[ C H A P T E R 3 ]
TO HELL AND BACK
Lighting ripped through the black heavens, causing Calista to awaken from her trance. The moment had felt like eternity, as she sat there, wearily on her knees beside Dennis. She glanced down at him, awaiting a reaction. 'Is he alive?' she wondered. The moment stretched on and on, and still... nothing. She closed her eyes in sorrow and took a deep breath. Just then:
Dennis shot up, abruptly, screaming as if he had woken up from a horrific nightmare. Calista jumped back in shock, a shrill scream escaping through her lips as she gazed upon the unexpected. He's alive?! she thought, astonished. I really did it? She couldn't help by watch helplessly as Dennis got on his hands and knees, staggering around like a wounded animal. He began to cough and wheeze, as if he were suffocating. Calista's eyes lit up in horror. "Dennis!" She cried and insantly, everything stopped. Dennis was still, bent over and breathing heavily. Calista lowered her eyebrows, sadly, as she crawled up beside him and observed for a moment. "Dennis..." She whispered, sympathetically. She couldn't stand seeing him like this. Calista placed her hand gently on top of his back, instinctively, being it in her heart to nurture. Dennis pannicked, and drew himself back.
"No!" He choked out. "Don't touch me!" Calista appeared a little taken back, but understood what he must've been going through. Dennis quivered, glancing down at his arms and his hands. The gash where the Hammer had struck him (in the movie) was healed completely, as if it had never happened, except for the remains of dried blood. He was confused and terrified, for he had absolutely no idea where he was or how he got there. All he knew was that he had died, and he had gone to Hell.
Dennis noticed two tiny hands beside his, tempted to touch him, but kept their fair distance. His eyes journeyed upward, until he found himself gazing up into Calista's sad, gray eyes. He couldn't help but wonder why she was there, why he was there, and how the hell he got back (alive again, no pun intended). He had so many questions for her, but fear held them back. He was still traumatized from all that had happened.
Calista slowly rose to her feet and walked off. "Wait..." Dennis whispered, but Calista was already out of the room. His heart hurt more than ever for the first time in his life, and once again, he was alone. His eyes grew dim as tears escaped, moving gradually down his cheek and onto the floor. His mind wandered, as Calista reappeared with a bowl of hot water and a cloth. Dennis quickly turned his head. He didn't want her to see him cry, but she had seen it already in his mind. Calista knelt beside him, dipping the cloth into the bowl of water. "Look at me." She said, softly, but Dennis refused. "Dennis, look at me." She repeated. When Dennis continued to ignore her, she placed her hand on his chin and turned his face toward her. Her heart melted as she saw tears streaming down his cheeks. She pulled her hand away quickly, so that Dennis wouldn't panic again. She knew about his seizures, and his paranoia about people touching him, so she tried to be as careful as possible.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
"You grew since the last time I saw you." Calista finally remarked with a smile, dabbing the moist cloth on Dennis' temple. Dennis sat up a little.
"So have you." He replied. It felt awkward being where he was, in an unfamiliar house with a girl he used to know.
Dennis and Calista went way back... They had gone to the same high school together, and had some of the same classes. Through the first two years they hadn't talked much, except when Calista would turn to Dennis and ask him a question about square-roots, or about the human body--When they were in Human Anatomy together Junior year. Dennis was always the outcast, and Calista was just a girl that he'd seen from afar, and sometimes up close, and sometimes not at all.
Dennis was absent frequently, and as a result he was put on credit review by the school, even though he had one of the highest GPA's. His mother couldn't afford college, and since he was put on credit review, it blew all the chances he ever had of earning a scholarship. So basically, he was fucked. He had no future. When Dennis' mother died during the end of senior year, he couldn't take it anymore, so he moved to a little town outside of Willow Grove--the town where Cyrus Kriticos had lived and worked. Dennis had no father, either. His father died when he was just a baby, and after the death of his mother around his 18th birthday, Dennis became a lonely orphan. He had nobody. No family, no friends. He was truly alone, and he knew it. It was his curse; The curse that allowed him to see things... horrible things. He could see deep down into a person's most painful memories. He'd feel their pain, their suffering, and the worst part of it all... He couldn't help it.
