Where All Souls Meet

by S. E. Campbell

  "Pazuzu," Lamashtu said. "Our lord is going to be unhappy if his plan is bungled because of her. Maybe she'll even be strung up by her fangs for two hundred years. Come with me, human."

  Lamashtu appeared in front of Eden in a flash and then began to drag her down the stairs. Eden’s arm burned where the demoness gripped her and heat came pouring in from all sides. The stairs groaned under foot and she wondered whether it would be the last thing she would ever hear.

  Lamashtu yanked Eden toward the door at the bottom of the stairs, which was already aflame, and slammed her fist against the door. The smoldering wood crumbled beneath her demonic blow. A moment later, Lamashtu hauled Eden out into the perpetual night. In the distance, Eden could make out the glow of lanterns and saw figures holding them. She dragged her eyes away from the lanterns when a black blur came from the right. A figure began to morph from the darkness, becoming larger and larger. The darkness fell away like a cloak, revealing a monstrous being beneath. The figure was hideous, even more hideous than Lamashtu.

  Twelve foot tall Pazuzu had the panting head of a pit bull with two red-rimmed eyes that bulged like billiards from her head, a long scorpion's tail, and four greasy black bat wings. She let out an angry growl when she saw them. Her whip-like tail snapped the air. A horrible stench surrounded the demon, similar, yet different at the same time, to what Eden had smelled on other demons.

  When Eden was eight, she had visited her next-door neighbor, Cecile, in the hospital when she got cancer. She remembered the pungent scent in Cecile's room. It was the smell of illness, the same smell draped around Pazuzu. A red mist floated around her new nemesis, and Eden had not doubt that had she been alive, she would have been struck with plague, her skin festering with boils. Eden was surprised Pazuzu and Asag had not formed an alliance.

  "Hello, Lamashtu," Pazuzu said, her voice deep and resonating.

  "What are you doing here?" Lamashtu demanded. "Shouldn't you be up on Earth spreading disease?"

  "I was summoned here," Pazuzu said. "I heard you were doing something important, and you know how I love to show you just how inferior you are."

  The growl Eden heard caused a chill to run up her back. She wanted to run away, but Lamashtu still had a firm hand on her arm.

  "I am not inferior," Lamashtu said, then broke out into a string of curses.

  The ground shook beneath Pazuzu's feet and her bulging black eyes began to glow red. A long, snake-like tongue flipped from her mouth.

  "Prove it," Pazuzu said.

  Lamashtu stared at Eden for just a second and tightened her grip.

  "You," Lamashtu said. "Do not move, do you understand me?"

  Eden didn't say a word. With a grunt, Lamashtu turned and hurled herself at Pazuzu. The demon tackled her to the ground, leaving a dent in the earth. Meanwhile, Eden searched around desperately for her friends' lamps in the distance and discovered they weren't there anymore. Her stomach sunk with disappointment. If she moved now, the Raiders would stop her. She needed a lamp in order to make it to safety.

  Eden watched Pazuzu hit Lamashtu across the face with her lion's claws; Lamashtu did the same in return. Bloody scratch marks covered Lamashtu's cheek and a piece of fur hung down. Lamashtu panted and then dissolved in a puddle of green sludge on the ground. Pazuzu found her at once and kicked her, splattering liquid everywhere. A moment later, Lamashtu re-formed and stood up, shaking in anger.

  "You," Lamashtu said, completely focused on Pazuzu.

  Eden took a step back and saw a flicker of light. It wasn’t from the orange fires which devoured the demons' fortress. Turning around, she saw somebody lingering beyond the enflamed building some distance from her. A familiar face appeared from beyond the lamp. It was Yuri and, beside him, Thema.

  "Eden, come on," Yuri said. "We've come for you."

  Nodding, Eden sprinted toward him; the light from his anti-Raider lamp shrouded her and blocked out the mist. There was the sound of booming as Lamashtu and Pazuzu continued to wrestle each other.

  "Run," Yuri said.

  She didn't need to be told twice.

  Shuddering, Eden locked hands with Yuri. Thema ran by their side. Every once in a while, Eden tossed a look over her shoulder and glanced at the two demons still immersed in the heat of battle. Lamashtu and Pazuzu’s screams were audible to the human souls even as they fled into the darkened woods.

