AN: Hey all, so, RikkuKashi pointed out that the demon didn't mention anything about Rachel's fathers. That is a my bad - sometimes things are so obvious to me because I'm the author but it's not obvious for the readers because you're not in my brain, you're just reading what my brain writes out.
So, theoretically speaking Rachel's fathers are on that list, but like Brittany, Maribel, Judy and Santana; they weren't mentioned because the demon was talking to Tina and it didn't find it relevant to mention anyone else in any particular order except for her mother because apart from Mike, that's who Tina loves the most.
Hope that explains some of it team. Perhaps I'll get a "special" appearance to explain more in the actual story. Lol.
I'd also like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has followed and reviewed or are just reading this story so far, man it's damn honouring for me to have people who are interested in my work and wish to continue reading it. So thank you very much for your support.
With that being said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :-)
Chapter 13:
"It's a trick, it has to be," Santana said.
"No mija, her heart gave out, Jenny was there and she watched as her little girl died," Maribel said.
Santana sat down properly on her bed before looking at her mother, "I need to see her,"
"Mija,"
"NO, I HAVE to see her," Santana said, "She can't be gone, we just became friends, and you know me I don't do friends besides B, and sometimes Q when we're not bitching at each other, and now Rachel and T,"
"Mija you have to accept that sometimes these things happen,"
"No, not this time, this thing took Mike, okay, he killed a good guy, and I'll be damned if he gets T,"
"Mija,"
"I know what I know Mami, now I know I'm not pure energy or whatever or super powered like Rachel but I do know this, Tina isn't dead, not yet, I can feel it,"
"Mija?"
"Please trust me on this Mami, T once told me at camp that if something were to happen to her she'd come to me, she's not here,"
Maribel sighed as she looked at her daughter,"Okay mija, I trust you, I'll drive you, okay, if you get distracted and if that thing has more minions they could create a car accident and kill you,"
"True," Santana sniffed, "Mami call Jenny, okay, call her and tell her not to let the morgue cut her up, not yet, I think it's important that we do NOT cut her up,"
"Okay Sanny, but how about you tell her on the way?"
Santana nodded her head.
"Okay, so tell me again mija, what are you thinking?" Maribel asked her daughter as they drove quickly to the hospital.
"About what?" Santana asked.
"Tina, why don't you want them to take her to the morgue just yet?"
"When I was in that room, that demon told me it was going to give her a heart attack, natural cause or something like that, and it was already starting by the time I hit it with whatever spell came to my mind, but what if it wasn't a heart attack as I was thinking of it? What if he literally attacked her heart and made it slow down,"
"Okay?"
"Slowing it down enough to mimic death,"
"Oh my god,"
"Yeah, see where I'm going with this?"
"So they cut her open to examine her, they kill her for them,"
"Yes, exactly, torture before her death, even better for the demon if she wakes up, screams, and then dies from shock in the middle of the autopsy,"
"That's sick,"
"That's a demon, pull in Mami, I'll run in, meet you there,"
"Okay mija, see you soon,"
Santana ran as quickly as she could to where she knew Tina's room was. When she got there she could see Jenny inside with Tina's body.
"Hey Mrs Cohen-Chang," Santana said as she ran to Tina's side.
"Santana, hello," Jenny said.
"Hello Doc,"
"Hello, guess you're the reason why I'm not moving this body to the morgue," the doctor said adjusting his glasses.
"Anyone tell you that you look almost like the Chief from Grey's Anatomy?" Santana said as she stood next to Tina, "So, okay, I'll confess, I'm hoping to get into Medicine at Harvard, and I've been reading a lot of shi...take mushrooms about things in medicine,"
"Okay? But you're not a doctor,"
"No, I'm not, but I have a hunch, a gut instinct,"
"Not relevant in the field of medicine,"
"Irrelevant to you, completely relevant to me, for now, Doc, is there a way to show that perhaps her heart is just so slow and so weak that her body mimics death?"
"Are you suggesting that perhaps she's not as dead as she seems?"
"Yes,"
"And your proposition for me to test this?"
