.
“Jason! Man, am I glad to see you.”
“What the hell is going on here? You get evicted or something?”
“Worse. Dude, you better sit down for this cause are not gonna
believe this shit,” Shooter informed him.
“What is it?”
“The world is fucking ending. Seriously. I’m not even joking or
high or anything,” he said seriously.
Jason and Stephanie looked at each other uncomfortably. Then Jason
asked, “where did you get a ridiculous idea like that? Are you still tripping
over what I said the at the tattoo place?”
“You said something about this at the tattoo place?” Stephanie
shot him a look.
“I was just kidding!”
Shooter came closer to them and shook his head. “No man, I’m
serious. There is this shaman dude I know. He kind of hooks me up with some stuff
once in awhile. You know the good stuff?” He said cryptically as not to offend
Stephanie.
“You mean pot?” She asked calmly.
Shooter shrugged slightly, “yeah. It’s really good stuff too,” he
smiled.
“We don’t care how awesome the weed is. What did this guy tell
you?” Jason interjected.
“He told me that there’s a dark power on the horizon. And they’re
gonna totally destroy the whole world. Demons and Hell shit. I-I’m not sticking
around for that.”
“And you believed some freak that sells you weed and calls himself
a shaman? Man, did you ever think he was just trying to freak you out?” Jason
asked, still trying to convince his friend there was nothing to worry about.
“Of course I considered that. But he said that Devil’s
Jason and Stephanie looked at each other again. It was time to
stop pretending.
“What else did he tell you?” Stephanie asked him, hoping to glean
some new information.
“Just that it was gonna happen on the night of the full moon,
which is like tomorrow.”
“And it’s going to happen at the lake?”
“Yeah. He said there’s some kind of sacred burial ground way back
in the trees. I guess that’s where.”
“Sacred burial ground? How come we didn’t know about the sacred
burial ground?” Stephanie griped to Jason.
He shrugged, “maybe Jax forgot to tell us?”
“Are you two saying you knew about this?” Shooter asked them.
“Look, Shooter, just take your crap and get out of town. Just like
you planned. We’ll take care of it,” Jason told him.
“Take care of it? Who
are you, like fucking Superman or something?”
“Something like that,” Jason muttered. “Look, I can’t explain any
of this right now. Just go okay? Take Mitch with you. Then come back when the
world doesn’t end. We’ll catch up.”
“Dude, Mitch already bailed. He was with me when the guy told us.”
“Good. That’s good. Now get out of here,” Jason urged him.
Shooter picked up the clothes and grabbed a guitar off the sofa.
Jason grabbed his hand.
“Hey! That’s mine. Leave that here.”
“Why? You’re probably gonna die anyway.”
He sighed, “fine. Take it. But don’t fuck it up, okay? If I’m not
dead, I’m gonna want it back.”
“Are you sure you guys don’t wanna jump in the back of the van?
There’s room,” Shooter offered. He didn’t like the thought of leaving his
friend behind.
Jason shook his head, “no, it’s okay. We have to stay here.”
Shooter scratched his chin, “I still don’t get why. What do you
think you’re gonna do?”
“Stop it.”
****
The next afternoon, everyone had gathered at The Secret Garden. The
place was closed and shut up tight from prying eyes. The time was now. They had
to do the ritual that would bind the power of the Trinity together. It was the
moment everyone had feared and yet somehow believed would turn out alright. Jax
and Angela had no idea what might happen during this ritual, or what it might
do to them. They were merely crossing their fingers and hoping for the best. It
was now or never time.
Jason pulled Stephanie aside just before they were going to begin.
He held her hands tightly, and he could feel that they were shaking.
“Are you scared?”
“Not so much scared as terrified,” she admitted shakily.
“Me too.”
“Melissa is actually excited,” she told him. “She’s scared, but
she seems to think we’re gonna win.”
“We will. We have to. I won’t let this be the last time we’re
together,” he promised her solemnly.
She kissed him then, drinking him in. Memorizing the way his lips
felt against hers. They clung to each other tightly, almost afraid that if they
let go something would be lost. They just wanted to preserve their dreams for a
little while longer.
Jax interrupted their moment when he called everyone into the main
room.
“Everything is in place. It’s time we get this started,” he
announced.
Stephanie, Jason and Melissa all nodded their heads.
Kyle stepped forward and pleaded with them, “just promise me that
you’ll try and save Alison.”
“I promise. But you saw her the other night, Kyle. We’re going to
have to fight back this time or we’re all going to die,” Stephanie said
regretfully.
“I know,” Kyle said sorrowfully. “But if there is any chance to
get through to her, you have to try.”
Stephanie just nodded her head. She was hoping that there was that
chance, that some part of their friend was still reachable. But she also knew
that in all likelihood it wasn’t going to turn out like that.
“Are you guys ready?” Angela asked them.
They nodded and stepped over to where she was waiting for them.
She was dressed in a long white robe with a purple sash. She held a spell book
in her hands and had a bundle of herbs hanging around her neck.
“I’ve drawn a triangle on the floor here. I need each of you to
stand on one of the points,” Angela instructed them. “Melissa should be at the
top, and Stephanie and Jason at the bottom.”
They took their positions.
“What’s going to happen to us?” Melissa asked nervously, the
reality of the situation was starting to settle in.
“I’m really not sure,” Angela admitted. “But what’s supposed to happen is your essences will
combine, forming some kind of magical bond. Every bit of power each of you
possess will meld together. It should be pretty interesting.”
“Will we feel different?” Melissa asked.
“Maybe,” Angela shrugged uncertainly.
“Well, it sounds like it’ll be a wonderful time,” Jason remarked
wryly.
“Let’s hope,” Jax agreed. “Angela, will you hand me the dagger of
Tumac?” He asked.
She handed him a large silver dagger. The blade was engraved with
ornate carvings of ancient warriors.
“What are you going to do with that?” Stephanie squeaked out
anxiously.
“I’ll need to make small cuts on each of your palms. Then you must
join hands. Mixing the blood is the only way to perform the ritual,” he
explained.
“Of course. There always has to be blood doesn’t there?” Stephanie
muttered.
“Ready?” Angela asked.
“As we’ll ever be. Let’s just do this,” Jason said stoically.
Angela began reciting a verse from the spell book she held. She walked
around the triangle, sprinkling a mixture of herbs and magical powders as she
went.
“Goddess of war, I beseech thee to join these souls as one. From
mere mortal to warrior. From dark, into the light. Protect thee as thy own, for
destiny calls to them. As it is written,
so shall it be.”
