Sometimes It's Even Darker

Chapter 10 - Save Me...

It got dark about an hour before Aethernia reaches her house. She is a bit tired, but rather satisfied with her trip. It went as always – without any frightening adventures.
When she was about to reach a bus stop in the nearest village, she wore a red wig, fake nose and she rouged her cheeks, so noone could see her real face and know her genuine appearance. In the town she is known as Jenna Loe, an artist who visits the post office from time to time just to sell a few paintings. Aethernia feels fortunate that the paintings are already covered with wrapping paper, so noone can see them while she's packing them to big boxes. Sometimes she just wonders whether people would run away if they saw them. „Tobi didn't”, she thought this time.
Then she went to the supermarket and bought as much food as she could fit in her trolley (it barely fits in the biggest bus, but she always manages somehow) and some cheap clothes for Tobi. She returns home in the storm. She lets the rain wash the abominable make-up from her face while she is walking through the forest.
She opens the gates and comes in.
- I'm back – she informs perfunctorily before she notices marks on her doors and the poker lying in front of them.
- Oh shit! - she screams, full of apprehension and terror. Her room is widely opened and she knows what happened even before she goes there.
- No, it's impossible! - Aethernia shouts and runs to her room. Deep inside she knows it IS possible and it frightens her the most.
Tobi is lying on the floor, as senseless and hopeless as she expected. She surmises that he must have fallen down through the trapdoor, but she is aware that it's not the fall that made the biggest damage to him.
- You fucking sods! - she screams towards the attic, but she meets only deadly silence. Her ghostlights have gone again or maybe they are only sleeping...
„Or they are pretending to sleep.”
Aethernia kneels in front of Tobi and leans over his motionless body. She slaps his face a few times, but it doesn't give any result. When she opens his eyelids by force she realises that his beautiful dark eyes are totally lackadaisical. They don't even move, semms like they were looking but not seeing.
- Oh God, no. Please, no...! - Aethernia moans.
Once she saw what her ghostlights did to a living person. Just by permeating through his body they were gradually taking his soul till they left only an empty crust. That person became a plant-like being without brain, witout heart and without feelings.
But she knows she can theoretically return Tobi to life. Only theoretically, because she would have to give him a lot of warm And Aethernia sucks so badly at giving people warm...
„What about his beautiful spirit? It can't be devoured, no, I don't believe it...!”
-Tobi – she says gently, fondling his face with tenderness – Wake up. I believe in you. You can do it. Return to me, please, you have to return.
No reaction.
-Tobi! - Aethernia dabs his nose with her nose – I know you're there. And I want you back. Now.
Still no reaction. She forgets about her fear and the fury takes control over her.
- Damn, you are so stubborn! - she shouts and kisses him as hard as she can.
Tobi's lips are warm and dry. Aethernia feels like she had a hive of moths in her stomach while tasting them. She loves this feeling and when he sighs silently, she screams again:
- Do you want more? Here you are!
She kisses him again. The shiver comes down her spine, turning her on and making her aflame. Tobi groans.
- It's not enough for you to wake up? You retive bastard!
Again, here komes the kiss and Aethernia thinks she could do it forever and one day longer.
This time Tobi opens his eyes.