by Rachel
I run to the left, he finds me, grabs me by the throat and tries to throw me again, this time though I hold on to him as he tries to launch me with all that strength I fall to the floor with him on top of me.
Jay’s words spring to mind right now ‘You have to believe you can touch us’ and with that I throw a punch directly at his grim face.
Holy fuck! It works;, he cries out as my fist hits his face. He’s on top of me wrestling with me right now, we’re struggling as I’m trying to break free and he is trying to keep hold of me, he is strong but I’m not going to let him take me and beat me.
I fight back as much as I can until I am able to free myself and run, I run down a corridor and down some stairs, I can hear him screaming and shouting, he’s angry, my fucking ribs hurt and now my back too.
I run into a room and shut the door. Well this is fucking stupid! I lock myself in an enclosed room rather than running for the open space. Wait, I can’t I have to find Jack, this place is huge and right now I have no idea where he is or how to find him.
This room is cold, dark and morbid, there are people hanging from the ceiling, are they people? It’s dark, they look like people, there’s no possible way people can be here, it’s a ghost world!
I can hear the sounds of me breathing, I need to control myself. I look around and I hear something rattle. Oh shit! There is something or someone in here. ‘Be brave’ my inner voice tells myself.
Wait, hang on, I’m in a room surrounded by death, Jay told me that they were all in the darkness, that’s what I have to find, the darkness, surely this isn’t it. I stay by the door, I hear no-one outside and I’m not willing to go and inspect who the fuck is in here. I need to get to Jack.
“Mummy” I hear him, but how?
I don’t know, I get out of the room and walk down the black corridor. As I get closer the sounds of screams become louder, I must be close, I wish I wasn’t here, I want to be home, Jack in my arms, Levi cuddling me, ‘think of that and you will get through this’ my inner voice speaks.
I get to the end and there is nothing, just an edge and below me is nothing but pure blackness. There is no way back, I can’t go back, I hear Jack, I hear him calling me, he doesn’t sound upset, he doesn’t sound in pain but I hear him calling out to me, he must be wondering where I am.
I take a deep breath and close my eyes, with my heart pounding and my brain telling me I’m so scared, I leap off the edge.
I feel like I’m falling slowly, on my way down in the darkness there are ghosts all around me, floating by, sadness in their faces, pain in their eyes, I feel it, I feel their sorrow, their pain, their hurt. It touches my heart, they are trapped here, there must be hundreds of them, are these his army?
I finally reach the bottom, I was falling slowly it seemed but I crash onto the floor hard. It hurts, I don’t know how much more my body can take, I’m hurt and bruised, how much more do I have to endure, I know they are trying to wear me down but I can’t let them.
I get up and try to hide the pain running through my body and put it to the back of my mind, I see something in-front of me, it’s human shaped and it’s stuck to the wall, I walk towards it to find it’s Levi, he’s chained, covered in cuts and bruises like he has been beaten and left for dead.
“Levi” I whisper sounding surprised.
“You’re not real, go away….leave me alone….” He replies sounding unsure of what he sees.
“Baby it’s me I promise you it’s me” I touch his face.
I let him feel my warm loving touch on his cheek. His face rubs into my hands as he looks into my eyes, I can see the tears, the shock and the disbelief.
“Robyn, is it really you?”
“Yes baby, it’s me I promise it’s me, how are you like this, you have only been gone a few minutes before I came here”
“I don’t know, they played on my mind, I thought you were with me, it was a trick….it was all a trick Robyn I….” tears fill his eyes.
“Shhh baby its ok, I’m going to get you out of here.” I tell him, love and panic in my voice.
I untie him and get him down, he seems weak but he refuses to lean on me.
“Where is Jack” I ask.
He points “down there where it’s so dark.”
Levi refuses to leave my side, I have him now I have to get Jack, we make our way to the darkness, however there are ghosts that seem to try and stop us getting there.
They grab us, throw us and chuck us about but neither of us give up, we find the strength to keep walking, wounded and sore but we have to keep going.
I tell Levi to go back and try and find the road but he refuses, he wants to stay with me, this beautiful man once again is trying to save me. I feel my heart skip a beat and then I realise, that’s it, that’s how to defeat this asshole, strength and love, he may be able to hurt me and he may be able to take us down here to the place no-one would dare to be, but he cannot take my love for these boys and he cannot take my strength, with all of that inside me I finally feel ready to face the beast.
We make our way through until finally we reach a room, well what appears to be a room. Inside it are ghosts all wearing red robes, their heads lowered and I cannot see their faces. The room is of a grey colour, like stone and surrounding it are cages, the cages seem to have fire burning in them. In the middle of this congregation is a stone perch and on top of that is Jack.
“JACK!” I scream out.
All heads turn to face me as I run towards him. I try to grab him but something is protecting him, like an invisible force field, as I get to him and touch it launches me away and I smash into one of the cages.
I look up, there he is, Ivan, walking towards me with a callous smile in a red robe, he actually looks like him, like the picture I have seen and not the goats head he appeared as before.
This is it, this is where he wants me, I feel this is going to be one big fight.