The room began to rumble and shake, and Angela held onto the
counter for support. Jax placed a small metal pot filled with something in the
middle of the triangle. He lit the contents and a pungent smelling smoke filled
the room. He went first to Melissa and took her hand. She held it out before
him as he made a slash across her palm.
“Of the light,” Angela recited.
He moved on to Jason next, repeating the process.
“Of the dark.”
And lastly, Stephanie.
“Becomes the balance.”
They joined their hands in the middle of the triangle. Blood
dripped from their wounds, melding together. Droplets fell into the pot one by
one. The smoke turned from white to blue then green as their blood became one.
“Mortal now, warriors forever. Grant them the power to do as you
see fit.”
The smoke swirled around the three of them, enveloping them. Where
their hands were joined, blue sparks began to crackle. Green energy poured from
Melissa's eyes and traveled to their fingertips. With a jolt, her energies shot
through Stephanie and Jason. They cried out, but their hands remained locked
together. White light poured from them and encircled Melissa. With a flash, the
energy entered her and she gasped loudly. The smoke then turned pink and
dissipated completely.
The room became still and quiet and nobody moved. Finally Jax went
to them to ensure they were okay.
“What just happened?” Melissa asked breathlessly.
“I think it worked,” Jax smiled.
They slowly released their hands and found that the cuts Jax had
given them were completely healed up. Small, blue sparks jumped from their
fingertips as they examined their hands.
“Okay, now that’s just cool,” Jason remarked, relishing his new
sense of power.
“Now what do we do?” Stephanie asked, as she shakily made her way
to a table and sat down.
“We’ll wait until sundown and then go to Devil’s
“I think we’re actually going to win this,” Stephanie said with
renewed strength. “I know I’ve said it before, but mostly I just said it to
make myself feel better,” she admitted. “This time I really feel it.”
For the first time since this whole mess started she actually
believed her own words. She wasn’t going to let Alison win.
****
"What was that?"
Alison asked
"You felt that too?"
He asked.
"Someone else is planning
something,” she said worriedly.
"Well, it can't be as big
as our plan."
"It's bigger,” she said
uneasily.
"Baby, nothing is bigger
than us,” he assured her.
"Something isn't right,” she
shook her head. "I have a feeling Stephanie is behind this."
"Stephanie? Please. She may
think she’s Zena or something, but she can't touch us. It's impossible."
"You don't know her like I
do. She won't let this world go without a fight. Which makes no sense, since usually
she hates it here as much as I do,” Alison muttered.
"We should have taken her
out when we had the chance,” he said unhappily.
"I know. But it's not too
late,” Alison said, forming a plan.
"You've got an idea?"
He asked intrigued by her expression.
"She can't stop us, if she
can't get there in time. We can speed this up,” she explained.
"Speed it up?"
"Make the sun go down now.
Why wait?"
"You think we can do
that?" He asked.
“You’re the one who told me we
could do anything.”
“True, I did say that.”
"We can speed up time. So
fast, that she'll be too disoriented to even realize what's happening, before
it's too late,” she explained.
"Hey, I saw something like
that in a movie once. This guy built a time altering machine. We could totally
do something like that.”
“Like we have time to build a
machine,” she scoffed. “I was thinking we could do it with magic,” she smiled
sinisterly.
He pulled her into his arms and
smiled at her.
"You're fucking brilliant.
Has anyone ever told you that before?" He asked.
"No. But I like hearing
it,” she admitted with a sly smirk. “Say it again.”
“You’re amazing. Now let’s do this."
He kissed her quickly and took her hands. “I’m not gonna let your ridiculous
friends fuck this up for me.”
“You mean for us, right?” She asked him pointedly.
“Yeah, of course. Us, me,
whatever. It’s all the same. Let’s just do it,” he said impatiently.
They clasped their hands tightly
and concentrated their dark energies together. A ball of orange light formed at
their fingertips. They raised it into the air, and they both blew on it. It
released from their grasp, and traveled through the ceiling of their magical
lair. It floated into the afternoon sky, and exploded in a ball of light. And
suddenly, everything went black. It was now ten to midnight.
****
“Okay, what the hell was that?”
Kyle asked, as he picked himself up off the floor.
They had all been talking about
their plans, when suddenly the room began spinning. Then it went dark and he remembered
nothing.
"Jax? What's going
on?" Stephanie asked nervously.
Jax picked himself up from
behind a book shelf, where he had fallen. He shook his head.
"I have no idea. Did
everyone feel that?" He asked confused.
"Look at the clock!" Angela
exclaimed as her eyes began to focus in the dark.
They all noticed that it was now
almost midnight. A few seconds ago, it had been barely 4pm.
"Holy shit! They sped up
time!" Jason said angrily. "You didn't tell us they could do
that."
"I-I didn't know. They must
have sensed a threat. The spell we just performed was pretty powerful. They
must have felt it,” Jax told them.
"Well, hurry! Turn it back!
Can't you guys use your new powers and just undo it?" Angela asked
frantically.
"I-I don't know,” Melissa
stammered confused. “Can we do that?”
"There isn't time to figure
that out. The three of you must get to the lake. Now. We mustn’t waste time,” Jax
urged them.
"I'm coming too,” Kyle said
firmly.
"No, Kyle, you can't. It's
too dangerous. Let us handle this,” Stephanie told him seriously.
"I don't care if it's
dangerous. I'm not just gonna sit here and wait. Not if there's something I can
do to help her. Plus if I’m going to die anyway, I’d like to not die cowering
in a corner. I wanna go out in style,” he said with resolve. “Plus I brought
some weapons. I knew my dad’s crossbow might come in handy for something.”
She didn't have time to argue
with him. She nodded her head.
"Fine. Jax? Angela? You
stay here,” she told them. “If any Hell things escape, try and do something.”
“Like what? Offer them tea and
cake?” Angela snapped.
“I don’t know! Kill them. Use
your magic. I just wanna make sure I see you guys again,” Stephanie said
worriedly.
Jax nodded, “we’ll do our best.
As will you. But please be careful. I’d like to see you again as well.”
Stephanie fought back tears and
went over to hug him tightly.
“I love you Jax,” she whispered
to him. Then she pulled back and grinned slightly, “but not in the gross way
that Angela loves you. Cause, eww,” she joked.
“Yes, well, I love you too
Stephanie,” he smiled awkwardly. “Make us proud.”
"We will."
Angela then walked over to Kyle
awkwardly.
"Kyle?"
"Yeah?"
