Escape (13 page)

            Just as they were about half way around the ogre’s body, the unthinkable happened. Through the thick smog, Connor didn’t see the fallen branch in his path. When his foot pressed down on the brittle wood, it snapped. The crack echoed through the wasteland with unexpected range.

            Connor winced and they both turned to look at the ogre, who began to stir in his resting spot. They backed away slowly, hoping it wouldn’t see them. Tension was high as the ogre rolled over. They came face to face with the giant, but from what they could tell, he was still asleep. They held their breath as the ogre sputtered and grumbled, but his eyes remained closed. All was quiet and motionless once more and Amelia let out a sigh of relief.

            And as soon as she did, the ogre’s eyebrow popped up to uncover a pair of dingy yellow eyes that were not at all happy to see them. The ogre’s nostrils expanded and sucked air through his snout, capturing their scent in his memory. Connor grabbed Amelia by the arm and forced her back behind him as the ogre growled. It began to stand up, eyeing them hungrily.

            “Run!” Connor shouted, and pulled her back onto their path. The ogre followed after them with a rumbling roar emitting from his cavernous mouth, which only had a few orange teeth lodged in his gums. The ground quaked with each step the ogre took, making it difficult for the two to keep a steady footing as they ran.

            They twisted and turned around rocks to throw the ogre off track, but nothing worked. The ogre charged straight through the rocks, splintering them into rubble as he went.

            “Amelia, you go one way and I’ll go another to throw him off. Go!”

            Before Amelia had much of a time to realize if this was a good plan or not, he let go of her hand and ran off to the right. She cried out in protest, not wanting to separate but ran off to the left and hid inside a little cave that had been carved inside a rock face. The cave’s entrance faced away from where the ogre was coming from, so Amelia assumed she would be safe.

            Connor hid behind another rock and watched Amelia’s cave, the gears in his brain turning furiously to come up with a plan. The ogre came stomping around the corner, looking for where the two trespassers went.

            There had to be some way to knock the monster unconscious again, but how? Connor thought perhaps dropping a boulder onto its head, but there was no way to climb the cliff fast enough to do that without being spotted. Now that the ogre had their scent, there would be no stopping him from finding them.

            The thought crossed his mind to let his demon side loose just one more time. He had let his other side on too long of a leash lately and the more he fed it, the harder it would be to resist. Not only that, but ogre flesh tasted like moldy meat and was not appetizing anyway.

            Connor pounded his head against the stone, desperate to find a solution.

            The ogre marched towards Amelia’s hiding place, sniffing the air as he went. She fled to the back of the little cave as one of the ogre’s pudgy fingers penetrated into the hole, wiggling around to snag at the girl.

            Its finger was so fat that it was actually grinding the stone away to make a bigger opening. Little rocks and pebbles tumbled down from the cave walls under the pressure. It was only a matter of time before the ogre would find Amelia or the cave collapsed in on her.

            “Connor, help me!” she screamed, hoping Connor hadn’t completely abandoned her. She pressed herself flush against the back of the cave as the ogre’s finger inched closer to her, its fingernail almost catching the fabric of her blouse.

            Connor finally thought of it. Amelia still had the lasso from the river. It was worth a shot. He jumped out from his hiding spot and whistled for the ogre’s attention.

            The dumb giant pulled its finger out of the hole and looked up with a puzzled grunt to Connor. “Yeah, that’s right! Over here! I’m tastier than her! Come and get it!” he taunted, waving his arms wildly about to make sure that the ogre saw him. When the ogre straightened up from his crouched position near the cave, Connor bolted into a run to draw him away from the cave.

            The ogre followed.

            Amelia slowly emerged from the hollow unharmed and watched as Conner ran in a wide circle around a dozen rocks or so, making the monster follow him all the way and looping back towards her.

            “Amelia,” he hollered as he drew closer to her, “take the lasso and hide behind that rock. When I get to that rock across from you, toss one end to me.”

            She looked to where Connor was pointing and nodded, then ran ahead to beat the two of them to a cluster of tall rocks he referred to. When she came there, she saw three colossal boulders, all of about equal distance to each other.

            Amelia hid behind one, then waited for Connor to take his place behind the one across from her. When he did, she tossed him one end of the line.

            “When I give the signal, pull hard and don’t stop pulling,” he said wrapping the strong vine around his hands, getting ready to execute the plan. Amelia did the same, digging her heels into the packed dirt like she would when competing in tug-of-war back home at school.

