Life After Death

Chapter 18

We had to find Kassima-that was my best idea. Kassima was a psychic so she would know how to handle this. I also knew that she needed to know what had happened to Val.

As the snow fell from the darkened sky, I felt rage overcome me; not even the beautiful snowflakes falling to the ground made me smile. Not even hearing stupid sexual innuendos. I was mad at the world. I was mad at David and Amy, the demons, Kassima and Roman. I wanted to scream, because nothing hurt more than seeing your friend being ripped to shreds of ribbons, and dissolve into nothing but stardust. It feels like a part of you breaks apart and dissappears, too.

We were all sitting under the giant Christmas tree in Town Square that danced with light.

I found it so weird that no one seemed fazed by what had happened. Humans didn't understand the war going on right in front of them. They didn't see the bloodshed, or the souls dissipating in the air. They were blind to it all. And I felt so sorry for them, because they wouldn't understand the war going on, that happened on a daily basis around them, until they died.

It was Christmas eve and Kassima must have been with her family, so there was no way we could see her until we went back to the cabin. But it was dark and the shadows were filled with "trolls" so we decided that the only safe place would be under the brightly lit Christmas tree.

I sat wedged in between Topher and Roman, none of us spoke. What had happened an hour ago was still sinking in. I felt the world's axis shift everytime I thought about. Seeing the surprised look on Val's face when the Rebecca-demon wrapped a skeletal hand around her neck and dragged her down to the snowy ground and devoured her until she dissipated.

She couldn't be gone. It was impossible. I saw Valerie as someone who was invincible. But now, she was dead. God knows where. I felt my gut clench.

Topher didn't have any emotion on his face. He looked like he was far gone. He seemed lost, searching almost, but other than that, there was no emotion. Roman was clenching his jaw, I could see how it ticked. He looked mad. So mad. Maybe even more than me.

"We have to go down there!" I had yelled at them. Looking in between them. Val would have jump down there in that agile way to avenge our deaths if one of us had been in her position. I wanted to do that, too.

But Topher stopped me. "Its too late. If you go down there now. You'll be eaten too. We can't lose you, too." His voice broke toward the end. It was hard for him too.

But I was still pissed, and fueled with adrenalin. "That doesn't matter! Val was taken-eaten. How can you be so calm?"

I had peeked over the edge, but there was nothing. No evidence of the death that had just occurred.

"Topher is right, Meredith. We have to leave this place before they decide to come back here," Roman had intervened before I could start yelling and throwing a tantrum again. And that's how we ended up in Town Square.

It really feel like I had the wind knocked out of me. It was like I was drowning all over again. Drowning in fear and grievance. I just wanted to curl in a ball and cry, but I couldn't even do that.

The lights casted a glow on my stretched out legs, it danced from red, to green, to yellow and repeat. I remembered coming here when I found out everything-David cheating on me, and that Amy and Nathaniel were dating-that seemed so long ago, and so trivial compared to what was happening at that exact moment.

I couldn't sit there anymore. So I got up. I couldn't sit there and be sad all the time. I needed to walk, even if I was risking being eaten alive. I had to do something, and what better than to get revenge. After all, I was in an avenge-seeking mood. I wanted to make everyone who ever hurt me pay. And tonight was the night I blessed David with a gift this Christmas: revenge.