Where All Souls Meet

by S. E. Campbell

  Fourteen-year-old Eden sat at the table. A phone sat at the table next to her. She glanced down at her fingers, picking away at the fragile skin around her nails until it gave way to a trickle of blood. Her mom sauntered into the dining room and then paused when she saw Eden sitting at the table. She tucked a crimson strand of hair behind her ear, then pursed her lips in concern.

  "What's the matter, Eden?" Rebecca asked.

  Eden hesitated before answering her mom. Talking about her dad with her mom was the equivalent of deliberately running headlong into a brick wall. When her mom laid eyes on the phone next to her, though, she didn't end up needing to respond at all. Her mom expelled an annoyed sigh.

  "So Osier didn't call you again." Rebecca sat at the table and crossed her legs.

  "He probably had a meeting." Tears threatened to fall from Eden's eyes as she bit her bottom lip. The pressure it took to swallow her tears made her feel as though she had a prickly cactus stuck in her throat. "That's all. He'll call any minute now."

  Her mom stared at the phone. "Eden, you know it's one o'clock in the morning in Frankfurt right now. He isn't going to call you."

  "But he promised." Eden pressed her hands harder against the table.

  For a moment, her mom stared at her silently. Even now, when her mom had on minimal makeup, Eden was struck by how beautiful she was with her high cheek bones and glowing eyes. I wonder if there are parts of us that are similar at all, she thought. "Eden, I…" Her mom stared at her as if she wanted to say something, but then she didn't.

  "Mom?" Eden stared at her mom with wide eyes.

  Her mom shook her head. It looked as though she was trying to force a thought out of her ear. "Eden, I was looking through some of my old clothes the other day. I kept some of them from when I was younger. I have one in particular I think would fit you. Would you like to try it on?"

  Eden's eyes widened in shock as she glanced down at her own clothes. She wore a pair of blue jeans and a baggy, faded sweatshirt. Her mom had never offered her clothes before. Her mom always guarded her old things with the bared teeth of a pit bull. The way Rebecca treated her closet, it could have been lined with solid gold.

  "I would like that," Eden said.

  "Good." Her mom's grin widened. "Come on, then. Up, up."

  After Rebecca leapt to her feet, Eden stood up too then shadowed her mom as she walked up the stairs. Confusion rained down on her. Why is Mom doing this? she wondered.

  Her mom entered her bedroom. The bedroom was as it always was. It had floorboards the color of beach sand and was painted ocean blue. The bedspread was white with a large princess canopy over it. A large walk-in closet stood at the back of the room.

  Rebecca turned and beckoned Eden inside. Eden followed her inside and was overwhelmed by the sea of clothes. From floor to ceiling were shelves heaped with shirts, sweaters and pants. She doubted a clothing store had more clothes. Despite her mom's brilliant collection, she didn't see a single clothing item of her dad's, not even a stray, lonely sock. She knew her dad slept a lot in the bedroom next door to hers and wondered whether he kept his clothes there.

  Her mom bent down underneath a rack with brightly colored dresses and vibrant shawls.

  "The dress should be…" Rebecca rifled through stacks of shoes then pulled out a box. "Ah-hah. I kept all of my old clothes in here."

  "Will it fit me?" Eden glanced down at herself. Compared to her curvy mom, she was a flat-chested surfboard.

  "Yes." Rebecca opened the box and started to pull out multiple dresses. "At least, I think it will. I wore it when I was sixteen. You're taller now than I ever was. Thinner, too."

  It sounded almost like a compliment. Eden was so shocked she didn't know what to say. Normally, her mom was as likely to give out compliments as she was to stab herself in the eye with a fork.

  "I found it," her mom said, springing to her feet with a grin on her face.

  In her hand, she held a bright blue dress which was cut lower than Eden would have ever worn. Eden didn't like her body much and went out of her way to hide it. The dress was like a neon billboard begging for attention. Still, as she gazed at her mom's earnest and excited face, she received the dress with hope. If her mom said the dress would look good, then maybe it would.

  "I'll wait outside, all right?" Her mom touched her shoulder tenderly then left the closet.

