Freedom From the Evil Dead

by Mary Abshire

  "You wanted to know, so I told you," he said.

  I took a deep breath to calm my anger. I shouldn't have been mad at him for telling me his opinion, but I was.

  "Thank you, Shawn," I said as I faced the window. "Sometimes it's good to see things from another person's eyes."

  Chapter Sixteen

  The plane coasted at a high altitude. Lights flickered above our heads while compartments rattled slightly from turbulence. The blue sky looked tranquil, but the sun reflecting off the clouds blinded me. I leaned against my seat and glanced at Shawn. The demon had his head turned away and appeared to be looking at the windows across from us. We hadn't spoken in the last ten minutes. Although I was a little upset from what he'd told me, he was entitled to his opinion.

  The more I thought about his words, the more I considered he was right on some points. Before Drake had left, I knew he couldn't change the minds of the VETOV. He thought he could because of his centuries of experience working for them. He wanted to try because of his love for me. Shawn and I were on the same page—vampires didn't change. No matter how much he would try to save my life from his ancient peers, he would never be able to. I wasn't blind to the fact, but Drake was. Drake would never see the VETOV the way I did. If I could send all their souls to the underworld, I'd do it in a heartbeat.

  Was Drake worth dying for? My answer remained a solid yes. He’d given up everything for me. He’d destroyed a VETOV member to protect me. His devotion to me was without question. He’d saved my life several times. Why wouldn't I do the same for him?

  My love for Drake was real. He'd brought me great happiness when we were together. I'd hoped to join in him in immortality one day, but I started having doubts I could after the side effects wore off from the blood transfusion in Alaska. Although I was only half-demon, that part of me seemed to dominate. I suspected my demon blood always would. Drake wanted to try to convert me the correct way, but I'd put it off. Sometimes, I regretted my choice, but to change I'd have to die. My heart would have to stop. I'd come close to death once and had a talk with my dad, the devil himself. Needless to say, I didn't want to visit him again. He could keep my soul or send me back. The choice was his. Vampire blood couldn't save my soul. If I was honest, that was part of the reason why I'd delayed any attempt for immortality.

  Drake was everything I longed for, except the vampire part. Had I ever thought about a future with children? I'd be lying to myself if I said no. I'd wanted a normal life with a big house, dogs, cats, children running around playing, and a man who pleased me and kept me warm at night. Out of my love for Drake, I gave up the dream. He was a good, brave man who sacrificed everything for me. I didn't think I was giving up much in return for his love.

  Shawn placed his hand on my arm. The heat from his touch quickly spread.

  "You okay?" he asked.

  I snapped out of my thoughts. "Yeah, just thinking."

  "I've noticed you do that a lot."

  The pilot announced via the intercom we would be landing soon. Shawn leaned closer and gazed out the window next to me. Thick clouds made it impossible to see anything since we were descending through them.

  "We're back at my old stomping grounds," Shawn said.

  "Are you from New York?"

  "I grew up in Boston and played in the pros for two years, then I moved to New York. I played for the Rangers for four years before they traded me to Pittsburgh."

  "Did you meet Jeremy in Pittsburgh?"

  He gave a single shake of his head. "I met him when I was playing in Boston. He was playing for the Devils at the time."

  "New Jersey?"

  "I think that's where he started his professional career."

  "I didn't know."

  He shifted his attention to the window. "Everything looks so unreal from up here."

  I thought about Jeremy while I watched the plain fly around the city. I didn't know much about him. He rarely shared information about his past. When he had, it was because I'd made some type of deal with him.

  The plane landed smoothly, then we headed for our connecting flight. JFK was busy with activity, but Shawn knew his way around. I stuck close behind him. By the time we reached the gate, people were already boarding. We got in line and waited.

  "I'm glad you knew where to go," I said. "I would've gotten lost if I had to navigate this airport on my own."

  He tapped the tickets against my arm. "Aren't you glad I insisted on coming with you?"

  "Good job."

  "Here, take these," he said, handing me the tickets.

