Finding Maggie

Chapter Forty-Three - Mommy Dearest

Chapter Forty-Three - Mommy Dearest 

Sitting neatly against the silk interior of the small box in Mikhail's hand sat a soul much like the one that he and Maggie had made. Only this one was mostly white while theirs was mostly black. Two opposites. Two exact opposites. Two children. Two beings the prophecies had warned against. The souls of Wracke and Ruine. “Fuck.”

The entirety of Hell shook violently as the souls of Maggie's two unborn children slammed into each other, creating a most deafening roar which would leave most everyone in Grand Castle deaf for days, if not permanently. With his ear drums blown out, Mikhail couldn't hear the screams of terror which began almost immediately as the souls combined. Atoms split and rejoined causing the air pressure to sink to near lethal levels. Feeling the air being sucked from his lungs, Mikhail had no choice but to remain where he was. Only the high pitched ringing in his ears left him the chance to remind himself that he was still alive.

The force of the blast had blown out the fire, leaving Mikhail in total darkness for only a second before two of the brightest lights he had ever seen lit up the room once more. The demons of Hell who happened to be outside at such an early hour later said that the light looked like a beam of bright blue sunlight, pouring from Mikhail's windows, so bright that it managed to light up most of Hell, making it look like broad daylight during the wee hours of the morning.

Quickly, however, the light died down enough to become tolerable and Mikhail blinked several times to let his eyes adjust to the near darkness once more. The combined soul flew into the air, several feet about his head, twisting and arcing as it darted in one direction and then another. The pressure in the room slowly returned to normal and Mikhail was finally able to take in a fresh breath of air. It reeked of saltpeter and ash but air was air and he was grateful for it. He didn't dare to move as the stone continued to whip around the room haphazardly ricocheting off the walls and slamming into furniture as it went. Each time it hit something sparks flew like that of a welder setting metal to metal. After several minutes of such chaotic randomness the combined souls came to a sudden stop right in front of Mikhail.

“We are Wracke and we are Ruine.” Their child-like voices rang out as one. “Where is the Angel of Judgment? Where is our mother?”

Even in his state of terror, Mikhail knew better than to look towards the door that separated him from the one Wracke and Ruine were looking for. He wouldn't answer. Not of his life. He would rather die than be the one personally responsible for bringing Wracke and Ruine to life. The stone began to glow a bright shade of blue but it waited for an answer.

For several minutes, everything was dreadfully silent with the exception of Mikhail's heart which thudded violently in his chest. The ringing in his ears had finally ceased thanks to his innate ability to heal quickly. Without warning, the stone's light faded away and it fell unceremoniously back atop his desk with a dull thud. He swallowed hard, forcing down nothing but air as his parched throat begged for water. He sat completely motionless and simply stared at the now singular stone which lay just as motionless on the desk. The minutes ticked by painfully slowly until Mikhail was finally able to come to the rather anti-climactic realization that it was over.

Slowly, Mikhail stood from his desk, sweat dripping off his naked back and soaking into his soft, black, flannel pants. With a trembling hand, he reached down to pick up the stone, only to have it roll out of his reach before coming to a stop. Instinctively, Mikhail took several paces and reached down again. And again, the stone rolled away. His brow furrowed with frustration as he tried for a third time, and came up empty handed once more. The stone eventually made its way across his desk and fell to the carpeted floor below.

Mikhail growled out his anger and leaped into the air, ready to snatch the stone up as he tried to pounce on it like a puppy would with a ball. The stone was too quick, however, and before Mikhail could stop it, it rolled underneath of his door and out into the hall. Mikhail picked himself up off the floor from where he had ended up sprawled after his unsuccessful attempt and threw the door open to give chase. The stone quickly continued to roll down the hall until it came upon Maggie’s door where it came to sudden halt and remained still.