Chapter Two
"Dad, I'm home!" Eve said hurriedly as she came on through the door. She went to set her things down on the table in the kitchen. The table itself hadn't been used much since she passed away. Tokens of minor value—shells, drawer knobs, small dinosaur toys and finger puppets, and a few things collected inside a small brown reed bowl on the table. Bananas hung from their little hanger, while newspapers from several days before still sit, some with essence of coffee lingering on their pages, while grocery bags housing tomatoes from a neighbor's outdoor garden waited to be sliced for salad.
Eve opened the refrigerator, taking out a Minute-Maid apple juice, and proceeded to drink it while she checked the message board. …No—there wouldn't be any messages for her, or for anyone else for that matter. Her mother was the only one who wrote anything on that dry eraser marker board… Notes from past grocery lists, an important number from a forgotten time, and small doodles she and her mother would draw of each other, sometimes doing the strangest or most absurd depictions… The current creation depicted her mother strangling an umbrella, calling out "Come Here, MY PrettY!" On the opposite, her father stood with arms spread, "At least it's not my socks!" Eve was the girl with panicking eyes, screaming, "Oh God! It's another OnE of heR HEavYEr pErIods!" …To say in the least, her family was another one of those… rather… odd families… It was one thing that they took great pride in, however… But, now…
Her father, a rather handsome-looking flareon sporting a well-built chest, a strong chin, a muscular neck, and a good tone to his body stepped into the living room, the next room over. He gave a yawn, but appeared to be quite awake, despite not having his first cup of coffee. The lack of their mother around had taken its toll on him probably just about as badly as it did her. He appeared to be more worn out since she died… Probably from all the tears he cried, and having to double his responsibilities as a father and a mother were likely suspects to his change in attitude… He used to be a humorous father—one who had high expectations, but was still there to give a loving hand when his help was ever needed. His charm and wit were also some of his finer features… But what was truly amazing about him was… that he was a loving father. One did not need to know what he did to see that about him. His ability to sense a problem a mile away was what made him seem, in some aspects, much more motherly than what any other father would be. Losing one of the ones he loved, it showed, had taken a part away from him… He was quieter now, and less able to express his love to his daughter… In some ways, it hurt her more than ever, feeling as though she had lost both her parents instead of one of them… But he tried, and she could see that… The only worry was, would he ever be the same…?
"I'm back from the library…"
"Ahhhh—good… You were, um… doing some research for a class?"
"Biology. I was doing it on cell research for a report. It's due on Tuesday, but I wanted to get a head… I mean… at least a bit of it… A head start would have been… … …"
The pause… She knew why she had stopped… It had happened a week ago…
The two continued to work in silence, each biding their own time. The father was glancing at old family photos thoughtfully, while Eve was watching a tiny chickadee hop from branch to branch just outside the window. The funny little bird had such dramatic movements, from the tilt of its feathery little head to the complete turns it would make in a tenth of a second. It proved fascinating, but a little less than what would be amiably entertaining.
"Mother's gone…" The realization hit her again… Probably from some far-off memory of looking out the window with her mother…
Her father sat quietly in the next room. It was obviously a subject that he didn't want to talk about… despite the fact it was something bound to come up anyways… She heard him sigh, wiping his face with a spare hand as he sat himself down on a wheeling chair. There was a moment of awaited silence, as her father was prepared to say something that would require at least a bit more of his ability to focus…
"You ready for the Wake later on today?"
"Yeah… Got a… nice dress picked out…"
He sat quietly… Nothing like this should have ever had to befallen either of them…
"It isn't black… unless that's the color I should be, um… wearing… right…?"
"Yeah…" Her father whispered, much against his own will to speak. His eyes were obviously tearing over, and that sad sound to his voice suggested he was on the brink of crying again…
She paused for a time, drinking her apple juice…
Crying… her father…
She put down the juice on the kitchen table, walking into the next room where he sat, and hugged him. He hugged her back, trying to hold her in his lap the way he would of when she was a child… In a way, she still was his child… and for that reason, he wanted to hold her even closer. He gave a sigh, sniffling as he rubbed her back, her having fully sat on his lap, with her face around his shoulder.
"…It's gonna be a hard time for the both of us... But, we'll make it through…"
"Yeah…" she said, her own eyes starting to feel the salinity of the tears soaking through her pores. "I should be saying that… 'cause… we need both of us… er, both of our… s… E… Each other…"
"I love you, Eve… A thousand days more may pass, and I will still love you… The departure of your mother has left us this way, but… you are our baby, and… … … Well, "girl" now, but… You are the symbol of our love… and because we loved each other, we found love in you… And I will always love you, Eve… Make no mistake about that…!"
