My Demonic Ghost: Banished Spirits

by Maree, Jacinta

  The once vibrant and hypnotizing green eyes were hidden behind the storm of black as they rolled upward; as if he was trying to look into the back of his own skull. His lips were left ajar, hollow and empty, like the very spirit and purpose inside him had been scooped out.

  “No more….” Betrayal’s voice scarcely whispered.

  “What do you mean, ‘No more’?” Howl turned to her, as did all of the Banished spirits.

  “This was a reckless idea in the first place, there’s no way we’re going back there.” It was true, with every visit to the Sin world we were at the mercy of the demons controlling it. We barely got out unharmed, but still… I wasn’t ready to give up just yet.

  “We can’t give in, Betrayal. We have-”

  “Rachael, please, I said no.”

  “No listen to me. Seriously, we have to complete the collection quickly. It’s the only way to stop this madness, to save Lock and to save everyone!!”

  “It’s too dangerous!”

  “Please! Betrayal, it can save him!”

  “No, look at what has happened to him. And it’s all because of you!” She rose into the air as her word taunted me with a never ending guilt. “I know you don’t want to waste away your life span, but this ISN’T ABOUT YOU!”

  “I’m not saying this is about me! I-”

  “You Hosts are all the same, just selfish, ignorant and stupid FOOLS! You all don’t care at all!”

  “That’s not true, I do care -”

  “The whole reason why you’re even helping us out it to free yourself. Even with the Forbidden Act, it’s never enough for you!” My screams were no match to hers, and as she shouted and tore through my chest with her anger. I felt a knot of tears building and rising in my throat.

  “What- NO… I mean, yes. That was true, but only at the beginning. I don’t-”

  “Save it, it’s over…”With her final words she vanished into smoke and dived into Eric’s chest.

  Eric stiffened his posture and trembled before turning and marching out, his back firm and his steps heavy. I shouted after her as the rage I’d been bottling up inside me came uncapped.

  “So what? You’re just going to walk out when Lock needs your help the most right now?”

  Eric stopped and titled his head over his shoulder, “I’m going to find the Staff like we’ve always done-”

  “It’s not there Betrayal; can’t you understand that this is the only way?”

  “You don’t know that it’s not there!”

  “But we’re so close… even if you don’t want to go I can-”

  “So you’re going to go into the Sin world alone? I never guessed you to be so stupid!” Eric left followed by a handful of Hosts and Banished spirits. They had all put so much hope in us, into Lock and I to free them. With each side ways glance, I felt as though they were looking at me with great disappointment.

  Howl and Rip gave each other reassuring pats on the shoulder, but they too carried their heads on weak necks. Nails didn’t move away from Lock but her eyes were cast to the side as Sabotage and Dean both stood with bowed heads. It was amazing how much hope one young Banished boy carried. With his passion and enthusiasm and continuous determination driving everyone on, it truly was mind boggling for them to watch everything unfold as they had.

  But now, now that Lock needed someone else to take the lead and carry the weight of the group of their backs, everyone just let go and walked away without so much as trying.

  Not me, though. Alone or not, I will save him.

  Chapter Twenty-Three:

  I left the room as fast as I could, trying to find somewhere to be alone. Nobody chased after me. The night was still young as I vanished behind the wall of an alleyway, slapped my hands together, and chanted into the dark space.

  As practised, I chanted her words, “Binding seven, mother of us all, move through darkness and reveal my truths.” She did not reply to me, not even a small ripple of shadows moved in the empty space. I clenched my fists and started again.

  “Binding seven, mother of us all, move through darkness and reveal my truths. Reveal to me your curse of sins; show me my nature at the hands of demons.” I shouldn’t have been surprised at the echo of silence; even so, I sobbed louder as if I had expected her to appear. Noises of the city caused my head to throb, the constant revving of wandering taxis, the flicking of shoes on the sidewalks, and rowdy bars and clubs swinging open their doors as a bevy of patrons spilled out into the night’s cool air, lost in a drunken haze. And the cracking, the cracking of bones snapping into place was the loudest of them all. It took me a moment longer to recognise; I couldn’t believe it, she had responded to my calling, but her mood was one of a threatened bee hive.

