My Demonic Ghost: Banished Spirits

by Maree, Jacinta

  Despite the paralysing cold I immediately whipped my head around at the sound of my name being called across the park. I searched into the darkness for whoever it was, but it was too dim to see past the lake’s edge.

  “Rachael?”

  The voice called again. It was Evan’s voice, I was absolutely sure of it. But instead, one of my teachers was bolting toward us from across the garden beds. His arms were pumping by his sides with the determination of a man being chased by death. I was a little disappointed but nevertheless relieved at his appearance. He must’ve have followed us from the Social.

  In a matter of seconds from when he emerged, a gust of smoke erupted from his chest and charged ahead of him. My teacher came to a halt, collapsing to the ground.

  The Spirit didn’t stop when he caught sight of me and I felt my heart accelerate with excitement.

  I ran to him as fast as I could, using my arms to slap the water out of the way. It felt like my legs were trying to leap over invisible hurdles.

  “Evan? Evan?” I was so happy. The tears just flew out of me and I choked on my laughter. I can’t believe it. He’s back. I can’t believe that he came back for me.

  Evan’s face was consumed with worry, his lime green eyes were like emerald spotlights shooting across the dark night space. He was only steps away from the water’s edge when the blonde haired reaper jumped into his path and took a nasty swing at his chest. Evan was lifted off his feet and thrown to the ground.

  “Leave him alone!” I screamed. A hand suddenly locked onto my shoulder from behind and threw me backwards. In a matter of seconds, I was completely consumed under the weight of black water. I could feel the pressure of the water move over me and bury me underneath it. Bubbles of my escaping breath poured out of me as I felt the strong hand of Gargoyle hold me against the lake’s floor.

  Then his other hand shot down to stop my one free shoulder from reaching for the surface.

  He held me there for at least fifteen seconds. It was the scariest fifteen seconds I had ever experienced. Thankfully, his grip was pried off me and I bounded up for one long gasping breath.

  I kicked at him and started to run back towards the land when, over the splashing, I could hear Gargoyle’s voice yelling above me.

  “What are you doing here Mother? This girl isn’t yours.”

  The seven armed serpent woman Mother was standing on the bank, blocking the Goon’s advancement towards Evan with her enormous body. The Reaper seemed to be completely baffled. He backed away from Mother and kept his pet behind him protectively.

  Evan was also equally as confused; he had a few deep gash wounds from where the Goon bit him as he leaned against a tree trunk. Mother’s large tail whipped behind her and caught the side of the Goon, who whimpered and vanished into dust. The Reaper kicked off from the ground and disappeared into the branches also. My ankle was burning from where Mother’s scratched had tattooed my skin.

  I scrambled onto the grass and headed straight towards Evan. He’s Spirit body was completely engulfed in black smoke.

  “Evan? Evan, I’m here now.” I fell to my knees beside him.

  “This isn’t happening! MIIRA, I need your help!” Gargoyle roared from where he stood in the middle of the lake.

  There was a white spark forming in the sky above the garden. It spun all the clouds into a tight vortex that blinked with crisp, blinding lights. It was one of the strangest storms I’d ever chanced to witness. It emerged out from the seemingly clear sky within seconds.

  “Step down, Demon.” Gargoyle marched towards Mother but she slammed her eel tail into the ground and held all seven arms above her head in a menacing manner. Gargoyle didn’t stop his advance, his skin radiating a soft white glow as the storm above his head began to pick up speed. “Know your place, Demon.”

  The flashing white cyclone morphed into a gigantic arm that charged towards the lake. A screaming face was scratched into the clouds, in what looked like the outline of a gigantic human, driving their hand downwards. It crushed Mother into nothingness has if she was a bug.

  I felt a sharp pain strike through me. Mother had been completely destroyed underneath this... this thing’s fist. The scarred vines ringed around my ankle instantly healed itself over. Gargoyle stepped out of the water slowly, his clothes dripping wet and his eyes glowered into a deepening glare.

  “The Sins?” he laughed at us mockingly, “You really believed that rumour about the Sins?”

