Torment (24 page)

“You need a break,” I told him. “Seriously, you need to have a vacation or something.”

“I’ll be OK; don't worry, Keira.”

We finished our breakfasts and took our plates into the kitchen. I heard the front door open and a moment later Danny walked in.

“Hey, guys,” he said. “Oh bloody hell, I missed breakfast.”

“Yes you did, and you know what? It was gorgeous,” Eligos said, smirking at him.

“I hate you.”

“What brings you around here so early?” I asked him.

“I was going to see if Eligos fancied going a few rounds. I’ve really gotten into swordplay.”

“No – you hate me remember,” Eligos said.

“No, I did a minute ago; I don't now,” Danny told him.

“Well, you two do whatever you need to, I’m going into town. I want to get a new coat. We can go and see Lilith later.”

“Oh go on then,” Eligos said.

He and Danny made their way outside. Lily and Jake were going to chill out for a while. Jake was tired out, too afraid to sleep for fear of having another dream. I told them to relax and, if they needed anything, to call me. Then I grabbed my car keys and set off into town.

I spent a couple of hours in town and ended up buying more than just my coat. I ended up with six DVDs, a new pair of jeans, three new tops and a new dress. As I was making my way back to my car I bumped into Lucian.

“Hey,” he said. “What have you been buying?”

“Allsorts, although I actually came out just to get a coat.”

“Women, you just can’t help but spend!” he laughed.

“Oh shut up, everyone deserves a treat now and then.”

“What you doing now?”

“Going home.”

“Are they waiting for you?”

“No, Eligos and Danny are scrapping in the garden, and Jake and Lily haven’t had much sleep so they’re just relaxing.”

“Wanna grab a coffee then?”

“Sounds good to me.”

He took some of my bags off me and we went to a little coffee shop on one of the backstreets. I went to get a table while he ordered the drinks. It was nice in here; I’d never seen it before. It was only small, but very cosy. They had sofas and coffee tables instead of the normal hard chairs and larger tables. I could get used to it in here.

“Here you are.” he said, passing me my drink and sitting on the sofa next to me.

“Thank you. I didn’t even know this was here.”

“I didn’t either for a while; it’s well hidden.”

“So what are you up to today?”

“Not a lot. I’ve got some work to do on my car, but other than that, it’s just going to be a boring day.”

“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” I smirked.

“Well, I suppose I do prefer boring days to…getting my ass kicked or fighting a demon day,” he laughed. “Are Jake and Lily OK, or were they just up all night being naughty?”

I told him about Jake’s dreams and how they seemed to be really upsetting him.

“It’s getting to us all now, I think,” he told me.

“Why, have you been having dreams?” I asked him.

“No, I’m just constantly on edge. I’m tense all the time and it’s wearing me out.”

“You need to relax. I know it’s easier said than done, but you need to try.”

“I know, and sometimes I do, but just when you think things might be getting better, something else happens. It’s like whoever’s doing this is trying to wear us into the ground.”

“Well, don't let them!” I told him. “Don't let it win.”

“I don't intend to,” he said, sipping his coffee. “Are you OK after everything that happened?”

“I am actually, although sometimes I do go off into my own little world and think about things.”

“Like what?”

“Like what it would be like if nothing was coming. Would we have met, would I have still come looking for you all in years to come? Things like that really.”

“We would have found out more about your family, or at least tried. We would have still tried to contact you,” he told me.

“I wonder if I’d have still stayed here.”

“I think, you may have gone home again, but then come back every now and again. Maybe eventually moved into the Putnam house and been happy here.”

“Maybe.”

“Jake would have still fancied Lily. I would have still fancied you, and so would Tyler. Things may have worked out for one of us,” he said sadly.

“Lucian, I…”

“Look, before you say anything, I’m happy for you and Eligos. That guy loves you; you can see it by the way he looks at you, the way he talks to you. He would do anything for you, and I know you love him. It’s written all over you. I’m just glad you’re happy.”

“Thanks, Lucian, that means a lot.”