"What do you have to lose except perhaps millions in damages if it's discovered you signed a premature death certificate?"
"I suppose," the doctor said as he went to the machine and prepped everything.
Santana took Tina's hand, "C'mon T, you ain't licked yet," she said.
The doctor checked Tina again but still found no pulse, "There's nothing,"
"Yes there is, I can feel it," Santana said surly as Jenny looked at her, "I'm not crazy, I'm not, this is the surest I've been of anything, she's not dead,"
The doctor gave her a disproving look but decided to check Tina again anyway to hear with his own ears.
"Well I'll be damned," the doctor said, "You're right, her heartbeat is there, but it's very, very, faint, so faint in fact that I nearly missed this, well thank you Santana you saved me from making a very grave mistake, I'll make sure to have the proper medication sent in,"
Jenny looked at Santana as the doctor left, "Thank you," she said.
"No problem, T's my friend and she promised me that she'd come and see me before she crossed over, she promised and I know she'll keep it," Santana said with a small smile.
The two were quiet for a moment before Santana said, "Abuela was talking to me,"
"Oh?" Jenny said.
"I need you to find me the Book of the Dead, it has a spell in it that can help Mike,"
"So he is dead then his insides are all gone as you suspected when you dragged him out of here?"
"Yes,"
"My god, he was such a good boy,"
"He still is, he is still here, I need your help and I need that book,"
"Okay, but first I must make sure that Tina is protected here; I will put her in stasis sleep until her body heals,"
Santana just nodded her head at that, "Please be careful Jenny, the demon said you were next on that list, I don't know why or what order they're picking us off in, but you were next,"
"I have my protection," Jenny said surly,"Do not worry about me,"
Santana again just nodded her head, "I better go, Mami isn't here and it's starting to worry me,"
"I will see you once I finish helping Tina,"
"Great,"
"Oh and Santana,"
"Yes?"
"Thank you again, for saving my daughter's life,"
Santana just smiled as she ran out of the room.
-page break-
As Santana exited the hospital she was filled with a sense of unease and dread. Something was wrong. She started to walk as quickly as she could through the hospital parking lot when it suddenly got darker and creepier.
And that's when she smelt it, burning, something was burning, badly. She ran towards it.
"Mami?" she started and then screamed as she saw her mother's car on fire, "NO! MAMI,"
"She's not dead yet," a fire demon said as it stood out in front of her. It was a rather largely built demon. Close to two metres in height (just under 7ft); it's body looked like it was made purely of molten rock and it didn't have a true face. Santana was reminded of the bodies of the poor souls in Pompeii, except this thing was a demon and it looked like it had a body consisting of lava, "You should have remained anonymous and minded your own business,"
"Where's my Mami?"
The demon just gave her a sinister smile (or at least that's what she thought it was) as it clicked its fingers and the fires roared even more, causing the woman in the car to scream in pain.
"NO, stop it," Santana begged.
"Too late, I will have my power here when my colleague gets the girl," the demon laughed, "I hope you enjoy watching your mother burn, in fact, why don't I just show you how well I can burn her alive,"
The demon went to the car door and pulled Santana's mother out of the car, her forehead was gashed, and it started a large flame and moved it towards Maribel who was looking at Santana.
"I love you mija, you can win this for our family,"Maribel said.
"No, I, spell, why can't I think of one," Santana stressed.
The demon just laughed as it began to burn Maribel's arm making the woman scream but before more damage was done everything began to slow down; even the demon was stopping.
Santana looked around in wonder as she took in her surroundings, she was still moving at normal speed.
Suddenly there was an explosion of light and right in front of her stood Rachel in her usual sixteen year old form.
"Rachel?" Santana said.
"Hey Santana," Rachel said as she looked at the Latina with a smile.
"You're back to being you,"
"No, I'm just here in spirit,"
"What? No, you can't be..."
"Dead, no, I'm not, but I'm like you too,"
"You can astral project, you're a planeswalker too?"
"When necessary and not bound, yes,"
"What are you doing here?"
