SWNOVELS Chapter CHAPTER 20
Something is seriously trying to hinder me from getting to the cemetery. When I went to start my Jeep, every light on the dashboard came on and the engine wouldn’t turn over. Throwing the hood up, I looked over my vehicle and to my surprise, found hoses disconnected along with spark plugs. After reattaching and fixing the small issues, I was able to get my Jeep started. However, once I was on the road, other things began to happen.
A large tree limb fell across the entire road blocking my route. I had to slam my breakdown so that the thing didn’t crush me under its weight. Putting my Jeep into four-wheel drive, I was able to maneuver around the log and drive through the muddy grass. But that wasn’t all! After I bypassed the tree limb, large metal items like stop signs and caution signs were suddenly flying towards my vehicle out of nowhere. Honestly, I was beginning to feel like I was in some type of dodge and weave racing video game! The last thing I narrowly missed colliding with of all things was a deer that just randomly jumped out of the woods right into my lane on the road. Seriously, I was but two minutes from pulling into the parking area of the cemetery!
With a couple of shuddering breaths, I park my Jeep near Riley’s yellow truck and look at my wrist. My black wristwatch shows the time as being 11:51p.m. Grandma Jean, Raegan and Vince are already here inside the dark musty tomb as I walk in, but I don’t see them as my eyes are instantly drawn to Alina. She has been ceremonially positioned on a cement slab with only a very thin white cloth covering her body from head to toe and moss, calendula, rose petals and archangelical scattered around the base of the table she has been placed on.
As I look at her, I swear she looks as though she is just sleeping, not dead. I desperately want to reach out and caress her cheek, hold one of her hands that have been crossed over her chest in an ‘x’ and just urge her to wake up. Yeah, I know, mental, right!
As I look around the grey stoned, damp, and dreary room, I notice that apparently, I am the last to have arrived within the tomb as I see, Devon, Riley, Chris and Jessica are already in here waiting. Mom, dad and my aunt and uncle too! I am shocked that mom was able to convince her sister Kathy and her husband Tom to come help us out. I am beyond happy to see so many friendly faces and ecstatic to have them all here to assist with the task at hand, because the stronger our circle is, the less risk of unwanted guests coming through the other realm.
A circle with a pentagram has been drawn, using white chalk, near the cement slab bed where Vince is centered in the middle of our circle, now that we are ready to begin. We have just called the elements to us for protection and assistance to keep all spirits but Alina’s at bay. My heart is pounding wildly in my chest. Anything outside of my own pulse pounding in my ears goes unheard as my anxiety climbs to a fever pitch. Anxious, nervous, hope, worry, fearful, take your pick because any and all of those words describes the roller coast of emotions slamming into me with each breath I take in and release out. Jean looks around the room before asking, “Does everyone have the items I have requested be brought here, with them?”
I carefully unwrap a piece of wax paper containing a few strands of Ali’s hair, which I retrieved from her hairbrush and handed it over to grandma. Chris and Riley give her some dried herbs, Jessica places a red backpack next to her feet and Jean nods her head appreciatively towards all of us.
Grandma Jean and Raegan have sorted out two spells and if they are combined at midnight on the hibernal solstice, they will bring the dead back to life permanently. With Vincent placed in the center of the pentagram, he begins to draw on his powers that enables him to pull spirits out of the Spirit Realm while one side of the circle begins to say the first chant, each one of us light a white candle while saying: ‘spirit show yourself, spirit reveal, spirit com to me so I know you are real.’ With the last words uttered, a wind kicks up, swirling leaves and debris around our feet and causing those with longer hair to have to close their eyes as their hair is whipped across their faces. The only thing odd about the wind dancing around us is, we are shut within the crypt where this shouldn’t be able to happen.
While the first side continues to say the first chant, the other side of the circle has already assembled the things needed for the second spell to be said. The dried lavender and what look to be rose petals are lit inside a bowl that I recognize as being from my mom’s China cabinet, so that they may burn together. Because Alina is my soul mate, I am tasked with pricking my thumb, allowing the blood to drip onto the white candle I hold in my other hand. The tricky thing is making sure that the flame stays burning. While I do this, the latter half of the circle that isn’t already doing one incantation being to chant the next spell. ‘Goddess of my world and the next lend me your sight, give the power to see things than can give people fright, too long, they’ve been trapped in the dark but now let them see the light.’
