Reapers - Thirteen Brothers

XII - Leaving (1 of 2)

Willingly, I placed my hand over his. I wanted to ask him where we were headed to, but my mouth wouldn't open.

Gently, he towed me forward to where my dad and all the others waited for me. As Vincent and I approached, they stood aside, making way for us.

At the end of the garden was a long table full of flowers.

Vincent's pale eyes briefly lingered on my face before he waved his hand toward the table.

Slowly, I proceeded, realizing that the table was no table at all. It was a bed and someone was lying in it. I stumbled back, losing my balance. Someone caught me by the arms and I was almost sure it was Vincent, but when I peered over my shoulder, I saw a faceless man in a hooded cloak. Underneath the shadow of his hood, all I could distinguish was the pair of pale gun-metallic eyes that burned holes through my skull.

A cry escaped out of my mouth as I backed away from the strange man. I tripped over and fell at the side of the bed of flowers, a lump catching in my throat when I recognized who was lying in there pale-faced, eyes closed peacefully, half-buried in loose petals.

It was me.

Among the crowd, someone stood up and called out to me. I saw Lindsay's mom in a black dress, a black fishnet veil covering her teary eyes.

"Don't crossover," said she, her voice trembling with conviction. "Do not let go of your soul, or it will be the end of everything! Do not let go! Find him, Aramis! Find your master!"

After a while, my feet jerked, waking me. It felt like I have just fallen from the top of a tall building.

My heart raced frantically, ramming against my chest, making it harder to breathe. I knew it was a dream but that didn't make me any less scared.

Before I opened my eyes, I smelled something off, like something rotten with a hint of rust. The acrid smell wafted to my nose and I heard heavy breaths again coming closer and closer.

I didn't open my eyes. I couldn't even move.

Something wiry fell on my face, like a bunch of brittle, loose threads. I shut my eyes tighter, stifling a cry. Then I felt something warm and thick dripped on my forehead. It smelled like rust. My stomach lurched when heavy putrid breaths played on my cheek.

The sound of chattering teeth filled the air and that made me open my eyes. A pair of hollow sockets stared back at me, locks of filthy, grime-encrusted hair falling on my face. Blood trickled down to my face. A ghastly skeletal face was just a couple of inches away from me.

A desperate scream left my mouth, tearing through the silence of the whole house.

"Dad! DAD!!!" I kept screaming.

A creature with the figure of a woman slowly materialized on top of me. She pressed a lipless set of gray teeth onto my face, causing my insides to do a slow roll. Effortlessly, she pinned me with her emaciated body.

I was in panic, thrashing my limbs to pry myself loose of her. The sickening smell made me nauseous, making it hard to breathe. I screamed for help again and hoped the strange voice inside me would make my hand a claw again. Like what happened last time. The claw saved me once. I could do it again... probably. Hopefully.

"Get off! Get off!!!" I cried, lashing my arms but I might as well be beating a concrete wall.

The woman-creature just answered with the chattering of her rotten teeth.

"Dad!"

No answer.

"VINCENT!!!" I shouted with all the effort I could muster hoping he was standing outside the house like all the other previous nights, ready to bust into my window and help me.