Dark Destiny (28 page)

“Have it your way,” Gabriel muttered. He reared his fist back for a knockout punch.

Wednesday, 2:22 am (Purgatorium)

Sara finished making another turkey sandwich and paused to lean against the kitchen counter. After seeing Noah, she knew what she had to do. She asked, “So you’ve been waiting for him this whole time?”

“Yes. We were together for so long. Fifty-two years. It wouldn’t feel right leaving without him.”

“How do you know he’s not waiting in the Light?” asked Sara, putting a handful of chips on the freshly washed yellow plate and adding the newly made sandwich.

“I’ve thought about that. But what if he’s not?”

Sara walked back to the table and placed the food in front of Charlotte.

“Thank you, dear.”

“You’ve been so kind to me, it’s my pleasure.” Sara took a seat and gazed at the old woman, who picked up one of the chips and nibbled it. Three years she’d been here, just waiting.

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Sara said softly. “You’re afraid he won’t be in the Light. I understand, but aren’t you terribly lonely?”

Charlotte was silent for a moment. “I’ve been alone before. When he was away fighting in Vietnam. I would wait for months, sometimes years.”

“Do you think this is one of those times?”

There was a long pause. “I don’t know.”

“If you could see him right now, what would you tell him?”

Charlotte sighed, a wistful sound. She smoothed out the already pressed tablecloth with her shaking hand. “I’d tell him how much I’ve missed him. How much I love him. How being with him lit up my world every second of the day. The way his face would melt away all my worries. He was my brave soldier.”

“I think he passed. I think maybe he went into the Light that night. That’s where he’s been this whole time. He’s waiting for his wife to come home.”

“You think?” asked Charlotte, turning to Sara. “How could you know that?”

“When you touched me, I had a vision of somebody. It was Noah. I think, since I have been in the Light, I somehow, have a connection to it. That’s why—how, I know. He is in there.” Sara shifted her gaze to the front door. “All you have to do is ask.”

Charlotte seemed hesitant, frowning a little. Tears gathered in her eyes.

An idea came to Sara. She brought her hand up and let it linger inches above Charlotte.

“May I?” Sara asked.

Charlotte nodded. Sara placed her hand on top of Charlotte’s head closed her eyes. She concentrated on that memory of Noah, the one she had in the back of her mind. With all her might, she pushed it forward and channeled what she saw into Charlotte’s mind. Something fought her, a vague thought to get her to forget. But she was determined. She cleared her mind and maintained her focus.
Noah. Noah. Noah!

Charlotte gasped. She stood abruptly and took a few steps toward the front door and yelled, “Noah! You come out here right now!” A single tear fell down her cheek. “Because, if you’re in there waiting for me, so help me!”

Charlotte felt Sara’s hand on her shoulder.

“So help me . . .” Charlotte repeated. It came out in almost a whisper. A bright light shone through the keyhole. It grew wider and wider, opening into a circular doorway made of light. So bright, Sara squinted her eyes. Clouds seemed to swirl within it.

“I see him!” Charlotte called out. Tears streamed down her face and she stretched out her hands toward the Light. A thin glow ignited around her hand.

Placing a hand gently on Charlotte’s shoulder, Sara whispered, “He’s waiting for you. Go to him.”

Charlotte turned back to Sara with concern in her eyes, “What about you? If I leave, my haunt will dissolve and you’ll be in danger again.”

Sara brought her close for an embrace and whispered, “Don’t worry about me. This is your time. You go. Be with the one you love.”

Charlotte pulled Sara in for a tight embrace. “Thank you. For everything.”

Sara pulled back. “I’ll never forget you,” she whispered, and she felt a tear trickle down her cheek.

Without another word, Charlotte turned toward the Light and walked into it, her aura visible as bright light bathed her. Sara felt its warmth, like the glow from a fire on a cold day. As Charlotte was halfway into the Light, she stopped and turned back.

“Somebody wants you to have this,” said Charlotte, lightly tossing something toward Sara.

Sara caught a snow globe. With questions in her eyes, Sara asked, “What am I supposed to do with this?”

Charlotte disappeared with the Light, leaving only the sound of rushing water as the Purgatorium ripples moved throughout the entire area.

As soon as Charlotte was gone, the furniture began aging, forming tears and cracks. The hardwood floor slowly rotted directly in front of her. The paint on the walls peeled away, and even the very air she breathed seemed to decay. Shadows grew, stretching in every direction. The haunt was dissolving.

Tapping came from the window. She turned to see a large, black talon.
Tap, tap, tap
.

A creature, masked in shadows, moved in front of the window. Two glowing yellow eyes peered into the room. Jagged white teeth glinted through the glass, and she knew it smiled at her, the most horrifying grin she had ever seen.

Wednesday, 2:24 am (Purgatorium)

Gabriel’s hand pulled back, his fingers balled into a fist, when Sebastian’s tired eyes shot open. An endless gust of wind came at him, starting at his feet and blowing upwards. He saw everything. Gabriel’s fist came toward him, moving millimeters per second, his face still beautiful in its fury. Sebastian felt as if he had been struck by lightning. The tiny hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood on end. It took a second to realize the cause of this new feeling, this power. That revitalized energy he felt when Grayson had left was back.

A Soul had entered the light.

Sara had done it.

His face showed no concern for the incoming fist. Nothing mattered to him in that moment except the raw, vigorous energy roiling in the center of his being. He felt strong. Powerful. Every part of his body was alive, and more than that, alert.

Dust particles, like dirty snowflakes, drifted down from the ceiling. A light breeze came in from the broken window to his left.

Sebastian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Even with his eyes closed, he felt Gabriel turn to look behind him, the heavy force of violence dissipating slowly between them.

