Out of line?
He just fileted my fiancé’s throat and gleefully laughed as he lay dying. But only his words were “out of line?”
He reached out to my face but I swatted his hand away like a disgusting fly. “Don’t touch me!”
He took a step back, surprised by my outburst, and so I aggressively took this opportunity to flee. Pushing past him, I made a beeline for the staircase but he was too quick and grabbed my wrist. I ripped my hand away and slapped the side of Adrian’s face as hard as I could. He was still in a crouching position and the blow of my hand knocked him completely on his back. Using his moment of vulnerability, I spun around and headed for the marble stairs.
Adrian was not about to give up that easily.
He lunged, face first, across the floor and reached for my ankle, doing everything he could to keep me with him. His grip was so forceful it was like a cement block pulling my entire body to him. My ankle flew backwards as my upper body began to free fall into the darkness.
The last thing I heard was the sound of my head cracking against the marble step. I felt the rush of warm liquid spilling onto the cold floor.
Then, nothing.
Chapter 10
God Hates Us
I was still in the Garden. It was my last night with Samael and we were desperate to break this curse that was about to be thrust upon us.
I clutched Samael’s mother’s necklace tightly with one hand as I held my other palm up toward Samael. He brought it to his lips.
“Not a day shall pass that I will not think of you, my sweet Eve,” he promised.
His words ripped through me, causing a shudder of pain because I knew once I passed through the gates my memories would be ripped away; stolen by his cruel, heartless Father. The thought of my life without Samael seemed unbearable, but a life where I did not remember him was simply not worth living.
“I can’t go on without you,” I cried. He forced a smile of reassurance on his face but the concern in those green eyes could not be concealed.
“Do not fear, Eve. I shall find you. I will always find you.”
He gripped my hand tight and with his other hand, he swiftly slid the sharp blade of the ruby dagger across my palm. He then did the same to his own hand. Together we let our blood drip into the necklace. He snapped the locket shut and placed the chain around my neck. Kissing me, he made me promise once again to never remove the necklace until I grew old and neared my last breath on earth. At that time, I was instructed to pass it down to my next of kin, for the necklace was to be a talisman which would hold our blood, our souls, and our memories. Forever and a day.
Although we both knew better not to trust the wicked man we called the Snake, we had no other option. Samjaza had offered his help at a time when we could not afford to refuse it. Our blood on the necklace was the next of many steps the Snake had in store for us. After our blood was mixed within the necklace we were to take the pendant back to Samjaza and he would place his magic in it. The necklace would forever act as Samael’s guide to me.
Again, I began to get second thoughts when I thought of living the rest of my days without the man I loved. “I beg of you, Samael. Do not leave me in this hell forever.”
He spoke the same promise. “I shall not rest until I am with you again.” He grabbed my face and kissed me fiercely. “Now come, we must meet Samjaza tonight and learn of the next task.”
***
I watched intently as Samael took a nervous breath, attempted to regain his composure, and flashed me his confident smile before knocking on the rickety wooden door.
The old man cracked the door open and peeked his pale gray eye out at Samael and me. As soon as he saw that we had come together, a slick smile spread across his face, revealing his jagged yellow teeth as his eyes darted back and forth between the two of us.
“Ahh…the young Prince has arrived. And he brought his delicate flower with him,” he cackled, waving his long dark hand at us.
It made me nervous the way the Snake was staring at me, probing me with his unsightly, beady eyes. Samael sensed my unease and placed his body in front of mine. I clasped my hands tightly around his shirt, never wanting to let him go.
Samjaza smirked. “We both know very well that your Father would not approve of our meeting.”
Samael grew impatient with every passing second that was not being used to enhance our situation. He was not in the mood to listen to the Snake’s commentary and it was causing my lover to shift his weight from one foot to the other.
“My Father is not aware of the everyday activities I occupy myself with, Samjaza. He is not my keeper.”
“Oh, on the contrary, my friend,” the evil man boasted with a hearty laugh. “Was it not your Father’s specific instruction to have Eve banished from the Garden in the first place? After he found out about your indiscretions, or as you put it, everyday activities?”
Now Samael was beyond impatient and I sensed he was a little nervous too as he scanned the surrounding fields, seeking out any possible spies of his Father.
“Will you let us inside or not, Samjaza? I’ve brought gold and plenty of it,” he said in a hushed, but firm whisper.
“Oh foolish boy. You know as well as I it is not gold that I seek.”
“I’ll do whatever you ask, just let us inside. Now make haste, please!” Samael begged.
The Snake smiled a repulsive smile and opened the door wider. “That’s more like it. Come in children, yes…by all means, come in.”
Samael took my hand as he shoved his way past the Snake and we entered the hut. I could tell by his movements that Samael was becoming more frustrated with every second he spent with Samjaza. Although we were at the Snake’s mercy and needed him badly, it did not change the fact Samael still despised the wicked man.