Dennis found that the best way to escape the pain was by avoiding people, or at least avoiding coming in contact with them. He knew that if anybody touched him, he'd be sucked into their past, and when he'd snap back into reality, he'd be left with another scar for life.
The only person that ever bothered speaking to Dennis was Calista. She knew about his curse, and she accepted him for it, but Dennis never saw it. They were acquaintances, who moved a level up and became "friends", although Dennis, being the paranoid human being that he was, never saw this as "friendship". He wasn't sure what it was, but it was the only thing in his life that wasn't horrible. In reality, Calista was fascinated by Dennis. He captivated her interest and expanded her mind. It was when he moved away that she began to study the supernatural, and it was when he moved away that she began to change...
Time flew by as Calista continued to clean the dried blood off of Dennis' face. He kept his focus on her the entire time, and he couldn't help but wonder, Why is she doing this? Dennis loosened up a bit, and finally began to speak.
"What happened?" Dennis asked after minutes of dead silence. "How did I get here?"
"Tray and Emanuel helped me take you out of that house. I told them to bring you here. Wait'll they see that you're alive. Tray's gonna shit." Calista answered, bluntly. Dennis shook his head.
"N-No. No! How did I get here! Why the fuck am I alive, man! I was dead! I died back there in that house!" He uttered sharply.
"Well, I... brought you back."
"Brought me back?" He said, sounding out of breath. "Wh--How?"
Calista looked down at the book which lay beside Dennis. "With that." Dennis followed Calista's gaze.
"You used Black Magic?" He asked, surprised. His entire mood began to change, drastically.
"No! It isn't Black Magic..." Calista insisted. "It's..." Dennis waited for a response, but instead Calista just stood up. "Be right back!" She told him as she hurried from the room. Dennis raised an eyebrow, and moments later Calista returned with fresh, clean clothes. They appeared to be brand-new, and looked like something that Dennis would've picked out himself. "I figured that you wouldn't want to stay in those raggedy clothes forever, now would you?" Calista asked with a smirk. For the first time since his death, Dennis smiled.
"Unbelievable..." he murmured.
Lighting ripped through the black heavens, causing Calista to awaken from her trance. The moment had felt like eternity, as she sat there, wearily on her knees beside Dennis. She glanced down at him, awaiting a reaction. 'Is he alive?' she wondered. The moment stretched on and on, and still... nothing. She closed her eyes in sorrow and took a deep breath. Just then:
Dennis shot up, abruptly, screaming as if he had woken up from a horrific nightmare. Calista jumped back in shock, a shrill scream escaping through her lips as she gazed upon the unexpected. He's alive?! she thought, astonished. I really did it? She couldn't help by watch helplessly as Dennis got on his hands and knees, staggering around like a wounded animal. He began to cough and wheeze, as if he were suffocating. Calista's eyes lit up in horror. "Dennis!" She cried and insantly, everything stopped. Dennis was still, bent over and breathing heavily. Calista lowered her eyebrows, sadly, as she crawled up beside him and observed for a moment. "Dennis..." She whispered, sympathetically. She couldn't stand seeing him like this. Calista placed her hand gently on top of his back, instinctively, being it in her heart to nurture. Dennis pannicked, and drew himself back.
"No!" He choked out. "Don't touch me!" Calista appeared a little taken back, but understood what he must've been going through. Dennis quivered, glancing down at his arms and his hands. The gash where the Hammer had struck him (in the movie) was healed completely, as if it had never happened, except for the remains of dried blood. He was confused and terrified, for he had absolutely no idea where he was or how he got there. All he knew was that he had died, and he had gone to Hell.
Dennis noticed two tiny hands beside his, tempted to touch him, but kept their fair distance. His eyes journeyed upward, until he found himself gazing up into Calista's sad, gray eyes. He couldn't help but wonder why she was there, why he was there, and how the hell he got back (alive again, no pun intended). He had so many questions for her, but fear held them back. He was still traumatized from all that had happened.
