Cards of Death Box Set

by Tamara Geraeds

  Jeep steps forward. “What he means is that we’re all equal here. Our minds are more important than our bodies.”

  “So I can’t really get hurt?”

  He shakes his head. “Not physically. But that doesn’t mean you can’t die here.”

  So much for losing my fear.

  “What took you so long anyway?” I sound irritated, but they choose not to pay attention to it.

  D’Maeo waves his hand around. “As I said, time works differently in the Shadow World. How long have you been standing here?”

  “A couple of minutes.”

  “Did something happen? Did you see something?”

  I shake my head. “The fog just lifted a bit. It felt like something was sneaking up on me, but I guess that was just you guys.”

  He looks around, apprehensive. “Let’s hope so.”

  “We followed through the portal only a second after you vanished,” Vicky assures me.

  I nod and suppress a shiver. “We should find Maël as soon as we can. I have a bad feeling about this place.”

  Jeep snorts. “We did tell you.”

  “Yes, but Maël is more important than a bad feeling, isn’t she?”

  They can’t argue with that, so we set off in a random direction. Everything looks the same here, and I’m already losing hope of ever finding Maël, but I’m not willing to say that aloud.

  We walk silently for a while. The fog is just as thick any way we turn, and the whole air vibrates with evil. I keep an eye on everyone, afraid to lose them. It could happen in a second.

  We’ve been walking through the same empty landscape for minutes when something changes. It’s not just the sky and ground that are different, but also the atmosphere. The fog felt ominous, but the black patches that now move above us wake-up all of my senses. My footsteps are no longer silent. They produce a crunching noise that makes me sick, but my feet are still wrapped in mist.

  Like me, the others slow down without a word. We don’t know whether to run or stand still.

  Until a strange rattling sound stops us dead. We all scan the emptiness around us. The rattling gets louder and is joined by clicking. It doesn’t take me long to realize we are surrounded. But by what creatures? Is this what the dead sound like?

  Then the cawing starts and we all know what we’re dealing with.

  “Crows?” I say incredulously. “Really?”

  Jeep raises his eyebrows at me. “Yes, it sounds like crows. Why?”

  “Crows are a symbol of bad luck and death. They are used in practically every horror classic. Don’t tell me they are really dangerous.”

  “Well, I don’t know, Dante,” he says irritably. “I’ve never had an encounter with a flock of crows before. I don’t know if they intend to do us harm. You tell me.” He points at the sky, which is black with birds. They make the most horrible noise. They flap their wings with great force and pick at each other with their sharp beaks. Then, something changes. They no longer fight each other. Their black heads turn and hundreds of eyes are focused on us. The cawing gets louder and before any of us can react, the whole flock swoops down on us. Within a second, we’re covered in black feathers, pecking beaks and sharp claws. They tear at our clothes and skin. The noise is overwhelming.

  I drop down on my knees and cover my head with my arms. Now I can see the ground. It is plastered with human bones, all smudged with red. Bones crack under my weight. I can’t stay here. The crows will tear me apart and I will end up just like all those people I’m standing upon.

  “I can’t believe this,” I mutter to myself. “I’ve stepped into a horror movie.” All this time I thought every demon, ghost, curse and world in the movies was made up to entertain us, but now I know it’s all real.

  I take a deep breath, grip my knife tighter and stand up, waving my arms around. The crows dive in every direction, screaming with delight. They are enjoying this.

  I growl at them, baring my teeth. From the corners of my eyes I can see blood dripping from my arms and legs. The crows’ beaks gleam as red as their eyes. My whole body is aching, but I block the pain out.

