Destiny's Hope

Chapter Seventy

The morning sun brought light upon the aftermath that had preceded the dawn.

The team of fighters sifted through the remaining bodies of soul eaters on the floor, making sure that they were dead and that possessor was back in the underworld, where they belonged, and the souls had their chance of finding fulfilment. Most of them had disappeared last night but some had survived, only just. As callous as the actions of the morning were, they were necessary so that the souls of those possessed could find peace.

Emily was forbidden to leave the porch. Tom had given her strict instructions to stay put and any foot off the porch would result in him losing it with her. He meant it too so she reluctantly listened. Sitting on the small white wooden rocking chair she bore witness to the small massacre that had taken place last night.

The healer had seen to the wounds Lexie had suffered as she helped Henderson. The connection between them was not lost on anyone and he had stayed by her side all night. She was currently resting in Emily's room as Emily had no need for it at this point in time. She had sat in lounge all night drinking her dad's whisky, recollecting the scenes of absolute horror that were never going to leaver her. Toby, the cat who had hidden away during the exhibition of destruction, was purring around her feet. For the first time Emily wished he was out or at least away from her. She had needed complete solitude.

When the sun had seeped through the window at the break of dawn Emily moved herself from the couch to the rocking chair on the porch. Toby had followed her, only to walk off across the front-come-battlefield. She was staying on the porch, there was no where else for her to be.

Looking on as bodies were cleared and souleaters were sent back, she felt completely useless. The power she had used last night was no longer inside of her. She had tried whilst she sat on the porch but she couldn't even move the shattered tumbler that had been another victim of the evening's tragedy.

Hunter had moved Jen's body first so that it was no longer in Emily' s view. They wouldn't tell her where Jen was, just that she had been placed somewhere whilst they sorted everything out.

Emily was vacant.

That feeling she had the night before had returned.

As the sun shone her face, her body felt cold and empty. She wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to warm herself up, plus she needed a hug. But the person she needed it from wasn't here.

Flashes of the night before kept escaping her mind. Her brother's face, the things he had said. How did she not realise what he was?

Jen. Her best friend. Her eyes as she looked upon her and the sound of her neck snapping.

Emily took a deep breath in. There were no more tears. She had used them all up. There was only emptiness and anger.

Tom and Henderson came out of the barn with Sam and they were heading towards the house. Emily did not want to talk right now but knew they were heading towards her.

Waiting for them to arrive she remembered sections of the previous night. John. How Sirus had gutted him in the back alley. She needed to find out what had happened to his body.

All at once Alex came to her thoughts. She had tried not to remember, to think of it. Her eyes closed tight she recalled the look on his face. His eyes, those beautiful blue eyes encasing the sea green. The image of him as he pulled back and she saw the blood on his face, running down his swollen cheek. He pulled back further to reveal his shoulders and chest, the shirt he had on was tattered and torn with blood seeping through it.

And then she saw it again, the door to her thoughts that had been locked shut had suddenly flown open and she saw the moment she had been protecting herself from. She saw Alex being stabbed through the stomach by Nick.

Her eyes shot open as she jumped, making the empty whisky glass she held drop tot he floor and smash. Her breathing strangely calm as the vision remained with her.

"Emily. We need to talk about some things." Tom spoke calmly. He had called her by her actual name.

Emily stood up. "Yes, we do." She answered sternly, taking both Tom and Sam by surprise. Henderson remained as he always did, straight faced and angry. They expected a weak shaking excuse of a person but Emily was focused. There was one thing on her mind.

Disturbing their discussion was one of the fighters. "Tom?" he shouted over "we have one of them alive"

"So, get rid of them. Send them back." Tom called back.

"Well, we thought you may want to ask him some questions."

Intrigued by the response, the four of them turned to see who the boy was talking about. He motioned to two of his friends who dragged the souleater over. Lifting the head of the weak body Emily laid her eyes upon her brother. He was barely conscious, unable to stand as the two fighters either side of him struggled to keep him standing.

"Well, I'll be damned. Looks like we may have come into some luck" Tom spoke.

"Take him to the shed. We'll be over soon" called out Sam.

Henderson made his way to the fighters and took over being the support on his own. He dragged Nate's weak body over to the barn.

Sam and Tom turned their attention to Emily who watched her brother being dragged away. "I want to come with you. To question him"

"I don't think that's a good idea" answered Tom

Sam came forward agreeing with Tom. "Yeah, we can handle this Emily. I don't think confronting the thing inside your brother is going to help you."

Emily ignored them. She walked down the steps of the porch and stood on the dirt.

"No. I want to question him myself" before they could argue with her, and still staring at the back of her brother, she continued her demand. "I need to question him."

"Why?" asked Tom as he came to stand next to her. "We can do that."

"Because," she answered, finally turning her head to look at Tom "I want him to tell me where they are. I need him to tell me where Nick is."

She turned her head back to her brother who was now being put to sit on a chair just outside the small shed next to the barn, his slumped body barely managing to stay on the chair. Henderson stood watching him, his arms folded, now in a bouncer stance. Emily was focused, she knew what she had to do and nothing was going to stop her. She glanced over to Tom who was watching her with concern.

"If I find Nick, I find Alex." she announced.

Tom's eyebrows momentarily rose in an arch but quickly turned to a frown as he glanced over to Sam. The shrug of her shoulders showed she had nothing and so he turned back to Emily.

"Emily, I think you need to rest."

"Tom. He's not dead."

"Em -"

"No!" she interrupted him once more, silencing him briefly and they just looked at each. Tom spoke first. He walked over to her and in a low gentle tone he tried to persuade her. "Emi? You saw Alex getting killed"

"No, I didn't"

"What?" Tom looked even more confused than before. Sam had now joined them as the three almost huddled together in front of the farm house.

"I didn't see him die Tom. I saw him getting stabbed and pushed through a portal, but I didn't see him die."

Tom gave a deep sigh as he looked to the ground, Sam walked away with her hands running through her hair in anger and Emily watched them both. They obviously disagreed with her but she didn't care. She knew what she was saying and she believed it one hundred percent.

"I know he's alive Tom. I just...know. And I know he would never give up on me. And I won't give up on him. "

Stepping away from the two of them, knowing they were watching her every move, she stared at her brother sitting on the chair. His face was down as he leaned on his thighs and without taking her eyes off the one person who could help her she announced her new found purpose.

"I'm going to find Alex" She turned to Tom and Sam with determination "I am going to find him and bring him home."