  "Talk about good luck," Eden said. "I never thought I'd be happy to see a demon. Pazuzu saved me."

  "It wasn't luck, idiot," Thema said. "We brought her here. People in the old days did it all the time. Pazuzu saved babies from Lamashtu."

  "That's… nice." Eden frowned.

  "No, it isn’t," Thema said. "She doesn't do it to be nice. She does it because she's a demon and hates Lamashtu. Most of the times she gives the child pestilence when she steals them from Lamashtu who just would have devoured them. It’s why we’ve got to get your out of here before she decides she wants to be on you too."

  "And there's something else," Yuri said gently.

  "Something else?" Eden groaned. "What is it? Are the dead trees turning into Satan Spawn or is the world going to implode within twenty-four hours? It just might with my luck."

  Yuri slowed his pace and frowned. "Eden, we found your mom while you were away. We were looking for somebody to help us summon Pazuzu and, well, we ran into her in Gabriel."

  A wall of knee-crumbling emotions hit Eden. She had no choice but to slow down as her mind spun. Mom. They found my mom? She had been looking for her for so long that she could hardly fathom the thought of actually knowing where she was. It didn't even matter that they weren't far enough away from Lamashtu and Pazuzu to suit her liking. She saw her mom's face in her head and felt happiness, confusion, and fear. She remembered the dark truth that Agares had seen in the darkness of her heart.

  A groan escaped Eden’s throat.

  Thema stared at her, frowning. "I… don't understand. You've been searching for your mom ever since you came here. Aren't you happy? Don't you want to see her right away?"

  She had yet another flashback to the most awful moment of her life, the moment when her mom had abandoned her.

  "You were going to abandon me," Eden yelled. "You were going to leave me here."

  Her mom stared at her with wide eyes. "You would be much better off with your father. He can take care of you."

  "You are so full of it." Eden grabbed a fistful of bed sheets in her hand and balled it in her fist. "Admit it. You are just too selfish—"

  "Eden, come on."

  "—and too immature to bring me along." Eden's eyes narrowed. "You were always like that. You've always made it perfectly clear you've never wanted me. Well, guess what? Maybe I don't want you either."

  The air in the room grew cold. Her mom seized the suitcase on the bed and forced the top down with a loud thud. Eden was still too angry and couldn't contain her emotions. Her mom, the selfish witch, was abandoning her. She followed her mom as she headed to the stairs.

  Eden followed her mom to the stairway. As her mother descended, Eden watched.. Her mom seized the front door and opened it, and Eden felt more of her angry mutant feelings bubble inside of her.

  "I hate you," Eden yelled. "I hope you die."

  Eden dropped to her knees and shook her head.

  "Eden?" Yuri asked, grabbing her shoulder. "Are you… all right?"

  "I have faced demons, Satan himself, and monsters beyond my wildest imagination," Eden said. "I never thought the hardest thing I would ever have to do is face my life’s biggest mistake."

  A confused expression crossed Thema's face, but Yuri's eyes were filled with knowing as he offered Eden his hand. She realized this was her chance to wipe the slate clean with her mom, no matter how she responded. She was conflicted; she wanted desperately to see her mom, and yet, she was afraid. She just couldn't believe the moment was finally here.

  "Take me to her," Eden said.

  Yuri paused for a second and then embraced he
r, his lips pressing gently down on hers. Shock filled her as she tasted his sweet mouth. Normally, his kiss would have filled her with overwhelming electricity, but now all she could think about was the dilemma she faced with her mother. A moment later, he pulled away.

  "You are the bravest girl I have ever met," Yuri said. "Don't forget it. No matter what happens with your mom."

  "Thanks, Yuri." Though right now, I don't feel like it's true.

  ****

  As Eden walked and stared at her friends' lanterns glowing, it felt as though her mind was filled with hornets. So many thoughts consumed her head at once that all she could hear was a loud buzzing. She didn't realize it was possible to be so excited, anxious, and worried at the same time. The emotions bouncing around her mind had the potential to break her psyche like an eggshell. Still, she had to be strong. She didn't have just herself to care about. She had the world to care about, too.