  “Well, come on then,” I roar, lashing out with my knife. I hit a bird straight on the head, and it tumbles to the ground. Before the other crows can react, I jump towards the Shield, standing a foot away from me. We move without speaking, and form a circle of defense. There’s no time to discuss a strategy. The flock dives down at us, squawking and shrieking. I cut down as many as I can, while Taylar is screaming his head off beside me, his shield above his head and his sword slashing anything that comes near. The rest of the Shield is fighting quietly, but I can hear little bodies dropping to the ground. Bones are scattered in all directions. Jeep’s bowler hat tumbles past. The smell of iron fills the air. I just fling my knife every which way I can, and use my free arm to hit the birds coming from the other side. One of them gets a hold of a strand of hair and I cry out in pain as it pulls as hard as it can. I think we’re doing rather well when Jeep starts yelling. “My power isn’t working!”

  Vicky kicks a crow in the head. “Mine isn’t either! Just use your weapons!”

  “I didn’t bring any!”

  D’Maeo lets out a frustrated growl. At least ten birds are swooping down on him at once. They pull at his long hair and beard. Long scratches appear on his cheek when one of them grabs on to his face. He curses, pulls the animal from his face and breaks its neck. “There’s a dagger in my boot!” he yells at Jeep.

  The tattooed ghost ducks towards the old man’s boot, but at least ten crows follow him. They will rip his head off if I don’t do something. So I turn towards Taylar and scream, “Jeep needs us!”

  Without hesitation, he turns, and together we lash out while Jeep pulls the dagger from D’Maeo’s boot. After every stab, I swirl my knife above my head to prevent any more attacks on my hair. Blood streams into my eyes and I blink fast to clear my vision. Vicky and D’Maeo close the gap Taylar and I left behind us. I risk a glance towards the sky and notice the flock has diminished considerably. We can win this. More and more bodies cover the ground, while black feathers whirl down around us.

  A minute later silence falls upon us, only disturbed by our panting, as we look around at the chaos.

  “Well, that was fun,” Jeep says, wiping sweat and blood from his forehead.

  I scowl at him. “Oh yes, great.” I point at the bleeding scratches on his arms. “How come you’re bleeding? You’re dead, right?”

  He bends down and picks up his hat without answering.

  When I raise my hands in question, D’Maeo taps the side of his head with the end of his sword. “As I said, it’s all in here. We’re not actually physically hurt.” He closes his eyes and his wounds fade. Then he blinks and meets my astonished gaze. “See?”

  I try to do the same, but when I open my eyes, my body is still covered in cuts and bruises and aching all over. I sigh. “Let’s move on.”

  My mind keeps spinning when we start walking again. After a long silence, I finally have the guts to ask the most important question. “So, if ghosts and demons and magical powers are real, and crows are really bad luck, and there’s a Shadow World… does that mean Hell also exists?”

  Jeep snorts. “Of course it does. Where did you think that demon came from?”

  I’m too astonished to scold him for his attitude. “You mean demons can just walk in and out of Hell?”

  He balances D’Maeo’s dagger on the tip of his finger and gives it a spin. “Usually not, but sometimes they find a way.”

  As if on command, an inhuman shriek splits the air. Taylar drops his sword, while the rest of us jump into fighting positions. I hadn’t noticed before, but the fog has returned. The humid air leaves itching drops on my skin.

  Running footsteps approach. I pray for some wind to drive away the fog.

  A body appears, and we all point our weapons in its direction. Taylar picks up his sword in a haste.


  “Help!” it screams. It sounds like a young woman, it looks like a young woman and it even moves like a young woman. But somehow I know it’s something else.

  The Shield doesn’t seem to notice. They lower their weapons and give the thing a sympathetic look.

  “What happened?” D’Maeo asks.

  The thing bats its eyelashes at him and feigns fear.

  The ghosts drop their guard. I want to warn them, but I’m too stunned to move.

  “S-something horrible is f-following me,” it stutters. “I think it wants to eat me.”

  Vicky beckons her. It, I mean. “Join us, we’ll protect you.”

  Relief lights up the woman’s face. She steps forward. “Thank you.” There’s a dark undertone in her voice, but no one but me notices.

  My gaze is fixed on her, my thoughts are jumbled up. I vaguely remember something being wrong, but what was it?

