“I…ugh…I’m sorry, Moni, but what am I supposed to see?” I shrug.
“Oh,” she perks up and turns back around, bringing her hands around the flower to start coaxing the dead shrub. “Come on. Come back to life. I know you want to.”
Small vibrations pulse out of her hands and into the plant, shaking it gently. As I stare at the stem, I see it; a light green begins to bloom and fill in, carrying color up to the petals and turning it a pretty yellow and pink.
I’m speechless but excited, as the color is there but faint. I have so many questions and wonder how we can help develop her new talents, but I’m momentarily frozen as I continue to watch. Moni quickly adds water to the pot and sets it back down, facing me with a big smile and tears glistening in her eyes.
“Why the tears?” I ask, grabbing her hands as she jumps up and down.
“Oh my god, Rez! I can’t believe I did something like that.” Moni’s eyes bug out of her skull, and I worry she’s going to faint. “I’ve always been a mess, you know. The PIMP that no one wanted, I was never good enough. But holy bumble bee’s knees! Even with my sonic boom, I thought it was just for evil and, well, booming things. You know, ‘BOOM!’” she says, mimicking an explosion with her hands and shrinking down to her preferred height. “But now! I can create and nurture! I am awesome. Call me Dementor, the green goddess of nature,” she yells and pumps her tiny fist into the air.
I stifle a snicker and shake my head. “Moni, I believe you mean Demeter. A Dementor is a creature that drains peace, hope, and happiness out of the life around them?—”
“Oh! Like Emer!”
I snort, and Moni giggles as she zips around the room before stopping in front of me and fainting. Being attuned to her ways now makes it easy to catch her, but as soon as I make contact, the room starts shaking violently.
I tuck Moni against me as I move out of the aggressively rocking building as fast as I can. My unruly curls sweep into my face as I scramble and bump into walls on my way out of the church. Once we’re outside, it’s the same as before. The ground holds steady, and only the building shakes.
A large winged shadow glides away from the bell tower and settles next to me. Knots’ wings flutter slightly before folding behind him, and I sag in relief as I notice everyone has made it out unscathed. Zeke is finishing off a smoothie as JP checks over Reaper's jacket. Knox and Ryker are in a hushed conversation as they look on to the next level, and Levi is finishing up his wardrobe by reattaching the cufflinks I made him in Hell. It looks like they have everything, so that’s good news.
“You good, Rezzi?” Lynx asks, catching my eye as he stretches as if being rushed out of the building isn’t a big deal.
“Yeah.” I nod and try to raise Moni in my arms to show him that everything is good, but I almost drop her and quickly stop.
“Here, I’ll take her,” Chester says as he gently takes Moni from me, and I take a moment to assess the area. I no longer feel the effects of Lust, and I feel pretty relaxed and ready for the next level despite being rushed out of the church.
The church doors close, and a cross with a piece of parchment nailed in the center appears over them.
Yeah, that’s not foreboding.
Knots, being the closest, reaches for the document and begins reading aloud.
“Hopefully you had a peaceful rest because that was the last you will find here. There is no defense against rage; accept it and become one or die and forever be a part of this world. Either way, you will be mine if you do not make it to the end within three hours.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Zeke asks, looking over Knots’ shoulder before taking the paper into his own hands and looking at the words.
My stomach becomes queasy as the prospect of the meaning hits me as Knox speaks up.
“War. We’re going to war.”
Fuck me.
“Okay then,” Levi says, straightening his shoulders, “let’s devise a plan.”
Turning to face him, I find myself staring at nothing, complete darkness. The space before me is empty. “Levi?” Turning in a circle, I call out, “Hey guys? This isn’t funny. Where is everyone?” I take a step forward, my arms outstretched, and an eroded, rusted wall appears out of nowhere, stopping my advancement.How come I can see this but nothing else?
A faint yellow light shines down to my left upon the metal floor, where a dark liquid slowly forms a puddle in the middle of it while casting moving shadows from above. Wondering what’s causing the shadows and where the light is coming from, I look up and stifle the scream threatening to escape my throat. Hanging seven feet above me in different states of decay are corpses—some with only torsos and intestines intact, dripping blood onto the floor.
Where are the stairs? Where’s everyone else?
Taking a deep breath, I pull my magic close to the surface, gasping slightly at the energy it taks to do so, and at the very end, there’s a dull stab of pain in my side.What the hell?I can’t leave myself vulnerable, so I have to bear it so I’m ready for anything while thinking about what I must do next. First, find out where I am and if there’s a way out. Something tore those creatures apart and hung them up there, so first thing…protection. I gather my shield and pull it tight across my body, making sure to layer it and check for any holes. I’m not about to take any fucking chances here. I only wish I had a chance to protect the others the same way.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I take a few steps to the side until another wall appears.Okay, Rez, it’s like unboxing a puzzle; we’re just finding the edges,I tell myself as I do the same again and step behind me, but it only leaves one way to go: toward Rage. Yep, I was afraid of that. With the three walls up, I have a better sense of the size I’m working in. The hallway is too wide for me to reach out and touch both sides, so it is at least eight feet wide. I’m trying here with these measurements just for you.Hope you’re happy.
So, I have a decent room side to side. The biggest problem is that I can’t see very far in front of me. The lights above are only on by the section of the wall that I’m currently occupying. This is definitely a setback in a level calledRage.I take a few tentative steps before a light flashes, and I freeze as my mind tries to catch up with what it just saw. I swear, I’m not in hell, but the movie Silent Hill—on steroids. Finally, a soft glow appears and dimly highlights the hallway before me.
I take it back. I’d rather not see what’s in front of me.
