Chapter 21 Anti-climax

"You want me to what?" Steph asked again as she trailed with Iziah into the woods. Raven was ahead of them following the directions that Iziah shouted to her every now and then. Steph was a little nervous about this 'chat' Iziah wanted to have and now that she had heard what Iziah wanted from her, she was just confused. Steph was just relieved that she was dead, at least Iziah couldn't really do any more harm to her, she was all ready dead, what could be worse than that.

"Left Rae!" Iziah shouted to her sister before letting attention pull back to Steph, Iziah didn't like it anymore than she knew Raven would but right now, Iziah had no other choice. Seeing the truth was painful, hence the saying the truth hurts. In this case it hurt like a mother-fucker.

"When I go and I will, I want you to stay with her for as long as you can and do your best to keep her safe"

"She don't want me around Iziah"

"Steph no one wants you around but sometimes life is an unfair prick that you just wanna stab with a butchers knife"

"How kind of you to say"

"Of course, I'm a kind person Stephanie" Iziah cracked an eerie grin "Look I don't want you hangin around her anymore than she would but the fact is you're probably more trust-worthy than that fucking leech"

"Thought you liked Dean?"

"Steph please! I don't like no-body...cept Raven"

"I got that"

"Look just keep her safe and whatever"

"And if I don't?"

"Then you might wanna leave right now because I can still hurt you Steph in the worst of ways, being dead only means that Raven can't hurt you, I however can still do alot of damage"

"I'll trust you on that Iziah"

"Besides I thought you would wanna prove to her that you really do love her"

"Don't see a point, I'm never gonna have my love returned"

Iziah gave her a dark look, "Oh no's! I'm Stephanie, I was a total bitch and I wonder why Raven won't ever love me! Please! Some people have real problems Steph, like how the hell am I meant to watch tv with you yappin on and on"

That was the Iziah she was used too, the girl that would mock her and make her feel two inches tall, then again Steph always did that to Raven so no wonder Iziah was bitchy, which is also why she was so confused about Steph wanting to look after Raven when Iziah was gone.

"Iz are we close?"

"Almost Raven, a little further up"

Raven gave Steph the most evil glare it made Steph slink back,

"I was talkin to Iziah!" Raven punched the nearest tree as her face went a deep shade of red. Steph wondered if her up-flare of anger was because Raven knew what Iziah had asked of Steph. No, there was no way Raven knew, Iziah wasn't exactly straining to tell her sister what she had asked of their worst enemy.

"Almost Rae, a little further up" Iziah said lazily before looking to Steph "Are you sure you know where you're goin? Cause her mood is only gonna get worse if you don't"

"It's here, I saw it in his mind"

Raven let out a bitter laugh, "Oh goody, another psychic. That should be fun"

Steph's eyes were stuck on the tree that Raven had punched, she swore that there was a small fist shaped hole in the tree now. It was like Raven could punch through the hard bark like it was paper. Steph knew that couldn't be true and yet she couldn't stop staring at that small hole.

Raven finally stopped at the place where Iziah was buried, she had to give Hunter and his small brain credit, instead of burying her sister in the ground, he had stuffed her corpse into a hollowed out tree. It was so out of the box that even Raven had to admit that she wouldn't think to look in a tree of all places.

"So this is it?" Raven asked glaring at Steph, her question was to Iziah but her stare was like she was daring Steph to say something, anything just so Raven could retort and unleash more fury. Steph said nothing and just let Iziah take care of it.

"Accordin to Steph, yeah"

Raven turned her attention back to the tree, it just looked normal, it certainly didn't look like it was harboring a dead body. "So is there like a door or somethin?"

"I don't know"

Raven pursed her dead lips together "Me thinks I'm gonna need some help" Her mind all ready screaming for Dean, if there was one thing about Vampires, they had the more superior strength. They could make holes in tree's as though they were paper.

"Are you callin for your leech?"

"Would you stop callin him that? He's not my leech"

"Well what is he then? Boyfriend?"

"Are you seriously doing this right now?"

Iziah shrugged "As your sister I am inclined to protect you at all costs"

"You're seriously doin this right now" Raven couldn't believe that Iziah was choosing now of all times to give the protective speech about her choice of 'men'

"Yes I am, if that thing is your boyfriend then I would like to know"

"I don't know, I wanna say boyfriend" "I'd say boyfriend" Dean interrupted emerging from the shadows, it was the simpliest term he would use to describe their new found connection, and honestly Dean only wanted Raven, if there was anyone to understand him in all forms, it was the Zombie. For the first time in a long time, Raven let out a dizzy grin, her stomach was flapping loudly with butterflies, her heart which had stopped beating a long time ago felt like it was pumping a mile a minute. Raven had only felt that spark once and now looking back, Paige was a lifetime ago.

"Well boyfriend I could use a favour"

"Which is what girlfriend?" Dean smirked back at her making Iziah groan. She had forgotten how loved-up people acted, clearly that didn't change because of life-status.

"We need this tree to gain a brand a new hole"

Dean put his hand on the bark, "This should be easy enough" Dean let out a loud growl his arm cutting through the air harshly. The bark couldn't match his strength and like a cracked chest, the bark lept open.

"Huh, so there was a door" Iziah said brightly as they all crowded around to see what was hiding in the wood. Perfectly preserved as though she was stuffed in there only yesterday sat Iziah.

Raven couldn't help but gasp, her sister was naked, cuts and scraps all over her tattooed body, grass and twigs scraped her hair. Her face was no longer that pure ivory, now it was caked with bruises and swelling. Hunter must of come out her every night to keep Iziah in this kind of condition. It was like he never wanted her to decay, he wanted to keep her around just so he could re-live every sick detail of her murder.

"What did he do to you?"

"Trust me Raven, you don't wanna know" Iziah gave her sister the shovel, Raven rejected it, she pulled Iziah out with her bare hands, it was weird having the body of her sister in her arms while her soul stood in front of her.

"So now what?" Dean asked wondering if Iziah would simply step back into her body and restore her life.

"I don't know." Raven layed her sister down so Iziah could peer at herself.

"Do you see any bright lights? Any calls to go to Heaven?"

Iziah and Raven looked at each other and burst out laughing, even Steph couldn't help but smile, every one knew that Iziah would be going to Hell, if that kind of thing even exsisted.

"Look!" Steph screeched leaping behind Iziah of all people, it was a good thing she was all ready dead because she knew for sure that Iziah wouldn't protect her.

All their eyes drifted towards the corpse, like a magic trick Iziah's body started to evaporate. Disapperaing into the night as though it didn't exsist. When her body had finally left their world it was just her soul that remained.

"So why am I still here?" Iziah asked but for once Raven had no answers. She was just as confused as everyone else.

Together the odd group walked out of the woods, neither of them knowing why Iziah was still here, perhaps she was doomed to walk the Earth forever. Raven hoped that wasn't the case, as much as she loved her sister Raven knew that it was time for Iziah to depart for good.