  Eden gazed at the dress with a tingling of apprehension, but she slithered out of her clothes and left them lying on the ground. Even while lying on the floor, the drab clothes appeared to be taunted by the shimmering, brightly colored outfits on the racks. This will be fine, Eden thought, holding the dress in front of her and expelling a shaky sigh. She pulled on the blue dress and was shocked when the material didn't droop or drape awkwardly, not even on her small chest.

  "Well?" her mom probed. "Do you have it on yet?"

  "Yes." Eden stepped out into the bedroom, still in shock at how well the dress fit.

  Her mom gasped when she saw her.

  "Does it look okay?" Eden nervously wiped away imaginary dirt on the fabric.

  "It looks great." Her mom seized her hand and yanked her in front of the full-length mirror on the wall. "You're so beautiful, Eden."

  As Eden stood there with the blue fabric swirling, she felt tears fill her eyes for a different reason. As her mom smoothed down a snag in her blonde hair, she felt beautiful for the first time in her life.

  Her mom finally releasing her brought her back to reality. With a quivering hand, she traced Eden's cheek with her thumb. Eden saw love in her mother’s eyes. Why now? Why when I have to leave, possibly for good? She stepped back before she could give up on her task. She had a job to do.

  Then, before Yuri could grab her again, she sprinted straight into the hands of the Devil with the sound of Yuri's angry cries behind her as her friends held him back.

  Chapter Nine

  Eden stepped forward onto the main street of Gabriel. The vapors clung to her feet and she shuddered as the scent of metal filled the air. When she made it into the city square, she stared forward toward a twenty foot throne seated at the front of the square. The throne was made from bones which had been crushed together. Eden could see the remains of what appeared to be a femur, a hand, and even the thin remains of a foot. Two skulls served as the hand rests. On top of that throne sat Satan.

  With dark, leering eyes, Satan stared down at her with all five of his heads — the rotting corpse, the snake, the hand, the demon, and the beautiful woman. Though Eden had replayed the last moments she had fought with the dark lord in her mind in the Other World a billion times, nothing, not even the awful, Morsus-induced visions he had sent her, could compare to seeing him for real. The air smelled of metal, rotting corpses, and the stink of old fish. Even the sound of the evil prince's deep, hoarse breathing reached her, as if, though he was fifty feet away, he breathed in her ear.

  "So you left your friends and came to face me instead," Satan said through the shriveled corpse head.

  The dark lord replaced his loud, thundering voice with a soft, almost sensuous whisper. It came from the woman's head instead. She realized he must have felt her fear.

  "Yes," Eden said. "I've come to face you for good. I won't run away this time. Not until I put you in your proper place."

  An ominous chuckle left Satan's throat.

  "I cannot tell if you are courageous or stupid," Satan said. "Maybe a little test will tell me."

  Satan lifted his hand; a force like Eden had never known picked her up off of the ground and drew her to him like a magnet. With a scream, she hurtled forward at an alarming pace. Satan grew closer and closer, bigger and bigger, until she collided with him and white hot pain filled her soul. Grasping her neck, Satan stared down at her until he hissed in pain, dropping her at the foot of his throne with a growl.

  "I thought my power was strong enough to fight the necklace," Satan said, standing up and shaking with anger. "It even blocks your thoughts from me. Come. Here
."

  "No!" Eden shrieked and crawled backward.

  No wonder Satan didn't care about her friends. He couldn't see her thoughts, so he didn't know he was minutes away from being defeated. She couldn’t let him know she’d been successful until the gates of heaven opened. Scrambling, she backed up but kept her eyes trained on Satan.

  "I can see the fear in your eyes. Wonderful. Is this about the beloved five God told you about?" Satan asked. "Do you think you could intimidate me with this information or hide it from me? Agares informed me of everything. He's been inside your head. He knows all about you and your four friends, which is why I decided I would make this personal and come after you myself. If there's one thing I hate, it's hope."

  Rebecca. He doesn't know I found Rebecca, the fifth soul. Eden wrapped her hand around her necklace. She reached for her sheath and pulled out her sword, determined to protect herself. At least, until the time came when the gates of heaven opened.

