A Light in the Dark Part Twelve: The Birds Fly Free

Lily:

Standing outside a rundown prison, we had to pretend to be scouting a location for a horror film. Smoothing out my giant emerald sweater dress, comfort was key in these matters.  Resting my metal cross on my shoulders, my bones all having healed. This job had to wait for this moment, my lips pressing into a thin line. Matty clutched his book to his chest, my eyes catching several spirits waiting to be set free. Perhaps going to the other side wouldn’t be necessary today, a cold breeze causing my hair to dance around. A rotting spirit tapped on the glass a few feet from me, his finger curling in my direction to come on in. Swallowing the lump in my throat, Victoria hovered behind me. Something felt wrong, a sinking feeling giving me pause. Stepping forward, my hand rested on my bump. This damn thing had grown so much since yesterday, the surface brushing against my sweater. Fighting the fear holding me back, this battle would have me on my toes. Dropping my black salt dough necklace around my neck, my job wouldn’t be complete until his soul was in Hell. Hating this job while loving it had me struggling with conflicting emotions, my husband not handling the stress of his new job too well. Lately, sleep has been evading him as well. Nodding once, we all stepped forward. Every step felt like a chore. Crossing the threshold, this place was already a portal to Hell. Sulfur drifted around the air, dried maggots crunched underneath every step. Someone had outstayed their welcome, my eyes falling on where he was once standing. Matty’s color drained from his face, the fear showing in the way the book rattled in his hands. Toby had his work cut out for him, the lost souls all gazing down at me with woeful looks in their eyes. My heart shattered for them, my friendly smile doing little to ease their fraying nerves. Gathering my wits, the cracked concrete mixed with rotting metal bars. Closing my eyes for a minute, the evil spirit had disappeared into the other side. Letting out a frustrated groan, Matty followed me into a nearby cell. Placing a line of salt in front of the cell, the lights flickered wildly. Sitting on the bench, Matty kissed the top of my head. Praying that he would hold better than he had been recently, my lips kissed his feverishly. Blushing adorably, he sat down in front of me with his book open.

“I am going under.” I uttered simply, pulling out my green tea. “Use any spell of protection you can manage.” Gulping down my tea, a rough darkness stole me away.  

A foggy world greeted me, a groggy yawn pouring from my lips. Struggling to my feet, every footfall echoed in the empty hallway. Running my cross along the cross, the other two floors towered over me. The metal bars rattled violently, a sharp ringing pierced my ear drum. Ruby poured from my ears, a dull ache throbbing around my nose. Touching the space underneath my nose, ruby painted the tips of my finger. Cocking my brow, this was all a show. Unfazed by it all, my eyes caught a shadow out of the corner of my eyes. A quiet rage burned in my eyes, my patience was wearing thin. Someone was a little scared, a wicked laugh tumbling from my lips. Crunching through the dried maggots towards my mark, my fingers spun my cross in my palm. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, a door slammed shut behind me. What the heck was that? My mark disappeared into the shadows, a warmth coming from behind me. The pristine door leading to an office locked, my boots crunching towards it. Knocking on the door, a gruff voice greeted me. 

“I am not the one you are looking for.” His voice barked through the door, my eyes rolling. “He murdered me along with everyone you saw in the windows on the other side. Go away so I can rot away here.” Cursing under my breath, this guy was being worse than a teenager. 

“How about you help me since he blocked Victoria? Don’t you want to send him to Hell?” I offered with a sly grin, hoping he would open the door. The door creaked open, a shadowy figure poking his head out. Bloody chains twisted down the halls, my eyes following the endless links. Murder connected them and my job was to destroy everything between them to free him. Motioning for him to lead the way, his eyes fell on my swollen bump. Letting out a light chuckle, my fingers gripped my cross tighter. 