“Please don't die. I-I know we
aren't together anymore, but I no longer hate your guts. I forgive you for
being a jerk,” she told him honestly. "And even though I wished the
suffering of a thousand deaths upon you in my mind, I didn't really mean it. I
hope that you can find your own Jax someday. Only female of course.”
He smiled at her. He knew that
she was just trying to smooth things over with them. He appreciated that. He’d
acted like a jerk and she was forgiving him. At this point, he couldn’t ask for
more.
"I won't die. Promise,” he
assured her.
She patted him on the arm.
"Good. Now go save us all.
Or at least, try not to get in their way,” she told him.
Kyle nodded and turned to the
Trinity.
"Now or never,” he told
them.
They all walked briskly out the
door and jumped into Kyle’s car. They sped away in the direction of Devil’s
****
Alison and Logan walked along
the edge of the lake, drinking in the atmosphere. So much evil was swirling
around them. The lights danced across the water, and parted along the water’s
edge to let their heroes pass.
“You see these lights? That’s
the souls of thousands of demons just waiting for you to release them. These
will be our subjects when all of this is over,”
“There’s so many of them,” she
remarked with a sense of awe.
“And they will all be ours.”
They continued along the edge of
the water until they reached a spot at the edge of the forest. Deep in the
trees lie the sacred burial ground used to capture the souls of demons that
fell centuries ago. As they entered a clearing, a large cabin stood before
them.
Alison looked at
“That was a brilliant idea,” he
muttered at this unforeseen snag in their plans.
They walked closer and noticed
that the dwelling was only partially complete. The roof was completely open,
constructed of only beams. There was no door or windows. It looked as if the
place had been abandoned several months before.
“I wonder why they stopped
building it?” Alison mused with a small smirk.
“I’m guessing they got a little
more than they were bargaining for with this piece of real estate. I think they
angered someone. Big time,” he laughed. “It doesn’t matter. We can still do
what we came to do.”
She nodded and they made their
way into the partially constructed building. The entered the main room and
Alison looked up at where the ceiling might be. Above her head all she could
see was an expanse of exposed beams, the night sky staring back at them. The
stars shone brightly, and the moon illuminated the entire space. There was a
thin veil of fog partially covering the moon, creating an eerie spectacle.
The eclipse was beginning to
take form, and the color of the moon began changing from white to yellow to
slightly red.
“It’s almost time, baby. You
ready for this?” He asked her excitedly.
She didn’t answer him. She was
trying to come to grips with the totality of their undertaking. In a very short
time, the world would be changed forever. All the things she’d known would be
lost entirely.
Once she began this there would
be no turning back. Any remainder of who she was before would be lost forever.
She decided that it was no great loss. She wouldn’t miss feeling weak and
stupid and vulnerable. For the first time ever she felt she had control over
her own destiny. Everything that was about to happen, was happening because she
chose it. She made it so. Never again would anybody hurt her or leave her.
People would not question her; they would either fear her or worship her. Or
both.
No, there was no turning back
now. And she was quite certain she didn’t want to. This was her rebirth. Out
with the old and in with the new. Good riddance to a life filled with nothing
but mediocrity and misery. She was royalty now.
She looked to
“I’m ready,” she said finally.
They walked further into the
room and knelt before what was to be a fireplace. She glanced over at
“This is the spot,” she told
him.
They stood back as she shot an
energy ball at the bare wood floor. A large hole tore into it, revealing a
never ending chasm below the foundation. Her previous spells had created a hole
in the world, just underneath this cabin. A tear in realities that led straight
into Hell. Soon it wouldn’t be a small fissure in the Earth, it would become
the abyss. Souls would rise forth and flood the Earth. And all of them would be
thanking Alison.
She waved her hand in the air
and a small stone altar formed at her feet next to the opening. She pulled out
a dagger and slashed across her palm.
“Let’s do it.” He pulled the
hood of his cape up over his head and stood by her side.
She knelt before the chasm and
began to chant.
“Guardian of the Underworld, I
command you to hear me!”
The ground below them began to
quake slightly.
She continued, “destroy the
walls that have bound our brothers. Release them from eternity! Grant them
access to roam free as they should. With the power of the Dark Ones, I command
thee to liberate them!”
More shaking and rumbling
erupted underneath the floor. Planks of wood splintered and rock formations
began jutting up through the foundation. The chasm began to separate and spread,
widening the crack inside the Earth.
“Allow our brothers safe passage
into this world!” She screamed commandingly, as
“Uh, I’m not sure how safe that
passage is gonna be,” Stephanie informed them.
She stood in the doorway of the cabin with her hands on her hips,
glaring at them.
Logan and Alison stood to their feet and stared at her.
“I knew you’d come,” Alison said with amusement.
“And yet no welcome mat? I’m crushed,” Stephanie said
sarcastically.
“You should just get out of here. It’s already started and there’s
nothing you can do to stop it,” Alison told her.
“Really? Cause you guys are so powerful, right?” Stephanie asked.
“Yeah, that’s right,”
“And I’m just one measly little girl. What could I possibly do?”
She asked with mock despair.
“Not a whole lot,” Alison smirked at her.
At that moment, Jason and Melissa made their presence known behind
Stephanie. Kyle walked in after them and stood to the side, holding his
father’s crossbow.
“Oh no! Help!”
Alison laughed, “that’s cute. You brought the whole family. Even
Kyle. It’s touching really.”
“Don’t go through with this Alison,” Kyle urged her. “It’s not too
late.”
“Oh, I’d say it’s a little late,” Alison assured him.
“This is your last chance,” he told her
“Last chance for what?”
“To save yourself.”
“I’ll take that chance,” she said confidently.
“You haven’t even begun to see what my girl here can do.”
“Yeah? Well, you haven’t seen why my girls can do either,” Jason
grinned at him.
Before
Alison looked bewildered momentarily.
“What the fuck was—” she began, but never finished.
Stephanie had thrown a ball of energy into her chest, sending her
flying across the room to join
The Trinity moved over to where they were lying, but they quickly
recovered and jumped to their feet.
“That was sort of interesting,” Alison remarked, brushing her
clothes off. “So you borrowed power from someone. I have to say I didn’t see
that coming. But it’s still not enough.”
“It isn’t borrowed. It’s ours,” Jason told her as he zapped
"Ours?" Alison asked confused,
as she backed away from them.
Stephanie waved her hands in the
air and her eyes glowed again. She threw a wall of blue energy around Alison
and it captured her. She struggled to free herself.
"You are going to be sorry
you did that,” Alison said in a low voice. Her earth shattering scream filled
the room.
