Realm Wraith

by T. R. Briar

  “You really believe that?” he whispered. “And you’re just giving up?”

  “After five years, there’s nothing else for me to believe in. I assume when I do finally die, I’ll be there forever?”

  “Yeah.”

  They walked a little further in silence. The sun had sunk below the buildings, leaving the skies dark, and stars began to appear.

  “It’s so lovely,” Miranda whispered, gazing up at the heavens. “I try to enjoy these moments, while I still can.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Rayne snapped. “I don’t think you should give up. Even if we can’t redeem ourselves, we shouldn’t just give in to despair. I think if we all stay together, at the very least we can make our time there a little less painful. We still have the rest of our lives to work this out, before the end.”

  “But we’re only going to keep getting worse,” she said. “I’m already blind and mute. The rest of me life? What will become of me forty or fifty years down the road? I shudder to think.”

  Her eyes darted back to Rayne, and she reached down and grasped his arm.

  “As I thought,” she said, running her hand against the back of his. “Your skin is so cold. Not as cold as when you grabbed me there in the Abyss. ‘twas like being clutched at by ice.”

  His hand pulled away from her grip. “That’s just the night air,” he hissed.

  “Are you certain?”

  He couldn’t look her in the eye. “It’s the most logical explanation. I think it’s too soon.”

  It dawned on him as he spoke, when he’d drawn a bath earlier that afternoon, he hadn’t been keen on using warm water. It felt more comfortable at a colder temperature. He exhaled, watching the frost formed by his breath, wondering how much of the cold night formed the vapor, and how much of it was him. Miranda watched him, and he guessed she thought the same thing.

  They continued down the street, passing buildings. Rayne lost track of how long they wandered, content to be out for a stroll, enjoying Miranda’s company. Few words exchanged between them now, each lost in their own thoughts. When she came to a stop, he looked up.

  “This is where I live,” she said. They stood before a small apartment building, a little run down, but it had its charm. “After I lost him, I no longer had to work two jobs. I moved out of the slums and came to live here. It was too much, living back there, where me son and I were together.”

  “I didn’t realize you lived so close to the hospital. It must be nice.”

  “I never drove a car again. I enjoy the walk, anyways.” She sighed. “I suppose I should call for a taxi to take you home.”

  “It’s all right.” Rayne held up his phone. “David can give me a ride. Just need to give him directions.”

  “That was nice of him. He’s always looking out for you, ain’t he?”

  “Yeah. He does everything he can to help out. He’s a good friend like that.”

  “Then, I suppose I’ll be going now.”

  “Right,” Rayne watched her walking up the stairs to her front door. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Are you due back to the hospital soon?”

  “No. Well, yes, for my physical therapy, but that’s not for a couple of days. But I mean, I’ll see you later. I’ll find you. I promise that.”

  She stared at him, dumbstruck, but hurried through the door of her building without an answer. Rayne wondered if that had come across as just a little too creepy. He pulled out his phone and dialed his home number, as he was blanking on the number for David’s cell.

  “’Allo?” A child’s voice answered. Rayne sighed. No matter how many times he’d talked to his son about answering the phone or the door, it never seemed to sink in.

  “Levi, it’s me. Is David around?”

  “He’s watching the telly.”

  “Can you put him on? I need to tell him where to pick me up.”

  “Did you have a fun date, Daddy?”

  “Yes, I did. Can you please put David on the line?”

  “Oh, all right.” His son grumbled, sounding disappointed. Rayne heard silence, and then the distant sound of voices. After a moment the sound of the phone being handled sent crackling noises through the receiver.

  “Aw, you done already?” His friend’s voice teased him.

  “Yeah. I’m outside her place right now.”

  “Oh, brilliant, I know where that is.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah, I’ve been ‘round there a couple times.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know.”

  “Don’t sound so disappointed, now! It’s nothing like that. We work together, remember? I’ve given her a ride home when the weather gets too cold. You just sit tight, I’ll come round in a jiffy.”