Once inside, Samael began to explain the situation at hand but before he finished his sentence, Samjaza reached out toward my neck and slipped the pendant off. He dipped it in a brew of bubbling red liquid that was roasting over a fire in a cauldron.
“I told you, child, I’ve been expecting you. There’s no need to explain. We all know why you’re here.”
He began chanting a phrase of Latin words over and over for what seemed like hours. The entire hut was smothered in a massive wave of heat and I wasn’t sure how much more I could take of these unbearable conditions. Not only was it hot, but the stench of the dead animals that lined the entire perimeter of the hut made my stomach churn with overwhelming nausea. I glanced over at Samael and I could see he was also suffering in these conditions.
His entire cotton shirt was drenched in sweat and his black hair was matted across his forehead. Upon seeing my face contorted in discomfort, he began to scan the hut in search of some water, but saw no basin in site.
“My lady is in need of refreshment. She is in distress,” Samael said forcefully.
The Snake ignored his request as he remained in his place above the boiling cauldron. “The soul is the most powerful source to the body.” His eyes remained shut. “But without a body the soul cannot live.”
More interested in answers than water, both Samael and I stood silently, waiting for the old man to continue. The Snake opened one gray eye and stared directly at Samael. “At least, not without magic.”
He walked across the room and swiftly placed the brass chain back around my neck, where it belonged. “The pendant has been enchanted. Eve is ready to make her journey now.”
The two men stood and stared at each other for minutes in silence. I could see by the look on my lover’s face that he was not convinced concerning the promise the Snake had made about my enchanted necklace.
Finally Samael said, “Then what…how do I find her after she leaves?”
His voice began to rise with each additional question he asked. He was desperate for answers, ironic since he was addressing the biggest liar in the universe.
“Eve’s soul will go into the necklace and wait until you are able to find her ag
ain and free it,” Samjaza explained while shrugging his shoulders, as if it were common knowledge.
Samael put his hand to his face and began stroking his chin as he bent forward. I could see he was trying to remain calm but the Snake’s nonchalant demeanor was getting the better of him.
“And do you think you might discover a way to free me from these forsaken gates?” Samael growled, trying ever so hard to contain his burning fury.
I understood his anger, as I was feeling much of the same. Our time was running out and I was beginning to feel we had just wasted the last hour with an old, impotent fool.
“Of course I can,” Samjaza replied with a wave of his bony hand. “But that will be discussed later. Meet me at the gates on the morrow and we will discuss the last step.” His gaze crept back to me and a smile stretched across his leathery face. “Make sure you bring the girl.”
“And what of payment?” Samael asked as we were both being pushed out of the hut by the tiny cretin.
“That too will be discussed later.”
I shot straight up, my breathing heavy and uneven. The dreams were back. And I was no longer a spectator. I had assimilated the identity of Eve. Adrian was right when he told me I was she.
I wiped the sweaty mess of brown hair off my forehead and searched around the dark room. I needed to find Adrian and tell him I remembered his words. I had to inform him the Snake did live up to his word and we could be together again.
But then I remembered who I was and where I was, and more importantly, what he had done. I had awakened from my dream and was now thrown back into the reality of my nightmare. Did it really matter if my dreams were true?
Adrian was still a murderer. I couldn’t forget or ever forgive that fact.
The mausoleum was dark and empty. I searched the blackness but there was no trace of him.
He was gone.
I crawled over to Ray’s broken body. He was still lying in the exact spot I’d left him. Again, I tried to bring him to life but it was no use.
Dead.
Then I remembered the words Adrian had shouted after he’d killed Ray.
“I destroyed his perfect Adam.”
I knew now my dreams were not imaginary, they were real. And in believing them, I accepted the fact that I was Eve and Adrian was Samael. This also gave me hope because Adrian had called Ray, Adam.
Could it be possible that Ray was just as much a part of this absurdity as I was?
Could Ray’s soul have woken up someplace…in the Garden?
Oh my god.
Chapter 11
Seize the Day
Still in a daze from the night’s unspeakable events, I stumbled down the narrow cemetery path toward the exit.
Alone.
As I passed the two large oak trees, I didn’t even bother scanning their branches as I normally did in search of any nocturnal creatures. After seeing what I just saw, it was going to take much more than a couple of overweight raccoons to jolt me.
My undershirt was drenched in Ray’s blood and I was freezing. I didn’t bother to hide the bloody mess that was my shirt as I trudged down the broken, cracked street and headed back into town.
It was odd to think that just six months prior, Adrian and I had walked this same route together. That had been the first night we met. Ray and I had just begun to spiral out of control and in walked Adrian, with perfect timing. But in hindsight, I guess Adrian had always been there with me, somewhere in the shadows of my life waiting to bring me back into his reality. Where we could live as Eve and Samael.
But where was he now?
I finally saw with my own eyes who I was, and now it seemed as though he had disappeared.
I had so many unanswered questions but he had abandoned me.