The bubble that contained her
broke into pieces. With outstretched hands she shot a wall of energy at the
three of them, and they all went flying backwards, colliding roughly with the
exposed sheetrock. It shattered around them, as they fell to the floor.
Alison rushed over to
"Destroy!" Alison
shouted.
Part of the building frame came
crashing down right where Kyle was standing. He leapt out of the way.
Alison and Logan turned to the
chasm now, which had begun to bubble over with fire and smoke.
"I command you! Release
them! Release!" She shouted.
The floor rumbled again, and
more sheetrock fell from the walls. Another large rock formation jutted up at Alison's
feet, and began to separate and crack.
The Trinity stood to their feet
again, and faced their foes.
Alison shrieked as she realized
he was falling in. She raised her arms and he shot out, and landed at her side
again.
"Get him away from
her!" Kyle shouted.
He raised his crossbow and took aim at
Jason raised his hand, and
pushed Alison away from
"Now you're just pissing me
off. That hurt!" He shouted at him, as he tossed a bolt of red energy at
him.
Kyle smashed into the wall, and
the crossbow shattered in his grasp. He slumped to the floor unconscious.
Jason leapt forward and tackled
"Don't touch him,” she said
angrily to Jason.
She held her fist up and
squeezed the air in front of her. Jason stopped his assault on
"Damn, that's cool. Just
like Darth Vader,” he remarked.
“It is cool, isn’t it?” She
smiled at him.
Stephanie interrupted them, “Darth
Vader died, remember?” She sent a ball of turquoise flames in their direction.
They shot backwards, and their
clothes began to smolder. Jason started gasping for air as Alison's grip
released from around his throat.
Stephanie walked forward, and
zapped them both again.
"Don't mess with my boyfriend,”
she said seriously.
Alison and Logan screamed out as
Stephanie’s energy burned through them. They clasped hands and forced her
backwards with their own energies. She slammed against the wall. They stood to
their feet and aimed their hands at the sky. The only part of the ceiling that
was intact came crumbling down. It crushed Melissa and Jason underneath the
rubble. Stephanie had been knocked in the other direction, landing on top of Kyle.
He still hadn't recovered fully from
"We need to finish this
now,” he urged her.
"They can't stop us."
"No, but they're trying a
little too hard for my liking. Finish it."
She kissed him hungrily, and the
power between them rejuvenated itself. She pulled away and stood in front of
the rock with the crack in it. They both placed their hands onto it, and the
earth began to rumble again.
"Separate! Open the gates!
Release!" She commanded the gods of Hell.
All at once, the rock split
further and fiery spirits started spilling out. Underneath the floor, the chasm
continued to quake and separate. Alison kept up her devilish demands, and the
sky began to tear apart. A shock of white light streaked across the sky,
breaking the barriers down.
"You did it! I can't
believe it,” Logan said in awe of her power.
"Did you ever have any
doubt?" She asked.
"Never." He kissed her
roughly.
They had started the end of the
world. But it was merely the beginning for them. Soon they would reign over a
kingdom of Hell-spirits and demons. They would be revered for freeing them all,
and in return they would reap the benefits of eternal life.
Their kiss was interrupted when Stephanie
approached them. She grabbed
"That's really disgusting,”
Stephanie said, indicating their kiss.
"You lost, Stephanie. I
told you that you would. It was stupid of you to even come here,” Alison said
heatedly.
Stephanie looked up at the sky
and saw the tear in the heavenly walls. It started to widen, as the evil poured
forth from the opening mouth of Hell beneath their feet.
"You tried though. So don't
feel bad,” Alison offered.
"It's not over."
"Oh, it's over." Alison
tossed Stephanie away from her and she smashed through the floor.
Lightning bolts ripped through
the ground. The entire building started shaking violently. Crimson spirits kept
pouring through the cracks, and flooded the room. Stephanie pulled herself back
up onto what remained of the floor.
"Use the key!" Jason
shouted at Stephanie over the roar of the demonic energy. He was still trapped
underneath a pile of rubble, and he struggled to get free.
Stephanie still held the key in
her pocket. It was their last hope at closing the dimensional walls. She
clutched the long, silver, dagger in her hand. She started to run towards the
main crevice that had opened up in the rock formation. All she had to do was
plunge it in. But getting over there before they stopped her would be more
difficult.
When
"Oops! Guess you should
have held on a little tighter!" He shouted at her. He examined the key
closely, unsure of what it was. He just assumed she was coming to stab him with
it.
"What is it?" Alison
asked him.
"It's a dagger. The bitch
was going to stab me."
"Give it to me!" She
commanded him.
He tossed it to her via his
magic and she gripped it tightly. She stared at the engravings on the blade.
She looked at
"It's not a dagger, it's a
key. It closes the gates of Hell,” she told him.
"Give it back Alison,” Stephanie
said firmly as she pulled herself together again.
"I'm not gonna let you ruin
this,” Alison hissed angrily.
"You don't have a
choice." Stephanie tried to pull the key from her grasp with her own
power, but Alison blocked it. She erected a barrier around herself, and gripped
the key tightly. It had to be destroyed.
Just then, Jason and Melissa had
materialized at Stephanie's side. They had finally managed to free themselves
from the rubble that had fallen around them. Stephanie grabbed their hands, and
raised them into the air.
Get
Suddenly the air around them
charged with blue energy. They aimed their hands in
"No! Let him go!" Alison
screamed. She could feel his pain.
She clutched her chest and
doubled over. Her protective barrier dissolved but she never let go of the key.
"Stop it! You guys are
killing her!" Kyle shouted at them, as he noted Alison's pain.
But the Trinity couldn't hear
him. They were too focused on their task. Slowly the power that
Alison fell to her knees and
started sobbing. She could feel everything he was feeling. Their dreams and
their power were dissolving away into nothing. The Trinity lifted their arms
again and
"No...No,” he muttered over
and over again.
He watched as the bubble was
sucked back down into the pit of Hell. It disappeared along with his fantasies
of ruling the world. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs but he didn't
have the energy to form words. Alison screamed for him.
"No!" She shrieked as
their shared power was destroyed.
"Alison, give me the key,” Stephanie
urged her. "It's over. Help me stop this."
Alison just stared at her with
blank eyes. Tears were rolling down her face, but she couldn't feel them
anymore. The spirits were still draining from the cracks, humming so loudly she
could barely hear herself think. She held the key up and dangled it over the
open crevice. She contemplated tossing it in and dying like the rest of them
would. She had nothing left to live for.
"Don't do it. Please. Just
give Stephanie the key,” Kyle pleaded as he hobbled over closer to her.