  Mother’s thick tail slashed at the walls, her liquefied hair streaming out in front of her, shaking like a wet dog as I shifted onto my back heel for some distance. The clicks of her words ran at a constant pitch like a car engine.

  “Please, mother take me to the next Sin,” I begged over her thrashing, but she was not going to listen. The seven arms roared over her head, fanning like wings before bashing down in front of me. I jump backward but my foot caught underneath one of her fists, leaving a scratch that tore underneath my socks and wrapped its self like a vine around my ankle. At my yelp she withdrew her tantrum and instead clawed at her own face, scratching frantically through her hair as if she was trying to find her eyes through the mess. With two barks she spat more of her slime onto me, rammed her fist into the concreted floor before slapping a mask over her face.

  The time to rethink my plan never presented itself. I was pulled into the black hole of her mask and dumped upon jagged edged stones. A storm painted the sky as bolts of purple and blue bounced against the clouds with a snap of white, like someone was taking a photograph every few seconds. The mouth of a cave sat in front of me, a blaze of metallic blue shining out from its belly. I rolled over, brushing my clothes down, already able to feel the bruises building, and staggered to the entrance.

  The rocks were slippery and difficult to walk on, like skating on glare ice so that I had to brace myself along the walls to keep upright. The crystal blue highlighted every crack to create a collection of icy mirrors against the surface of rock. The cave stretched out forever in its own reflection. I inched my way along, using my hands to guide me among the fake passages and slanted floor. I weaved my way through the rocks as though following the tail of a frantic insect.

  A stream of my own conscience was whispering snide words into my ears, my own voice telling me over and over again what a stupid idea this was. Between each thought I could hear Lock’s voice shouting in anger, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GET OUT! GET OUT!!”

  But there was no way I was going to back down, so I clasped my palms over my ears and rattled my head, trying to push the thoughts away.

  I followed the bend as quickly as I could manage; only slipping once or twice but with my hand steady on the walls it was easy to catch myself. I could see the reflection of my own face all around me, looking pinched and ashen, and my blonde hair teased with sweat and dirt.

  My reflection also showed a pinkish burn across my cheeks as a fever broke loose, reaching to the crook of my nose. With a couple of more steps I could see my diamond blue eyes popping out from underneath the thick curl of my lashes, shimmering with beauty against my pale, glowing skin. My neck looked slender and elegant, posed beneath my chin like fragile glass as I traced a droplet of my own sweat, glistening like fine jewellery, down and along my collarbone. The fair yellow of rich golden hair moulded to the nook of my shoulders with grace, combed like fine milk that had been bronzed by the hands of gods, framing my heart shape face. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from myself; my lips were full and plump, moist from where I ran my tongue across them and so inviting that no man could ever deny me a kiss. I puckered up to myself in the mirror and felt a surge of happiness gush through me. I’m so pretty. I am so beautiful, way more beautiful than any one I have ever seen. M
y friends should all be jealous. Jealous because they look like toads compared to me; I was a butterfly whose glittering metallic wings made the day so much brighter, while they would sit in their swamps and rot.

  CRACK.

  Like being released from a mindless stare, I could feel the focus of the room snap back into place around me. My knees buckled and I crashed limply to the floor, next to a pair of feet with two large, hooked claws. The bird’s talons scratched at the silver rocks underneath it as I followed the stick-like limbs upward, looking past the long ripped dress, past the tight corset that bound two flat breasts against its own rib cage and up the elongated neck to the face of a woman.

  Her eyes were cut like the slits of a razor blade and I could barely catch the glimpse of purple between each blink. Her hair, drowning under what looked like thick layers of silver and blue gel, sat in twisted wedges on either side of her head. Fanned out behind her was a beautiful plume of peacock feathers, exploding with such vibrant colours that they literally took my breath away. The colours of her tail seeped out into the air, smothering me with their magenta, aqua, teal, olive, stardust and rosy petals. I watched as each individual tone dance in a twist of its own elegance. As for her demon eyes, they blazed with a lavender fire against her pale purple skin. It was easy to see that the violet swirl matched the lilac eyes of Sabotage.

