Whispers in the Dark

In These Small Hours

Kol was standing in front of a fountain, an entire audience having gathered around. Oliver and Martin were at his side. The rumors had been spread, and everyone was ready to be freed.

"You've all heard of me, I trust," Kol started, raising his voice so he could be heard. "What you've been told is the truth; I do have the power to release you from this place." His words did little to encourage them, so he couldn't help but wonder just how much Los had tortured them over the years - and it had definitely been years for some. "It might take a while to do so for all of you, but I definitely can do it."

A woman who was standing at the front spoke up, "Like hell you can! You're new here! You don't know what he can do - what he will do to us."

To his surprise, it was Olivia. The witch had helped start this whole mass. He opened his mouth to out her, but Oliver grabbed his upper arm and started whispering.

"She's been coming and going for a while. I've already told them all it was her who killed me, but Los did something to make them listen to her. Don't try. You'll just have to prove her wrong."

Martin was visibly angry, and Kol wasn't about to let his temper ruin everything.

Olivia stepped forward, then turned toward the people. "Listen to me! This man is a charlatan! He is playing a trick on you! We cannot leave this place!" They all began to stir, as though her words had a magical effect on them. She turned her head toward Kol, then gave him a wicked smirk. "You are better off leaving immediately! Who knows what Los will do to punish us if we catches us listening to this nonsense!" She was wearing the same white dress she had died in, making her look like the saint these people seemed to see her as.

"Yeah," a man's ghost said. "Who do you think you are!?"

"He's a fake!" another added.

"Throw him in the pit!"

They began to advance like puppets. It was just too hard to disobey someone who had power in this place. Their wills had been broken long ago, and Olivia was free to pull their strings. These people knew no hope.

It did not take long for things to go wrong at all, Kol thought, ready to stop Martin whenever the blond man finally snapped.

To his surprise, Oliver was the one to step forward. "Enough! He's telling you the truth!"

"Like hell he is!" Olivia spoke over him. "He's tricking us all! He wants us to be punished!"

"Yeah!" the people agreed, and Kol could practically see the torches and pitchforks in their hands. An angry mob to end all angry mobs.

"I can prove it!" Oliver yelled, and the group stopped. "He can show you how he does it!"

Kol knew where this was heading, having been used to dealing with ghosts. He had learned long ago what they long for most in the world, and what it was that most often held them back.

Love.

Oliver approached Martin, grabbed the front of his shirt, then pulled him in for a kiss. When they separated, Oliver put their foreheads together. "I wish we had more time."

"What are you-"

"Just let me speak, please."

Martin nodded, closing his eyes.

"Things didn't exactly end well for us. I like to think we would've wound up getting back together. Guess we'll never know for sure. I really did love you, you know."

"I-" Martin started, tears in his eyes, but Oliver held a finger to his lips.

"I know."

The two stared at each other, Martin now openly crying. Oliver wasn't sad, though. He was happy - the happiest he had ever been, in fact. "I'm dead, M. You have to move on."

"No!" the other cried. "Y-You're here, an-and I'm here, and we can just-"

"No." Oliver's voice was firm, but gentle. "You've alive, and I'm not. I don't like the way it ended, either, but that's just one part of your life. You still have things to do. You get to go see your family again, and build a career, and have pizza, and see new movies, and all sorts of other things."

"B-But you don't."

Oliver smiled sadly. "No, I don't. I was just one chapter of your life. You have to move on. You have to promise me you'll move on."

Before Martin could answer, Oliver kissed him again, then turned toward Kol.

"What is this!?" Olivia called mockingly. "Thought some drama could make us forget what your friend tried to do to us? Listen, people, and listen well! The pale one with one eye is a monster, just like Los! He's trying to trick you into suffering even more! He feeds on it!"

She continued to rant, but Oliver didn't care. He walked up to Kol, leaving Martin to his thoughts. "I'm ready."

Kol nodded, then extended his hand. Oliver took it, and then Martin reached for him.

"Wait-"

But Oliver didn't wait. He couldn't wait any longer. As his hand touched Kol's, he faded away, free from his prison.

Martin brought his own hand down, then started to walk away. Kol let him.

"What was that?" a man in the group spoke. "Where did Oliver go?"

"It's true!" a woman cried. "What he said was true! He freed Ollie!"

Olivia turned on them, furious. "That was just another trick-"

"Yeah, how could we even think Ollie would lie to us?!"

"We're free, people!"

"We're finally free!"

"Go to him!"

The first to approach was a little girl, whose hand was being held by an elderly woman.

"I lost her long before I looked on this," the woman said. "This place may have been hell, but it did let me see my girl again."

Kol took their hands, then freed them.

A middle aged Asian man was next. "I got stressed out over my license exam, and wound up OD-ing the night before. To think I got stuck here over something so foolish."

Kol had a feeling some of these people weren't even speaking English, but it did not matter. Their matters weren't physical. He could understand their souls no matter what. The man took his hand, and moved on.

A tired-looking teenage girl was next. "I-I broke into some guy's place to rob him. Didn't have enough to shoot up." She sobbed a bit. "Do - Do I also get to...?"

Kol replied by placing a hand on her shoulder. The girl's spirit faded, heading to a better place through Kol. As that happened - as it happened with all of them, in fact - Kol saw her whole life. He saw her struggle with abusive parents when she was just a girl. He saw her be expelled from school. He saw her being raped by her boyfriend and his friend. He took on all the worst parts of her life, as he always had to do, and freed her from her burdens.

By the time the group of people was gone, Kol was exhausted. His powers were almost gone, and his mind was about to fall apart. From funerals to break-ups to accidents, his mind was full of the worst humanity had to offer.

Still, that was a burden he would take on.

He took a step forward, extending his hand one more time.

Olivia stared back at him.