  The glowing lanterns grew closer. Eden trudged through the brush, knowing soon she would be with her mom. Before long, she would either be heartbroken or fulfilled. She felt Yuri's hand on her shoulder and for the first time, it did little to calm her.

  Eden stepped out from beyond the trees and saw her mom. Rebecca stood with a strange man at her side. Eden didn't know if it was the time they'd spent apart, but somehow, her mom appeared even more beautiful than she had before. Her red hair glistened in the lantern's light and her eyes were large on her flawless face. She was taller than Eden remembered, though there was no way that she could have grown. One thing was certain, though. This was truly her mom.

  "Eden," her mom said, eyes widening in shock.

  "Mom," Eden said, and then she took two steps forward and gazed at her. The last words she had spoken echoed in her ears.

  "I hate you," Eden yelled. "I hope you die."

  "Mom," Eden said. "I'm so sorry about everything I said. It was me who caused you to die. If you weren't thinking about me… If I hadn't been so selfish… I… I…"

  There. She had said it. Eden fell to her knees and hid her face in her hands. Rebecca approached her, somehow still wearing high heels despite everything that had happened, and kneeled in front of her. Her eyes were big and sad.

  "I'm… I'm sorry too," her mom said.

  Eden's eyes flew open. Was this really her mom? She had never apologized in her life.

  "Really?" Eden asked.

  "Yeah," her mom said. "Did you mean what you said when I was leaving you? Do you hate me?"

  "No." Eden shook her head vigorously, and she realized one truth Agares had gotten wrong. Yes, a part of her hated her mom, but the part which loved her was stronger and that part had thrived. "I love you, Mom. I love you so much."

  Eden reached for her mom and opened her arms wide; Rebecca hesitated before wrapping her arms around Eden's back. Eden felt herself being ripped from Purgatory, and she thought, Wait, what? No.

  Her mom was her fifth soul. The woman who had abandoned her had the greatest kind of love. It took Eden all the strength she had to digest the fact.

  Chapter Seven

  Darkness surrounded Eden again as she searched for something to help her get a grasp on reality. No matter how many times she was thrown into this world, confusion was as pressing as the darkness around her. Far down below her, there remained the same white disk of light. She catapulted toward it fast and found herself standing by a bed. For the first time, Eden was all the things she had wanted to be when she was alive. She was tall but curvy with perfect hair. Eden felt her mind meld with her mom's; her mom's thoughts danced in her consciousness as if they were her own.

  Rebecca headed toward the mirror and gazed into it. This Rebecca was young, eighteen, with perfect pale skin and arched eyebrows. Her hair was long, wavy, and tousled. She wore a short skirt which grazed her upper thighs and would have revealed everything had she bent over.

  I need to lose weight before the show. Rebecca gripped her non-existent stomach and groaned. The fashion show means more to me than anything.

  After somebody knocked on the door, Rebecca whirled around.

  "Ms. Badman, your friend, Ms. Smithfield has arrived," a male voice said.

  "Send her in," Rebecca said. "Do what you always do."

  "Just one moment," the man said.

  Rebecca continued to examine her reflection. A moment later the door opened and a blonde-haired girl with big blue eyes and high cheek bones stepped in the room. The blonde was two inches taller than Rebecca who was already 6'3. Unlike Rebecca, though, this woman was painfully thin and had no curves. There were bags under her eyes.

  "Oh, Lizzy," Rebecca said. "What happened? You look…"

  Skeletal. Gross. "Thin."

  Lizzy grinned weakly and sat on the bed. "I still have five pounds to lose. Last week, the photographer wouldn't take me. He said I had to go home and get some rest. I knew what he truly meant. Come back when you lose those pounds."

  Rebecca sat on the bed next to Lizzy. "He didn't mean it. I think he meant you were too thin and you look… you look…"

  The last time I told her the truth, she got so angry with me she wouldn't look me in the eye for a week.

  "Just spit it out," Lizzy said, picking at her fingernails. "What is it? What's wrong with me?"

  "You look sick," Rebecca said truthfully.

  "Sick," Lizzy said, leaping into the standing position. "You are just horrible. Just because you get to do a fashion show—"

  "Come on," Rebecca said. "Don't be such a drama queen. It's ridiculous."