  "Really, now," Satan said. "A sword? Is that the best you can do? I am not even going to have to get up to play with you. Donovan, I am in the mood to watch a match."

  "Donovan?" she asked.

  Footsteps thundered on the ground. She turned and saw Donovan step out of the shadows of the building; he was flanked by two demons. She should have known he would be with Satan but wasn't sure if she was relieved or horrified. Satan she could fend off by keeping him busy with holy water and her holy necklace. Donovan, though, was human and, evil as he was, did not have demonic weaknesses. She could recall his prowess with weaponry. Just looking at his dark, greasy hair and pit-like eyes made her shiver.

  "Lord," Donovan said, turning to bow at the waist before Satan.

  "Play with her a little, will you?" Satan asked. "I want to see how weak she is without her friends to get her out of trouble."

  Eden pointed her sword at Donovan, even though she had the skills of a monkey brandishing a stick. Her hand trembled with fear. Donovan approached with a crooked grin on his face.

  "Let's see how strong you truly are," he taunted, pulling out his own sword.

  How was she going to get out of this? Maybe there was no way out. Not this time. She made a wild attempt at striking him, but Donovan caught her swing and drove her back. Playing with her. With a shaky gasp, Eden threw herself at him again, attempting to drive the blade out of his hand. Doing so felt like she was hitting a concrete statue. His fighting abilities were just too strong against an amateur like her. With an evil chuckle, Donovan ran at her with his weapon raised; she jumped backward into two freezing hands. She glanced over her shoulder and stared straight into two blazing red eyes. The eyes of one of the shadow demons. The smell of fire filled her nostrils. From Satan's massive throne, she heard a rumbling growl.

  The shadow demon thrust her straight at Donovan. Her opponent raised his sword at her again and Eden didn't bother with playing fair. She leapt back in the opposite direction, out of his reach and stopped.

  "Well, well, well," Satan's shriveled head said. "Not even brave enough to really fight. Darting around like a scared animal."

  Donovan grinned in Satan's direction and Eden saw her chance. Maybe he could block her with a sword, but she knew that demons and prideful people alike didn't expect surprises. He'd expect her to stab him, not tackle him. Narrowing her eyes, she rushed forward like a football linebacker and caught Donovan in the chest and sent him sprawling to the ground. Even on the ground, Donovan batted her sword aside, though his jaw was clenched. Instead of helping his servant, Satan threw back his head and let out a deep, booming laugh with all five of his heads as Donovan writhed beneath her, yelling profanities.

  "Get off of me," Donovan howled.

  With a yelp, Eden fell backward to the ground and rolled. Donovan raised his sword again, this time with a burning sea of malice in his eyes. She had humiliated him, and he did not like that. With a groan, she scrambled to her feet, but she once again felt two massive, cold hands grab her from behind and push her forward.. There were shadow demons everywhere. Eden released a gasp of fear.

  As Donovan glared at her with dark eyes, she shakily raised her sword and attempted to come at him. He grabbed her wrist with his free hand and yanked her to the ground as if she was nothing but a small child. She let out another cry and lay flat on her back for a moment, staring at the enflamed sky. Demons crowded her from all sides. Despite how scared she was, how her heart burned with panic, she struggled to her feet with her weapon quivering in front of her, prepared to fight to the end. And she was almost certain it must be the end.

  Donovan expertly flicked the blade out of her hand and it skirted along the ground with a loud, resounding tink. Time froze. Satan let out a deep, booming laugh.

  "This is the girl who defeated my demons and made them look like fools?" Satan said. "She's scared now, Donovan. Go after her. I want to enjoy her terror."

  When she took a step back and hit the building wall, she trembled. She cried out, moved to the right, and almost ran into two pairs of shadow demons. When she went left, she saw yet another pair of shadow demons. How many shadow demons were there? There truly was no hope for her to get away. With shaking hands, she stepped backward and turned around. The demons made a massive wall around her. They grew closer and closer, wheezing cold, misty breaths. A groan escaped her and a ball of fear choked her. The smell of death and fire was so overwhelming she wished she could rid herself of her nostrils completely.