  I grabbed the papers from him, then he withdrew his phone from his bag. We moved forward in the line as he typed a message.

  "I'm asking Dylan for Jeremy's status," he said, then tucked the cell back inside his carryon. "I thought it would be nice to know before you leave the country and possibly never come back."

  A chill ran through me from the thought of never returning. Although I'd prepared myself for this day, the reality of it settled in and sorrow began to blossom. I'd miss everyone. I'd miss America. How had my life gotten so complicated and lead to this?

  We reached the attendant and she took our boarding passes. From the gate, I followed Shawn onto the plane. A few feet past the entrance, he stuffed his bag under a seat in the first class section, then sat near the window.

  "I hope you don't mind, I'd like to look outside this time," he said.

  I moved into the row, out of the small pathway where others wanted to pass. "We're in first class?"

  "I would never fly coach on a flight over three hours. This one is twice that and some."

  I planted my rear on the wide seat. We had plenty of legroom to stretch and lay back if we wanted to sleep. The armrests were wider. The cushions were softer. There was a sealed mask for my eyes tucked into the pouch of the seat in front of me. When a flight attendant opened the compartment above on the side across from me, I spotted fluffy pillows and blankets wrapped in rolls.

  Shawn bent and retrieved his phone from his bag. He pressed a button and the screen lit up. "We have a message."

  I watched him scroll his finger over the top of his cell, then he stared at it.

  "The doctors saw him and only a slight change from the previous day," he said as he typed a message.

  "He may never recover," I said.

  He turned off the power on his phone, then slipped it back into his bag. After he straightened, he leaned my way. "His progress has been slow, but it's been steady. Jeremy is a fighter. I think he'll pull through."

  While we were on the subject of our favorite demon, I decided to ask him some questions that might help me learn more about Jeremy.

  "So you met Jeremy in Boston when he was with the Devils?" I asked, pulling his attention away from the people passing by.

  "Yeah."

  "And you think he'd started his hockey career in Jersey?"

  He looked down briefly. "If I remember correctly, when I met him, he was on his second year with the Devils. He'd played in minor league during college, then got acquired by New Jersey. I remember he told me he always wanted to play for the team because of their name."

  "That sounds like Jeremy," I said. "Do you know how long he played for the Devils?"

  "I believe they extended his contract, so he played there another two years, then he was traded to Chicago. Why do you ask?"

  "Jeremy's never told me much about himself."

  "Ah…" Shawn tilted his head back. "So you're interrogating me to get info on him."

  "That sounds a bit harsh. I just want to know more about him. I know his parents died in a car crash and his soul is pretty old."

  He bobbled his leg. "I didn't know about his parents, but I knew he was old. Honestly, I don't know if I have much to share. We really only hung out together when our teams played each other."

  "So tell me about a time you two were hanging out."

  A grin spread across his face. "I don't think you want to hear about stuff we did together."
<
br />   "Ma'am," the flight attendant said, and I faced her. "Can you fasten your seatbelt, please?"

  I looked down and noticed the straps were on the sides of my chair. "Oh, yeah. Got it." I quickly pulled the belt across my lap, then slid the clip into the lock.

  "Now," I said to Shawn. "Tell me something you two did together."

  "I don't know…"

  "Please." I gave him a sad face with a slight pucker to my lips.

  "Hmm…" He rubbed his chin. "You can't repeat anything I tell you."

  I twisted as much as I could under the belt to face him. "It won't matter what you tell me because I probably won't see you again after we part in France."

  His look of contentment came to an end. "Right." He took a deep breath. "There was this time in Boston we went to a nightclub after a game. We drank a lot of vodka. There was this chick I had eyes on. She had long wavy hair, big breasts…" He looked away, then snapped his fingers. "Her name was Valerie. I remember now. We were all on the dance floor. She had two friends with her and she kept dancing around Jeremy."

  "Did he know you had an interest in her?"

  He nodded. "I told him early when we were downing shots. He said she was hot too."

