I was distracted for only a moment when I missed Lock’s first attack on Gluttony; he’d raised a foreign blade, slashing it down into the leather, and the sound of the rending hide audible to the naked ear. The thunderous tear wasn’t what first caught my attention, neither was it the horn blowing scream that boomed out of Gluttony’s pig snout… it was the repelling explosion that took to the air. It was as if someone had turned a high powered leaf blower onto my face, and filled the bag with the source of the repulsion before flicking the switch, showering my entire body with it.
Lock fell onto his rear, shielding his face from the gushing air vent that howled out of Gluttony’s wound. This was the first time I’d been able to set eyes on her properly. Rotten brown-shaded skin was slapped haphazardly across her face with black thick tiger strips framing her eye sockets. She had the pug nose of a common hog which was rippled and cracked like the dry face of a pond bed. Even her mouth had been sucked inwards, to the point where her skin broke into deep, hard splinters that aged her, and around her body there was an excess layer of muscular pink skin that hung on her like an unironed, colour washed dress.
But then I noticed her eyes, those deep profound pupils shining underneath each heavy blink. Her eyes glowed as they touched my face, every shade of brown crackling in the orbs. They pierced my skin, nestling in like a worm digging through the dirt, leaving behind small trails of longing in its wake. I became hungry, so hungry that I wanted to turn to the nearest scrap and chomp it down. If nothing was there I would’ve eaten my own foot, I didn’t care. I’ll do anything, anything to fill this hole in my stomach, my mouth now flooding with so much saliva that I could barely keep myself from drooling; my stomach replaced by a burrow of never ending emptiness. I want everything, everything, everything and even more than that. I want to taste everything; I even want to know how the sky tasted. Is it like blueberries? Dirt? Gasoline? Marshmallows? I won’t rest till I’ve eaten every inch. Give it to me… only me… I want all of it.
Suddenly, as if the strangling hold of a monster had broken its grip, all that yearning for food vanished. I could’ve vomited on the floor from the release. My stomach was bloated. Lock kicked off the ground powerfully, flipping onto his feet, running and shaking his hands furiously through his hair, screaming ‘Get it off me.’
The steam overflowed and flooded the skies, rising higher and higher; only to return pummelling down on top of our heads, completely smothering us underneath its weight. The power overthrew me, knocking me backwards into a tumble. I had to anchor my fingernails into the dirt to stop myself from bouncing away. The wind ran screeching past my ears again and again, knocking into my head, trying to beat me off the floor and carry me into the stream along with it. The roaring tore my eyes open; in front of me Lock was stuck, kicking away from Gluttony who howled and reared up the top half of her body, ready to throw down and bury him underneath the lard.
My knees throbbed and buckled as I jumped up, painful needles shooting through every muscle, begging me to just lie down and let the wind carry my exhausted body away. I ran to Lock before Gluttony had time to land her body, scraping my fingers along the ground and wrapping them under his armpits before hauling us both out of her path. The ricochet of her body slam bounced us effortlessly into the air, sending us soaring before crash landing among the small stacks of rubbish. The jolting burn of pain swarmed like bees beneath my skin as I landed with a loud thump, dust clouds erupting from underneath me.
I had no time to whinge or cry, not with Gluttony snapping and biting for the meat off our bones just a few meters away. Her roaring sounded like a war cry. Two arms heaved me up and together we ran forward blindingly, my pace not matching his, as Lock kept a firm hold on my shirt to help me keep up with him.
We’d been thrown off course into a gigantic maze, turning corner after corner, eventually running into the faces of her minions. The beasts raised their weapons, mimicking the anguished cry of their Queen. But they were slow, slower than I was, and we could easily outrun their hoofed waddles. The air continued to rush into my lungs, filling my chest burning until I couldn’t take it anymore. I was on the ground before I could catch myself, my knees crashing into the dirt as my shoulders plunged down heavily. No pain ran through me as I crashed and burned; nothing but the cycling throb of my constant, never ending breathing.