  Rayne hadn’t meant to sound so disappointed at the idea David and Miranda had ever been an item. He didn’t consider the two of them involved, and he wasn’t quite sure how to feel about her at this point. But still, he reasoned it was best to let David believe what he wanted, since the truth would make him look completely insane.

  He hung up his phone and sat there by the curb in his chair. He checked his watch, and was surprised to see it was almost eight o’clock. The walk to her flat had taken a lot longer than he realized, seeing as they hadn’t spent much time at the café. He looked up at the building, at the sparse lit windows rising above him, wondering which one was hers.

  After about twenty minutes of sitting in the cold night, he saw headlights up the road, and David’s car pulled up beside him. His friend got out, helping him into the passenger seat while leaving the engine running. When Rayne was settled, David returned to the driver’s side and pulled away from the curb.

  “So, how was it?” he asked once they started driving. Rayne glanced at him, noting the genuine interest on his face.

  “It was—I don’t know,” he sighed. “She’s very nice, but—”

  “Too chipper for you? I know that gets on some people’s nerves.”

  “No, she’s not chipper at all, actually.”

  “Oh, I see,” David stared ahead at the road, quiet for just a moment before speaking again. “So she told you about the accident, did she?”

  Rayne started with surprise. “You knew?”

  “Well, yes. She’s worked at that hospital for over seven years. The gossip was everywhere, how she’d hit that patch of ice and almost drowned, how her young son was in the car with her. Terribly devastating; we all felt so bad for her. She spent two years in therapy because of it. But she recovered remarkably well, and learned to move forward again. She’s always been a kind soul, that woman.”

  “You know that happiness is fake. It’s just a mask to hide her pain, surely you can see that.”

  “I know.” David did not even glance at him.

  “So why didn’t you tell me?”

  “It’s Miranda’s personal affair. I’m not a gossip. I knew that when she was ready, she’d talk about it. I am surprised that she broke the news to you after only one date but then, I imagine spending time with Levi probably brought those feelings gushing up, made it harder to hide the truth from you.” Sighing, he flipped on his blinker as he made a left turn onto a connecting street. “I wish she’d stop blaming herself. It was a terrible, cruel occurrence, and she needs to move on. I’ve tried to tell her this but she just won’t listen to me. Perhaps you’d have more luck convincing her.”

  They continued to drive, as Rayne leaned back in his seat. “You’re more the forgiving sort, aren’t you?” he asked after a while.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “I don’t know, it’s just how I see you. If someone you knew did something terrible, but they did it in the heat of the moment, would you condemn them? Hypothetically.”

  “In the heat of the moment? You mean like, if someone were to strike another person, because they were angry and their emotions got the better of them, something like that?”

  “Yes. That’s it exactly.”

  “Well it’s ha
rd to say. I suppose it depends on that person’s intention. I’d say someone who does that is not blameless. They’re accountable for their actions, even if it’s only for a moment. But I wouldn’t hold a grudge against them, particularly if they showed they were sorry, and did everything humanly possible to keep it from happening again. And they’d have to be able to forgive themselves as well. Mistakes make us human. I can’t expect every person to be perfect and I wouldn’t hold it against someone forever.”

  “Wow, you really are forgiving.” A few minutes of silence passed again. “David, I’ve never seriously wronged you, have I?”

  “Again with this? Is it about your memories?”

  “I just wanted to be sure. The thought keeps nagging at me.”

  “Well, stop that. I told you already, dwelling on it won’t get you anywhere.”

  They were home now. David assisted Rayne into their flat.

  “Levi’s in bed already,” he said, closing the door behind them. “You should think about going to sleep soon yourself.”

  “Oh, come on now. The cast is off, and I’ll be going back to work soon. I have to get my life back on track.” Rayne found himself struggling for excuses to avoid his bed.

  “You can start catching up tomorrow. You’ll have the whole day to yourself anyways.”