“I see we are carrying precious cargo. My wife was pregnant when he murdered me on the job.” He teased blissfully, tears welling up in my eyes. “The warden had gotten caught by me for allowing doctors to experiment on prisoners. I couldn’t stand by it. Don’t worry about me, I need to make sure you go back in one piece.” Silent tears stained my cheeks, my free hand reaching for him. Something was so familiar about his aura, the warmth acting like a lantern. Pausing for a minute, I placed his palms on my bump. Holding it with a golden aura, bits of purple dotted the space behind him. Letting go, we went back to hunting down the warden. Marching forward, sulfur caused us to stop. A decaying hand reached for me, his hand knocking him back. Shouting that I needed to get to the basement, his head nodded. Understanding the mission, his promise soon came to life with a vengeance. Placing me on his back, his feet pounded down random halls. Promising to get me to where I needed to go, an incredible sadness had me weeping discreetly. Feeling stupid, his hand patted mine. Skidding towards the basement, he pushed me in. Slamming the door shut behind me, he shouted for me to go. Something really did seem so familiar about him, my fingers lingering on the door. Sprinting down the stairs, the boiler wasn’t too far away. Chaos erupted over my head, the two of them were going at it. Pulling the sleek black key from my pocket, a cold breeze sent me flying back. Yellowed bones peeked out of ashy flesh, dried maggots crumbling the moment they hit the floor. Holding my new friend in the air, my eyes flitted between the two of them. Fear rounded my eyes for the first time, dirt crunching with every step forward. Sliding the key into the lock, the click had the screams of Hell threatening to burst my eardrums. Dropping him, his fist was raised in the attack position. Biting my lips, my shaking hand lifted the pointed end of my cross in his direction. Catching my friend, a broken smile curled on my lips at the dried maggots raining down on us. Spinning my cross in my palm, a flick of my wrist had him flying into the fiery pits of Hell. Slamming the door shut, the key melted away. Pressing my palm onto the door, my magic sealed the portal shut. The prison faded away to a field of daisies, a sigh of relief pouring from my lips. This wasn't the first time I was here, my mind racing through the times I might have sat in this same spot. A pretty blonde woman with icy blue eyes waited with a beautiful little girl with golden locks, a man with dark hair and emerald eyes now laying in my arms. Upon closer look, he looked an awful lot like the man from my dreams when I was teenager. A tender breeze caused my hair to dance around, the white silk of his family shimmering in the bright sunlight. Helping him to his feet, his impeccable navy prison guard uniform highlighted his handsome features. Placing his hand on my shoulder like he used to, he always guided me back when I wandered around on this side as a kid. 

“You were the one who always brought me to my body.” I gushed through a wall of tears, his hands cupping my face. Kissing the top of my head, so many warm memories of us talking flooded through my mind. Letting me go, his hand ruffled the top of my head.  

“Thanks for helping me, kid.” He laughed blissfully, walking towards his family. “I never left your side because you were my light in my darkness. Keep up the good work and watch out for the Dark One. He is coming your way.” Opening up his arms, his family leapt into his arms. Taking a step back, tears of joy flooded from my eyes. Floating into the sky, Victoria walked up next to me. Her arm draped over my shoulder, her lips brushing against my cheeks. Thankful for her presence, she was my new lantern in the dark.

“I knew that my friend could help you. He wouldn’t stop talking about you on Halloween when we would meet. He spoke of a little girl who would talk with him for hours.” She wept softly, missing her friend. “I should have known that it was you. Do you want to stay for a minute?” Nodding with another batch of tears, the sense of loss had me weak in the knees. Sitting down in the field, she laid my head on her lap. Playing with my hair, a lullaby flowed freely from her lips. Tears slid off her translucent form, the sobs wracking my body harder. Wiping my tears away with my sleeves, the sun set to reveal an inky sky with diamonds twinkling in the sky.  Staring up at the golden moon, Victoria tapped me to tell me that it was time to go back. Placing me on her back, my emotions soaked her shoulders. Snapping her fingers, her lullaby was the last thing I heard. 

Snapping awake, a clammy sweat drenched my skin. Toby and Matty hovered over me, both of them gazing upon me with a huge sense of relief. Struggling to my feet, the prison had been cleansed. A lightness bathed the pink dusted walls, a new dawn was upon us. Ignoring everyone else, the sound of my footfalls bounced off the walls. Kicking in the door to the worn office, paper files covered the floor. He kept going back there, so his body had to be in here. Getting on my knees, the files fluttered to the other side of the room. Searching the rotten wood floor for loose floorboard, a wobbly nail sliced my palm. Ripping it up, tears splashed onto a gray skeleton with a bloody prison guard’s uniform. Dialing up the non-emergency line, a kind woman told me that detectives would be on their way. Rising to my feet, strange mounds caught my eyes. Running outside, the chilly morning air nipped my cheeks. Matty was on my heels with our guides floating behind him. Pausing in front of the closest one, my steady hands dug into the packed dirt with my cross. Digging away, dirt flew behind me. Pushing through the exhaustion, another bout of sadness hit me at a twisted skeleton. Resting on my haunches, Matty rubbed my back. Pressing my palms together, I wished for a peaceful afterlife. Helping me to my feet, his steady hands placed me on his back. Walking me back to the car, the impact of today hit me. A fever burned on my cheeks, his other hand placing the cross in the hidden compartment. Taking a seat in the front, his shaking hands held me by my bump. Wondering what he saw, the expression on his face spoke of a deep horror that was now seared on his brain. Not wanting to push it, this line of work wasn’t for the faint of heart.  