“I just wish Tyler could be happy for you. There is someone out there for everyone, and obviously you were made for Eligos; you two will always be together, you can tell. Somewhere out there is a woman for Tyler; he just hasn’t met her yet and he’s still convinced it’s you,” he said.

“He winds me up when he starts with Eligos.”

“Tyler’s lucky he hasn’t killed him. I’ve seen the strength Eligos has in him; it’s frightening.”

“I know, he has to be careful not to hurt me every time he touches me. We’re so weak and fragile compared to him. It’s crazy.”

“At least you know you will be well looked after.”

“When I die, I’ll be like him; I’ll be strong. It’s only the life in me that stops it. Although I am stronger now than I was before I died, but only a little.”

“When we die, we’ll never see you again will we?”

“No, you’ll most likely go to Heaven.”

“What if we don't want to?”

“You don't get to pick and choose,” I told him.

“We’ll see about that,” he said seriously.

“Why would you want to go to Hell; I bet the others wouldn’t.”

“Actually you’re wrong; we’ve spoken about it.”

“What?” I asked shocked.

“None of us want to be split up. We’re all so close and we don't want that to end when we die. We know there is something after death now and we want to stay together.”

“As nice as that sounds, and as much as I would really like that to happen…I doubt very much it will.”

“We’ll see, hey, you never know, I might end up marrying a demon,” he smirked.

“Well, you know we’re nice,” I smirked back. “Just remember, though, like Eligos said, if you get married in Hell, it’s a forever deal…literally.”

“Yeah, I remember him saying that. Can you imagine loving someone so much that you would be willing to spend all eternity with them?”

“Actually I can,” I told him, looking up and smiling.

Chapter Thirty

Getting Confident

“Turn the TV up!” one of the guys in the café shouted to the waitress. “Quickly, it’s happened again.”

Me and Lucian turned around as the waitress increased the volume. There was a little TV over the counter and the news was on. We couldn’t believe our ears; it was happening again. The anchor man said:

“…No survivors have been found yet in either of the towns. CIA and FBI are on the scene, along with police officers from neighboring towns, but nobody knows what they are thinking, or whether they even know what is happening. The missing person count for both areas combined is now over 6,500. Add that to the people still missing from Point Reyes Station and the total is some 7,500 people who seem to have disappeared without a trace. In Yellow Springs, Ohio, four houses were left standing along with a café and a restaurant on Xenia Avenue. All have been damaged but their structures are still holding strong. In Mazomanie, Wisconsin, only the Arts Center remains standing. Homes, businesses and churches have all been destroyed. Friends and family members of the missing people are demanding answers from the police and local authorities. No answers have yet been given. Attacks have been made on the police by angry…”

“We need to get the others,” I told Lucian. “This is going to get ugly really quickly.”

“I’ll go and get Tyler and tell our parents. We’ll meet you back at yours.”

“OK, be careful!” I said, gathering my bags.

“You too.”

We walked out of the café and went separate ways to our cars. I threw my bags in the trunk quickly and sped out of town. Seven and a half thousand people now missing. No survivors. People had already started to attack the police, what could possibly happen…? No I’m not even going to finish that sentence. I drove at high speed down the country lanes towards my house. I stopped at a crossroads and was about to turn left when I saw a young girl, limping and covered in blood, walking the way I was about to turn. I pulled up and jumped out of my car.

“HEY!” I shouted as I ran over to her.

She turned around quickly and held her hands out towards me. When I reached her I took hold of her hands. She was in a terrible state. Her long brown hair was matted with dried blood; her clothes were ripped and looked burned. She only had one shoe, her skin was full of cuts and bruises, and she was covered in dirt and blood.

“Keira!” she cried.

“Yes,” I replied warily.

“Help me, please, my sister, she’s in a field back down the road…I can’t wake her up.”

I looked at her for a moment. My heart went out to her but I was also tense. How did she know my name? I didn’t recognize her; I knew I’d never seen her around here before.

“Please, Keira,” she begged.

“OK, how far away is she?”

“I don't know; I’ve been walking for a while.”

“Get in the car.”