  * * *

  Thousands of demons soared through the painted red skies of the Abyss among the black clouds and unworldly shapes that wafted in the thick air. Rayne stared up at them from his seat on the orange colored ground, sitting among small craters filled with a viscous fluid, water-like yet not water, and as orange as the dirt, swirling with reflections of the red sky and its denizens.

  “Are you just going to sit there all night moping?” Gabriel approached him from behind one of the taller craters.

  Once he’d arrived, it hadn’t taken Rayne much effort to find the others. He’d grown wary of trying to travel the Abyss alone after his encounter with Tomordred. Gabriel and Apolleta had both been very surprised to see him. Darrigan had kept his promise to watch over them these past few nights, and he was more surprised than any of them to see Rayne again, as the reaper had not anticipated he would learn to travel the Abyss at will. So, now the four of them gathered together in this strange, warm-colored landscape.

  “I don’t see much else for us to do,” Rayne replied after a pause.

  “We can’t just sit here every night, hiding from the demons. Seems pretty pointless when one’s right there.” A thumb jerked in Darrigan’s direction, where the reaper stood apart from the group. A dry wind stirred the dust around them, causing the fluid within the craters to tremble and pulsate.

  “You’re right,” Rayne said, standing up. “I can’t just sit around. I’ve got to find Miranda.”

  “Who the hell is Miranda? You found another Realm Wraith?”

  The windswept dust was starting to tear up Rayne’s eyes, so he stood back up, facing Gabriel. “We found another Realm Wraith, remember?”

  There was no recollection in Gabriel’s eyes, though his eyebrows creased as he tried to remember. “Wait, you mean that pathetic thing? Why would you care about that?” He paused. “And how do you know its name?”

  Rayne gave him a frozen glare. “I won’t be gone for long. Stay here with the others; I’ll bring her back here.”

  “You’re always going off on your own. You think you’re better than the rest of us, just because you can warp wherever you want? You have no real power! None of us do!” Gabriel’s voice pulsed through the winds, fading as Rayne had already pulled himself away.

  He shifted between worlds, reaching out with his mind, trying to sense Miranda’s familiar presence. Around him, air howled and twisted his form through swirling voids. It had been hours since they’d parted ways at her doorstep, so she must be asleep by now, he rationalized. And after a bit, he felt her. Rather than pulling towards himself this time, he used her existence as a guide, manifesting his self where she was.

  The skies around him screamed and wailed as he found himself on solid ground again. At least, it should have been solid. The moment sensation returned to him, he felt trembling and scattered movement beneath his bare feet, things, slithering and crawling in discord together, tickling him. He jumped, startled, but jumping only let him escape for the briefest of split seconds before he fell back down into the writhing mess of tiny creatures. All around him swirled dark, blue-tinted air, the ground itself near black, for he stood upon a continuous mass of alien insects lumped together, many that formed as one. It felt sticky, and slimy, and the movement of legs and pincers stung at his flesh the longer he stayed there.

  “Christ almighty!” he swore, attempting to move himself away. But there was nowhere else to move. Nothing but more insects surrounded him, everywhere. A black, millipede-like creature began to worm itself up his leg, and in panic he grabbed it to toss it off, only to feel it freeze solid in his hand.

  A devilish smile spread across his face, and he looked down, feeling the cold around him intensify, and the movement of the swarm beneath him became sluggish. The ground became like ice, a jagged mess of frozen insects, stunned and unmoving.

  “Well, that’s handy,” he remarked. He held up a hand, watching an icy vapor form around it, swirling in a contained form before fading again.

  Feeling bolder, he began to take a walk through this new land. With every step, the ground froze beneath him, chilling the mass of creatures solid, giving him a safer platform to walk upon. Some insects would crawl their way onto the frozen ground from the nearby landmass, but none dared come close to his feet.

  “I imagine the master of this land isn’t going to like that,” he mused, watching them scatter as he shifted his foot towards them. “I’d best be quick.”

