Keone
He drifted into his sleep but knew something was off. Well, considering he was humanâweakâeverything was off recently.
He looked around the beach he stood upon. This place reminded him of when he used to sleeptravel. This was the kind of setting he preferred, as it reminded him of home. He sighed and looked out toward the calm waves. They rushed forward, though did not make much noise. The liquid soaked the sand only to pull into itself.
He walked a couple steps closer on his bare feet across the soft, tan floor, wondering if he would be able to get a glimpse at any of the undersea's inhabitants. The coral, the fish, the grass, the seashells. The water was clear enough that he just might.
But then Keone remembered he shouldn't be here, not as a human. Someone brought him here, that was the only way he would be experiencing this euphoric plane of existence.
He looked off into the distance, feeling as the foreboding weight settled in his stomach. The sun, which was once brilliant and hot, high in the sky, began to descend. Turning the pure blue interrupted only by slashes of white into deeper orange and red, with hints of purple and faded blue at the edges.
He sighed and felt more of the salt water hit his skin. The waves grew in strength, lapping more and more at the land. Rising in height and obscuring some of the darkening, vibrant sunset. The air around him darkened, and he looked up to see those same clouds swell with rain, transforming into an oppressive grey.
Then, at his back, he felt a familiar presence.
Keone turned around to see the black silhouette. It bled into his dream landscape, ruining it with the stench of death, one which felt all too real now that he was all too human.
"I didn't know you could dreamtravel."
In the head of the shadow, two bright red eyes poked out. "Where do you think they got the ability?"
Keone stepped backward. "Let me see you."
Angel surprisingly did as requested. He stepped out, but the red eyes remained. He looked different, unhinged. His body vibrated with power, and it stunk up the space between them. "Why did you betray me?"
Keone shook his head. "You want to kill her."
"What does it matter?" His eyes widened and his brows raised with amusement, and it disturbed Keone to his core to see the grim reaper like this. "You did it first."
"You don't sound like yourself. In that diner, that wasn't you."
"What exactly do you know about me, child?" He demanded, and the space around them darkened further to an unnatural degree. "You know nothing. You know what I tell you, what I decide, and when I decide it."
Keone realized Angel was completely right. He should have never fooled himself into thinking he could ever possibly know Death. "It doesn't have to be this way."
"No, it didn't. But it's too late now. She grows stronger with each passing moment. I will not die because of some worthless human girl."
"So, she can take your power."
"She holds no power over me!" he burst out. His voice filled Keone's head, making him flinch back in pain.
Keone gathered himself and sighed. He stared back at his mentor, the leader he idolized for centuries. "I never thought I would see the day, Angel..."
"What day?"
"The day the grim reaper shows fear."
This was the wrong thing to say, as the shadows exploded from behind Angel. "I didn't just come here to give you one last chance, which you have just lost, I came for another reason." His face turned smug and he began to walk closer in slow, calculated steps.
Keone froze in place and knew Angel's next words would mean big trouble.
"You see, I couldn't find you all before, because there was just too much death. Imagine that. But then I remembered one neat feature of dreamtravelling..."
Finally, Keone caught on. "No!"
Keone shot up in bed, shouting the same word. He heaved out heavy breaths and looked around his room. "No!" He shouted again and shot out of the bed. He was a flurry of movements and he dressed and armed himself. He ripped his door open and prepared to call out to the others. Before he could, he was sent off balance as the floors and walls shook from a monumental tremor. There was an explosion off in the distance, toward the direction of the entrance.
He clutched onto the doorframe to steady himself and coughed as dust and dirt shook free from above. He covered his eyes right as the screaming and sounds of battle began.
He heaved in heavy breaths and readied himself to run straight toward the commotion with the knowledge in his heart that it was too late...Death was here.
Renata
She came gasping awake in the bed as chaos shattered the quiet of the evening. Tahoma matched her urgency and clutched her close, shielding her from any incoming danger. In the darkness of the room, his bright red eyes shined with worry as they faced each other.
"He's here," she rasped. "He's here."
Tahoma didn't bother to say anything but gave a brief widening of his eyes. They both scrambled to dress themselves as much as time granted, including arming themselves.
"How?" He demanded as he strapped yet another dagger onto his body. His long raven hair was wild and hung around him, whipping every which way with each urgent movement.
"I don't know!" She shouted.
"We have to get them out of here," he addressed her, and she knew he meant the more vulnerable people of their group, the humans. When did she stop being human?
"Tahoma, wait!" Renata begged right as he pulled the door open.
He paused, and she could visibly see his body shaking from the shock and anticipation.
Renata felt pathetic as she said, "I don't think I can do this."
She melted into him immediately as he hauled her body flush against him in an intense, passionate but brief kiss. His breathing was even harder as his determined face studied her only a moment longer before he said, "yes, you can." He took her hand and squeezed it. "Let's go."
She was motivated by his confidence, but an embarrassing amount of doubt remained in her heart as he pulled her along.
"Tahoma!"
Both of them heard Nirvi's shrill scream at the same time. It took them no time as they finally reached the biggest area of the bunker, the entrance.
