It took a moment for me to fully come back to myself after the vision. This latest one had left me feeling drained and somewhat uncoordinated, so much so that I ended up kneeling on the floor to calm my beating heart. I glanced up at Tessa and the others and gave a small smile before carefully returning to my feet.
"These visions keep getting stronger," I stated as the sound of a boiler hissing began to echo down the concrete halls. I turned my attention back to Tessa who urged me to move along quicker than we previously had been doing. After a couple of turns into various hallways, a large wooden door appeared ajar. Nick kept a close watch behind us as Tessamotioned for me to go through.
"I can't go in" Tessa said as she motioned towards the ground. The outside of the room was lined with a trail of salt. I went to smear it before Will stopped me. He grabbed my wrist and shook his head at me while whispering the possible side effects of my actions.
"Let's get on with this."Nick pulled his gun from its holster and pushed past us roughly making sure that he stepped over the salt line and not on it. I stared after him as Reagan quickly followed.
"You scared the crap out of him, Sutton." Will said as he glanced afterthe two hunters who were investigating the large circularroom.
"There was a moment in time back there that we were worried that you'd never wake up." he went on.
"Well, I'm alive now. So let's try and keep it that way." I playfully his Will's shoulder as we carefully enter the giant circular room. At the top of the room was a small round hole with a grate covering it. That's when it finally clicked to me that we had somehow ended up in the sewers beneath the town.
"What's this funky symbol in the middle?" Nick asked Will as he avoided all contact with me. I glared at him for a couple of moments before observing the painted lines that Nick was referring to.
"God,it smells like death in here." Reagan complained as she covered her nose with her hand. I nodded in agreement and stared down at the symbol below us. The grate above began to lightup as the sun began to rise, thus creating multiple shadows across it.
"It's a ritual circle," Will stated.
"Why is it down here?" Reagan asked as she leaned down to touch the floor. She pulled her hand back from it to reveal that her hand was now coated with wet red paint. I stared at her hand curiously for a moment before the rumbling sound we had heard earlier began again.
"Tessa, what's going on out there?" I whispered in the direction of the door. There was no answer. Calmly I made my way back out into the tunnel, making sure to step over the salt barrier on the way. The others were occupied with their own conversation and soon I found myself alone in the dark metal hallway. A high pitched scream came from the other end of the hallway and without even thinking I began to run towards it. My steps began to splash against the floor as I entered a flooded part of the tunnel.
"Sutton, go back! You shouldn't be here."Tessa pressed against an old metal sewer door as she begged for me to retreat. There were several other spirits in the room with her and some of them didn't look very nice.
"How the hell did you wind up in there?" Tessa didn't answer my question as I noticed the water level was beginning to rise.
"You have to get out of here before he finds you!" I took a couple steps back in preparation before the sound of pipes snapping caught my attention along with a low pitched roar.
"Crap." I muttered as a wave full of water began to rush towards me. As quickly as I could I made my back through the tunnel and into the main round room. By the time I arrived the others were gone. I glanced up at the ceiling to see that the sun was now shining through the vent as if it was noon.
"It's weird isn't it? How time works?"A voice came from in front of me. A tall dark man leaned against the wall with a smirk on his face. He motioned towards the ground and my eyes followed. The ritual circle was no longer there.
"It's precisely twelve-thirty on Tuesday. You and your partner haven't even shown up yet and our ritual hasn't begun." he explained as he stepped closer to me.
"You my dear are someone special indeed. Who am I you might ask?" he said as he appeared behind me towhisper in my ear.
"I'm Erebos, darling." he chuckled as I glared at him.
"I'm delighted to meet you again, Miss Beaumont." His voice deepened as he spoke and my eyes widened a bit at the mention of my last name.
"How do you know that name?" I asked as I struggled to keep myself calm. Although it annoyed me greatly this guy beforeme did feel familiar. I had felt a connection with him as soon as he entered the room. I had felt vaguely the same with Hecate when she had appeared to me earlier.
"You really know nothing do you? I used to come visit you at the book store in Manhattan. I'd watch you through the bookshelves as you worked." I flinched at his words and turned around swiftly.
"So you've been following me?" I asked. He nodded with a smirk on his face.
"I will admit you made it quite difficult to follow you home. All those spells and charms worked rather well." I stared at him.
"That woman next door fought me tooth and nail as I killed that man. Such a pity," I clenched my hands into fists and he pulled my chin towards him. His breath smelled like fresh peppermint as he spoke to me.
"You, my darling, look exactly like Katie," He said.
"My mother?" I asked.
"Yes, we were acquainted once, although I went by Ezra then." he replied. At the mention of this name my mind began to race and suddenly I found myself in a vision. No. It was not a vision, it was a memory.
The thunder pounded against the roof as the lightning stuck outside the house. I couldn't have been more than four years old at the time. My mom smiled at me as she tucked me into bed. My butterfly night light was switched on and a blanket was placed over my small body.
"Mommy, when will the rain stop?" I asked as the thunder outside.
"I don't know. It could be minutes, or it could be hours." She answered while staring outside my window.
"Sana, if you get scared of the thunder just remember to do your counting," I smiled at her and began to count.
"It was four that time mommy! Doesn't that mean it's close?" I questioned.