"Stay away from me! Stay back
or I swear I'll throw it in,” she told him desperately.
He stopped in his tracks and
held his hands up.
"Not coming any closer.
Promise. Just don't throw it in."
Alison saw him abandon her out
of the corner of her eye. The bastard had gone and left her there. So much for
eternal, undying devotion. No one else had even noticed him leave. The tears
fell harder and her vision became blurred. The guilt and shame over what she
had done began to consume her.
“You don't wanna do this. Look
around you. Stop this now before it's too late,” Jason urged her.
Alison looked around and saw the
evil spirits gaining human form slowly in front of her eyes. Soon they would be
solid and ready to fight for their lives if need be. The Earth would be in
chaos, and instead of being a powerful and unstoppable queen, she would suffer
and die like everyone else. She thought it might be a fitting end for her.
Alison clutched the key tightly,
and shook her head.
"I'm so sorry. It wasn't
supposed to...I'm so sorry." Tears poured from her eyes.
"It's okay. We forgive
you." Kyle assured her quickly, trying to calm her down.
"No it's not okay. I'll
never be able to...I'm just so sorry,” she repeated again softly.
She raised the key into the air
and everyone stopped breathing. Just when they thought it was all over, Alison
plunged the key into the crevice that had started it all. A ferocious wind
picked up, capturing all of the escaped hell spirits. They swirled into a
tornado and were drawn back down into Hell. The chasm beneath their feet closed
up around the key, effectively closing the gates forever. The sky turned black
again, as the walls that separated the heavens were restored. The room was
quiet and still. Nobody dared to breathe or move.
All at once there was a
collective sigh of relief as the realization set in. It was over. The gates
were closed for good, and the world was still standing. No one had been
seriously hurt or killed. The Trinity had come through, but it was Alison that
had finally come to her senses and stopped it all.
Kyle started to walk towards her
and she held her hands up.
"No. Don't. Stay away,” she
told him firmly.
"Alison, you're back,” he
told her sincerely.
"No. I can't ever come
back,” she said softly.
"What?"
She looked around at the rubble
and mayhem she had caused. The people that she once loved watched her
expectantly. But she didn't know what it was they were expecting from her. She
couldn't even look at them.
"What did I do? Oh God...I
have nothing,” she muttered softly.
"It’s alright. We're here
for you,” Kyle assured her.
Alison looked up at him
disgusted with how naive his statement was. And how he just expected her to
fall into his arms and ask for forgiveness. Like a kiss and a hug could somehow
undo all the horrendous things she had done.
"How can you even look at
me?" She asked. "It's never going to be alright again."
"Yeah, it will. It wasn't
really you doing all that. It was him. And he's gone. You'll get better now,” Kyle assured her.
She shook her head vigorously.
"You really believe
that?" She asked incredulously.
"I do."
"No. You don't understand,”
she shook her head.
"You're right, we don't
understand." Stephanie said unhappily.
"None of you could ever
understand,” Alison whispered.
"Just let us try,” Kyle
told her desperately.
"No. It's over. It's all
over. You win,” Alison said despairingly.
She glanced at everyone one last
time. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and lifted her arms above her head.
She began chanting softly. She had been stripped of
"I'm sorry.” she told them
all again.
Kyle stared in disbelief as
Alison disappeared in a cloud of smoke.
"Where did she go?" He
asked no one in particular.
Stephanie walked over and put
her hand on his shoulder.
"Maybe we just need to give
her some time."
"Time? For what? She needs
us. Doesn't she?" He protested.
"I don't know. I don't
think she can face any of us right now,” Stephanie told him.
"She'll come around. And
then we can put everything back together again. Just like before. She’s not
evil. She just needs some help,” Kyle tried to reassure himself.
"Uh, you really think that’s going to
happen?" Jason asked.
"What? Of course I do.
She'll get better now.
"Uh, he's not actually in
Hell.” Melissa pointed out weakly.
"What? I don't see him?
Didn't he get sucked back down when the gates closed?" Kyle asked.
"Actually, I saw him run
away,” Melissa told them.
"You what? And you just let
him go?"
"We were trying to stop Alison
from tossing the key away. I thought that was more important,” she told him.
"But—” Kyle started.
"No, Melissa’s right. It
doesn't really matter. We took his power. He's just a regular jerk again,
instead of a super-jerk,” Stephanie told him.
"That regular jerk is still
dangerous. Not only was he some kind of twisted rapist, but he stole Alison and
tried to kill all of us,” Kyle pointed out.
Stephanie looked at her feet. Kyle
had a huge point. They had won, but not entirely.
"I know. But he's gone, and
I'm thinking he won't be showing his face around here again. And as for Alison,
she'll come back. When she’s ready,” Stephanie told them, refusing to accept
otherwise.
Just then, Jax and Angela rushed into the room where they all
stood. They had seen the skies open up, which prompted them to get in Jax’s car
and drive. If the world was ending, they couldn’t just stand around and let it
happen. Even if they couldn’t help, they wanted to be there.
Relief spread over their faces as they saw no one was hurt or
dead. Stephanie ran over to Jax and hugged him tightly. And Angela went over
and looked at Kyle. He smiled at her and she grabbed him into an awkward hug.
They still had feelings for each other, even though their love story was over.
She was relieved to find that he was still around.
Jax looked at Stephanie and
asked uncomfortably, "where is Alison?"
"She's gone. She poofed
herself out of here. I-I think she was way freaked by what she had done."
"Yes, as she should be. And
"Uh, not exactly. We zapped
his powers and sent them back to Hell...without him it turns out,” she said
disappointed.
"Ah,” he said, slightly
troubled by that news.
"But the world didn't end,
so I say 'Yay, us!'." Stephanie smiled with feigned enthusiasm.
"We were totally cool. You
should have seen it. One time, Stephanie’s eyes did this weird glow thingy and
she actually shot a bolt of lightning out of them! And I could shoot fireballs! It was way awesome,”
Melissa said excitedly as she walked up beside them.
Jax hugged her and smiled.
"We kicked their
asses." Jason grinned as he came up behind Stephanie and put his arms
around her waist.
"I remember your ass got a
little kicked as well,” she teased him with a raised eyebrow.
"What? You mean when the
ceiling caved in on me?" He protested.
"I had to pick a beam off
his back,” Melissa said proudly.
"Shut your mouth. You did
not. I leapt up out of there all on my own. You were the one who couldn't get
out,” Jason protested.
"You're just lying so
you'll look cooler for Steph,” Melissa sighed.