Shadow creatures battled with Balam's guards, who were obviously losing against Angel's minions. The blackness and weapons flying and people shouting out their anger and fear was terrifying and made Renata wish this was simply a nightmare. But in the middle of it all stood her actual nightmare.
He stood calmly, unbothered by the violence he evoked. His hands extended, and the shadows endlessly fell from him, growing into creatures who would execute his will on command. And they did without an ounce of mercy.
"Go, get your mother!" Tahoma nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
Renata trembled as she prepared herself for what was to come as Angel'sânow redâeyes zeroed in on her. His expression turned wild, striking a white hot fear into her body.
I'm not ready.
"Ready to end this, child?"
"Stop all of this!"
He didn't enjoy her yelling in the slightest. It only provoked him. He shot out his hand. A black streak flew through the air and pierced the nearest person. One of Balam's guards. She fell without a sound, dead as she hit the floor.
Renata panicked and felt like crying, though this was the worst moment to do so.
"How about now?" His face twisted with pleasure. He enjoyed her turmoil. He slashed out again, another guard who fought against a shadow creature, and Renata realized he did this to show he could kill everyone in this room but chose to toy with them instead.
"I said stop!"
"How about lover next?"
Renata screamed as Angel aimed his hand at Tahoma who was helping his mother up from the ground, unaware of what headed straight for him. To end him.
Everything slowed down.
"NO!" Renata extended her own hands, sending a black blast toward Angel, and it landed, sending him flying. She had no time to revel in his shocked expression as she looked to see that Nirvi had seen the dark slash coming. She twisted them so her body stood between Death and her son.
Renata cried out as the shadow bolt struck Nirvi, and she was gone in the next instant.
Tahoma caught on to what happened as he surveyed Angel's unconscious form. His face transformed with horror as he held the limp body of his mother.
Renata raced across the room as the shadows thinned out. They split before her, unsure if she was their real master. She reached Tahoma as he collapsed to the floor, calling out to Nirvi who would never respond again. "Ma!" He cried. "Ma!"
Renata didn't bother to wipe the tears as they rushed down her cheeks. She crouched and put her arms around Tahoma's trembling body. "I'm so sorry, but we have to run!"
"I can't leave her. I can't leave her. I can't leave her."
She never felt stronger and weaker as she actually managed to pull Tahoma away. She held his weight and instead of struggling, she did so with ease. She scanned the area, spotting Keone. "C'mon! We have to go!"
Keone nodded and finished helping Balam to her feet, who was apparently buried beneath a couple of dead bodies. She was in bad shape. Just like everyone else.
"Where is Rocio and Diamond?" Renata demanded as they ran down a certain hall, farther and farther from Angel, as directed by a struggling Balam. Apparently there were several emergency exits.
Keone coughed. "I don't know. I saw them briefly, but they disappeared among the bodies."
Renata had to force herself from assuming the worst. She would have felt it if anything happened to them, she was certain of it.
They reached another hallway that led to a small room. With Balam's help, there was in fact a window of escape. "Let's go!" Balam urged as she raced toward it.
"I have to go back for them," Renata declared despite the incredulous looks sent her way from Keone and Balam. Tahoma went quiet from shock. "I can't leave them, I'm sorry."
"Renata!"
She raced through the threshold but came to a screeching halt. Before her, it was pitch black. She thought her eyes decieved her. "Did you think it would be so easy?" A sinister voice, his voice, whispered from the heart of the darkness.
Renata shook her head and immediately backed up, returning to her companions.
The darkness grew, obscuring more of the hall. Horrifying laughter filled the space. "You cannot defeat me, child. I. Am. Death!"
She crouched, cowering away. She screamed in terror, unable to stand it, unable to fight it. He was right, she couldn't defeat him, she was too weak.
Hands from behind clutched onto her shoulders and arms, attempting to pull her up and away, but she refused. She felt in their touch that she was their last chance.
She was supposed to be their savior and conquer the boogeyman.
She coiled tighter, pulling more into herself until there wasn't anything left.
"Don't you run from me!" Angel screeched.
Renata released all of it, including the most blood-curdling scream. There was a great swish of wind all around her and she collapsed against the weight of it, but instead of hitting the stone cold floor of the compound, she was cushioned by plush grass.
Her head pounded at the impact and all fled from her for long, blissfully ignorant seconds.
When she next blinked her eyes open, it was only hazy blue. She recognized the color immediately and wondered if she was finally dead.
Please, no.
Her descent into panic was interrupted as someone hovered above her, addressing her but she was unable to make the words out just yet. She couldn't tell if she was happy or annoyed to see their face, and was more annoyed that the instinctual answer wasn't the latter.
"Keone?"
His words slammed into her. "Where did you take us, Renata?"
She grunted as he helped her get into a sitting position. She looked around to see Tahoma struggling to get Balam up. "What?" She began to actually digest her surroundings. Blue surroundings.
Yes, she'd been here many times.
But how?
She looked back to Keone, who was depserate for answers, but she doubted he wanted to hear hers. "We're on his land, the land of death."