  "So what did he do?"

  "When Valerie would touch him, he'd spin her around then pull me over. I'd dance behind her and…" He grinned widely.

  "So, she thought she was dancing with Jeremy, but she was really dancing with you."

  "Yeah. I forgot to mention there was this geeky-looking chick with short red hair who kept dancing with me. I tried to get away from her, but she always found me. Anyway, while I was with Valerie, he danced with the geek."

  His smile widened, but he wasn't providing more details.

  "So…what happened?" I prompted.

  "We ended up going back to the hotel with all four ladies. I got to fuck Valerie and one of her friends. Jeremy fucked the geek and Valerie's other friend."

  "He let you have the girl you wanted."

  He chuckled. "Funny thing is, she wasn't that good. She gave a terrible blowjob and she was all bush. I couldn't even…" He shook his head. "Anyway, the geek Jeremy fucked was just the opposite. Jeremy said she was incredible. He got to spank her and she was amazing with her tongue."

  A laugh flew out of me. "I'm sorry."

  "It's okay." He shrugged. "We had fun and got laid."

  I had to look away because I couldn't stop laughing. Jeremy was quite the ladies man. He'd told me a few years ago. The demon fully enjoyed sewing his wild oats.

  Lights flickered above before the plane backed away from the gate. The flight attendant stood in the middle of the walkway and gave the typical spiel, only this time she provided additional information about the life vests under the seat. Shortly after she finished, the plane taxied down the runway.

  "Ready to say goodbye to America?" Shawn asked, then looked out the window.

  I watched as the plane accelerated. Buildings appeared in a flash, then disappeared as we sped by. Eerily, it reminded me of life. People came and went. They existed for a short time, then death took them. When the plane lifted into the air, my heart started to ache. I'd dearly miss the few friends I had left. I hoped they went on to live happy lives.

  After the aircraft leveled out above the clouds, Shawn leaned my way. "There was this one time that I always remember with Jeremy," he said over his shoulder.

  "Tell me about it."

  "It was late in the morning. We'd met at restaurant in downtown Boston. Traffic was crazy, but he wanted to try this place out. Anyway, we were walking along the sidewalk after we ate. There was this Hispanic woman and her young little boy walking ahead of us. She was jerking the kid's hand and yapping her lips in Spanish. We approached a crosswalk and the light was turning for us to walk, but it hadn't changed yet." He paused and swallowed. "The woman wasn't paying attention and dragged her kid out to cross the street. Jeremy and I both looked down the road and saw a delivery truck rushing to beat the light."

  I briefly closed my eyes. "Tell me the child didn't get hit."

  "He didn't. Jeremy made a mad dash for the kid. He pushed this one lady aside and she fell. I went to help her and watched him catch up with the Hispanic woman. He picked up the kid seconds before the truck hit the woman."

  "Oh my God," I said.

  "I was stunned to see him save that kid. He took off running, then snatched him. We could've just stood there and watched it all play out. But he didn't. It was a spur of the moment selfless act and I'd never seen a demon do anything like that before. I just thought I would share that with you." He stretched his legs, then returned to gazing out the window.

  My heart was beating fast from the story. Jeremy had saved a child. The demon wasn't so tough and wicked. Well, maybe he was, but he had some soft spots in his heart after all. One of them seemed to be for children. If he did recover from his injury, I hoped he would find a woman to please him and give him kids. He deserved to be happy after everything he'd done and been through for me. I wished him well.

  After we ate lunch, I grabbed a pillow and blanket from the overhead compartment. The flight would take another five hours, which gave me plenty of time to rest. I pushed my seat back, put the pillow under my head, then curled my legs under me. Shawn was kind enough to place the cover over me. Listening to the whistling sound of the plane, I closed my eyes. In little time, I drifted to sleep.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Thick smoke surrounded me. With each breath, my lungs tightened and rebelled. Choking, I stayed low to the floor on my hands and knees. I crawled to the bars. They were cold to the touch, so I pushed on them. Of course, the gate was locked. The dim light in the room revealed a darkish gray cloud everywhere.