CHAPTER 28
He lifts me off the ground and stares directly at me, he’s smiling at me, why the fuck is he smiling, there's nothing to smile about asshole, wait, for him there is, SHIT. I look over and see his minions have taken hold of Levi and then I look over Ivan’s shoulder and can see Jack is ok, he is unharmed, thank god!
“You, you will give me what I want” he speaks.
“I will give you nothing” I snap back.
He puts his hands around my throat and tightens, he squeezes and I’m choking, he then throws me onto the other side of the room.
“LEAVE HER ALONE!” Levi shouts.
Ivan just gives him a cold stare and proceeds to make his way towards me, he grabs me again, this time he pulls me in-front of him gripping my neck from behind and forcing me to go where he points.
“You see this….”
I’m looking at Jack and Jack is looking back at me. My little boy, I need my boy.
“His body belongs to me….”
“He is mine and I will never let you take him….” I reply, my voice a little hoarse where he choked me.
“Ahh but he is, do you know who I am?” he looks at me, those fierce red eyes.
“A coward”
He launches me across the room again. I don’t need to hear this shit I’ve already heard this crap before, well, read most of it anyway. I look up at him, right now I feel a bit too sore to move!
“I am Ivan; I was once betrayed by he which I trusted”
I roll my eyes.
“I will be born again through this boy who shares the same bloodline as I….”
“Same bloodline, you’re lying” I cut him off angrily.
“Why would I lie, you see you my precious you are a family decedent of mine, you are the daughter of generations that of my father’s bloodline and your son is tied to you and me,” he smiles.
That’s it, that’s why we are the key, the psychic said there was something about us that he needed and that he had tried to do this before and it never worked. That’s why all those others never worked, he n
eeds our blood, family blood and the body of someone linked to that bloodline to live but because his soul is tied to mine he cannot take the body until I break the connection, in all honesty right now this sounds fucking crazy but it’s all I’ve got to work with.
I find the strength to stand to my feet “I don’t care who you are of what fucking blood ties you believe we have, but you are not taking my son, do you hear me? Never will I let you take him and never will you be free from this shithole where you belong.”
He launches at me but I fight back, bloodlines my fucking ass, this guy is a murderer, a rapist, and myself and my son will never be like that.
A fight ensues between me and Ivan and before I know it I lose sight of him and he’s got me, hands behind me back as he is leading me to the fire.
“You will give me what I want or I will throw your son in here” he states angrily.
“Throw my son in there you asshole and you will never get what you want” I snap.
I look to the side of me; one of the hooded figures is Jay, why isn’t he helping me? Wait, he did say he could only break free sometimes and that he was under Ivan’s control. I need to snap him out of it; I need to make him think of me.
“JAY! “ I scream “JAY WAKE UP PLEASE JAY THEY HAVE JACK PLEASE DON’T LET HIM DIE” as I struggle to get free.
It works, his head lifts up quickly as if something in his dead brain clicks, he charges towards me knocking Ivan off guard and I fall to floor inches away from the fire. I roll away and head towards Jack, ghosts come in and before I know it there is a fight. Ghosts he has captured somehow he has lost their control on them slightly and they find what they need to attack him and his followers, the army that seem to be loyal even in death.
We try to free Jack but I’m grabbed again and pinned against the wall.
“You will give me what I need” he snaps, his voice deep and evil.
I see the ghosts around him, he is stronger than they are and although they are fighting his followers they seem to be losing, I can see Jay protecting Levi stopping him from running towards me.
“I HAVE TO SAVE HER” he screams over all the ghostly chaos.
“NO, SHE HAS TO DO THIS ON HER OWN!” Jay replies.
Ivan is looking directly at me, as if he is peering into my soul, I know he wants me to give it to him right now but I won’t I’m not letting him take my son!
He reaches inside me as if he is trying to pull my soul from my body, it hurts, I feel pain, I feel the strain as I’m trying to not let this happen. I look at him and he is struggling to pull it from me. He needs me to will it away, which he thought I had by all of this.
“We may have the same bloodline and you may have once been fearless, but I will never ever give you what you want, you can burn in hell” my voice struggles as his hand is around my throat.
With that he falls backwards, like he doesn’t have the energy or the power anymore. I fall to the floor, Levi runs to help me, Jay by his side, I push them out of the way and run towards Jack, I don’t care what is surrounding him, I force through it and grab him, I got him in my arms, he’s safe, he’s here with me.
“Mummy” he smiles.
“Mummy needs you to hold on to me ok and don’t let go no matter what don’t let go”
He nods and agrees and we leg it out of there as fast as we can. Jay is guiding us back to the top of the castle grounds and outside.
I am in so much pain but I don’t care, getting out of here right now is more important. I look behind and Ivan is chasing us but he seems weaker than he was, like he is struggling to keep up.
“GIVE IT TO ME” he shouts behind us.
I’m not giving him fuck all and I don’t want to stay here, we keep running until finally we are outside, I see mist below, they greyness covering the town we need to get to.