  There’s another piercing shriek, closer this time. We all turn towards it. The woman slowly backs up, until she’s standing in our midst. The sight of it sends chills down my spine, although I don’t know why. She winks at me, and for a moment her eyes glow red.

  I jump back. “Watch out!” Suddenly I remember. “She’s not a woman, she’s a thing!”

  Her grin is sickening. It keeps stretching, until it literally splits open her face.

  The Shield immediately points their weapons at her. She isn’t impressed. Her arms change into tentacles and a lizard-like tongue shoots out of what used to be her face.

  Taylar plants his feet firmly on the ground, but the sword and shield in his hands are shaking. “What the hell is that?”

  “Some sort of demon, I think,” I say calmly.

  “How did you know it wasn’t a woman?” Vicky asks, without taking her eyes off the monster that’s still changing.

  I shrug. “No idea.”

  Its legs have turned into large hooves. It bends forward, lashing out with its tentacles, hissing violently.

  The ghosts jump out of the way. Jeep tries to slash through the pink flesh, but the tentacle slithers out of his reach and hits him on the head. He crumbles to the ground and the thing cackles with delight.

  We leap upon it as one, stabbing it with our knives and swords and hitting it with our fists wherever we can.

  It kicks out with its hooves, hitting Vicky square in the gut. She soars through the sky and lands hard, but comes running back without a pause.

  I move without thinking, taking in hit after hit, but dodging just as many attacks. I don’t get tired, but neither does the monster.

  “It’s stalling you.”

  The voice.

  I duck to prevent a tentacle taking off my head. “You came with me?”

  “After you,” it corrects me. “It wasn’t easy, but I had a feeling you would need me.”

  “No thanks,” I pant, piercing a tentacle with my knife. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re trying to kill something with a knife in a world where bodies don’t exist,” it says pointedly.

  My hand stops moving. A millisecond later all the air is pushed out of my lungs as the monster slams its hoof into my chest.

  Wheezing loudly, I crawl backward. The monster is slowly growing, in only a few minutes it will be able to kill all of us with one swipe.

  “Why are you gasping for breath?” the voice asks. “You don’t need oxygen. All you need is willpower.”

  Its sarcastic tone is getting on my nerves. “Can you give us some useful help, please? We’re fighting for our lives here, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re fighting for your sanity. Once you realize that, the battle will be much easier.”

  I stare at Vicky, D’Maeo, Taylar and Jeep, scurrying around the monster like ants waiting to be crushed.

  “Fight with your mind, Dante, not with your body.”

  I know he’s right. D’Maeo said it, too: bodies are not important here. I have to be strong inside. Fight back the fear of losing my mind. We got fooled. Played. Delayed. But that’s going to end now.

  “Stop!” I yell, holding up my hand.

  There’s so much authority in my voice that everyone obeys immediately.

  I step closer to the monster. “That’s enough. We won’t fight you anymore. We’re stronger. Leave and you will live.”

  From the corner of my eye I see Vicky’s mouth fall open. Taylar looks at D’Maeo and mimes ‘what is he doing?’

  “You can’t fool us any longer.” I straighten up, push my shoulders back and my chest forward. “We are here to find our friend and you are not going to stop us.”

  The mouth opens wide and the tongue shoots out towards my face. I don’t even blink.

  “You don’t impress me anymore. You’re just an ugly illusion, nothing more than a shadow.” I wave my hand dismissively. “Go bother someone else.”

  Then I turn around and motion for the others to follow me.

  Vicky, D’Maeo and Jeep do so without looking back, but Taylar glances anxiously over his shoulder.

  That’s when the monster grabs him by the arm, flings him around for a bit, and then tosses him into the fog. There’s a distant scream of fright, followed by deafening silence.

  I glance at the other ghosts. D’Maeo nods at me. “Let’s go,” I say. My voice is steady and my thoughts are focused on only one thing, That monster has no power. That monster isn’t real. That monster can’t hurt us.

  We walk for minutes without speaking. When we finally stop and look back, there’s no one there. I let out a soft moan. “We lost Taylar because of me.”

