Into the Light

166

"Colby, what are you doing?" I heard Sam ask, but I ignored him. "No, you don't get to live, you stupid BITCH!" I said, screaming out the last word, as I shuffled towards Lilith. The empty hole in my chest was filling up with anger and hate so strong, it scared me, but I was too heartbroken to care. I let it fuel my steps, keeping me stable and on my feet, till I made it to her side. She was sitting up now and raised her head to look at me. "Oh, hello handsome," she said, smiling. I could tell that her strength was waning, even though she was trying to play it off. Her movements were weak, shaky, and almost seemed unsure. "That should've killed you," I heard someone murmur behind me. I turned to see Ash standing there. I hadn't even heard him walk up. "Well, it didn't," I retorted, hearing the acid in my tone. Ash flinched back, with wide eyes. I glanced down and saw a blade, shiny with fresh blood on it, in his hand. I snatched it away from him, without thinking. "But, I will," I said, before I slammed the blade, all the way down to the hilt, into Lilith's chest. She gasped and looked down at the bone handle protruding from her skin. I stepped back, breathing heavily, and watched her struggle to her feet. My body started to shake, from shock I guess, starting in my fingertips, then traveling along my skin until my entire body was on vibrate mode. "That's not going to work," Ash whispered. Lilith looked back up and met my gaze. She smiled then, an open mouth, toothy grin that was covered in blood. "You thought you could take me out with a knife?" she laughed. "A knife? ME? I've been on this Earth longer than any of you! I'm more powerful than all of you! And you think that this," she motioned to the handle still sticking out of her chest. "Will take me out? Stupid boy." I watched in horror and disgust, as she reached up and grasped the handle of the blade. She started to pull and my stomach roiled at the sucking sound that it made. Where blood had been trickling now started to cascade over her clothes, in thick red ropes. "I will kill you," I said, quietly watching her. "I don't know how, but I will. I will be the one that takes your life, you foul, leather skinned, old crone. Bank on it." She smiled again and tapped the tip of the blade on her chin, leaving a bloody smear of her own blood. "You think so?" she asked. "I know so," I retorted, clenching my fists. "Colby, chill," Sam whispered, pulling at the back of my shirt. When had he gotten there? It didn't matter. I pulled away from him, stepping closer to her. "I'm going to make you wish that you had died by those townspeople all those years ago. Her eyes flashed red for a second, but the smile stayed on her face. "I'd like to see you try. Why do men always think that they're so much better than women? Hmm? I'm here, in front of you. You've seen what I can do, who I am. I've killed an endless amount of people, much stronger than you. Warriors, even. What makes you think you're better than them, than me? I could crush you like a cockroach, before you even blink." She held up her fingers in a snapping position, but I didn't budge. Let her kill me. I didn't care. I would get to see Anna again. "Colby, stop," Sam demanded, yanking on my shirt to pull me away from her. "Yes, Colby, stop," Lilith laughed. I snarled and turned my back on the bitch so that I could face Sam. "No Sam, I won't! She killed Anna! Didn't you see that? She killed her!" I was yelling by now, feeing the heartache threaten to take over, as I stared into my best friend's eyes. "I loved her and she killed her," I sobbed. He grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around me. "I know brother. I know. I'm so sorry...but you can't just get yourself killed. Anna wouldn't have wanted that. She loved you too much to want you to die for her." I knew he was right, but it did nothing to quiet the shattering sound of my heart or the sobs that I was choking on. But then I thought... "She's dead, Sam. What does it matter what she wanted? She's not here and it's because of her," I spit out, motioning my head back to indicate Lilith. "If I die tonight, it's not gonna be without trying to take her with me." I pulled away and started to turn back to Lilith. The world slowed down for a moment. I realized that it was stupid of me to turn my back on an evil witch. How much more white boy stupid could I have been? I saw her raised hands, just as I heard Kat start to scream my name. Sam pulled at the back of my shirt again, but it wouldn't get me out of the way in time. That was okay. If this was how it ended, how I got to see Anna again, then I would deal with it. Sam would be okay. He would miss me, but he had Katrina. They had each other. My best friends would be okay without me. I didn't even try to jump out of the way. I knew there wouldn't be time. So, I raised my arms slightly and smiled at the evil bitch. A black lightning exploded from her fingertips, which were aimed directly at my heart. Just before it reached me, something blocked it. A figure jumped in between me and my untimely death, taking the brunt of the powerful attack. Sam, Kat, and I were still knocked backwards from the force of the spell, and landed in a heap about 10 feet away. I climbed to my feet, ready for a fight. I glared at Lilith and started towards her again. That's when I saw him. Ash was lying across the damp forest floor, just as Anna had been, with his lifeless eyes staring up at the dark sky. "No," I whimpered to myself. "No, not you too." "Oh my God," Katrina gasped, coming up on the other side of me. "Oh, Ash, you stupid son of a bitch," Sam whispered from my other side. "So, what now? Are you going to submit? Or will I finally end your lives as well. There's no one else to stand between you. No more powerful Anna to take the fall. No more mentor Ash to tell you what to do. This is it. Will you die tonight?"