Suddenly every candle is extinguished leaving us all blind within the darkness of the mausoleum. The room grows cold seconds after this occurs and I can hear people’s teeth chattering in the dark as we begin to freeze. I start to see faces appear as everyone clicks their phones on for light. A gasp of shock can be heard coming from my mother and all the phones are turned to her, so we can see why she did so. Our eyes travel to where her gaze is resting and see the slab bed where Alina had been laid moments prior, is now completely and utterly empty.
“What the hell,” I shout out in panic. “Where did she go! Where is she?” I frantically look around the small, enclosed space even though I know she isn’t here. She has simply disappeared. I look at everyone, I can see their mouths moving but can’t make out anything anyone might be saying. A thundering rush of noise is filling my ears closing me off to everyone around me. As quickly as it hits me, it fades away leaving me in a deafening silence as my eyes continue to bounce from each person to the next.
I saw Grandma Jean walk up to me and take my hands in hers. “Dominic, Dom, listen to me. Take a deep breath and calm yourself. You must clear your mind of everything going on around you so you can listen to your soul bond. You will be able to find her if you do this. Your connection to her should be like a beacon; her soul should be calling to you. All you have to do is listen for it.”
I nod that I understand and then close my eyes and open my mind and soul to listen for Alina to call to me. Within moments my eyes snap wide open. “I feel her,” I shouted out to the group. “Follow me!” I burst through the tomb’s door and out into the brisk, chilly night air. I look around a moment before a tugging sensation pulls me, making me run through the cemetery. I run as fast as humanly possible in the direction my soul urges me to go, leaving everyone else far behind me. I run faster than I have ever run in my life all the while trying not to trip over headstones, fallen tree branches, and other earthly debris.
I hear her scream in my head and run even harder. I felt her panic and started shouting her name as she yelled for me in my mind to come to her. “Alina, ALI! I’m coming, where are you?” Fear grips my heart as I continue to search for her in the darkness of night which is ten times harder because even though there is a full moon, the clouds in the sky have drifted over it like a blanket blocking out any and all light that would otherwise be shining.
After running for about ten minutes, I come to find myself standing in front of an abandoned barn that at one point housed horses. Bent at the knees with my hands on my thighs, I try to catch my breath in between heavy pants. I don’t stay still for long as I feel her near and am drawn to the entrance of the barn.
Pitch-black and no electricity to help light my way, I plunge into the darkness beyond.
*
CRACK, POOF! Was the sound Jean could hear coming from behind her. Not turning around to see what made the noise, she spoke into the darkened crypt. “Ah Death, I wondered when you would make yourself known. I fear that we were unable to close the circle properly, and our ominous spirit has successfully followed through from the spirit realm with Alina. And, however he managed to do this, he was able to pull Alina with him. I have everyone out searching for her now.”
“I suspected as much. This is beyond your capabilities now dear Crone. The task will now be for the young ones to deal with. I am sorry it has worked out to be this way, but I do know that when the time comes for them to fight, they will be ready.”
“Do you really?” Jean asked as she peered into Death’s ice-cold eyes. “I fear that once I depart, the children will all be lost. I truly worry for them and for what they are going to have to face in the coming days. Can you tell me, help ease my mind before we go; will they at least be able to have a peaceful Christmas?”
Death chuckled as she finished asking her question. “They are stronger than you realize, and they will do just fine when it is their time to stand against this evil. And yes, their Christmas will be an uneventful one.” He put his hand out for Jean to take. She stared at the nearly translucent skin taking in the ash-grey tones for a moment before placing her soft pink hand in his. Sighing deeply, Jean nodded her head, indicating she was ready for her final journey.
~
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha,” manic laughter comes from Cal. A deep, scratchy voice comes from him as he speaks to himself. “I did it!” He had latched on to Alina’s spirit at the very last second as her humans began to pull her from the Spirit Realm. Looking at his hands as he rubbed them together, he could tell he hadn’t taken on the same flesh and blood body that Alina had, but he also realized that it didn’t much matter to him since he stood in a nearly solid state anyway.
Cal looked around the pitch-black room somehow able to see in the darkness. Empty, ancient looking stalls lined what he could only assume was an abandoned stable. It smelled of mildew, damp earth, and rotted hay. In the farther end of the desolate building, he spotted Alina. A menacing smile took over his lips as he stared at her. He could tell she had yet to realize he was in the empty building with her, which caused a quiet chuckle to come out. Cal heard her shout out a hello and thought he would have a bit of fun…