  Vicky is by my side in a second. “No we didn’t. You defeated that thing. Taylar just… he still believed it could hurt him. So it could.”

  I give in to my buckling knees and hide my head between my legs. This quest is hopeless. We’ll never find Maël and now another member of the Shield is gone.

  CHAPTER 19

  After a pep talk from Jeep, we start moving again. Now that we realize nothing can physically hurt us, the fog is less impenetrable. Screams and growls come from all directions, but we choose to ignore them. Our minds are solely focused on Maël and Taylar.

  It takes forever for the landscape to change. We’ve been walking on crushed bones for ages, with only emptiness around us. Relief washes over me when trees appear on the side of the road that’s suddenly under our feet. Everything looks very normal. So normal I start to think I recognize the place. Isn’t this the road that leads to… My feet stop moving as soon as I spot it. My house. Or rather, Mom’s house. Why is it here?

  “What is it?” Vicky comes to a stop at my side. “Do you know this place?”

  “Know this place? I live here.”

  “No you don’t,” D’Maeo says, but his words are forgotten when I hear a familiar shout.

  I run without thinking. I reach the door in a flash and fly through it.

  She’s standing at the bottom of the stairs, bashing her head against the banister.

  “No more! No more! No more!” she yells.

  “Mom! Stop!” I rush to her side and try to grab her hand, but she pulls away. Her eyes lock into mine and a vicious grunt escapes her mouth. “You…”

  “Mom, it’s me, Dante. Everything is fine.”

  I’ve been in this situation many times before. Sometimes she knows she’s having a psychotic episode, or fit, or whatever you want to call it. She still thrashes everything, but tries to stop herself.

  “It’s not your fault, Mom,” I tell her. “Come sit down, we’ll have some coffee, okay?”

  I hold out my hand, making it her choice to grab it or not.

  D’Maeo reaches us and says something, but at that moment Mom loses it again. Angry syllables roll out of her throat, in a language I don’t understand. It sounds more like grunts than words.

  I jump out of her reach, as I’ve learned to do the hard way. She moves to the coffee table, lifts it in the
air and throws it right through the window. Glass shatters and I duck instinctively.

  “It’s okay,” I say again. “We’ll fix it. Just breathe, Mom. Please?”

  I know she can hear me. She always tells me afterwards. It’s my voice that pulls her back in the end.

  Vicky touches my arm. “Come on, we have to keep moving.”

  “Are you kidding me? I can’t leave her!” I gesture towards my mother, tearing the hair out of her head.

  “Dante, she’s not…”

  A loud crash makes me whirl around. “No!” Everything in the room fades to the background and I run back towards the stairs.

  The banister is split in half and Mom is on the ground in a pool of blood. The missing half of the banister sticks out of her stomach. She moans. Her eyes are already glazing over when I take her in my arms. “Mom? What did you do?”

  “Dante…” Her voice is hoarse. I can barely hear her.

  “Be strong, Mom. You’ll be fine. I’ll call for help. Hold on.”

  A warm stream soaks my hands. I know it’s too late, but I refuse to let go.

  “It’s better this way,” she whispers, and before I can answer her eyes close and her head becomes heavy on my arm.

  “No!” I yell again. “I can’t lose you. It’s not better at all. Stay with me. Mom!”

  My eyes burn and it feels like my chest is about to explode. I press her body against mine, and rock back and forth. Heavy sobs rise from my throat.

  A hand on my arm again. I shake it off.

  “Dante?” A soft voice. Friendly eyes.

  Then I remember. “YOU!” Mom slides onto the ground when I rise. I stab my finger into Vicky’s chest. “This is your fault! You distracted me. If it wasn’t for you, she’d be fine.”

  “Dante…” she says again.

  “Stop saying my name. It doesn’t help.”

  I’ve never been this mad in my life. Not even when I found Dad’s note.

  I push Vicky as hard as I can. She steps backward as if it’s nothing more than an inconvenience.

  “I’ll kill you for this. I’ll banish you, vanquish you.”