Shades of Pale

4

Meanwhile, in the afterlife...

Two women stand alone amidst a vast desert, standing in silence as only the howling of the wind can be heard. They look west over the horizon, as a horde of rampaging spirits attack everything in sight. The warpath of the dead rushes in their direction, leaving a path of destruction. The lovers and best friends share a passionate kiss, and they savor the calm before the bloody storm.

"If these are our last moments my love, may we find peace in oblivion. I love you Kasah," Miketta says holding the hand of her love, her best friend, Gazing into her pale gray eyes.
"I love you too," Kasah replied. "I've loved you in death, and I will love you in oblivion."

They hold hands atop a huge dune of sand. Kasah's long royal blue dress blows carelessly in the wind, her silky flowing black hair following suit. She holds out her hand, which starts to glow, the sand rises up from the ground. And as she makes a fist the sand compresses into a hard glass, forming a crystal staff.
Miketta holds her glowing hands out as well, compressing the sand into a flail. She places her faded black jacket around Kasah's bare shoulders, as the once gentle wind begins to blow violently around them.

Kasah stares through the thick clouds of the eternal dawn, and is amazed by her euphoric vision as she spots a colorful wave of energy flying through the blue sky.
"What is it?" Ask Miketta.
"A beautiful essence," Kasah replied.
Her soft spoken voice blows away with the wind as the smell of death lingers ever so closely. Intrigued by the shades of his spirit, she holds her hands out in front of her. Focused on the falling object, she chants a calming chant, the scarab shaped amulet around her right arm glows a bright green. Miketta watches on as Kasah forms a giant hand with the sand which rises out of the ground underneath Luke as he flails through the air. The hand materializes and catches him, bringing him safely down to the desert dunes below. Miketta feels a powerful energy radiating from him as he struggles to his feet, confused and disoriented. There he stood, looking at the desolate world around him. The three moons in the sky catches his eye, as he looks out into the seemingly endless desert.

"Ready to make a new friend?" Kasah asks.
"I've never felt that kind of energy before" Miketta replied. "I don't trust it where is it coming from?"
"I do not know, but if only you could see what I see," Kasah says marveling at his multicolored essence from across the desert.
"Let's see what we have here," Miketta says.
"Kari let's go!!!" She yells kneeling down.
Out of nowhere a giant black scarab rises out of the sand underneath them, its back lifting them off of the desert floor.
"YA!!" She yells holding the harness attached to its horns. In the blink of an eye the scarab takes off across the sand.

"Where am I?" Luke asks himself. He sits on the dune he landed on, trying to sort things out in his head.
Covered in sand, fragments of his memory enters his head, he then snaps out of it as he notices a huge shadow engulfing his own. He turns around to find the giant beetle looming over him.
"What the, oh shit don't kill me" he says scurrying away on his hands and knees.
"Don't be afraid, we saw you fall out of the sky, so I caught you!" Kasah shouts peering over the scarab's head.
"Who, who are you?" He asked.
"Kari!! Heel!!" She yells. The scarab let's out a loud groan before retreating underneath the sand.
"I am Kasah, and my friend here is Miketta. What's your name?"
"I-i'm Luke" he replied.
"Do you know where you are?" Miketta asked.
Luke shakes his head in confusion.
"My friend I'm sorry but, you are dead, you passed on"
"I'm dead? what!?" He says.
"Yes it is true" Kasah says.
"First I was in my car, then I was.... was in a forest? then I wound up falling out of the sky, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!!!!"
"Calm down," Kasah says.
"Joy!! where is she!?" He says in a panic.
"Joy?, who is that?" Kasah says.
"She's my girlfriend, she was with me oh my God I have to find her."
"Maybe she's still alive," Miketta says.
"I hope so, we had a child on the way," he says with a depressing smile.
"If there's an unborn then we might be able to find her," Miketta says as
Kasah nods in agreement.
"You can help me? Seriously will you do that?" He asked.
"Sure, even though life is over for you, you have to have peace now, "Kasah says softly, consoling him. "Because in death, peace is the only thing that keeps us from oblivion."
"Oblivion?" Luke says confused as he struggles to his feet.

