A Little More Time...

NINE

Before Ryan knew what was happening, the chains that bound him were gone from his wrists with the sound of a snap and a cover was thrown over his head.

"Hey!" Ryan attempted to reach up and move what blocked his vision, but a new binding was suddenly wrapped around his wrist and he was tugged forward.

"Make another sound, or try anything, and I'll rip out your vocal cords." Brendon threatened, successfully getting Ryan to hold his mouth shut.

"You want to know about the Soul Keeper? I'll take you to him. Just remember, you asked for this." Brendon hissed his last word, leaving a hot breath near Ryan's ear.

What had he just gotten himself into?

"Up." Brendon ordered, roughly tugging up on Ryan's new wrist restraints.

Ryan struggled up, holding a soft cry of pain in his throat as his wrist binding dug in to his skin. It felt almost like rope but, being blinded to his surroundings, he couldn't be sure. Once he was up, Brendon tugged on his bindings again sending him stumbling forward.

"Follow." Brendon instructed before Ryan was tugged again and the two were walking at a steady pace. Where they were going was completely unknown to Ryan. He didn't ask either, taking the threat against his vocal cords very seriously.

It felt like they moved in many different directions over stones and smooth surfaces. Though they were in hell, Ryan hardly felt any heat. The air was actually relatively cool around him; it felt nice.

The tug on his wrist restraints began to ease, prompting Ryan to slow. Had they reached their destination? Ryan wanted to ask, but he held his tongue.

"The Soul Keeper is up ahead." Brendon said before yanking the cover from Ryan's vision. He shrunk back almost immediately as Brendon continued to speak. "Be respectful. I can't control what he'll do."

Ryan nodded, feeling nervous about his decision. Would the Soul Keeper even look human? Would he be able to understand the creature?

"Go in there." Brendon pointed to his side. When Ryan followed the motion, he saw a black, charred door that seemed to stretch up to the ceiling of the dark room they were in. "Hurry up." Brendon urged.

Ryan gulped. Was he really ready to face whatever was behind the door? The Soul Keeper could be anything... Still, Ryan found himself walking towards the door. When he gripped the knob, he could feel it peel away under his skin as he twisted the knob. He held his breath as he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

It was pitch black.

Ryan took a step inside, letting his hand pull away from the knob. As soon as he did, he was yanked to the side and the door slammed shut.

For the first time since Brendon's threat, Ryan made a noise. It was a panicked cry as whatever had pulled him to the side was gone as fast as it had began. Ryan stumbled in the dark, feeling nothing around him to bump into or steady himself against.

"Hello?" Ryan's voice came out quiet; scared.

There was no response.

"I request an audience with the Soul Keeper?" Ryan tried, hoping that formalities would do better to lure the creature out, rather than a standard greeting.

Something growled in the darkness ahead of Ryan. As he stilled, a small light suddenly came on above him. Ryan looked up to see a square sheet of, what looked like, paper flutter down from the ceiling. It was shining bright, almost as if it was a sheet of light itself. As it grew near to the ground to settle, another sheet bloomed with light. It began to fall but, as soon as it did, another light sheet bloomed.

Then, another.

Then, another still!

Soon, hundreds of sheets of light were falling and lighting up the room around Ryan. He spun in disbelief, trying to take it all in, when he heard a soft noise somewhere behind him. He finished his spin, catching some of the sheets of light swishing up from the floor, as if something had just been there.

"Ryan Ross." An empty voice spoke in Ryan's ear, causing him to jump. He spun back around, but there was nothing there.

"Yes?"  Ryan continued to spin, uncertain of what else to do.

"What do you come seeking, Ryan Ross?" The voice was so void of any substance and was somehow coming from somewhere he wasn't looking.

"I-I want to reclaim my soul." Ryan said, mentally kicking himself for tripping on the beginning of his sentence. "I heard that you're the one I need to speak to."

Ryan stopped his movement, catching the outline of a figure in the corner of his eye. He focused his attention there, finally catching sight of the Soul Keeper.

It was a man. Or, rather, it looked like a man. He was a thin figure, wearing a black, long sleeve shirt and pants... On first inspection, at least. As the sheets of light around the Soul Keeper brightened, Ryan could see that there was actually exposed skin near his elbow. From his hand up spread a darkness, squirming and twisting where it licked at the pale skin of his arms. Around his neck and feet, the same, ever moving, darkness rested. Even behind him, the shadows seemed to move. Ryan turned his attention to the creature's face, meeting a pair of ruby red eyes.

"You wish to reclaim your soul?" It questioned in that hollow, empty voice as it tilted its head. "I'm being told no."

Ryan took a step back. "What do you mean, no?" He asked, only realizing how disrespectful it sounded after it came out of his mouth.

The Soul Keeper was still, for a moment. Then, the shadows from the sheets of light swallowed him.

Ryan cried out, jumping back to prevent the same fate from falling upon him. He looked around, fearfully, trying to find the exit.

"I mean," Ryan stilled as the hollow voice hissed the words in his ear, "it's not your destined purpose." Ryan turned his head and the creature was there. It stared at him, unblinking. "You have a different path to take."

Ryan bit his lip before asking, "How can you be so sure?"

The creature tilted its head to the other side. "Because," he said, simply, gesturing to the sheets of light all around them. "it is written in your soul."