            The ogre came running, closer and closer, but Amelia stared unwaveringly at Connor. The calmness in his eyes, the confidence and surety that this plan would work gave her the courage she needed to hold her ground steady.

            When he nodded, they both pulled at the same time, creating a tight trip line. The ogre caught one of his dirty, ashen feet over the vine. Amelia was tempted to let go against the strain, but she kept the line as tight as she could, even though she began to slide against the ogre’s weight. Connor’s grip was strong, making up for Amelia’s weakness.

            The ogre came toppling down and its arms went flailing around to break his fall, but it was too late. He hurtled to the ground and shattered his skull against the third rock in the triangle. Blood and brain particles seeped from the gash in the beast’s forehead.

            When the dust settled, Connor came running over to Amelia. Without a hesitating thought, he enveloped her in a grateful hug, thankful that she was safe and unharmed. Startled by his sudden affection, she hugged him back. The adrenaline eased from her system and she was able to breathe steadily again.

            She didn’t want it to end, but Connor released her and took her hand in his.

            “Come on, another ogre could have heard that.”

            He led her away from the scene at the fastest pace manageable, but her eyes kept darting back to the corpse of the ogre, afraid it may not have been truly dead. Soon, the fog closed in like heavy drapes over the body and even if it did rise up, there was no way it would find them again. 

 
          They made it safely out of Orcus and were drawing closer to their final destination: Gastro Bay. The parched land changed back into the lush, green forest once more as it had looked in Phantasia, but Connor made no mention as to what this new country was called. Both could feel the gravity of what lay ahead for them. They walked in silence, occasionally asking awkward questions.

            “Are you doing ok back there?” Connor inquired, looking over his shoulder to Amelia as she lagged behind.

            She looked up as if awakened from a daze and nodded. “Yeah, I’m alright. Umm… Do you want your jacket back?”

            Connor shook his head. “No, I’m fine without it.”

            “You’re not cold?”

            “Not really.”

            “Oh, ok.”

            “Are you cold?”

            “Not with your jacket on.”

            “Oh, good.”

            Neither of them could think of anything meaningful to say. They both knew the end of their journey was near and neither wanted to face it.

            Connor felt like a child, repeating over and over in his mind that it wasn’t fair. He wanted Amelia to stay. Whether he knew why or not, she was so alluring. She was not the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but she was enigmatically attractive, even for a human. He wanted to know her more, wanted to help her and heal every hurt, heal every scar. He felt this pull first when he saw her emerge from the burrow, but didn’t realize what it was. She was like a scared mouse then, but looking at her now, she had grown up somehow. Connor saw a courageous side of her that he hadn’t expected to see. And through it all, she seemed to accept him as a friend, if not something more like he would have wanted. He couldn’t even begin to know how he would cope with losing her.

            Amelia, on the other hand, was even more torn. She wanted Connor to come back to her world with her. She desperately wanted to know him more too, but she didn’t know how to ask. In the short time they had known each other, they had become well acquainted, and the feelings they had for each other were undeniable, but Amelia had never been this way with anyone. She may have had the intellect to know so many things that he would never know, but she felt like an ignorant fool when it came to this. And even if she did ask, what if he said no?

            They both wanted Sir Jedalf’s prophesy to be true, but was it even possible?

            Then, Amelia caught the glint of something up ahead. It shimmered with reflected the moonlight. She knew instantly that it was the bay. It was still a good distance away through the trees, but she could just faintly hear the lapping of the waves against the sandy beach.

            They entered a small clearing and they both stopped, staring ahead at the path that would lead them to the bay. The full moon, still high in the night sky, bathed the glade in a gentle light. The night calls of the creatures seemed far away now, and the soft roar of the waves was all they could focus on. This was the moment; they both knew it.

            Amelia took a few steps forward, but Connor didn’t follow. She turned and looked to him. The expression in his eyes nearly broke her heart.

            “What’s wrong?” she asked, still clutching the box in her hand.

            “This is the end of the line,” he replied gravely.

            She strode towards him a bit. “It doesn’t have to be.”

            “Yes, it is. I need to go back.” He casually gestured in the direction they had come from. It was a long way back to Flagler, Augustine.

            Amelia swallowed hard. “Going back to Esmeralda?”

            Connor, sensing her worry, placed his strong hands on her arms and shook his head furiously. “No, not for Esmeralda. I need to go back because that’s my home.”