“Robyn, you can do this” Jay encourages me, “Go, be free”
We run down the steps, funny, there doesn’t seem that many on the way down as there was on the way up, things try to stop us, spiders, worms, dead heads on spikes but I grab Levi’s arm, I clutch Jack tightly and we keep on running.
Wait, this isn’t right, I can keep running and running but Ivan will come for me, he will come back for me, all he needs is strength, we get to the peak of the town, mist surrounds it, like a dark thick fog.
“Levi, you need to take Jack home…”
“What I’m not leaving you here….”
“Just shut up and listen to me….” I snap “Please just do as I ask, this isn’t over, I can feel it, you need to go, go through to town to the end where there is a road, I don’t know how you get back but you will I promise you will”
“NO” he snaps back, “Look for fuck sake Robyn I am not leaving you here alone, we will stay together where we can both protect Jack do you understand me”
Wow I’m slightly shocked, I thought he would have been happy to get out of this place but he wants to stay here, with me. I see Ivan, he’s coming.
“Ok fine, I don’t know how to end this”
Ruth appears “You have life, he doesn’t so use it”
Ghosts appear behind me, like they have found some sort of strength to fight him, they are backing me, maybe it’s because he couldn’t take my soul, maybe it’s because I fought him, I don’t know but they are there, behind me as if to help me. I see some I recognise, ones I have seen before.
This is it, I have to end it now and then get the fuck out of here.
CHAPTER 29
He approaches me slowly, he seems cautious of me and those around me, the souls or ghosts he has captured are no longer bowing to him, it could be my presence.
“No matter what happens, keep hold of Jack and stay out of the way” I tell Levi.
Everything is quiet; we are all still, stood there facing each-other in a stand-off sort of thing. I’m waiting for Ivan to make his move but he doesn’t budge, he just stares. Then, silence is broken, he speaks.
“You think you have the power to defeat me….” He laughs.
“I don’t claim to have any power but I will not give you what you want” I stand my ground.
His face turns and its evil, angry, in a blink he is there in-front of me grabbing me and throwing me across the floor. I look up at Levi who seems to want to run out to save me but I tell him no, he knows he needs to protect Jack.
“You are nothing, I will rise again and I will reign once more” he states as he lifts his hands into the air.
I stand to fight, I’m in so much pain, I got cuts and bruises all over from being thrown about, I see that, that thing that took Jack is behind me, he is watching with an evil smile on his face.
“You will rot in hell” I tell him.
He comes towards me and grabs my neck, why always the fucking neck!
“LEAVE MY MUMMY ALONE!” Jack screams.
He turns to look and I find the strength to punch him in the face, he cowers in pain and drops me. I stand before him, I find every piece of courage I have inside my body, I feel the wind of the hurricane blowing, it’s like an angry storm, it’s trying to distract me.
“You can conjure whatever storm you like but you will not beat me, he is my son, I love him, I will never let you take that away from me, you deserve to burn in hell, do you understand, you cannot have me and you cannot have him either, you have nothing, you are nothing, and you do not have the power to take my soul from me” my words are strong.
Ivan falls to the floor, it’s as if he has lost all strength, his followers retreat, I think I done it, they all seem so weak, in-front me they start disappearing as if they are or were nothing.
I turn to the ghosts behind me “You’re free, go now, leave this place” I shout.
Without them he has no strength, no power, nothing, without my soul or Jack's he is weak, he begins to waste away before my eyes, like he is nothing. I see Jay, he comes towards me, he seems, well, whole again “You have to get out of here”
“Wait why hasn’t the win
d stopped” I ask.
“Because his soul is dying, this place will collapse, it’s only a figment of his ghostly mind, RUN!” he shouts.
Ghosts seem to be whole again as they start to rise in the darkness above and leave. I grab Levi and Jack and we rung through the town, through the wind and the storm to get out. We end up back by the road where I was when I first got here.
“How do we get out?” Levi asks worried.
“I don’t know” I panic. “Jay how do we get out” I ask worried.
“I can only take one of you, I can’t take you all” he looks sad and scared.
“Don’t worry baby-girl we are here for you” a calm voice speaks.
I look “Mum? Dad?” tears fill my eyes, “But how are you here?”
“We are here to help you, everyone hold hands”
They smile softly at me; it makes me feel warm, loved, safe. We all hold hands and the wind is so strong I almost feel breathless, I close my eyes tightly and it goes dark.
I feel warm and I feel a light, I open my eyes, I’m lying on my kitchen floor, Jack is beside me in Levi’s arms.
“Oh thank god you’re back” the psychic hovers over me.
She helps us all up and I look around, they’ve gone, Jay, my Mum, my Dad, they have gone.
“Wondering where they are aren’t you?” she asks.
“Yes” I whisper all upset.
“They brought you here and went back to where they are at peace, you did that, you defeated him, now they’re all free” she smiles.
“But I wanted to say goodbye one last time” I sob.
“I’m sure they know that”
“How did I defeat him, how did I set them free?” I ask confused.
“Because you found strength against him, it weakened him and you weakened him to the point he could no longer fight back and those ghosts or souls he had captured felt his hold over them break, that’s how they managed to be free, plus the tie between you and Jack never broke” she smiles and strokes my cheek.