Stephanie started laughing and
shook her head.
"Guys, we couldn't have
done anything without each other." She looked at them sincerely. "I
love you. Both of you."
Melissa went over and put her
arms around Stephanie tightly. Jason grinned as he joined their embrace. There
was still a faint blue energy crackling between them when they touched. In the
end their bond had truly been unbreakable. Love was stronger than hate, and
they proved that today.
Angela and Kyle walked up to
where they were standing. Angela put her arms around Jax’s waist and squeezed
him tightly. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and looked up at Kyle. He
smiled uncomfortably. He nodded his head, silently offering his approval for Angela
and Jax to be together. It pained him greatly to know he had lost her, but if
anyone deserved to have her, it was him. He was a good man, and Kyle knew he'd
take good care of her heart. Better than he himself had ever done.
Angela pulled away from Jax and
went over to where the three heroes were still embracing. She smiled widely and
threw her arms around all three of them.
"Thank you for saving the
world. I'm very glad we all didn't die,” she said happily.
"Uh, you’re welcome,” Stephanie
said awkwardly as Angela squished them all together.
"I love you guys!" She
squealed happily.
Kyle and Jax couldn't help but
find the amusement in her enthusiasm. Kyle went over and joined the group hug. Jax
felt ridiculous, but his emotions got the better of him. Reluctantly he joined
their embrace as well.
Finally they let go and everyone
straightened themselves again. Jason looked around uncomfortably.
"Well, that was an
embarrassing display,” he muttered.
"Yes, quite,” Jax agreed as
he straightened his clothes and tried to act natural.
"God, you guys are so lame."
Stephanie rolled her eyes.
"What?" Jason asked
defensively.
"Too manly to feel the
love,” she sighed. "That was a beautiful moment."
"Yeah, I half expected us
to burst out into song,” Kyle joked.
“I could sing something if you
want?” Jason offered jokingly.
"Please don’t,” Stephanie
laughed.
“Don’t you like my singing?” He
asked.
“Yeah, but I don’t think I need
to hear your version of Kumbaya.”
Jason laughed and put his arm
around her.
Melissa interrupted their
laughter, "uh, can we go now?"
"Yes. I'm so ready to go
home. Maybe take a bath?" She ran her hands through her hair. "And
get the Hell-grime out of my hair."
"I'm hungry. We should
eat,” Melissa said.
"What if Alison comes back?
Shouldn't someone stay here?" Kyle asked quietly.
Stephanie shook her head.
"She won't come back here.
There's nothing left."
"She'll show up
eventually." Melissa touched Kyle’s arm.
"Yeah. I'm sure she will.
And then we'll just have to be there for her. Try and help her. Whatever it
takes,” Kyle said firmly.
"Whatever it takes,” Stephanie
nodded, not really sure if she believed that anymore.
They all walked out of the half
constructed building. It was almost completely destroyed, and they had to step
over a large amount of wreckage to get out. They were sure that the builders
would be pretty pissed when they saw what had become of their work. That is if
they ever dared come back. Apparently they didn’t realize they were building
their dream home on top of a demonic burial ground.
As they walked past the lake,
they noticed how calm it was now. No red lights swirling, no monsters trying to
grab their feet and pull them in. Stephanie walked over to the edge of the
water and stuck her hand in. The water was cold. The opening to Hell had closed
up completely, sealing the demonic energies away forever. The lake was just a
lake again. Stephanie smiled to herself as they continued their journey out of
the woods.
Jax and Angela went back to The
Secret Garden and then intended to spend some quality time alone. Kyle was
going to go back to his place, but Stephanie urged him to come to their house
for something to eat. Not that she was going to cook or anything, since it was
the middle of the night, but she could make a snack. She just didn't want him
to be alone.
They had eaten a frozen pizza and
Stephanie was putting the plates into the dishwasher. Melissa had gone to her
room and Jason was sitting on the couch nursing his bruised ribs. Kyle got up
from the kitchen table and slipped out the back door.
He sat down on the steps and
looked up at the sky. Somewhere out there he wondered if Alison needed him. But
deep down in his heart, her words had chilled him. She couldn't ever come back,
she had told him. He absorbed the finality of that statement, as Stephanie came
out and sat beside him.
“You okay?” She asked him
softly.
He shrugged in response. Then, “she’s
not coming back is she?”
Stephanie hung her head down and
wrung her hands uncomfortably.
“I really don’t know,” she
admitted.
“Am I crazy for even wanting her
back?” He asked. “I mean, she tried to kill us. She tried to end the world.
That’s not something you just forgive.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“So then why do I still care about her?”
“I don’t know. But you’re not the only one,” she said
softly. “She was my best friend and it’s hard to let that go. She just looked
so broken and lost,” she whispered sadly.
“She was. I could see that she was still in there.
The old Alison…she was just consumed by whatever shit that
“I know. But only time will tell. If she wants to
change and if she wants our help, we’ll be here. But all we can do now is let
her go. If she wants forgiveness, we’ll give it to her. But she has to want it.”
“I just keep thinking that none of this would have
happened if it weren’t for
Stephanie shook her head, “no it didn’t, Kyle. It
started before that. She was doing spells that were questionable long before he
came along. He was just the enabler. He saw what she could do and instead of
trying to put her right the way we did, he fed into her power. He encouraged
her to lose control. And she jumped in without much prodding. She wanted this,
Kyle. That’s what we have to remember. She wanted this.”
Kyle hung his head down. He was heartbroken that
everything had turned out so badly. Alison was still alive, but they had still
lost her. Months ago she had turned a corner and had never made her way back.
Instead she slipped further away from them.
“I’ll still be here. If she
comes back, and she wants me, I’ll be here,” he told Stephanie.
“So will I.”
“God, I miss how simple life
used to be,” Kyle groaned.
“I don’t think life was ever
simple.” Stephanie shook her head.
“Yeah, but it used to be a hell
of a lot more straightforward than this,” he noted. “What the hell happened to
us?”
She sighed, “I don’t know. I
guess we all grew up. But some of us had a harder time with it.”
“Guilty as charged.” Kyle held
up his hand. “I really blew it when I ruined things with Angela.”
“Yeah, maybe you did. But the
only thing you can do now is move on. That’s all any of us can do.”
Kyle glanced over at her, “speaking
of moving on…you and Jason, huh? It’s real, isn’t it?”
She smiled and looked away from
him.
“I love him,” she admitted
awkwardly. It was still hard for her to say it even though she felt it
strongly.
“That’s good. Really. I’m happy
for you,” he assured her.