Lock was screaming, painfully screaming. The darkness crawled back; at first just poking its head in at the corners of my sight but now it moved across my entire field of vision and laid out its dark track blind me. When will the screaming stop? I clenched my teeth so tightly and prayed to the God who had forsaken me.
Then she appeared. Not cocooned in the outline of angel white; no, she wore the darkest pitch of black and had the nastiest snarl on her lips, yet she was my saviour. The howls of Gluttony’s fury were buried beneath crisp, clean-cut silence, the dirt grains pulling away from my body and revealing the planks of wood flooring neatly aligned underneath. And the smell, the sweet smell of absolutely nothing, restored my tightened lungs and allowed my skin to tremble at the glorious touch of clean air. I heard a car honking in the back ground and the sound of the driver’s abusive shrills; I grinned, the angered voice of another human being never sounding so comforting. The clicking of the serpent woman was drowned out as she was swallowed whole by the darkness, much the same as down a drain pipe, liberating the beauty of my home and world.
My eyes fluttered twice before fully opening, the ceiling peering down at me like dry toast, the sound of voices ringing like chimes across the room. My head was swimming as though in a pool of alcohol, turning my thoughts drunk.
“What were you thinking, you idiot?”
“What? Don’t blame me!! He went all on his own! He wanted to go!”
“Of course it’s your fault! You’re the one who filled his head with such nonsense!!” The confusion was winning the battle over my exhaustion as I slowly rolled upwards into a slouch. Howl was standing over me, glancing down upon my waking. He looked angry as his eyes caught mine, flaring wildly with frustration. I didn’t know what I could’ve done wrong to have him glare at me so viciously. Next to him sat Jake, still terrified and clinging to the rim of the chair. He was covered in sweat but at least I couldn’t smell him.
Lock’s voice groaned as he, too, sat up. He looked uninjured but I leaned over to make sure. Yes, he smiled, nodding his head at me. He then sighed heavily, clutching a blade in his hands, and then shifting it to the ground beside him.
Lock’s voice cracked as he spoke, “Betrayal, everything is fine.” Betrayal… I looked up and, sure enough, Betrayal was glaring down at us with her arms cropped at her waist, the statue of her Host standing protectively behind her. Of course, her Host… so he was the one who was asking for me…
“Don’t try and defend him Lock!” She barked, “If I didn’t turn up, they would’ve been killed!”
She must have tracked us down and chased us into the Realm. With Howl shielding himself away from her, he must’ve known she would be upset. My respect for Betrayal grew deeper every time we bumped into her; the way she held such power over others, her caring nature towards Lock, and her great timing when it came to us being nearly slaughtered.
“We’re not even entirely sure if this is how the Banished escaped into the Third Realm; you could be risking everything for just some stupid rumour!” She continued to shout, throwing up her arms only to shake them furiously at Howl. He flinched at her as if those tiny fists, only half the size of his own gigantic hands, could break his jaw in one easy swing.
Suddenly, the pink colour in Betrayal’s eyes blazed like small sparking flames. Howl froze in place, face tensing underneath the tremendous pain that abruptly expanded and exploded through his entire body. His mouth was wired shut, not even opening up to let out a gurgling cry. Lock sat contently watching, whereas Jake yelped and cowered, covering his ears from a high pitch scream that I could not hear.
“Betrayal, that’s enough…”
another voice spoke up from my left.
There was another spirit with us, a woman this time who had been sitting in the corner of the room, her eyes moving across to the streets outside. Beside her sat a juvenile female, close to my age if not a bit younger, her short pixie hair held back behind a headband. She had her head bowed so I couldn’t see her face.
The spirit turned as Betrayal released her hold. The woman was tall with long legs, and wore dull grey pleated pants with a soft yellow top; loose but tight enough to reveal a small bump forming around her waist. I stared tensely at the swollen stomach, wondering by the careful manner with which she stroked it, if perhaps she had been pregnant before she died. Her caresses were… motherly. She held herself with such elegance, like royalty; her shoulders were straight, chin titled upwards, and walked with a gliding stride.