  Evan reached out to me but his ghostly fingers fell through my skin. I glanced back at him with defeat; I could feel the tears forming in my eyes as Evan’s face was swallowed by the shadows. He was fading, really fast. All this time... it was for nothing.

  “Don’t worry Rachael,” Gargoyle said. He stood above us now, looking down with a sullen face, as if we were terminally ill animals begging for release, “It’ll all be over soon.”

  He snapped his fingers and a deep, vacuuming sensation dragged my stomach down. It felt like I was plummeting down a vortex, the gravity inside my body intensifying as if I was made out of heavy lead. Once the tightening sensation released me, I vomited.

  Chapter Thirty-Six:

  There was an over powering heat that rose from the ground underneath us. It hissed out of the pores in the dirt in a flow of hot steam. I could feel my flesh burning and sweat pouring down my face. I was dehydrated within seconds. As soon as I sat up, my head started to spin so tipped myself back down.

  I turned to see Evan lying across the barren soil. He groaned as he struggled to sit upright, one hand hoisting himself up while the other tenderly applied pressure against the wounds.

  My eyes could barely keep themselves open as I looked out towards the never ending stretch of volcanic rock and cracked desert floor. The air was raining with black soot that carried with it an intense thick heat. There were no signs of life surrounding us, just mountains and mountains of unsettled volcanos that were pouring out smoke with leaking red lava down their sides. A gust of wind was continuously drawn into the mouths of the volcanoes as if they were living, breathing things. And in the distance, there were the disturbing roars of unimaginable beasts.

  Evan cringed as he saw the hostile wasteland and lowered his head, defeated. I didn’t know what to say. What could I say? This was the end for us. Mother was gone and Evan was unable to carry his torn body.

  He looked like he was in so much pain; both eyes were pinched closed, ashamed of himself. There was a stretch of silence that felt eternal. I watched the struggle in his lips and the tightening of his jaw, as though he was anticipating some sort of heroic speech that would lead us to freedom.

  “I’m sorry for leaving you…” Evan softly said, “Rachael, I can never forgive myself for what I did. I killed you.”

  “Evan-”

  “I got scared and ran away as soon as I saw those Banished eyes. I ran to the first Host I could find, and after that I found someone who was leaving Whitehaven. I knew I should’ve wiped your memory of me, but I couldn’t. I knew I should’ve stayed far away, but I didn’t. And I’m so sorry for dragging you down into this mess with me. I really, really like you, Rachael. I wish I was stronger...”

  I leaned forward and hugged my chest to my knees.

  “Evan, I really, really like you too. Thank you for coming back.” Evan glanced up, winced, and clenched his teeth.

  “What’s the matter? Are you in a lot of pain?”

  “It’s not that... look at your hair.”

  I pinched the ends of my hair and brought it up to my eyes. The blonde tint was slowly being consumed by a black dye that was climbing up from the ends. It wouldn’t be too long before my entire head was black. I let my hair go and glanced at my hands. They hadn’t changed in colour yet as I compared my human skin to Evan’s white skin.

  “We should find some shelter.” I struggled to stand as Evan levitated himself. He was off balanced and could only manage to hold himself about an inch from the ground. We limped our way over to a boulde
r and took refuge underneath a leaning slat. In the vast distance, the low roars continued.

  “Do you think it would hurt?” I asked lowly.

  Evan shrugged, “Only for a few moments. Then we won’t feel anything anymore.” It was comforting to know there will be a little mercy in the end.

  We sat baking under the rock for what felt like at least four hours. Every now and again, I would check the process of my hair and the colour of my skin. It was completely black, and my skin was starting to bleach its self to a stale white. I had stopped sweating, for my human body couldn’t lose any more water. I also noticed that I could no longer feel a heartbeat.

  I took hold of Evan’s hand, and gave it a tight squeeze. He was exhausted and couldn’t find the strength to close his fingers to squeeze me back. His face was saturated in deep grey wrinkles and black veins that ran down his slender young neck. How much longer did we have to wait? I rubbed at my eyes, wondering to myself what colour I would have. I could feel a drowsiness start to fold over me and my mind start to sink underneath a heavy weight of sleep. It was difficult to keep them open.