  Whatever beauty I had felt in the mirror was stripped from me as she flaunted her feathers and brushed her wings along her jaw. She didn’t have hands but instead feathery bristles that formed from the bend in her elbows. She towered over me like a human over a dog, as had each of the other demon Sins. Lock’s voice shot across again before dying under the silence -GET OUT.

  “Hideous girl! What are you doing in my lair?” She turned her chin away from me as if she smelled something rotten. All the muscles inside me flexed but it was no use. The upbeat thumping of my heart, panicked by the monster lingering next to me, was silenced by my own vanity. My eyes moved back onto the mirrors only to be engulfed by their spellbound web. I tried to fight; I tried to lean my head away, to distract my thoughts back onto this thing towering above me, onto something different. But- but- … I would have to be crazy to not want to entangle myself with this image.

  My world was myself; I would never have to leave this sanctuary again. Not to eat, not to sleep, not to bother myself with the pathetic whines of others. Why should I help them? Why should I even do anything remotely nice for them, they are beneath me and nothing but waste.

  “Rachael?” A voice sang out to me. “Rachael! Run away. Get away from it!” Again, its whistle cut through my spiralling thoughts, slicing through the hazy sheet that had been cast over my eyes, and broke me free. The invisible ties that bound me to the mirror snapped and I faltered back.

  I felt myself shifting and collapsed onto the knee of the sin, who squawked and head-butted me away.

  “Get away from me! How dare you touch me?” Her eyes flared as if she was seeing me for the first time. “A living? Your smell is putrid.” Her voice was high, squeaky with a whistle at the end of each sentence, not like a flute, but more like the sound of a referee’s whistle. “You’re ruining everything! Go away!”

  Rachael…. Please….

  My knuckles tightened. Lock’s voice was dying; in my own mind he was losing his strength.

  My breath rebounded off the mirrors and vanished back into the cave. This Sin has to be Vanity. I leaned forward, attempting to take a handful of her feathers, but they slipped free like soap. The creature hissed behind her shoulder, spit sputtering from her craggy teeth as she pounced away from me. I tracked her down and tried shoving two hands into her back but she darted away before I had the chance, watching me approach in the reflections surrounding us. She was content with her own image… wait…that’s it. Her own image!

  My fingers curled in to form the shaking bundle of a fist and I raised my hand, pulling it back behind my head, and then crushing it forward as hard as I could. Her wail overpowered my own scream of pain as the mirror shattered into warped splinters. A gust of air rushed past me as I lifted my foot and booted the broken shards down from the wall.

  She used the crown of her head to hit me, knocking me onto my back. I spun myself around, lifting both of my knees up to my chest, then ramming them into the closest mirror, breaking it. I was showered with glass fragments while Vanity screeched again as another of her images was smashed to dust.

  I picked up one of the glass pieces, wielding it like a blade and taunting her to face me again.

  “Hey bird-brain, you big fat ugly pigeon, look over here.” Her eyes flared as wide as her tail and her legs kicked out in high strides towards me. I leapt out of her path, watching as she came into contact with the bare wall, before I took a swing at her ankle. As I swung out she took a wide step to the side, hooking one of her claws onto my clothes, flinging me across the room.

  Above me I could hear the hollowed screams of trapped souls pushing against the mirrors. I was going to have to get Vanity out of the cave if I wanted a chance at winning. With the shard still in hand, I hoisted myself up on shaky hands as a tremble moved through the still air. Vanity rocked backward and watched as the twirl of colours started to fade away. The movement caused my stomach to churn; it twisted and swirled around like water being sucked down a drain.