  "Jessie?" a voice called out from somewhere above.

  "Here." The one word came out choppy as I choked. I coughed, then sucked in more smoky air. "Here."

  Barks echoed in the hall. There were different tones, suggesting the yaps were from multiple animals. I hadn't heard such a pleasant sound since I'd left the States. I shoved, then pulled on the bars, causing the lock to clank in the casing.

  "I'm down here," I said.

  I heard another woof. It sounded closer. I jerked the bars back and forth while I choked. Through the thickening smoke, a large wolf appeared. It barked, then squeezed its muzzle through the metal poles and licked my face. Instinctively, I backed away from it. I needed fresh air, not a sloppy kiss from a wolf. The beautiful beast turned toward the exit, then yapped aggressively.

  Lungs aching, I struggled to breathe. Every time I inhaled, it felt as if daggers were slicing away inside me. My eyes burned and I rubbed them. The fire had to be close. If I didn't get out soon, I doubted I ever would.

  Two more impressive werewolves showed up on the other side of my prison. They poked their noses between the bars. One stayed near me while the other two disappeared in the smoke.

  "Help," I choked out.

  My heart thudded while my chest hurt from trying to breathe. I moved lower to the floor while I heard pops and cracks. The flames had to be just outside my cell. This was it. This was how I was going to die. Fear compounded my struggle for air. I didn't want to burn alive. Please, oh please, let me die before the fire touched me.

  "Jessie, Jessie, wake up," Shawn said as he pushed my shoulder.

  I gasped for air and opened my eyes. The seatbelt sign flashed above. A dark blue fleece blanket covered my body.

  "Jesus," he said. "What's wrong with you?"

  I sat upright. Sweat rolled down the sides of my face. I wiped a cheek, then tossed the cover to the floor. My heart raced while I surveyed around me. A passenger nearby was storing pillows and blankets in the overhead compartment while others were straightening their seats. The cabin was free from smoke.

  "Are you okay?" Shawn asked.

  I rubbed my arm across my forehead. "Yeah." My heartbeat started to calm.

  "Did you have a dream?" he asked.

  "I don'
t think it was a dream." I fanned my face.

  "If it wasn't a dream, what the hell just happened?" he asked, brows scrunched. "You were choking and you're sweating."

  "I think it was a vision."

  "Ma'am," the flight attendant said, standing in the aisle. "Would you like me to store these for you?" She reached for the blanket near my feet.

  "Yes. Sorry," I replied, then grabbed the pillow that had fallen behind my back.

  She took both items, then returned them to the overhead compartment.

  Shawn leaned close to me. "What do you mean by you think it was a vision?" he asked softly.

  "I've had a few before. I see things—usually it's something dramatic that will happen to me."

  "And what did you see?"

  "Smoke. I was in some kind of prison. There must have been a fire because all I could see was smoke. And I couldn't breathe. It was awful."

  "That explains why you were choking," he said. "Do these visions come true?"

  I took in a deep breath and the fresh air felt good. "Unfortunately, they do."

  "Did you die?"

  "I don't know. The last bit I remember is seeing some werewolves."

  "So you don't know if you survived or not?"

  I shook my head. "Nope. Funny thing is, the visions always end before I see what happens to me."

  "Look at it this way, you're being forewarned of what is yet to come. You know you will be in a prison and there will be a fire at some point. Then werewolves show up."

  "Yeah, but it makes no sense," I said with a shrug. "I'm going to face vampires and probably meet death. There shouldn't be any werewolves on the property. The last time I was there, the VETOV only had human servants."

  "Maybe the bloodsuckers won't kill you. Maybe they'll keep you hostage."

  "I don't know why they would since they seem to think I'm a threat to them. I refuse to work for them."

  "You'd rather die than work for vampires?"

  "I'd have no freedom. They won't let me work with Drake. And as far as I'm concerned, they're all evil fucks. I will not be their slave."