Into the Light

92

So, Anna could see ghosts...I mean, considering that she use to be one that I saw, I guess that shouldn't be much of a surprise to me. I did wonder why she could see them, like Ash, when Sam and I couldn't. Sam and I sat back down, and I pulled her down beside me. Ash took a seat in the only chair in the room, directly across from us. Anna was staring at the arm of his chair, with a sort of haughty expression. She didn't seem to like this new ghost. "Barbie, can you grace the rest with your presence, please?" Ash said, smiling at Sam and I. I saw a slight shimmer in the air, that reminded me of when Anna would be around but invisible, then a half dressed blonde woman appeared on the arm of Ash's chair. She waved with her fingers, then giggled. I took a sip of my water, trying to figure out why Anna didn't like her. She didn't seem very...deep, but she didn't come across as mean, either. Her hair shifted, and I realized that I had a clear shot of her breasts. I choked on my water, in surprise, and sprayed it everywhere. "Damn brother," Sam said, beating me on the back. Anna rolled her eyes and looked away. Seriously? This was LA, for fucks sake! There wasn't a day that went by that we didn't get an eyeful of boobs or ass. It was just normal by now. I sighed, and met Ash's gaze. "Your house is full of them, you know," Anna said, speaking to Ash. "I saw them when we pulled up." Oh, she was talking about the ghosts. "Yes, it usually is," he replied, with knowing smirk. "You were one of them, for a short time, Ms. Anna. But that's not why we're here. Would you like to speak on the Darkness, or on your ability to see the spirit realm? Do the guys get a vote?" She opened her mouth to answer, holding her finger up, then glanced at Sam and I. "The Darkness," she muttered, then put her finger down. "Wait," I said, stopping Ash before he started to speak. "Can we be sure that SHE isn't listening in? I don't want to put anyone else in danger." Ash smiled at me, in that way that let me know that he knew way more than we did. "I can assure you that she is not listening right now. For how long that will remain true, I don't know. I can sense you her when she is, however, so that should give us a warning. I guess I should start with Amy, or Amethyst, as you know her. She has been marked, since she is the one who physically took Anna's soul from her. The Darkness has placed a Blood Bounty on her head. Amy has rejoined the ranks of her coven for help. From what I understand, they have been researching into the darkest corners of their practice to find something that will defeat her. I haven't been informed that they have found anything. This is a delicate situation because they cannot even attempt to fight her without having the slightest chance of survival. Right now, they don't have that chance. The Darkness is too strong." I noticed that he wasn't saying her name either. I wondered if that was a trigger, of sorts, for her. If she heard or felt her name, then she could track where it came from. Kinda like Voldemort in Harry Potter. I cracked a smile at the thought then hid it. Now wasn't the time and we weren't in a very funny situation. "The coven has found some hopeful information but it's not nearly enough to o against the Darkness. Not yet. She's too powerful. They're trying to figure out exactly where she gets her power from. From what I've been told, it's obviously from stealing souls. What they don't understand is how she can keep that soul around and use it for years to come. Is Anna the only one that she's done that too, or are there multiple people trapped in her web? We know that she does the usual kidnapping of a person, and using their soul until the person is dried up and gone. Is there any information that you can give on the situation?" I was so caught up in what he was saying that I didn't realize that he was talking to us. "Oh," I replied, thinking through everything that he had said. He hadn't mentioned the hundreds of other people that She had stuck in that freaky hospital wing. "Well, what if her power is coming from all of the people that she's keeping alive? Like she did Anna. When Sam and I found her body, there were a ton of other people in the same area. No one had the same hookups that she had, but they were being drained for some reason. Their blood. So, that means it's blood magic right? That's supposedly super powerful and super evil." I had retained some of the knowledge that I had learned over the years of researching haunted places and legends. Ash nodded his head. "I didn't know that. You're saying that she has multiple people, using them for their blood? It's strong enough just using one person, but multiple? That's unheard of. We'll have to figure out a way to cut those ties between her and those people." "Will it hurt them...or kill them?" Anna asked quietly. I glanced over at her and noticed that she was picking at her cuticles. She was worried about those people. "I can't give you an answer because I don't know for sure. Was it painful when Amy brought you back?" Ash asked. The blonde ghost caught my eye and winked. I turned my eyes back to Anna and ignored her. I heard her 'harumph' lightly, but kept my eyes trained on Anna. There was no way that I was going to endure a half naked ghost flirting with me when we trying to figure out how to not die. "Barbie, can you leave us? We need to concentrate and I'm afraid that your...assets are distracting," Ash said, shooing her away with his hands. She rolled her eyes and stood. "Fine. I'll go hang out with Danielle and the rest. At least they have drinks and dancing." With that, she faded from my sight, but I could swear that I saw a slight shimmer moving towards the door. "Sorry about that. I know that she's a strong personality and...well, she was a very independent person before she died. A free spirit. Not really into clothes," Ash apologized.