Calista slowly rose to her feet and walked off. "Wait..." Dennis whispered, but Calista was already out of the room. His heart hurt more than ever for the first time in his life, and once again, he was alone. His eyes grew dim as tears escaped, moving gradually down his cheek and onto the floor. His mind wandered, as Calista reappeared with a bowl of hot water and a cloth. Dennis quickly turned his head. He didn't want her to see him cry, but she had seen it already in his mind. Calista knelt beside him, dipping the cloth into the bowl of water. "Look at me." She said, softly, but Dennis refused. "Dennis, look at me." She repeated. When Dennis continued to ignore her, she placed her hand on his chin and turned his face toward her. Her heart melted as she saw tears streaming down his cheeks. She pulled her hand away quickly, so that Dennis wouldn't panic again. She knew about his seizures, and his paranoia about people touching him, so she tried to be as careful as possible.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence.
"You grew since the last time I saw you." Calista finally remarked with a smile, dabbing the moist cloth on Dennis' temple. Dennis sat up a little.
"So have you." He replied. It felt awkward being where he was, in an unfamiliar house with a girl he used to know.
Dennis and Calista went way back... They had gone to the same high school together, and had some of the same classes. Through the first two years they hadn't talked much, except when Calista would turn to Dennis and ask him a question about square-roots, or about the human body--When they were in Human Anatomy together Junior year. Dennis was always the outcast, and Calista was just a girl that he'd seen from afar, and sometimes up close, and sometimes not at all.
Dennis was absent frequently, and as a result he was put on credit review by the school, even though he had one of the highest GPA's. His mother couldn't afford college, and since he was put on credit review, it blew all the chances he ever had of earning a scholarship. So basically, he was fucked. He had no future. When Dennis' mother died during the end of senior year, he couldn't take it anymore, so he moved to a little town outside of Willow Grove--the town where Cyrus Kriticos had lived and worked. Dennis had no father, either. His father died when he was just a baby, and after the death of his mother around his 18th birthday, Dennis became a lonely orphan. He had nobody. No family, no friends. He was truly alone, and he knew it. It was his curse; The curse that allowed him to see things... horrible things. He could see deep down into a person's most painful memories. He'd feel their pain, their suffering, and the worst part of it all... He couldn't help it.
Dennis found that the best way to escape the pain was by avoiding people, or at least avoiding coming in contact with them. He knew that if anybody touched him, he'd be sucked into their past, and when he'd snap back into reality, he'd be left with another scar for life.
The only person that ever bothered speaking to Dennis was Calista. She knew about his curse, and she accepted him for it, but Dennis never saw it. They were acquaintances, who moved a level up and became "friends", although Dennis, being the paranoid human being that he was, never saw this as "friendship". He wasn't sure what it was, but it was the only thing in his life that wasn't horrible. In reality, Calista was fascinated by Dennis. He captivated her interest and expanded her mind. It was when he moved away that she began to study the supernatural, and it was when he moved away that she began to change...
Time flew by as Calista continued to clean the dried blood off of Dennis' face. He kept his focus on her the entire time, and he couldn't help but wonder, Why is she doing this? Dennis loosened up a bit, and finally began to speak.
"What happened?" Dennis asked after minutes of dead silence. "How did I get here?"
"Tray and Emanuel helped me take you out of that house. I told them to bring you here. Wait'll they see that you're alive. Tray's gonna shit." Calista answered, bluntly. Dennis shook his head.
"N-No. No! How did I get here! Why the fuck am I alive, man! I was dead! I died back there in that house!" He uttered sharply.
"Well, I... brought you back."
"Brought me back?" He said, sounding out of breath. "Wh--How?"
Calista looked down at the book which lay beside Dennis. "With that." Dennis followed Calista's gaze.
"You used Black Magic?" He asked, surprised. His entire mood began to change, drastically.
"No! It isn't Black Magic..." Calista insisted. "It's..." Dennis waited for a response, but instead Calista just stood up. "Be right back!" She told him as she hurried from the room. Dennis raised an eyebrow, and moments later Calista returned with fresh, clean clothes. They appeared to be brand-new, and looked like something that Dennis would've picked out himself. "I figured that you wouldn't want to stay in those raggedy clothes forever, now would you?" Calista asked with a smirk. For the first time since his death, Dennis smiled.
"Unbelievable..." he murmured.