“I saw so many horrible things.” He mumbled numbly, kissing the nape of my neck. “I need to do something to forget about it.” Grazing the nape of my neck with his lips, a knock had us jumping. A female detective with a short silver pixie cut and curiosity filled gray eyes was peering into the car. Her cheap onyx suit hugged her tall lanky body, Matty rolling down his window.  Leaning into the car, she rested her chin on the window. 

“I am Detective Smats and I am here for a call about a body being found.” She introduced herself confidently, her hand shaking mine. “Can you take me to it?” Getting out of the car, Matty chose to work through whatever he had seen. Filling out my report as we walked to the office, we paused at the skeleton in the floorboard. Messing with my outfit, her eyes fell on me. What drew me to her?

“You might have solved the mystery of this prison. I can’t imagine the research you did to figure it all out.” She mused playfully, calling for backup. If you call going to the other side a form of research, then we have different views. Spinning on my heels, her gloved hand grabbed my wrist. Scarlet colored my cheeks, her left hand holding a card. 

“Join me anytime on the cold case team. I am a sucker for people like you. You can see the dead, can’t you? Now off you go.” She chuckled warmly, leaving me to take the card. Wondering how she knew, her own red beacon light was flashing over her head. Did she sense me from a mile away? Swallowing the lump in my throat, the question had to be asked. Gathering up the courage, my lips pressed into a thin line. 

“What is your ability?” I choked out oddly, her face lighting up. “I can see that you have a special gift as well.” Placing her hands on her hips, her grin grew wider. Taking a step back, that was not the response I was expecting. Her lips parted to speak several times, red and blue lights painting the walls. Excusing myself, my boots pounded towards the car. Climbing into the passenger seat, Matty still looked stunned. 

“I saw him. I saw the Dark One. He was a shadowy mass and I could barely hold him off of you. He kept showing me all of my nightmares.” The engine rumbled to life, the oppressive silence of the ride back bogged me down. Pulling up to our store, we had to get ready for the day. Helping him out of the car, his arms yanked me into a desperate embrace. Burying his head into the nape of my neck, the nightmares must have been horrible. Nightmares were never a stranger to me if I was being honest.

“I couldn’t keep up and he kept saying that he was going to take your soul. Don’t you ever leave me!” He pleaded brokenly, my hands cupping his face. “Why aren’t you scared?” Smiling warmly in his direction, my thumbs wiped away his tears. Little did he know that he held off a dark spirit on his own, his power proving to be beyond his knowledge. Kissing his tears away, his hand slid down to my bump. The stress melted away with every second of him rubbing my bump, his real smile lighting up his face. 

“I can’t do this without you and you know that. Would you like me to put the spells on index cards so we can study together?” I suggested with my genuine smile, remembering that is how we studied together in the past. “You do know that you are more powerful than you think. Most people would have failed. I am going to get cleaned up. Dried blood doesn’t exactly please the customers.” Walking into the bathroom with a worn expression, a tired version stared back at me. Tracing the black bags underneath my eyes, shame dimmed my face. Pushing the negative thoughts away, the warm water felt nice against my cheeks. Horror rounded my eyes at the water turning to blood, a scream bursting from my lips. Trembling in my spot, the mirror rattled. Looking up slowly, a shadowy mass hovered on the other side. Squeaks echoed in the air, my face paling as the lights flickered wildly.  Stumbling back, the door opening made everything return to normal. Clear water flowed freely from the spout, a message causing Matty and I to swallow the lump in my throat. The words your soul is mine were written in blood, the mirror cracking. Shielding me from the exploding glass, Toby entered in time to slow the glass down. Clattering to the ground, thousands of my faces stared back at me. Involuntary tears stained my cheeks, my fingers gripping Matty’s shirt. The Dark One had found me and he meant business, every muscle in my body now tense with pure terror. How in the hell was I going to get him back to where he belonged?  Matty kissed the top of my head, his shaky words not helping my growing anxiety. Lord, please protect me.