The dark ash smear didn’t match the softness of her face, but what were most striking were her Banished eyes. They were red; a hot, fiery, angry red that felt like hot steel pressing against me wherever her glance fell.
“This must be the famous Rachael. Hello dear my name is Nails…” Nails? These Banished names were very uncommon, just as surreal as their glowing eyes. And famous? Why am I famous?
“Nice to meet you.” Standing out in front of me were an audience of Banished souls, the group altogether combining enough spiritual energy to light up a city the size of my room. Next to them, as pathetic as obedient old dogs being dragged on their bellies, were the Hosts, cowering creatures with heads bowed and sweat soaking through their clothes.
Nails continued speaking and removed her eyes from me, “But I agree with you Betrayal, the Sin rumour is still just a rumour and shouldn’t be risked-”
“But what have we got to lose?” Howl interrupted.
“Don’t be stupid! We have everything to lose. Absolutely everything,” Betrayal rebutted, turning to face the forty year old man directly.
“But we can’t just stay here…”
“We’re going to continue looking for the Staff; that is the best way.” She nodded her head promptly, signalling that her word was final. But Howl kept on arguing, just as stubborn as she was.
“We’re been searching for this mythical damned Staff for years!”
“I don’t care. I don’t want Lock to be chasing after the Sins for you.”
“So what, it’ll be fine if I go, then?”
“I couldn’t care less if you go Howl, as long as it’s not Lock.” Lock’s head twitched every time his name was mentioned.
“But I want to do this,” Lock insisted angrily.
“No.” She waved him off without a glance.
“What, why can’t I?” Lock snapped again, his face reddening under the flicks of his warm toasted hair. I could feel the tension within his body building; the straightening of his shoulders, the straining white knuckles and flexing jaw muscles.
“Because I said so,” she waved him off again, which only served to brighten the scarlet shade across his face.
“What are you his mother or something?” Howl said. The voices were getting louder, building into a heated argument.
“Now, let’s think this through clearly,” Nails started, when Lock suddenly pounded his fists hard onto the floor before springing to his feet.
“You’re not my mother! Stop acting like you are!” he shouted, pointing his finger at Betrayal. Finally, she turned to look at him.
“Lock, I’m not trying to be your mother.”
“You think you can tell me what to do? You think you can control me?” He pounded his chest with one hand, sizing himself up against her as if against an opponent. “You don’t care about me at all. You’re not my sister, so just leave me alone.” Everything was happening so fast that I couldn’t think of anything to say that would stop the fighting.
“Lock, be reasonable,” Nails stepped forward again but Lock took off without warning. The only sign of his exit was the slamming of the front door and the vacant spot next to me. Betrayal was first to move as she went to chase him down.
“I’m going to talk some sense into that boy.” Her high heels tapped along with her steps, her male Host quick on her trail. I stood, holding my arms up and appealing for her to stop before she, too, vanished.
“Umm, wait. Can I say something?” Betrayal slowed her steps to listen, “It’s just; you have to understand Lock’s side of things as well. We want to do this and we’re not being tricked by Howl; we fully understand of the danger of what’s happening but it’s still our choice. We know that it’s really stupid and the fact that it’s just a rumour but please, please, this is really important. You even said so yourself that you were unsure of the Staff. Why can’t we just try our best? This is his only hope… he’ll be devastated if you take this away from him… please.”
My words barely had a chance to sink in before her reply, “Alright, fine, but only on one condition. I get to stay here and supervise you. If things get too dangerous, you’ll stop.”
“Yes, alright. That’s fine.”
She nodded before the swish of her body broke into ashes, promptly hiding herself in the shadows of the room behind her Host. Howl was next to go, vaporizing in dark mist before diving into Jake’s chest, his slouching body suddenly going rigid at Howl’s invasion, as he stood up and marched sternly out of the room.
Nails lingered for a few moments, letting her eyes study me. I felt the heat of them crawl along my face and shoulders, but she too disappeared and her young Host tiptoed out.