Gabriel whispered, “The haunt is dissolving.”

For an instant, Sebastian felt the Angel panic. Then the intent of violence returned in force and with every ounce of power he had, Gabriel threw a punch at Sebastian’s face.

Sebastian caught the Angel’s fist in his hand, absorbing the energy. A thunderclap blew out in all directions. A large gust of wind rushed past Sebastian. The energy expelled from Gabriel’s punch continued its drive, ripping up the ruined flooring and eventually blowing out the entire front of the bank. The windows shattered, the front door destroyed to splinters. Dust spilled out into the street as two small cars flipped over.

His deadly twin stood just behind Gabriel, but was no longer angry. A slow smile spread across the twin’s face. He whispered, “Kick his ass.”

Though Gabriel still held Sebastian by his neck, Sebastian nodded at his evil twin. He
blinked
, gathering momentum, and reappeared back in front of Gabriel but out of his grasp. His position was that of a prize fighter landing a knockout blow, and his newly reformed robes billowed wildly behind him with the force of his movement.

The punch to Gabriel’s face threw the Angel back, his feet leaving tracks in the marble floor as he strained to stay upright and stop his momentum. His body crashed through the already smashed row of teller booths and collided with the bank vault door, denting the thick metal as he smashed into it. The fortified hinges on the door gave way with a brutal, loud crack. The door collapsed into the vault with a metallic groan and the Angel fell back onto it.

Gabriel’s jaw tightened as his gaze jerked toward the Reaper. A low growl came from the Angel as his rising fury heated the air around him.

A calm ferocity grew inside Sebastian, and he stared at the Angel with cold, hard eyes.

Gabriel stood slowly, eyes never wavering from the Reaper’s face. Three strands of hair lay out of place on the Angel’s forehead.

Now, we are getting somewhere . . .

Sebastian ripped his scythe from the air with his left hand, swooping horizontally in a fast slice. He shrugged his shoulders, relaxing his pose, knees loose, yet flexed.

He pointed the scythe at Gabriel.

The Reaper said evenly, his voice no more than a whisper, “Gabriel, I’m going to hit you. Hard.”

A glint of light danced on the scythe’s blade.

“And I promise. It’s going to
hurt
.”

The air shimmered around Gabriel, waving like a heat mirage dancing on a desert asphalt road.

Gabriel shouted, “I am a warrior of the Lord, Horseman. The
Might
of God. I was only to delay you while we found the Revenant. But if you wish to truly challenge me, then come at me!”

Gabriel pulled his ancient broadsword from the air, light coalescing into the blade itself. He slashed at the ground, carving through the dirty concrete and melting it. An arc of sparks graced the air before fading away.

He brought his sword before his face, the light haloing around his head as he moved forward to charge.

Then Sara screamed.

Both shifted their gaze in the direction of the scream for a brief instant before looking back at each other.

Gabriel narrowed his eyes. “This isn’t over.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Sebastian replied with a nod.

They
blinked
.

Wednesday, 2:30 am (Purgatorium)

The condo staircase seemed to go on forever. Sara’s light footsteps hammered at the wood as she hurried down the steps. So far, she had counted nineteen stories. Her lungs burned, and she grew dizzy from going in circles, winding ever farther down. The grey walls of the stairwell shifted and a cadre of shadows danced in her periphery, as if some malevolent force stalked her. Pounding and skittering from above sent chills down her spine, but she kept her focus steady. Then, whatever it was screamed. It ricocheted off the walls to her, chasing her down the steps with a nerve shattering cry.

Before she had run out of the room, Sara had grabbed a shoulder bag that was lying on a chair and stuffed the snow globe into it. She knew it had to be important. Maybe it had the answers to some of her questions. She’d have to figure that out later. For now, the bag hung loose behind her, flapping with each downward step she took.

She was both relieved and anxious when she rounded the last corner and came to a dull green door. She slammed her body against it, almost ripping it off its hinges, and stumbled forward. Cold air nipped at her face and body. Her breath came out in puffs. It had gotten colder, and she was now without that ugly brown fur coat. The wind moaned as it whipped around her. From the clouds, relentless spotlights continued to scan the area.

She knew she wasn’t safe out in the middle of the street. She didn’t know why, but they were after her, and she needed to hide. Surely he would come for her.

To her left was an alley.

She sprinted into it and ran to the first door she came to. It was dark inside but she could still make out what could have been an old bakery. Smoky residue drifted off the blackened walls. The smell of burnt wood surrounded her. What was left of the layered rows, which had once lined the walls with different varieties of fresh breads, now littered the ground as bits of charred wood.

Behind her, on the other side of the door, she heard the same wailing from the staircase. They were following her. Something pounded on the metal door, and the pounding and wailing echoed around her.

They wouldn’t take her without a fight.

Don’t bakeries have knives?
She slammed open cabinet doors and pulled out drawers to no avail.
Apparently, not anymore.

In her panicked search she spotted a large hole that had been punched through the wall in front of her and seemed to lead into the next building.

It was a risk, but she went for it.

Once inside, she stopped short. Perhaps in a previous time, this had been a toy shop. But now, in this decayed world, it was the creepiest thing she’d ever seen. Dolls lay scattered everywhere. Some with cracked faces, and some with black holes where eyes should have been. There were dolls with mangled arms and legs, and heads twisted and deformed. They stared at her, like she were trespassing. Even though the faces were frozen in time, she could have sworn one of them exhaled cold breath, breath that faded away a second later.

The temperature dropped a little more. A chilling mist lingered over the floor and everything had a slightly blue glow to it, illuminated from an unseen light source. A small gust of wind jingled an unseen wind chime. The sound made her skin crawl.