            Amelia’s free hand clasped at Connor’s elbow in urgency. “Flagler isn’t your real home. Earth is.”

            A shadow passed over Connor’s face and he turned his gaze away. “No, it’s not anymore.”

            “Yes, it is. It always has been. You’re right. You’re not just a demon. You are a man too and a human, just like me. In your soul, you are.”

            Connor lifted his eyes, filled with bitterness. “I don’t have a soul.”

            “Yes, you do. I don’t care how many people you’ve killed or about any of the horrible stuff you may have done. You have a soul. I see it in you.”

            “You don’t know about everything I’ve done.” His voice dropped to a deep, dark tone that Amelia could feel in her chest.

            “I don’t care what you’ve done!” Amelia dropped the box and gripped his arms tighter. “You belong on Earth. You’ll turn human. You won’t be a demon. You can get away from this place and away from Baal. I know he’s after you and if you come with me, you’ll be safe.”

            Connor’s eyebrows furrowed. “How did you know that?”

            “Sir Jedalf told me. I know all about the amulet and that you stole it from Baal. Please come back with me?” Tears welled in Amelia’s eyes, feeling every emotion cave down on her all at once. “I can’t stand the thought of leaving you here, knowing that you could be killed if you don’t get back to Flagler in time.”

            A droplet slid down her cheek and Connor lifted his hand to catch it, wiping it away. Taking a steadying breath, he leaned in closer. “Then don’t leave,” he whispered. “Stay here… Stay with me.”

            Amelia could no longer hold back the tears, letting them flow freely. She felt like such an idiot for crying so much in front of him, but he didn’t seem to mind. “I can’t stay here,” she blubbered out. “As much as I hate it, my home is on earth too.” Amelia inhaled calmly to ease the sobs and shook her head. “I can’t stay with you, even though I want to.”

            Connor’s hand caressed her cheek, feeling he would cry too. This was one pain he couldn’t take away. His own heart was too broken to take in any more. But he could do something.

            His rough fingers curled around her neck, gently pulling her face up to meet his. She didn’t push him away and she didn’t turn aside. Amelia knew what was coming and wouldn’t avoid it this time. She was ready. If this was the last time they were to see each other, she wanted to make it count.

            Connor’s arm wrapped tightly around her waist, drawing her closer until their bodies collided. She lifted her arms, hardly knowing she was doing it, letting them hang over his shoulders.

            Their lips met in a long sensual, graceful kiss that sent both of their hearts soaring. Amelia felt a surge throughout every nerve in her body. Her knees went weak, but Connor was more than strong enough to steady her. His body was tense, electrifying all of his senses. Both felt they would go insane by the barrage of sensations.

            Connor’s hand gathered a bit of Amelia’s blouse while her own fingers combed through is ebony hair. Her breath quickened as the tightness in her abdomen became almost too much to suffer. It was an excruciating ache, but a pleasant one. She wanted to be closer, feel him tight against her, feel his touch and kiss for eternity.

            The kiss may have been long overdue, but as they embraced in their mad wanton need for each other, they realized that this was only making them resist their parting even more. Both of them second-guessed their decisions. Amelia thought that perhaps she should stay, while Connor debating on going with her to Earth. Neither voiced their change of mind, too enraptured to even care about anything else.

            The world faded away in that kiss. Nothing existed, not Earth, not Gastro Bay, not Somniatis, not anything or anyone except for each other. But this oblivious bliss was not to last as long as they would have wanted.

            Connor’s eyes popped open and he reluctantly jerked away from her, looking off into the woods that surrounded them. He felt the warning. He never wanted to feel that awful foreboding ever again, but it was too blatant to ignore.

            “What’s wrong?” she asked breathlessly. He took her wrists and lowered them from around his neck.

            “Baal.” Connor turned back, a dread in his expression that she had never seen before. “Take the box and go. Now!”

            Connor swooped the box into her arms and twisted her around towards the bay.

            Amelia fought against him, but it was useless. “No, I’m not leaving you,” she insisted, even more committed in her choice to stay.

            Connor became insistent, pushing her towards the tree line. “You must go. Baal is close and he’ll take the box.”

            She turned around and held the box up between them. “Then let’s destroy it. I’ll stay here with you.”

            His eyes darted between Amelia and the box, wavering in his own conviction. “Even if we destroy the box, Baal may kill or turn you. It’s not safe here and I can’t protect you.”

            “Then I’ll die with you!” she exclaimed, rattled the box, willing him to take it and smash it to pieces.

