A Little Insane: Raising The Dead

Chapter Eleven - The Curse Of Hell

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   Riley ignored all the voices around him, all of the faces that surrounded him. He kept walking until he couldn't anymore. He wanted to look back to see the destruction he had created, the blood he shed, but he wasn't brave enough.

He could sense Annetta walking on the sidewalk, keeping her distance from the monster he had become. She followed him no matter where he ran, wouldn't let him be. He could hear her holding back tears. She was alone just like he was.

“Riley, please,” she said when they reached a dead end.

There were vacant houses all around him. It was a nice neighborhood, very clean and fancy. All of the houses were the same white color, two floors, fresh cut grass. It gave him a feeling of order and comfort. It was pleasing to the eye.

Despite his body screaming at him to keep walking and ignore everything, he turned around and looked at Annetta. She was hugging herself, probably from the cold. Using his mind, he dragged her to him. She didn't look afraid, but maybe she knew that he meant no harm. Riley touched her face, dragging a strand of hair behind her ear. Her skin was ice cold, so he whispered a spell that he fished out of Dexen's knowledge to surround themselves in warm air.

The thought of Dexen brought back his emotions. He pulled back his hand and closed his eyes, taking in shaky breaths.

“What happened?” Riley asked quietly.

“It happened too fast.” Her voice was calm and toneless. He would have guessed she was in shock, but she looked fine. She did follow him five blocks into nowhere on her own will. “I was watching Dexen when a group of people entered the area. They used magic to push me out when I tried to tell them they couldn't be in there. I couldn't get back in, something was blocking me from entering again. They were using magic, so I quickly guessed something had happened and maybe you were coming back in time to help, but you never came. They touched Dexen and sparks flew everywhere, they were so beautiful and magical, but it didn't look good.”

“The group, which I knew were witches, woke Dexen up,” she continued, staring directly into his eyes and not breaking contact. She didn't even blink and her tone never changed. “He woke up screaming like someone had stabbed him. He looked . . . sick. He fought the witches, forced them back. They left him alone, he was too strong even when he looked like he was an inch from death.” Annetta's voice finally gave in and her lips trembled. In a tiny voice she went on, “I tried to get his attention, but I was still blocked and he couldn't hear me. More of those witches came and that's when he saw me. He used all his strength to run to me, getting rid of the spell that was blocking me with just a wave of his finger.”

“But there were too many witches. He couldn't fight them by himself, not in the state he was in. I helped him run as far as we could until something pushed me away. It was Dexen. He pushed me, opened a door and shoved me inside. He used the same spell those witches had done to block anyone from entering the closet I was in. He saved me. I don't know what happened after that. As soon as the spell dropped, I went to find him and saw him lying dead without any tattoos on his skin. That's when I found you.”

“I trust you,” Riley simply said, closing his eyes again. “Dexen gave me something before he died. He gave me what I needed to survive.”

“What did he give you?” she asked.

Riley opened his eyes again and lifted his shirt to show her the tattoos.

“That's not all he gave me. He gave me his knowledge, his thoughts, his mind. He trusted you, he sensed your white powers.”