  “They are blue,” Evan said.

  “Blue? What Sin has the colour blue?”

  “That’s the colour of your eyes Rachael, they are blue. Rachael’s eyes are blue.” I smiled to myself and bite my lip. I must’ve looked silly as I felt a single tear roll free. How kind of Evan. But I knew the truth, my eyes are grey.

  I allowed the heavy eyelids close and black out the world surrounding me. All we could do was wait; so we waited.

  Underneath my eyelids, I was dreaming of soft voices whispering above my head. It was soothing and I didn’t want to open my eyes in case I chased the voices away. Then something nudged my left shoulder, and I widened my eyes in panic.

  Expecting the worst, I tucked my head away from the blur beside me. Above the voice, there was a young girl hovering over my shoulder. I remembered her vaguely from back in Greed’s cave; she was the blue spirit we had set free. Her blue cloth hood was pulled over her face again as a means to hide the burned skin scarred across her eyes. Dangling loosely from her neck was the aqua blue gem, and when I looked at it closer I noticed it shifted with an internal ripple.

  “He will not last long here.”

  “What? Who-Who are you?” The spirit lowered her hand and touched the jewel necklace as it bounced against her chest. She covered her naked body by throwing one side of the cloak across her shoulder as a drape.

  “I am what you are looking for. I am the Daughter.”

  I shook my head very softly in confusion. “Daughter? Daughter of whom?”

  Is this all just a dream? I couldn’t feel my own tongue inside my mouth when I talked. How do I know this isn’t just another delusion?

  “My brother led those of the living to Her. I am the one who leads the dead.” She spoke with a soft, inhuman echo. “Spirits come to me so I can take them to their rightful place. I am the pathway; I am the daughter of Her.”

  Lead spirits to their rightful place? The daughter of Her? Could this woman possibly be… is she the Staff?

  “I’ve been caged by a great, powerful Demon for many years so I could not lead the spirits. But you have set me free, and I wish to do my rightful job.”

  “You’re the Staff aren’t you?” The girl titled her head but did not deny it. My shoulders perked up as a wave of energy exploded through me.

  I shook Evan awake as he coughed and winced, “Evan, the Staff is here. We’re saved.”

  There was a ferocious roar that caused a quake to erupt underneath us. The slate that we hid under was smashed to the side in a powerful slap, letting the ashy light pour over us.

  Towering above was a type of territorial mutated Dinosaur. It reared its clawed leg and stamped downwards, just barely avoiding us. I threw my body and tumbled to the side, dragging Evan along with me. In a flash, the Blue Spirit vanished towards safety.

  This creature wouldn’t be found in any of the historic museums of Dinosaurs skeletons; it was much more like an alien version. The thing tilted its large dome skull and struck down, head butting the boulder which Evan and I had scurried behind, splitting it in two. The shattered rocks rained down on top of us as I dragged Evan away from the snapping jaws. Its nostrils were flaring wildly at our presence.

  On the other side of the creature I could see the Blue Spirit; she was gliding across the rubble and avoiding the frantic swinging of the creature’s thick tail. We crawled between the broken rocks and took refuge inside a tiny cave. I rested Evan’s beaten body against the back and glanced out towards the monster and to where the Blue Spirit was fenced off.

  At first I couldn’t recognise the flashing of light that starting to emerge in the distance, but the closer they moved, the easier it became to detect the familiar red hair and white glow of their skins. Not too far behind the Spirit, the same clan of Hunters that had searched the caves of Greed vaporised into being, moving in urgency.

  I turned to Evan and shook his shoulders vigorously, “Evan. You have to get to the Blue Spirit. Get to the Staff; I’m going to cause a distraction. You must run with all your strength, Evan, you must run.”

  Evan nodded weakly before lifting himself up. I stood and left our cavern first, waving my arms above my head and bouncing on the tip of my toes. The creature turned to me and started to charge. I turned my back, sprinting away as fast as I could.