“You are?”
“Yeah…I mean, I admit I didn’t
like the guy. I thought you could do better. But then, what the hell do I know?
If he makes you happy, I say go for it.”
“I am. Going for it, that is. It
feels kind of nice,” she admitted. “And also scary.”
“Anything worthwhile is scary at
first.”
She nodded and laid her head on
his shoulder. Just then, Jason made his presence known at the back door. He had
come looking for them, and stopped to eavesdrop when he heard his name come up.
He cleared his throat loudly and stepped onto the porch.
“Hey, we were just talking,”
Stephanie smiled at him.
Kyle stood up and brushed off
his pants. “I should really get going. It’s late and I actually have to go to
work in about four hours.”
“Thank god I work for Jax,
because I’m not sure any other employer would accept ‘averting apocalypse’ as a
suitable reason to miss work.”
They all laughed at the truth in
that statement.
“Look, I’ll see you guys later.”
Kyle waved to them. “Tell Melissa I said goodnight.”
“I will,” Stephanie nodded.
Kyle walked off the porch and
headed off through the back gate, leaving Jason and Stephanie their privacy.
Stephanie turned and looked deep
into Jason’s eyes.
“We did it. The world is still
here,” she whispered.
“Yes it is. And we’re still in
it too. Which is a plus,” he noted.
“A definite plus,” she agreed. “Looks like we have a future after
all.”
“I’ll make sure it’s a good one,” he promised her. “I’ll take care
of you. Prove my worth. I might even get a real job.”
She gaped at him, “a real
job?”
“Yeah, you know the kind that actually pays you regularly. I mean
fixing motorcycles and playing a few gig’s here and there is alright. But it
won’t exactly have us living the high life,” he noted.
“Yeah, because I’m so used to that,” she said sarcastically. Then
she looked at him, “I don’t want you to change for me, Jason. I like you just
as you are. And I don’t need you to take care of me.”
“I know you don’t need
me to do it, but I want to do it,” he
stressed to her. “I just don’t want you to wake up one day and see me there and
say to yourself, ‘What the hell was I thinking?’.”
She put her arms around him and kissed him gently.
“I can promise you I won’t say that. Because I know what I’m
thinking. And I’m thinking that no one has ever made me as happy as you do,” she
told him sincerely.
“I really do?”
“You really do. And if you want to make me really happy, you’ll
stop talking like this and come to bed with me.”
“Yeah, I guess it’s pretty late. I’m wiped out. You must be
exhausted too.”
She gave him a small smirk, “sleep wasn’t really what I was
suggesting here. But if you’re too tired—”
His eyes lit up, “oh hell no. I’m never too tired for that,” he
smiled suggestively.
“Then let’s go.”
She grabbed his hand and they
ran into the house. They were eager to start their new lives together. This
time without the distraction of time ticking away from them. They had worried
so much that they’d never really get this opportunity. But sometimes you were
given second chances. They would hold onto that for as long as fate would allow
them to.
Melissa smiled in her room as
she heard Stephanie and Jason laughing in the hallway. She heard their bedroom
door shut quickly, and she knew what they were up to. But it made her happy. It
almost felt like she had a real family again. It wasn’t just her and Stephanie
anymore. They had Jason. And a real purpose in this life. The three of them
against the world. The way it was supposed to be.
Stephanie and Jason lay in bed
together holding each other. He stroked her arm and kissed the back of her
neck.
“Were you really going to get a
real job?" She asked him sleepily.
"Yeah."
"Hmm...what would you
do?"
"I have no idea,” he
admitted. “I just want you to have a good life. And someday when we're married,
you—”
"What?" She interrupted
him quickly. She turned around to look at him.
"What?"
"Married?" She asked
nervously.
"Well, yeah,” he said. Then
he frowned, “shit, I freaked you out didn’t I? I don’t seem to be able to think
before I speak lately.”
"Are you asking me to marry
you?" She asked with surprise.
"Do you want me to?"
She looked at him and felt her
heart leap out of her chest. It wasn't something she had ever considered.
Especially not this soon. But everything between them had been a whirl wind. It
all kept happening so fast, like someone had pushed the fast forward button. She
wasn’t really ready to take this leap. But she was also not willing to let him
go. She was definitely open to considering the possibility. Someday.
She grinned at him and laid her head back down on the pillow. She
shut her eyes.
"Ask me again later. But
make it good. I want the bended knee and the flowers. The whole deal. Maybe you
could even hire one of those skywriters? Or take me to a baseball game and have
them put it on the scoreboard thingy?” She told him dreamily.
"Do you even like
baseball?" He asked with amusement.
"No,” she admitted softly.
He laughed.
"If I go through all that
trouble, you are going to say yes, aren't you?" He asked.
She smiled to herself.
"Maybe."
He sighed and wrapped his arms
around her again.
"You're impossible."
"I know. You sure you wanna
deal with me forever?" She asked.
"Absolutely."
She rolled over and kissed him
again. She wasn't really sure what she wanted for her future. But it was fun to
dream about it again. Only hours before they didn't think they had any time
left. Now the possibilities seemed endless. For a very long time, she had been
resigned to the fact that she would live her life alone. Real love seemed like
an impossibility. She had stopped believing in it long ago. But now she had
found it again. In the place she never would have thought to look.
She had someone who understood
her, and saw her at her worst. But loved her anyway. Someone who wanted nothing
more than her happiness. He was willing to do whatever it took for her to have
what she needed. The only part he didn’t get was that all she needed was him.
She didn’t care about anything else. She’d just have to make him see
that. She vowed from now on, she would love without limits. She couldn't
hold back anymore. She didn't want to. They had the future in front of them,
and for once it was something to look forward to.
****
He heard a noise and he turned
around abruptly.
"Logan,” Alison said
coldly.
He jumped off the bench and
looked at her with panic filled eyes.
"W-what are you doing here?
How'd you find me?" He asked anxiously.
"I can still feel you,” she
remarked calmly. "Unbreakable, remember?"
"Uh, yeah. Well, your
friends did a pretty good job of breaking us."
"You left me,” she said
flatly.
"Well, yeah. I mean, it was
over,” he explained.
"Over? You just ran away
and left me there. To what? Take the blame?"
"Look, I wasn't gonna go
back to Hell. You think I don't know that's what they were gonna do to
me?" He said seriously.
"You told me never to leave
your side, and I didn't. And what did you do? You ran away."
He stared at her, trying to
discern if she was there to finish him off again, or if she was actually
disappointed by his abrupt departure.
"Baby, I've got nothing.