  With a smirk on his face, Donovan approached her with his long, white fingers reaching for her. Cold. Demanding. Eden danced away and then sprinted toward the outer edge of the street. Two demons, as tall and as formidable as an army of giants, glared down at her with eyes. As she skidded to a stop in front of the demons and stole a frightened glance at Satan, who sat with all five of his mouths smirking at her horror, she panicked. She could hear Donovan walking toward her. He sounded calm as he moved slowly, like she wasn’t worth the trouble of running. Maybe it was a given she would lose, maybe God had planned this all along, but heaven help her, she was not going down without a fight.

  "Let. Me. Go." Eden glared at the demons, daring them to keep blocking her way. Neither of the demons so much as shuddered. Satan chuckled behind her, a deep, frightening sound which was like a dagger to the ear.

  "Let me go!" Eden screamed.

  The necklace burst into flames and exploded with energy. The blinding white light made the two demons let out high-pitched, bird-like wails as they stepped away from her. There was a mighty thud behind her as Satan stood up. Donovan stopped walking and broke into a run.

  Eden took off for the break between the demons and entered a dark alleyway. The darkness was like a veil, blinding her from what lay ahead. The light from her necklace illuminated the way, but evil could be lurking around any corner. The realization made her feet feel like ten-pound weights but it didn’t prevent her from going onwards.

  As Eden sprinted out the end of the alley and entered the square of the village, she began to realize something was wrong. This isn't right. This square should have been to the left of the village. Unless… Satan's five heads appeared in her mind, and the only thing that kept her running was the sound of Donovan's feet pounding on the ground behind her. She suddenly had the soul-tingling feeling that Satan wouldn't have let her escape so easily if he thought there was any real chance that she could.

  Eden fixed her sight on the steeple of the Blood Stone chapel and realized it was neither closer nor farther away than it had been before. The storm of uneasiness caused further thundering in her clouded mind. Still she pressed onward, heading for the next road. As she stumbled through it, she saw shadows and the top of a human-bone throne over their heads. Satan had used his powers to bring her back to him, to put her on a loop. She had no idea how, but she didn't care. Satan was the most powerful demon in existence. His strength did not shock her.

  With a cry, Eden turned and sprinted straight toward Donovan instead. One man or heaven knew how many demons and
Satan himself. She'd take the man. In the enclosed, pressing space of the alleyway, though, Donovan appeared more formidable than she could have ever imagined with his immense height. Eden looked into his eyes during that millisecond and saw they were merciless and dark. Cold. Evil. And Eden was heading right toward him without much of a plan besides keep running.

  When she was only a foot away from Donovan, she raised both her hands to shove him out of the way, but he was faster. He ducked beneath her right arm, caught her around the waist, and ripped her off of her feet. She fell to the ground with a resounding groan. A vapor of ectoplasm rose from her body and floated above her in a fine mist, showing her injury. Donovan glared down at her.

  "You thought you were going to get away, didn't you?" Donovan asked.

  Eden attempted to kick him in the knee. He responded by hopping backward easily and grabbing her by her long hair. He got in so close she could smell the stench of death on him.

  "Too bad I never met you when I was alive," Donovan whispered, nearing her face until they were centimeters away. "The things I would have done to you."

  A rush of rage for all the women Donovan had murdered coursed through her, and she caught her second wind. With a cry of anger, she shoved him in the chest and he, not expecting the hit, toppled onto his side. Eden cried and leapt to her feet. At the entrance of the alleyway, two demons stood, blocking the way completely. It was like a wall of pure black that had arisen from nowhere. If her necklace had saved her from them once, then maybe it could do it again. She leapt forward, arms pumping, and felt somebody grab her ankle. Donovan. She was moving too fast and could not stop her progress.

  One second, she was running. The next she was falling. The world spun as she flew. In those seconds, as she gazed at the two demons in front of her, everything slowed down. Fear registered in her brain so completely she could taste it, and she finally began to understand.