Life After Death

Chapter 44

I pulled the hood over my head and began my journey through the home that belonged to Satan.

I felt cold there, and sometimes, it hurt to breathe. Like an icy hand was reaching inside of me and clutching my lungs in their hands, crushing it whenever I tried to take in a breath. After a while, I just stopped walking and leaned against the cold cement wall. It seemed that I was in some kind of basement because I hadn't come across anyone so far and I've been walking for a long time. Or what feels like a long time - I couldn't be certain.

That's when it happened - another vision.

Darkness enveloping everything. Screams... Sadistic laughter... I jumped away from the wall and looked to find a heavy door there instead.

I looked at the handle, reached out and twisted it. The heavy door squeaked and that's when I heard sound of someone gasping for air. I hurried inside the room. To my dismay, it was the same room I had been in when I had been captured, I saw the one-way window. I entered and looked through the one-way window that led to a great view as to the room I had been held. It still looked as cruel and uninviting as it did before, only this time I saw someone being - I don't know, eaten? On the floor. That's when I noticed the mop of dark hair and I had the irking feeling that it was Alexandru. But the more I looked it seemed that the person that was clutched in his arms looked familiar as well, that red hair... the beach shorts... Fuck, it was Topher! I banged on the glass. I scrambled to grasp the microphone, tapped it and spoke, "Step the fuck away from my homie, Alex! You JB sick-fuck!" I banged on the glass more.

Both of them - Alex looking up in confusion and Topher looking up in surprise, he still looked very weak though - said, "Meredith?"

I nodded, but then realized that they couldn't see me. "Yes, its me. I'm on the other side of this stupid mirror." I banged on it to gain their attention - it worked. "Now, Alex, let go of my friend please."

"But -" Alex began to protest.

"No buts, please. Just... leave him be..." I begged, feeling nausea build up within me. I couldn't have Topher die. Somehow, he meant a lot to me.

"Okay," Alex grumbled, letting Topher's body fall on the floor with a thud.

Topher crawled away. "He was sucking the life outta me..." he pulled his legs to his chest and rocked back and forth.

I left the room and entered the room they had been in through an industrial-sized door, metal and harsh-looking, and pushed through with all my might and hurried to Topher. "Are you okay?" I cradled his face in my hands. "You're paler than usual... Fuck, I missed you..." I hugged him. "What are you doing here?"

"Rise... Kassima... he breathed. "The fucking bitch..."

"What?"

"He needs time to gain energy because I sucked most of it out of him," Alex commented behind me. I shot him a sharp glare and he held up his hands in defence. "Quick question - actually, two quick questions - why are you here? And, did you just call me a JB sick-fuck five seconds ago?"

"Yes, I did call you that," I said through gritted teeth, "you were killing my friend over here -"

"How am I supposed to know he was your friend?" he pouted.

"I TOLD YOU," Topher screamed in a breathless tone. I held him closer to my chest - I knew how cold it could get in here - and cradled him, cooing that everything's gonna be okay.

I glared at Alex again who backed away. "I'm sorry but Toph over there tastes good. Not better than you though," Alex winked. A shiver wracked down my spine as memories flashed through my mind remembering when he placed his soft mouth against my mine and sucked the energy from me. "Now, why are you here? You're supposed to be with Roman."

"I am with him..." I trailed off smiling sheepishly.

"What? He's - He's here?" He looked shocked and afraid and happy and surprised all rolled up in one. It made my non-existent heart soar for a split second, but then I remembered what the fucker did to Topher and the smile disappeared.

"Yes."

"Do you want to be murdered!? Lucifer might not be here right now but once he comes back and finds you and your - your friends, he'll kill you. He'll rip the flesh from your bones and absorb your power!"

"Lucifer doesn't need it," Topher breathed from the corner. "Isn't he all powerful?"

"There's no limit to power."

I shivered in fear. I knew Lucifer wanted my power. And that made me afraid. So fucking afraid.

"Now why are you here?" Alex asked after a long silence.

"The End - its near. I saw it and I might be able to prevent it," I told him, fear bubbling beneath me.

"What do you mean you saw it?" Topher asked, sitting up against the health hazard of a cement wall.

"He doesn't know?" I asked Alex who sighed.

"Soul power - Meredith over here has visions - what kind is undetermined." Alex explained looking over at me for a long second. "She can see anything her mind allows her to. She's not psychic. She's... something else."

"I am here, y'know," I grumbled.

"Wait, so does that mean I have a power, too?" Topher sat straighter. 

"Everyone has a soul power," Alex said.

"Well enough of the soul power crap," I cut then off. "We have a problem - the end of the fucking world here people."

"What happened?" Topher asked.

"Can I not talk about it? It's just... a lot," I shook a little in my skin. "I think it has something to do with Kassima."

Topher's head shot up and fear filled his dark eyes.

"Topher, what's wrong?" I asked him, kneeling in front of him and placing my hands on his shoulders so he would keep eye contact. Maybe I would get a vision off of him or something. But there was nothing. I wasn't getting anything.

"That fucking bitch..." Topher breathed with malice.

"What is it?" I asked.

I could feel Alexandru tense in the middle of the room. He must know something.

"She was collecting souls. She became friends with lost souls... so she could feed them to ghosts. She called those demons to kill us, Meredith. At Soliel..." Topher was shaking.

I felt a lump form in my throat and my body behind begin to tremble with sadness and anger. "She knew..."

Topher nodded. "She killed Val. And she tried to kill me. And guess what?" I didn't want to ask. I knew what he was going to say. But it seemed as though I didn't need to ask. Topher told me anyway, "You're next."