"Helping your mother, there is a demon named..."
"Demon? Are you insane?! We're not getting help from a demon,"
"He's very friendly I assure you, just don't get put off by his appearance, he's a bit titchy about that,"
"Are you insane?"
"Will you just trust me?"
"I, fine, but before you tell me to trust Mr Will-Kill-Me, I just want you to know that we have the name of that demon who's chasing you,"
"I know, so when I'm done helping you help your mother, find me in that world and we'll battle that thing, okay, I'll appear to you as my four year old self,"
"Why?"
"Because that's the one that's trapped there, when I was transformed, my soul, my essence, of who I was came back too, that's the one that is easily scared, in order to make sure my child self returns to where she's supposed to be we need this to be over so that my power can be fully realised without destroying my body,"
"I don't understand,"
"Bringing my child self back, it trapped the sixteen year old self there too, so in a sense I was trapped in the underworld, the darkness, but the more open my powers became as a child, the more I was able to stick around and help when needed, though not too much or I'd damage my aged backwards body and create an easy to slip into crack,"
"Okay so far,"
"Look, essentially, the reason why I'm still 'pure' is because I'm back to being a child as the essence of my youth is what makes me 'pure', children aren't tainted yet by the world, not until they're about six anyway, but the theology of this will take too long to discuss, basically my current body inhabits two souls slash spirits, past me and present me, currently the past is in control because it had no choice but to adapt to the world she was dragged into while the rest of me is in partial stasis,"
"Okay, I get it,"
"Good,"
"By the way Rachel, that demon, it wants to kill Quinn,"
"I know, it wants to kill all of you, Tina, Jenny, your Mom, Judy, Brittany, you, my fathers, and then Quinn, in that order,"
"Why?"
"Because it can, Tina and Jenny are useful in their knowledge and will be a threat to it, your Mom because that will cripple you and she has powerful knowledge and abilities too with years of experience, followed by Judy which will hurt Quinn as well as that, Judy is a fountain of experience; especially with the Christian branch, Brittany because she will weaken your resolve, then you because next to me, you're the next powerful, then my fathers because by that stage I will be in despair and it knows it and I love my fathers to pieces, followed by Quinn, which will destroy me completely,"
"You love Quinn more than your fathers?"
"No, but I do love her and sometimes when a young love is torn apart it feels so painful and so hard to piece it back together that sometimes not even parents can fix it; at least that's what we'll feel at the time,"
"Okay, one thing though, I know I'm going to sound egotistical, but why not me first? I'm the psychic, well, the other one, wouldn't it have been better to kill me?"
"To that demon it's a game, it's more fun to hurt you before you get killed, that, and the fucking thing is getting cocky so it's not thinking properly, its' eyes were only set on me after I turned back to being a child, I was an easy target you guys were toys to play with,"
"Oh my god you swore,"
Rachel just shrugged, "Time's running short and I have to go, that demon you're after, his true name is Cataracta, the mantra is very simple, 'Cataracta we seek your healing waters in this place, assist us by the grace of God,'; remember that,"
"Thank you Rachel, and I will find you,"
"I know you will, but be careful in that world, okay, you be very careful because when you're walking through, others will try and take your body,"
Santana nodded her head as Rachel disappeared with a flash.
Soon everything was back to proper time, Maribel was screaming as her arm was being burnt away; Santana reacted as Rachel told her, "Cataracta we seek your healing waters in this place, assist us by the grace of God,"
There was a loud bang followed by a roar as a creature appeared before Santana. It gave off a blueish glow and reminded Santana of a creature made of the element of ethereal spirit like blue water yet was completely solid. He stood large and strong on all fours, body the shape of a lion, his head was covered with a skeleton helmet shaped like an elk, his forelegs too had shin and leg guards made of what looked like bone.
"YOU!" the fire demon roared as it dropped Maribel.
Cataracta ran towards it with a roar as he swiped at it.
"You traitor, you, traitor," the fire demon roared.