They took it all. The power, the immortality. Everything. I'm just a guy now. A
guy you really, really despise. Did you think I was gonna stick around?"
He asked curiously.
She stared at him and said
nothing. He looked at her confused.
"Did you want me to stick around?" He asked.
She kept her silence and looked
down at her feet.
"Look, are you here to kill
me? Cause if you are, can we just get it over with? And can you make it a
little less painful this time?" He asked.
"I should kill you. Maybe this time it will stick,” she told him.
He started to break out into a
cold sweat, and his hands shook a little. He was back to being terrified of
her. And more than anything he really didn't want to die again.
She sighed unhappily and plunked
herself down on the dirty bench.
"But I'm not going to,” she
told him.
He visibly relaxed and looked at
her strangely.
"Then why are you
here?"
She glanced up at him.
"I have nowhere else to
go."
"What? What about your
friends? I'm sure they’re just waiting to group hug you and welcome you back
into the gang."
"Right. Yeah, I'm sure they
just love me right now,” she said sarcastically.
"They do. I mean, they were
never really after you. They were after me,” he pointed out.
"Yeah, trying to save me
from you. But that's not how it really was, was it?" She asked.
"What?"
"You gave me what I wanted.
That night when you let me taste your power? If you hadn't given it to me, I
would have taken it anyway. That’s how bad I wanted it. You knew that didn't
you?"
"Yeah, I knew. But I don't
have it anymore. There's nothing keeping you with me,” he pointed out.
"You don't want me
here?" She asked with a sad expression. She shook her head, “great. Now
even you don't want me."
He went over and touched her
arm.
"Hey, I never said that.
It's just, do you want me?" He asked quizzically.
"No. I don't even really
like you,” she said miserably.
He sighed.
"Wonderful. So again, why
are you here?"
"I can't go back to
them."
"Look, I'm sure you
can."
"Are you trying to get rid
of me?" She asked irritated.
"No."
"Do you like me?" She
asked him quietly.
He shifted his feet nervously.
"More than I wish I did,” he
admitted.
She looked at her hands and said
nothing. She still felt drawn to him, despite the disappearance of their
magical bond. Maybe it was because she knew he would never judge her? How could
he when he was just as bad as she was? Her friends could never understand her
reasons for doing what she did. They could never really forgive her. And they
shouldn't. But he could. There was nothing about this to forgive between them.
They had been in it together.
"I meant all those things I
said to you before. I really wanted to be with you,” he said sincerely.
"You did?"
"Well, not at first. Mostly
I just wanted to torment you. Control you. Steal your power and make you suffer
for killing me."
"That's sweet,” she said
wryly.
"Like that's not why you
were with me?" He pointed out.
She shrugged and nodded her head
in agreement.
"Did you lie when you said
you loved me?" She wondered quietly.
He wasn't sure how to answer
that question. It hadn't been a complete lie. He loved her as much as he was
capable of. It was twisted and wrong, but it felt like love to him.
"I lie about a lot of
things. But that wasn't one of them."
"It wasn't just about the
power?"
"Was it for you?" He
asked her.
"Yes."
"But now the power is gone. And you're
still here. Why is that?"
"They didn't take mine,” she
said softly.
"What?" He asked
suddenly interested.
"It's not anywhere near
what we had together, but it's something. It's all I have left. And if I go
back there...to them...they'll take it. They'll bind my powers. I'd never be
able to do magic again."
"You think they'd do
that?" He asked quietly.
"Of course. Wouldn't you if
you were them? I tried to end the world. I teamed up with the guy I murdered,
and tried to kill them all. You think they'd ever trust me again?"
"I see your point."
"I can't go back there.
They'll never look at me the same. They'll always see me as poor little Alison
who lost her way. A junkie. A loser. A pathetic excuse for a person. Just like
my mom. I-I can't stand that."
"You're not a loser. I'm a
loser,” he said dejectedly as he sat down next to her.
"Yeah, you are. But we're
two of a kind,” she remembered sadly. "But at least you understand. I'm
not good enough to ever be a part of their world again."
"You're good enough for
me,” he told her honestly.
She looked at him and gave a
small smile. This was why she was here. She couldn't go back to the way she was
before. She knew that fact months ago. She was trying to get better and stop
using her magic for the wrong reasons, but she had failed. And the sad truth of
it was, she didn't really want to get better. The feeling of control was
something she’d never had in her life. Not until now. And if she had to give up
her magic in order to be accepted back into their world, she wouldn’t do it. It
was the one thing she couldn’t live without. The one thing that made her feel
important, special and free. If she went back now, they'd take it from her. And
then she'd truly have nothing.
"So
where are you going?" She asked him curiously.
He shrugged, "far away from
here, is all I know. I may have nothing, but I'm not dead. Which is more than I
started out with. I'm not eager to meet up with your friends again. I'd like to
not be dead for longer than a few hours."
"Not dead is good."
"Yeah, I'm just thinking
I'll head east. And get off the bus when someplace looks interesting."
"A fresh start?"
"Something like that."
"There's got to be
something better out there, right?" She asked hopefully.
"Yeah.
The world is my kingdom,” he proclaimed.
She smiled slightly.
"Can I still be
queen?"
"You still want to
be?"
She nodded her head.
"Alright, but the kingdom
is looking a little desolate these days. In fact, it looks a lot like a nasty, skanky
bus station. I'm pretty sure that's puke over there,” he said pointing across
the room.
She gave him a half hearted
laugh and looked down at her feet. He scooted closer and took her hand. She let
him. They were taking the coward’s way out. Running away, instead of facing the
truth of their actions. But it was easier that way. Maybe if they kept running,
they could outrun their pasts? Maybe there could be a future for two misfits
who didn't deserve a second chance? Maybe if they went someplace where no one
knew them, they could start over again?
She wasn't running with him
because she wanted to. She was there because she was escaping. And being with him
was better than being alone. And in some ways, she was punishing herself. She
had said goodbye to her old life the minute she joined up with him. Maybe even
before that. And everything she had done, she did so willingly. There could never
be enough sorry’s to cover her mistakes. She had doomed herself to eternity
with him. In the end, their bond had proved to be unbreakable. Only now it was
a bond in shame and desperation. Not power.
They were silent as they took in
their surroundings. Their eyes danced over their kingdom of nothing. They were
two people who refused to accept responsibility for themselves and their
actions. They had played a deadly game with everyone's lives. All in the name
of power and self importance. And this is what they ended up with. A dark,
smelly, bus station. And each other. Somehow they knew it was much more than either
of them deserved.
THE END