"They're here," Miketta says looking east towards the advancing wave of souls.
The smell of death singes the hair in their noses as the fallen souls approach. The red caped leader approaches with a hungry grin as his demonic glare catches the marvelous glow of Luke's essence.  As he focuses on Luke, a chill ran through him, and for the first time, his second in command saw fear in her leader.
"Ax, are you okay?" She asked.
"I'm OK Mel, let's finish them and move on," he replied.
"CHARGE, LEAVE NOTHING BEHIND!!!!" Mel yells at the top of her lungs.

Kasah and Miketta brandish their weapons as the onslaught of wretched races towards them. Kasah holds her hands out in front of her, the amulet on her arm glowing bright. The sand rises and compresses around them, forming a wall.
"What is happening?" Luke says.
"Stay here," Kasah shouts.
"Let's go, we can't let them get any closer" Miketta says hopping over the wall.
"We'll be back for you do not leave," Kasah says going over after her.
Miketta swings her giant flail, taking out the wretched with ease.
Kasah moves with such grace, but a hidden rage is noticeably present as she smashes through them with her staff.

The lovers hold up, but are soon outnumbered and surrounded. As the spirits separate them, Kasah is overwhelmed and pinned down. The heartless wretched takes a bite out of her arm, trying to force the amulet off as she screams out in distress. Miketta, trying her hardest to fight her way to her love, ends up pinned down as well.
"HALT!!!, do not kill them yet!!" Ax says walking up to them, Mel at his side.
The sea of souls part wide as he marches to them, his blood red cape blowing lightly in the wind. Slowly approaching them, he grins victoriously, his pale red skin slightly obscured by the rising sands. Upon seeing Kasah he puts his boot in her face, smashing her head down into the sand with all of his might.

"You dare challenge me!!, huh!!!" Ax shouts, suffocating.
Her yells start to muffle, and Miketta gathers all her strength to break free of the wretched's grip, blazing her way toward Kasah. Mel appears behind her, wrapping her whip around her, then tossing her away. Kasah struggles for air as the boot pushes her face further into the sand. The evil shade of his ring catches Miketta's eye as she desperately struggles to break free.
Ka- Ka- KARI!!! Kasah yells before the boot pushes her head under.
The giant scarab rises out of the ground underneath her, raising her and Axum onto its back. Axum falls down, and Kasah climbs on top of him, smashing his face with her staff. Her eyes glowing an intense green as the energy concentrated in her amulet takes over. She yells and screams with rage as she rips his face apart, bludgeoning him before throwing him off of the scarab onto the sandy surface below, compressing the sand around him like a sarcophagus trapping him inside. She laughs as she jumps off of the beetle, using her staff to impale the stone block, upon contact the block shatters like glass into a million shards flying in a thousand directions.
Luke, peering over the wall, looking at the action notices a dark object hit the wall, then bounces into the pit where he stood.
Mel looked on as the wretched started to glow a bright glow, before dissipating into light, becoming absorbed by the lover's amulets.

Alone and without a leader, Mel begins to flee before she is dealt a fatal blow from Miketta's flail.
Kasah collapses as the glow leaves her eyes, the tamed evil making its way back into the amulet.
Miketta holds her love, putting her on Kari's back. Luke peers over the wall, seeing that everything is ok, he puts the object under his waistband before running to the girls.
"Ar- are you ok?" he asks catching his breath.
"She just needs some rest, hop on let's go," she replied.
He gets on the scarab, wrapping his arms around the beetle's horns.
"Hold on tight kid, KARI!!!! GO!!!!" she yelled.
And with a loud roar, the beetle takes off, blazing across the sand, leaving Mel's corpse to be buried by the cool desert winds.

I really wanna strengthen the setting and bring more life to this story, if anyone is confused or has any questions for any of the chapters please feel free to ask me
Thanks for reading...