"Lio̱méno Pétro̱ma, my old friend," Cataracta said with a voice that reminded Santana of a powerful dragon, "You would know a lot about betrayal wouldn't you? Always so greedy to have power, always greedy to consume the weak,"
"These humans are nothing but pawns, their God created them so,"
"And who are we to crush such souls? Hmmm?"
"You rebelled just like me, He will not take you back,"
"I have accepted my fate and my error, if I am destroyed or returned to the ether so be it, but I choose to do the good I can before I go regardless of consequence,"
"You are a demon, act like one,"
"I am a fallen, just like you, and I can choose to act as I wish just like you,"
"You side with them? FOOL!"
"You are the fool," Cataracta roared as he attacked again.
The two battled as Santana watched in awe as she held her mother, who had passed out, tightly.
In the end, Cataracta unleashed a powerful wave from his maw that hit the fire demon full force. The fire demon screamed and cursed as he started to stiffen due to the water hitting the molten lava that made up part of his body and then he began to fade away into the ashes; he was dying and disappearing from existence and he knew it. The water demon slammed one front paw down incredibly hard on the ground causing the place to shake with enough force to destroy the entity entirely.
When it was over he turned to look at Santana.
"I have helped you as you needed," he said.
"Why do I only know of you now?" Santana asked.
"I have existed for thousands of years, but the way of the old is dying out, the knowledge of those like me is disappearing so I am not used as much as I once was,"
"Rachel must have forgotten as she was turned back,"
"Perhaps, but what does that matter now?"
"Thank you for your help,"
The water demon nodded his head and was about to turn away.
"Wait," Santana called, "Can you help my mother,"
"Her arm is far too damaged for me to bring back, but I can heal it so she will not die from the wound," Cataracta said.
"So be it,"
She watched as the water demon let out a breath that changed to water as it washed clean Maribel's arm and healed what it could.
"It is done," Cataracta said.
"Can you not stay? Help us?" Santana asked.
"Why?"
"Because it'd be good to have a demon like you helping us, you have knowledge, power, we could use that, please say you'll stay with us,"
"Like an animal? A slave?"
"No, as a friend, or something like that, be the stoic Uncle type,"
"To stay I would have to be bound to someone, someone who would not use me for their own gain, a human soul, as for help, the demon you fight is out of my league, while I know that one day I may die, I do not wish it to be so soon as there are others in this world I can try and help, if I'm remembered and called that is,"
"I, you can bound with me, you can help me help others, if I survive this,"
Cataracta looked at her strongly, "You don't know what you ask, I bind to you, your life will be shortened, severely,"
"Is there no way to convince you to stay without me having to lose my life?"
"I am cursed to roam free until called upon, that is my punishment, and slowly I am being forgotten and driven partially mad, I am bound by the powers that are placed upon me and in order to live in one place, to always be there to help, I must bind with someone who is willing to sacrifice part of their life to help others,"
Santana thought for a moment, "Then I choose to do it," she said, "Bind with me, help us, protect us,"
"You are persistent, who is it that you think of when you ask this?"
"Mostly Brittany and my Mom, and of course Rachel, Tina, Quinn, Judy, Jenny; the rest of the World not so much,"
"You are willing to lose part of your life if it meant helping those around you?"
"Yeah, I plan to anyway with my abilities, I'm not that heartless,"
Cataracta looked at her, "You are very interesting, your soul is tainted with sin and yet you are redemptive, that I find interesting, so be it, I will bind with you,"
"So what do we do to bind? Because if it's sex then I'm saying hell no to that,"
Cataracta let out a bellowing laugh at her, "You read too many of those books,"
Santana blushed with embarrassment at that.
"I will show you how we bind, but first, how about I get you and your mother back to the Fabray's place?"
Santana just nodded her head at that.
AN 2: Cataracta is Latin for Waterfall; lio̱méno pétro̱ma is Greek for Molten Rock. Just in case you wanted to know.
Okay, so that's that chapter. Next one is in the works. Until next time team.
Yes, the water demon was a later addition - but I quite like his character - he'll probably be a bit too attached to Santana but oh well, we'll see how he plays out ay.