“No, I need to help my sister.”

“We will. Come on, we’ll drive back the way you came. We’ll find her.”

I put her arm over my shoulder and helped her to my car. As soon as she was in I shut the door and got behind the wheel. I turned the car around and began looking out across the fields to see if I could see anyone.

“How did you know my name?” I asked.

“I had a dream about you; I had to find you,” she told me.

“Why.”

“I don't know, I can’t think, I need to find Beth,” she said, crying harder.

“We will, just try to calm down.”

We drove about a mile down the road.

“STOP!” she shouted. “She’s here. I left her near the trees.”

“Stay here!” I told her. “I’ll find her.”

I got out of the car quickly and ran towards the trees passing through one of the wheat fields.

“BETH!” I shouted as I got closer. “BETH!”

I couldn’t see anyone. I shouted and shouted but there was no reply. I turned to look in the direction of the car, and then I saw her out of the corner of my eye, lying on her back in the wheat. I ran over to her.

“Beth,” I said, kneeling down next to her and pulling her hair out of her face. “Beth, can you hear me? You’re safe now.”

There was no response. I felt for her pulse, it was there, but it was very weak. I looked down at her stomach – her top was drenched with blood.

“Shit!” I said, lifting her top.

She had been sliced with something; the long gash spread straight across her stomach.

“Is she dead?” I heard the other girl say.

“I told you to stay in the car,” I told her sharply.

“I couldn’t. They’ll come for me. I shouldn’t be here.”

“Who are you?”

“Is she dead?”

“No, but she will be if we don't get her help. I swear to God, if you or your sister attack me I will kill you both,” I said as my eyes turned white.

She looked at me for a moment and went silent. I put my hands out above Beth’s body and healed her. Her body glowed as the cuts healed themselves and disappeared.

“ELIGOS!” I shouted at the top of my voice.

Beth was still unconscious, but at least she wasn’t losing any more blood; she must have been nearly empty. Eligos appeared next to me. The young girl glared at him.

“What the…” he said.

“We need to get her to my house quickly. Take her!” I told him. “Tell Lily to try and bring her round. Put her in one of the guestrooms. I’ll meet you there.”

He gathered her in his arms and disappeared with her. I grabbed the other girl and took her back to the car. I strapped her in and put my foot down, heading for my house again.

“Where has he taken her,” she asked me. “What is he?”

“To my house and he is a demon.”

She didn’t say anything, and when I looked over at her she was unconscious.

When I pulled up on my drive Tyler and Danny were standing waiting for me. They ran over to the car.

“Get her out!” I told them. “Take her upstairs. I need to check her out.”

Danny carried her through while Tyler ran ahead and sorted the bedroom out for her. I ran upstairs. Eligos, Lily and Jake were in with Beth. They were still trying to bring her around. I went in with Tyler and Danny. Danny laid her down on the bed.

“What do you need?” Lucian asked, running into the room.

“I need a glass of water, something very sweet and a wet towel,” I told him.

“No problem.”

“Keira, who are these girls?” Tyler asked.

“I have no idea, but this one knew my name; I still don't know hers. The girl in the other room is her sister. Her name is Beth. She was seriously hurt when I found her,” I told him. “I healed her; the other girl watched.”

“You called Eligos, didn’t you?” Danny said. “We were fighting one minute and the next he disappeared.”

“More like screamed for him. He brought Beth here. It freaked this girl out. She asked what he was, I told her he was a demon and I think she passed out.”

Lucian came back in the room with everything I’d asked for.

“OK, now leave us, please. She’s going to be frightened when she comes around. I don't want people staring at her” I told them all.

“OK, if you need anything just shout,” Tyler said.

“I will. Thanks, guys, just close the door behind you.”

I got the wet towel and started wiping the dirt and dried blood of the girl’s face. The towel was cold now and she started to come around.

“Welcome back!” I smiled once her eyes opened. “Don't be scared.”

“I’m not scared of you,” she told me.

“Good. What's your name?”

“Marley.”

“Nice to meet you, Marley.”

“Where’s Beth?”