            Connor shook his head. “I could never live with myself if I knew I was the reason you were killed.”

            “It wouldn’t be your fault. It would be my own choice.” Amelia shoved the box into his chest. “Destroy it, please?”

            He pursed his lips, glancing from the box to the forest, knowing Baal was drawing closer. He couldn’t fight Baal; he couldn’t save Amelia if his wrath turned upon her. There was no time to think it over anymore.

            Connor took the box and set it on the ground. He balled his hand into a tight fist and raised it high to crush the box.

            “Hello, Connor.”

            The voice deadened all other sound and the universe seemed to stand still at its utterance. Connor froze in mid swing and shuddered. He had run out of time. Amelia’s eyes were fixed upon the gang of demons that had materialized around the edge of the glade.

            He calmly stood up, steeling himself before turning to face his demon lord.

            Baal, like Connor, was masquerading in his human form. His head was full of long corn colored hair that was slicked back and tied off with a cord while his eyes were a sickly coal-black. Despite the moon’s bright rays shining down, his eyes held no glint or shine to speak of. It was as if all joy, all goodness and happiness disappeared in his eyes like a black hole. But they retained an amused expression as if all of existence was a fun game and he was winning.

            He, along with the dozen henchmen that flanked him, wore dark clothes to better help them camouflage into the night. Every single one of them stared at the two with malicious red eyes and complexion as black as Baal’s eyes. Some snickered at their prey, showing their sharp teeth and forked tongues.

            Despite their efforts to intimidate her, Amelia felt no fear in their presence. It wasn’t that she was overconfident in Connor’s ability to protect her. She knew if they fought against Baal, they would have no chance of survival. But, she wasn’t afraid to die anymore. With Connor by her side, she felt courage that she never knew she possessed. Not even death would scare her now.

            Connor sized up each of the demons. He knew them well, all of them. He knew their strengths, their weaknesses and their usual fighting styles. He knew he could defeat most of them, but not all. It’d give Amelia enough time to get away if he could convince her.

            Baal stepped forward as Amelia picked the box back up and held it firmly against her chest. “It’s been a while,” he said as a wicked smile crept across his lips.

            “Not long enough.” Connor’s voice was little more than a growl as Baal advanced towards them. His head lowered and shoulders rose as if ready to attack at any moment.

            “Oh, you can’t mean that, Connor. Think of all the good times we had. Of course,” he chuckled, “we haven’t been able to have those good times recently. I’m sure you know why.” Baal began to slowly circle the couple, his sinister gaze roaming over both of them. Amelia glared at him and moved closer to Connor as he passed around her.

            “Who’s this?” he asked. “A snack or girlfriend? You know, I could never tell the difference when it came to your girls.”

            Amelia’s head snapped towards Connor, confused. His girls? Did he have more? Panic and jealous rose up within her, but he refused to meet her gaze.

            “I’m not like that anymore, Baal.”

            “Sure you’re not. But she does look appetizing.” Baal outstretched a long clawed finger to brush aside a strand of her hair from her face.

            In a rash moment of rage, Amelia smacked his hand away. Baal’s other hand, with lightning speed, clasped over her throat and squeezed against her windpipe. Connor struck out with the same move against Baal and snarled, his eyes shining their demon red. Amelia saw Connor’s claws dig into the side of Baal’s throat, letting blood trickle down onto his shirt collar.

            Baal only laughed. “She’s a feisty one. She’s going to get you into trouble.” He let go of Amelia and with the same hand, lashed out at Connor, sending him tumbling to the ground.

            Amelia gasped, moving away from the demon lord to attend to Connor. His face was slashed with four long bloody gashes, created by Baal’s nails. He groaned at the pain as blood seeped down his face. Connor pushed himself up, a fiery fury lustrous in his eyes. His lips curled up to snarl like an animal.

            The anger that flowed from Connor was almost tangible. Amelia could only imagine the intense hatred that he felt for Baal. The demon lord ruined his life that day they made the deal and he was beyond forgivable. His face was healing from Baal’s attack, but it was contorted with an unfathomable ire. She could see his demon self slowly climb to the surface, darkening his skin and morphing his features into the terrifying creature that she once feared, but now loved unexplainably.

            Baal adjusted his clothes and strode closer to the couple. “I’m done playing so let’s just get to the point. I’ll make you a deal,” he said, turning serious. “If you give me the box willingly, I’ll forgive your little transgression against me and let you both leave here with your lives.”