Somehow I found myself sitting on the cathedral steps of St. Catherine’s church. It was pitch black as the sun had set behind the golden hills hours ago. I felt like my soul had faded along with the daylight. It had evolved into darkness and enveloped my entire body in its black, mysterious aura. I felt so empty.
The blackness of the night promised to wash away all the sins of the prior day and allow me to start anew when the morning sun would rise, or so I desperately hoped.
If only that were true. If only we could have a do over of this day.
God, I missed him.
I wrapped my arms tightly across my chest and dropped my head into my shivering lap. All I could think of was Ray all alone inside that dark, dank mausoleum. His shimmery blond hair matted in that thick red fluid, his big sinewy neck, gaping open like a gazelle being torn apart by lions.
Adrian was right about that movie we’d watched, but he had the characters confused. Ray wasn’t Tom Buchanan, he was Gatsby. I’d had my Gatsby all along. Everything Ray did, he had done for me. He had accumulated a small fortune, the accompanying fame so he could marry and provide for me. But I refused to see it. Instead I wallowed in self-pity and played the role of sad little Sidney who could never figure out how to be happy. I had ruined it all. It turned out I was just as selfish as Daisy and now because of my choices, Ray was dead.
“Sidney, is that you?” a gentle voice called from behind me.
I didn’t have to turn around to know who the voice belonged to. “Yes, Father Renley, it’s me. I’m sorry, did I disturb you?” I asked as I climbed to my feet, ready to move on and take my loitering somewhere else.
“Not at all, my child.” The good priest paused while he looked me over, his face full of concern. “Are you hurt?”
I touched my head where it had smacked against the marble stairs after Adrian had tried to stop me from leaving. There was a trickle of dried red that seemed to run all the way from my hairline to my neck. My clothes were soaked with Ray’s blood. I could only imagine what an awful mess I must have appeared to the clergyman.
I looked up at Father Renley to gauge his reaction. He had stopped a good distance away from me, clutching his bible to his chest. He looked as if he may have been looking into the eyes of Satan himself, which at this point he very well could have been.
Or, at least his bride.
The last thought hit me deeply as I realized perhaps all this could have been prevented had I listened to Ray and his family in the first place.
“I still haven’t gotten baptized,” I blurted out, wide-eyed and crazed.
“There’s still time for that, Sidney,” the reverend reassured me.
“I don’t want to be forsaken, Father Renley. I want to go to heaven.”
I’ll try to believe. I promise I will.
“Of course, my child, of course.”
But Father Renley did not move from his step. I don’t think he understood the urgency of my dilemma; I needed to be baptized now. It was the only way for me to be saved. “If I’m baptized, then I’m forgiven, right?”
Now the Father showed great lines of concern in his face as he asked for some clarification. “Forgiven for what, Sidney?”
I shook my head. “Something terrible has happened to Ray,” I said as calmly as possible.
“I’ll call for help right away,” he said as he turned and rushed through the heavy wooden doors of the church. I stared at them as I considered following him. But crossing through those doors seemed to be an impossible task for me; they were the doors to salvation. A place and a concept I supposed would never welcome me again.
I took this time to stand up and silently depart as I continued my journey into the cold dark night.
Chapter 12
Bury Me in Black
Once I reached the locked door, I realized that I had left my purse and keys back at the mausoleum with Ray. I stood in the shadows on the porch, banging on the front door of Granny’s house. It looked like someone had taken the liberty to board up the broken front window.
I continued to pound.
Please be home, Chrissy. Let me inside.
Finally, the door swung open.
Chrissy stood inside the doorway staring at me with
a look of indifference. I guess she was still deciding whether or not to be angry with me from our earlier spat.
Then she apparently decided to forgive and forget as she rambled on. “Sidney. Thank God you’re okay! I went to take a shower this afternoon and when I got out, the front window was smashed in. Emmy’s just fine, but I was totally freaked when I couldn’t find you. Speaking of your Granny, I have some epic news about her. I’ve been calling you all night, why haven’t you answered your phone?”
Finally taking a breath, she turned to flick the porch light on. Suddenly seeing me under the light, she let out a shriek. I just stood there on the porch, shivering in the cold, unable to provide the answers I knew Chrissy was burning to ask.
“Have you seen Adrian?” I calmly asked.
Chrissy didn’t know how to respond to the question or anything else I would have said, for that matter.
All she could do was stare at my blood-stained shirt as she shook her head, “Of course I haven’t seen Adrian, even if I had, I would have trouble recognizing him. Have you forgotten that he’s your most guarded secret and you refuse to let me meet him?”
I took a step into the house and Chrissy jumped back, afraid to get near the ungodly mess that I was.
“Sidney, you’re freaking me out. Today you went crazy telling me that some kind of evil spirit was after you, and then our front window was broken, and now you’re covered in…what is that?”
I stared at her horror-stricken face. I could feel how dry and bloodshot my eyes were and I wasn’t even sure if I had blinked in the last five minutes. “Blood,” I answered as I dragged my feet over to the couch. I looked up at her and whispered in a conspiratory tone. “Ray’s blood.”
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