Page 42 of Anywhere

It felt like I’d been walking forever when I heard the hissing of the demon. No matter what people said or didn’t say, demons always hissed softly, and the sound made the hair stand on the back of my neck. I shouldn’t be here. If my family found out, they were going to be pissed. There was a good chance Rhys would never speak to me again, but they didn’t understand. No one understood what I went through and how hard it was to wake up every morning with the entire world’s emotions and experiences in my chest. I had to push them down and try to forget what I saw or felt.

I’d gotten so much better at harnessing it. Three years since, I had to take anything of any kind to keep my ability under control, but I was out of the meds I found overseas. The smuggler wasn’t coming to the island for at least six months, and I couldn’t last that long.

The little flame rose higher into the air showing a small clearing with the mouth of a cave. I could see the dark shape of the demon waiting outside the opening. Stepping closer, I didn’t look at the demon directly. They were hideous at the best of times, but the images I’d get from staring into their eyes were enough to make me want to end my life.

“Paaaasssment?”

“I have your payment,” I said and pulled out the ruby.

The hissing increased as it got excited. All gems held powers that the Flitters didn’t understand, but the rubies had dark properties that demons loved. They were coveted, and you could buy yourself anything from those who practiced dark magic with a ruby.

The demon turned into the cave, and I flicked my finger so the little light would follow. Walking behind the demon was slow going, and my anxiety grew the deeper we went. The tunnel opened up into a roundish room that had doors. I’d never seen a place like this. It looked like some sort of cell.

“Where is my vial?” I asked, refusing to go further.

“Stoooooorrrrage, innnnn daaaaareee,” the demon hissed, then pointed at a door.

“Then go get it. I’m not going in there,” I said.

The words no sooner left my mouth when black hands gripped my arms on either side as another clamped over my mouth.

“Yeesssss, youuuuuu arrrrrrr.”

I struggled hard in the hold of the three demons, but it was useless. They were much stronger, and my energy and power were so taxed that I could barely stand, let alone fight. The demon I’d been following opened the door it had pointed to and then reached up and pinched my little flame. I was once more plunged into darkness as the demons dragged me forward.

I screamed, the sound coming out muffled as I tried to break free. The hold I had on my ability broke free, and I screamed for another reason. All the emotions and visions of the world found me like a beacon. The agony was nothing I could’ve ever explained to someone. My back arched as the demons slammed me hard onto the floor. All my bones felt like they were breaking and knitting back together as the power flowed. My hands clawed at the hard dirt floor as I fought to keep the ability at bay. The threat of what the demons wanted was forgotten.

The hand covering my mouth lifted, and my screams echoed in the hollow, cavernous space. Suddenly one of the demons gripped my cheeks hard. I kept my eyes clenched tight and screamed again as the images intensified. I lurched in the demon’s hold as the sensation of a car crash and the deadly impact hit me. That image was replaced with the kiss of a lover I didn’t know. Then I was hit with overwhelming sadness as tears trickled down the cheeks of someone standing by a grave. Every memory and sensation that accompanied them attacked me at a blinding pace like I was their victim.

The taste of demon blood hit my tongue as what felt like a small vial was stuffed into my mouth. I should’ve been thrilled—this was what I’d come for—but I was horrified. The vial I wanted to purchase would’ve lasted me months to years with a single drop taken only when needed. Instead, the entire vial was dumped in my mouth. I tried to turn my head and spit it back out, but the grip on my face kept me from doing either, and the liquid slid down my throat.

And then they left me. The door slamming in place reverberated around me and through me.

“No,” I coughed and tried to put my fingers down my throat, but it was already too late. Too much of the blood would kill me within hours.

“I’m sorry,” I said again, but this time I meant it for Rhys. He was the one who helped me get clean before, and I promised him that I would only use the herbs we grew. But they stopped working long ago, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him. Tears fell from my eyes as the darkness began to take over. “I’m so sorry I lied to you. I…”

My face hit the dirt, and I could feel the voices pushed back as my heart rate slowed.

Thump, thump.

Thump… thump.

Thump…

I let my eyes close and fantasized about the life I always wanted. If I was going to die, what did it matter now?

Then all went dark.

Rhys

With a wide sweeping arc, I brought my blade down through the last of the demons. I hated them almost as much as I hated Hunters. These demons, the Basalainn, fed off tiny pieces of human souls. One drop of their dark demon blood would transport your mind and leave you in unadulterated ecstasy. When you woke up, your body was more relaxed and rejuvenated than you could ever feel from sleep alone. It started as an innocent trade, a minute’s worth of your soul in exchange for hours or days of bliss. That was until you were addicted and kept coming back far too often.

I knew why Mari took it and why she’d succumbed years ago, but I thought she had found a better way to deal than coming to these creatures that couldn’t be trusted.

The wars had created the holes initially, and a wide assortment of demons had clawed their way out of the dark depths. The elders had fought most of them back to where they’d come or killed them. A few had still remained but I banned these creatures from residence here, but I hadn’t been diligent enough lately.

This was part of the reason Mari left the island in the first place. It was toxic here for so many reasons. I was one of those reasons, and I held the secret to the other. Her da and Belle blamed me for her addiction, and if it kept her safe from those who would look to exploit her, then I would happily take the blame.