  The mirrors everywhere were starting to melt into waxy silver puddles, the ones I’d shattered leaking from the grey stone onto the floor. The floors become pools of icy water, which I tried to hoist myself out of. Far off, way back at the entrance to the cave, a light flickered behind each lightning bolt. It must be reaching morning.

  I tried to run but I couldn’t drag my legs above the rocks. The water acted like a trap, slowing my steps, pulling at the back of my calves. Getting the blood droplet was unimportant now as I raced against the dawn, screaming out for Mother. The water had started to climb up my legs, entangled themselves like vines, trying to pull me under.

  The screams of the spirits lost in the silver surged in escape, using my arms, legs, and torso as a raft to haul themselves out from their eternal entrapment. My words flew from my mouth in cries and coughs, trying not to let the fingers of the other spirits stall me for a second.

  A dark cloud sliced through the middle of the orange rays and with my arm outstretched, I itched to dive into it. It was mere inches away when I was suddenly yanked backward and pushed back onto the rocks. Above, I saw the portal snap to a close as the dark sphere was vacuumed back into the night sky. The limbs of my body jolted, punching madly, kicking and scratching at everything and anything it came into contact with. The sound of her laughter, Vanity’s chuckle, screeched like crows in my ears until I hit the point where both fight and sound died inside me. I collapsed and went still, hiding behind my own eyelids as tears of fright sat in the web of my eyelashes.

  Time passed… and I waited.

  I waited and waited until I couldn’t bear it any longer. I opened my eyes to see the sunlight break across the sky, the city life was waking and the warm touch of blood wept between my fingers. A scrap of glass had caught Vanity’s side. I dropped it, slumping back against the brick wall of the alleyway. The world of human life had never looked this amazing as I cried into my palms.

  Chapter Twenty-Four:

  I had spent half the day stewing in my own nightmares. Lock’s upturned eyes were etched into the back of my eyelids. Behind every blink I witnessed it over and over again; his body tossed like a rag doll, the poison leaking under his skin, and the presence of Vanity sitting behind every mirror, ready to pull me back. I shivered and tightened my knees to my chest; sleep was a luxury I was not allowed yet.

  I had returned to the gym still soaked in my own tears and sweat. I couldn’t remember much of what I did or said, but I was so frazzled by the echoing wails of the spirits left behind with Vanity that I fell onto Lock’s chest, exhausted. In the morning I awakened curled up next to him. My hand was bandaged with some cloth which had been
ripped from my shirt.

  I glanced down at Lock’s peaceful face. His condition was only getting worse. Nails had stayed with him through the night, but the other Banished spirits hadn’t made any further appearances. Not even Betrayal or Sabotage snuck in for a quick check-up.

  “Rachael, you’re finally awake!” Nail said from high in the rafters, as her ghostly silhouette sprinkled into form, “You gave us all such a fright, what on earth were you thinking?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Where else would you get the mirror shard with such distinct blood, hmm? Let alone that mark around your ankle. Mother must’ve scratched you…” Her eyes, red and roaring with a fire that didn’t match her face, motioned down to my feet. I scarcely remember getting swiped, but that was buried beneath the other hits and scratches. I peered down and quickly inspected the graze. A pinkish scrape woven like a twisted, spiked fern was marked into my skin.

  “I see…”

  “Lock may look quiet and motionless to you, but telepathically he was throwing a massive tantrum. Mind you, I must wash his mouth out when he wakes up. You’ll understand that I had no choice but to tell her...”

  “Her?”

  “Betrayal. My, my, my, she was not happy when hearing about your little adventure.” I squirmed on the spot, the bubbling of nerves flooding my mouth. “Let’s just say you won’t be having much alone time anymore.”

  As if on cue, a swirl of ash swept into the room, materializing next to me. I held my breath, ready for the demonic snarl on Betrayal’s furious face to come bounding toward me but was pleasantly surprised to watch Howl step up instead. Right now I feared any confrontation with the seemingly mad Betrayal.

  “Looks like you and I will be getting to know each other a WHOLE lot more.”

  “You’re not serious are you?” I winced.