  As her friend glanced at the door in defiance, Rebecca stood and positioned herself so Lizzy couldn’t leave. The model tried to push past her but was so weak she couldn’t even jostle her. In frustration, Rebecca grabbed her arm.

  "This is silly," Rebecca said. "You know I love you."

  "Hmph."

  "How long has it been since you last ate, Lizzy?" Rebecca asked.

  In silence, Lizzy regarded her with gritted teeth. Lizzy stormed past her and rushed out the door, slamming it shut behind her.

  Oh, man. Here we go again. Everybody at the salon is going to hear about what a selfish idiot I am.

  Rebecca swore, and then walked toward the door. When she opened it, the male housekeeper, who had been cleaning a vase on an expensive looking dresser, gazed at her with concern. She wondered whether he had been listening to them fight.

  "Going somewhere, Ms. Badman?" he asked.

  "The pier," Rebecca said.

  "You've been going there a lot lately, Ms. Badman," he said.

  "Yeah, yeah." Rebecca frowned. "Do you know if my parents will actually be home today, or will they be out flitting who knows where again?"

  "Mrs. Badman sent me a schedule informing me she and Mr. Badman will be in Sydney for the next week and a half." His grey-blue eyes softened. "Did Mrs. Badman not inform you she was leaving?"

  No, of course she didn't.

  But Rebecca loathed the pity in the servant's eyes. She knew he had seen her suffer for the past eighteen years. He had started working at their house the year she was born.

  "I'm going," Rebecca said, frowning at the wood floor. "Don't wait up."

  "Be careful with the boy you're meeting, Ms. Badman."

  Eden was jerked from Rebecca's memory and hovered someplace in-between. Eden had known her grandparents were wealthy, but not wealthy enough to have a mansion. They had had a servant, even. Had her mom truly given all of it up? She frowned at the revelation as the darkness swarmed her and she shot downward toward the disk of light yet again.

  When Eden entered the disk, she blinked and tried to get her bearings straight. She was Rebecca wearing a black and green checkered suit with shimmering beads on the hem. Rebecca's hair had been teased up into a tight knot at the back of her head and her lipstick was a vivid slash of red. Judging by the stage, she was at some sort of fashion walk. A female makeup artist walked up behind Rebecca and tugged at the edge of the suit.

  "Hi, Kiki."

  Not he
r again. Bother.

  "Oh, you look so beautiful," Kiki said. "I love it when they give you a green suit to go with your red hair."

  "Thank you," Rebecca said.

  Is it time for me to go on yet?

  "I bet you are just thrilled you get to go to Fashion Week," Kiki said. "Aren’t you?"

  "Yes," Rebecca answered. "Anybody would, right?"

  "I have never even stepped foot in Europe," Kiki said. "I would just die if I—"

  The stage director, a short, plump man in a white suit, waved Rebecca over to where a line of girls stood.

  "What are you doing, Rebecca?" the stage director asked. "Get over here. Now."

  "Sorry, sir," Rebecca said.

  Safe. Rebecca grinned and nodded at Kiki before walking toward the line. As she moved, she heard the sound of the phone ringing to her right. One of the stage crew grabbed it and answered and to her shock, he whirled around and gazed at her. Most of the crew knew the names of the models because they were regulars.

  "For you," he said.

  "I can't come. Not now." Rebecca frowned. "I'mabout to start."

  Who would call me now? She shook her head at the man and then headed to the line of other models, fluffing her hair. To her shock, the man persisted and followed her.

  She whipped around and glared at the man.

  "What is it?" she asked.

  "Your friend," he said. "She was sent to the hospital. I thought you would want to at least know."

  "What?" Rebecca said. "Who?..."

  But then she realized there was only one person it could be. Lizzy.

  "Lizzy, oh no," she said.

  The model in front of her moved to head out onto the stage, her head held high. For a minute, Rebecca paused. My whole life, being a model is all I've ever wanted. Yet she stilled, took a step back, and then turned around and headed for the door.

  Eden was once again ripped from Rebecca's body and surrounded by darkness. She blinked in shock and glanced upward, toward the sky. My mom would give up her show for her friend? It was so hard to believe, after all she had been though with her mom. Before she could think through it, though, she was spiraling toward the white disk of light once more.