Chapter Fifteen:
Once they were gone, I ran to my room and threw on a jumper. The hallways echoed my racing footsteps; I went down the elevator and outside the building into the shade of the night. I went skimming across the streets but the roads were empty a good few miles on both sides, so I took a wild guess and turned left, down to where there were more shadows to hide in.
The alleyways were empty. I stood under a streetlamp looking down the belly of the lane. It was reaching about 5:20 in the morning, and all that I’d come across so far is a cluster of rubbish bins and a small group of people stumbling over themselves to get home. I called into the alley for Lock, finding myself knee deep in the darkness. The night air was eerie, slowing down to a whisper as the city crawlers started to file into bed. I called again, a little bit more urgent and louder this time. The bins rattled together as I leaned forward; scared, trembling, and cautious just as a quick blur brushed against my leg, meowing. I yelped and clutched my chest, quickly stepping out of the shadows, trying to shoo the chattering cat away. I swivelled back around, the fear bursting through my pores, just as a hand reached out, grabbing my retreating elbow tightly and turning my body back by force.
“Rachael?” Lock stepped out from the shadows, holding my elbow. He sounded annoyed and released my hand roughly, as if I had been caught trying to sneak out past my bedtime. I sighed with relief as all my fear dissolved into the air outside me.
“Oh, thank goodness! Where did you run off to?” I asked.
“Never mind that, what are you doing here?”
“Looking for you, of course.”
“I’m fine, I can look after myself!” he continued growling.
“You’re not a spirit anymore; you have to get this through your head. It’s not safe for you out here-”
“I told you I’m fine! I don’t need a babysitter; don’t tell me…are you agreeing with Betrayal now? I thought you were on my side.”
“It’s not like that. I am on your side, but I understand where she’s coming from, too. She cares about you a lot…”
“Liar…”
“I’m not lying.”
“Well I don’t care about her… I can’t stand people who can’t mind their own damn business. I hate people like that. I hate her. I hate her stupid Host. I hate Nails for agreeing with her. I-” he ranted.
“You don’t mean that Lock.” I tried to cut him off which only aggravated him even more; he turned his eyes to me, peeling his lips back.
As he barked those words, he immediately tried to swallow them back up. I, too, bit my tongue, completely speechless as my nerves trembled through me, running like wild fire before bombarding my heart, making it pump harder and slower.
Neither of us could say anything for a few seconds. I didn’t have anything to say to him and I didn’t want to hear anything, either; the truth being that I wanted nothing more than to turn on my heel and run away from him so I could sulk in peace.
“Rachael, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” He grabbed me roughly and held me still, almost knowing of my intentions to bolt. I strained against him, against the warmth of his hands as they held me tighter, begging me to stay and listen. I couldn’t look at him without feeling the heartache drum through my chest, hearing those words looping round and round through of my ears, ‘I hate you, ‘I hate you’…’I hate you’. The hands that held me began trembling. I could feel the sadness welling up inside me, building from the pit of my stomach and filling my lungs with moist air, leaving me feeling suffocated.
“You’re wrong, Lock. I’m not the one who’s pretending. Whether you like it or not, I’m not going to leave you alone…”
My eyes blinked heavily, the tears threatening to glide free down my cheeks. My voice tightened as if there was a rope tied around my neck. Lock nibbled nervously on his lower lip, his eyes burning into my face. His hands started twitching as if anticipating his next move, calculating and doubting, thinking over and over again. Suddenly he lunged forward onto the tips of his toes with his neck craning as far as he could reach. The next thing I felt was the soft tingle of his mouth, closing in on the corner of my lips, missing his target in eagerness. The thrill of the touch caught me off guard; the gentle lingering caress of his breath exhaling as he moved, the bristles of his hair tickling along my forehead before he jumped away and let his shivering hands unhook from around my arms. The warm streak of wetness he left on my cheek was turning my entire mouth numb and I stood there, foolishly still and unable to respond for the spilt second that it happened.
My Demonic Ghost: Banished Spirits Page 12