"It's right above us, Sutton. It's gonna strike our house." Will said as he stood in the doorway with his blanket in his small hands. At his statement, I began to cry.
"William, there's no reason to scare her like that." My mom placed a hand on my back and pulled me close to her as I continued to cry. Suddenly there were three knocks on the door from downstairs. I stopped my crying and glanced up at my mother who stared out at the hallway. There was someone at the door in this weather? It was pouring buckets outside and it was well past nine o'clock at night.
"William, stay with your sister. Do not leave this room until I say it's okay. Do you understand?" My mom said, her tone was serious as she stood from her spot on my bed. Will nodded his head quickly and raced into the room to sit beside me.
My mother put her finger to her lips to quiet us and then she slowly made her way downstairs to the front door. A couple moments went by before William and I finally left the room. Although it was against mother's orders we found ourselves peeking around the wall and down the stairs towards our mother and the stranger she was talking to.
"Ezra, why are you here?" My mother inquired as the man stood outside in the pouring rain.
"Aren't you going to invite me in, Katie? It's miserable out here." His thick British accent floated throughout the front hall and I instinctively shivered.
"You know you aren't allowed in this house." My mother stated calmly as Ezra glanced down at the salt that lined the doorway.
"Your charming husband isn't home, is he?"She remained quiet as he chuckled at her response.
"No, of course he isn't. He's off doing important things while you stayat home and clean cupboards and wash dishes." My mom sighed at his comment.
"You need to leave, now" she stated as he happened to glance up at us.
"Why Katie, you didn't tell me you had children?" My mother turned her head so quick that I was afraid that it would snap off.
"Come on out. Don't be shy." Will and I hid behind the wall as he spoke.
"Fine, I'll leave for now. But I'll be coming back for you." he smiled wickedly towards us before his eyes turned completely black and then back to normal. Then without another thought he nodded towards our mother and disappeared into the torrential rain. That was the last time she saw him while she was alive.
"You're the one who wrote my name on the wall in my apartment." I stated. I had finally figured this out when I had been zoned out.
"Ah yes. Guilty as charged. I really wish you would have opened the book that I gave you that day back at that bookstore. You would have found it most interesting." Erebos said as he shrugged his shoulders and winked at me as he leaned back against the wall. I spent a couple of moments conjuring up a good response but then he came back at me again.
"You're also the reason that those men attacked Maya and I in that alleyway." he giggled at my statement and sat down on the floor. It seemed the longer we were together the more insane he was becoming.
"Possessions are easy for me. It's like riding a bike." he said.
"That old psychic lady became a problem though. Luckily she's locked up safe and sound and away from you." Erebos began to manically laugh and I glanced back towards the exit. It was covered by a wall of water,meaning that there was no way to escape.
"When my sister opened the second gate and released me I couldn't have been more ecstatic. Hecate always did have a knack for getting stuff done," His smiled faded and he picked himself up from the floor.
"It seems as though our time is up, child. That portal isn't going open itself." he said.
"Bite me, I'm notgoing with you!" I backed from him and up against the concrete wall. A plan was beginning to form in my head but I had to do it quickly, otherwise things might end up ugly.
Erebos's eyes began to turn completely black as I glanced around the room for a possible escape. I really wish that someone would have left a weapon with me. So I wasn't completely useless. Suddenly without warning he leapt towards me scratching me on my shoulder in the process. I cursed in pain and quickly made a mad dash for the water wall, hoping desperately that it would open for me.
"Come on kid. It'll just be a little bite and then you'll be sound asleep" he purred this as he stepped closer. I grunted in pain as my arm began to turn black from the scratch. As he began to race towards me again I was sucked into the water wall causing him to hit the wall head on with a thump. For a moment I stood there simply gaping at the sight in front of me. A large water monster had formed in the round room and Erebos was being thrashed around all over the place.
"Aunt Nancy is working on it. She'll get you out of here," I stared at the woman in front of me with tears in my eyes. My mother Katherine had finally appeared before me and I was fighting the monster to the best of her ability.
"Mom!" I screamed as her life form began to flicker. She was becoming weak and soon she would disappear altogether.
"Don't do this! Please!" I cried. She smiled at me and turned back towards Erebos with a frown.
"I will protect you. I promised." she said as she finally vanished from in front of me. The tears in my eyes were nothing compared to the wave that was now surrounding me. I was roughly moved from corner to corner as I struggled to breathe. The dead bodies of teenage girls appeared around me and I went to go let out a scream as I came face to face with one.
The vent is open. Go to it.
My subconscious rang in my head as I glanced around the round cement fish bowl. The opening wasn't that far away from me. I could make it there. I knew I could. It could take every ounce of energy that I had left to swim to the top of the room. I could feel myself starting to lose consciousness but I pushed forward determined to make it out of there alive. I reached my hand out from the hole and it was immediately grabbed by my Dad who quickly pulled me into his arms.
The whole entire street was shut down and emergency vehicles were placed nearby. I coughed into my Dad's chest as I finally began to see clearly again. William stood behind our Dad with a thankful look on his face. He set a hand on my shoulder to steady me as I stood by myself. It was when I spotted Nickolai that my heart once again broke in my chest. Nick's ex-fiancee Brittney was passionately kissing him, and he was not pulling away.