  The hot air was rushing past my face like thick smog but I felt no physical restraint. My legs moved, gliding across the bare dunes and my muscles contracted and flexed without any struggle. I was moving on pure adrenaline, weaving through the decay of the destroyed stone and leaping over hurdles I would never have been able to reach back in my human body. As my arms pumped in between each long stride, my head felt clear and my nerves felt numb. I was just running. I didn’t so much as blink as I passed by the Blue Spirit and continued moving forward.

  I kept my legs strong, my courage not wavering, as the shadow of the beast got closer and closer behind me. The ground vibrated underneath with every one of its enormous steps but I still managed to keep my balance. In one powerful punch, I drew my hand back and fired a twisted black missile of smoke right into the advancing Hunters’ path. The power surged through me like electricity as it exploded like a bomb, right in their faces. The weird thing is I wasn’t scared at all. All I could feel was the ache of hunger pulsate through my entire body.

  Under the veil of ash, I fell to my knees and skidded to abrupt halt. The creature’s massive legs continued to step over me as it collided head-on with the Hunters. I spun on my heel and sprinted back the way I came. I could hear its screeching and the chaos of the Hunters striking it down. I didn’t dare look back as I ran towards the Blue Spirit again. In the distance, I could see Evan fall into the Blue Spirits waiting arms. Though I was too far to hear them, I could see his weak lips speak to her.

  The Blue Spirit started to glow and Evan collapsed to the ground. Everything suddenly disappeared underneath a powerful sheet of white.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven:

  EVAN’S CHAPTER

  So this is what it feels like.

  Warmth moving inside my chest. A muscle twitch. A tickled nerve.

  I had forgotten how comforting it was to have your skin prickle at the rough touch of wood. I sat behind the darkness for a while longer. I wanted to feel every inch of me starting to break out of this numb dream. I felt heavy, as if I was being pushed against the floor. I could sense the clothes weighing along my skin. My boots were heavy like rocks.

  I couldn’t stop my curiosity from sparking every nerve under my skin and slowly I let my eyes open. The light was soft, but it still burned as if I was looking into an open flame. Through the haze I could barely recall how I got here.

  I remembered that the Blue Spirit touched my face, setting fire under my cheeks. It was like she was speaking to me through water; her words were so muffled that I could barely understand. All I can remember was watching
Rachael. Her black hair whipping behind her while she ran as her pale skin became engulfed by a trailing cloud of smoke.

  “Young Banished, do you wish for me to save you?” Rachael’s face was blurry, all I could make out were the grey eyes smothered underneath black ash. She was so far away; I could not reach her with my weak arms.

  “No.” My voice was broken; it hurt so much to move my lips. “Save her.”

  “I do not understand; what do you wish for?” The Spirit’s voice had an echo that faded further and further away from me. I knew I didn’t have much time.

  “I wish-” The air was stale inside my mouth. I couldn’t hold my head up anymore. “I want Rachael, to have back what’s hers. Please, give back her life...give her back her dad, save her from being a Banished like me.” The words hurt more than any stab wound or slow demise could ever hurt someone. Above the faint haziness, I could feel the Spirit’s essence smile upon me.

  “Yes, little Spirit, I will grant your wish. And because you have been so selfless, I will also give you one final gift. I will take you to the Third Realm after I let you live one more day as a teenage boy. I will send you back as if you had never died three years ago. You will be a man, and you will be with her until sunset.”

  I couldn’t utter the word thank you, but from the bottom of my heart I wanted to shout it to the skies. The last thing I saw was a blinding whiteness overtaking the sky as it gobbled everything up.

  And here I lay now.

  Underneath the thin layer across my chest, I could feel my heartbeat. Without having to look at myself, I could feel that my body was longer and my muscles were bigger. I was a giant sprawled out across timber floorboards.

  I’m back here again...

  I stood up onto my feet and felt myself rise up into the air. I moved towards the entrance, letting my fingers linger for a moment over the door knob. A part of me still feared that it would be locked and that I would shrink back away into darkness. But with only a small nudge, the door creaked and swung right open.