  He closed his eyes and sensed Miranda nearby. He walked without bothering to open them, no longer feeling the need. This land composed of rolling hills formed of endless masses had nothing else of interest to him.

  “There you are,” he said, opening his eyes as he stood over a pitiful form. She hunched over, whimpering and gurgling as hundreds of the black insects crawled over her body. Her contorted limbs tried to brush the creatures from her body, but for every one she removed, dozens more took its place. Some even had the audacity to burrow into her flesh, and he could see them moving beneath the skin as harrowing lumps that seemed to cause her immense pain. He reached down, and touched the ground beneath her, freezing it solid. She started, oblivious to his presence there, and searched around with unseeing eye sockets as her body shivered in the sudden cold. The insects fell away from her as the air became too chilly for them to move, falling onto the frozen ground as stiffened bodies.

  “It’s all right,” he whispered to her, taking her hand in his. “It’s just me. Rayne.”

  Her face turned towards him, a expression of confusion twisting through what visible features she had left.

  “I know, it’s cold, I can’t help that. But it’s better than having those things crawling on you, isn’t it?” He placed a pale hand against her lips. “Don’t tell anybody I can do this, all right?”

  She continued to stare, but nodded. With his help, she stood up, and leaned on him for support.

  “I had to be certain you were all right,” he said. “The others are waiting with Darrigan. I can take you to them, if you’d like. Seems better than sitting here with the creepy crawlies.”

  Miranda nodded enthusiastically while holding out her hand. He pulled her away from the swarming world, and she twitched in distress at the sensation, a strangling creak coming from beneath lips that would no longer open. Fearing he might lose her, he gripped her arm tighter, drawing her close to him. Swarming insects and dead air shifted to howling winds and an immense dust storm that pressed him with choking force, scattering tiny grains into his nose and eyes, and he began to cough and retch. Miranda did not react as badly, having no eyes, no open mouth, and barely any nose. But she still flinched as the sand scratched against her sk
in. She reached over to pull out the few remaining insects that still crawled under her flesh.

  “This storm wasn’t nearly as bad when I left,” Rayne spoke in between spitting as he tried to clear the dust from his mouth. He realized he should have checked to make sure the others were still there, as he didn’t sense them anymore. Darrigan must have escorted them elsewhere to avoid the sandstorm. Coughing, he closed his eyes and tried again, this time being more aware of where the others were instead of blindly jumping. The sandstorm passed away, and they moved elsewhere within the Abyss, to muddy ground beneath black skies.

  Rayne saw Gabriel first, who started as the former appeared before him.

  “I didn’t think you’d get back so fast,” he said. “So, you found it?”

  Rayne helped support Miranda, but his touch made her uncomfortable. Instead, he helped lower her to the ground where she huddled in a fetal position, burying her face between her knees.

  “Why do you care?” Gabriel continued, staring at the wretched form. “It’s so pathetic. We should forget about that thing, work on saving the rest of us who still have a chance.”

  He did not notice Darrigan coming up behind him until the demon spoke, his dry voice causing him to yelp and scramble away.

  “Don’t you see? She’s the worst out of any of you. If she can find the redemption you all seek, then there’s hope for anybody.”

  “Warn a person before you sneak up behind them,” Gabriel growled, trying to recover from the embarrassment of his foolish outcry.

  “He’s right, though,” agreed Rayne.

  “Of course you’d take his side. Why can’t you side with me, for once? At least I’m human, unlike some of us.”

  “I don’t care what he is, he’s still right.”

  Miranda seemed to sense Darrigan’s presence, and she scooted away at the sound of his voice.

  “Don’t be afraid, mortal,” the demon said. “None of you are in any danger from me. I’m the one protecting you from everything else right now.”

  Miranda reached out with an elongated arm, feeling the air, until she finally found herself pointing it at Rayne’s direction. She shivered, but turned her face to him, and then back in Darrigan’s direction, appearing quizzical.