"I love you too, Dad…!" Eve cried, holding on tight to her father. Tears fell rapidly from her face, moistening her muzzle and drenching her father's undershirt. His strong musky smell mixed with that sensual smell of cologne and deodorant… He did indeed smell like a handsome father…
Her father also cried, and held her close to his heart… His tears wetted the back of her neck as he kissed her many times before holding her close to him again. He patted her back several times, and together they shared a somber moment of melancholy. Each wrapped in the other's arms, together they held on for a time of eternity… even if only a few minutes passed on by…
From over her father's shoulder, Eve managed to open her eyes to the world… She could see the dividing hallway, which split into two different paths to the two bedrooms. She gazed at the pale-white wall, noting how the wood rose four inches from the floor to add trimming to the wall… or how the wood floor was exceptionally shiny for not having been waxed in about a month… From behind the two, light filtered in through the clouds, which began to cover up the sun. Light trickled on in, only to be blocked by the curtains, which cast their shadows upon the floor. She noticed how the shadows moved, or how her father and she both had shadows which darkened the warm-looking floorboards…
Suddenly, Eve felt a chill run up her spine… She gave a gasp, clenching on tight to her father…
There was a shadow in the hallway neither light nor either one could ever produce…
She knew that shadow… She knew what that feeling was… She knew… who it was…
A click, then a heel of a dark brown leather shoe… connected to his pant leg… Her father could only pause momentarily to see what the matter with his daughter was… The look on her face was of pure shock…
"Eve…? Eve! Eve, what's the matter…?"
Eve remained stunned… Her breathing intensified…
"It's him… Hortus…"
Her father quickly glanced over his shoulder before turning the chair about. He glanced at the hallway while rolling the wheels across the wooden den floor. He watched the hallway for a moment before looking back towards his daughter.
"Hortus…? One of your friends…?"
Eve gravely shook her head.
"Well, then… Who's Hortus…?"
Her face showed she was purely terrified, whatever it was, and too scared to say much. He lifted her up, setting her down on the chair as he rose to his feet.
"You stay here then—I'll take care of this..."
"But, you can't… see…"
It was too late—he'd already gone through the hallway to investigate what trivial matters were frightening his daughter. He turned his head at the hallway, glancing first at Eve's room, then towards his room, before making his way into his daughter's room. What he didn't see meant that there wasn't anything there… Or did it…?
Static… vision blurring… A
Voice…
is…
Calling?
Calling…
But… that?
"Hello, Eve…"
Her heart sank… Her mind went blank… In a sense of shadow and mist, a form came to shape… He was there… Before her, the cream-suited man had appeared, the hat on his head shielding his eyes to disguise him from his enigmatic appearance. He appeared to be mostly transparent, only an apparition of the figure she had seen at the library was all that stood before her. He looked in her direction with those dark, empty shades… He began to approach her, walking slowly but silently…
"Eve…" A dark, hollow emptiness to his voice…
Static…
Hard to hear…
Blood racing through ears…
Feeling faint…
She screamed, backing away from him… The figure only resumed to walk…
"Eve?!" Came the loud voice of her father, rushing into the room. Eve stared at her father, then at the apparition that came steadily closer… Could her father not see it…?
"You were the one who summoned me…" He said to her… "You wanted to speak with your mother…"
"I did, yes—I know I did, but I'm so confused! What are you and what do you want!?"
"Eve, what are you looking at?" Her father shouted, noticing the state she was in. Eve did not reply to him, but continued to converse with a shadow whose form was not that of the material realm.
"I mean you no harm… Do you still wish to speak to your mother…?"
"What do you want w… with me…?"
"What…? Eve, what is the matter? You look like you're talking to yourself…"
"Your heart called for me… Your soul was dying to know… You said you'd give anything just to speak with your mother… one… last… time…"
"Y… Yes…" Eve whimpered.
"Go to the Wake with your father… You'll find that I'll be there waiting… You'll get a last chance to speak with your… mother… before she passes into the realm of the afterlife…"
"Eve…?"
"How will I know it's you…?"
"Eve, are you listening to me?"
"Oh, I'll be there… Same clothes, same 'appareil' as the French say… You'll see my cream suit… You'll see my brown, leather shoes… You'll see my dark, hollow shades…"
She felt empty with shock… Those exact words… Those exact thoughts… She had thought those to herself—she didn't say anything…?
"Eve… Eve…! Eve, come on honey—slap out of it…!" Her father had approached her, slapping her face… The slap ended up being stronger than the effect intended… The slap triggered the disappearance of her state of consciousness… Eve felt herself drifting… drifting… drifting… In the darkness, she could still hear her father talking to her…
"Eve, I'm so sorry…! I'm so sorry, Eve… Eve, wake up… Eve…! Eve…!"
…
… …
… …
…Silence…
…
…
…
"…Now then… Where were we…?"
In the dark of her deepest dreams, the haunting image of that man appeared before her, dressed as he always had been… He began to walk towards her, his heels clicking the invisible floor as he went—suspended in an endless sea of darkness…
"You'll find that I can communicate with others, even if I am not with you physically… Perhaps this is what they call 'fate…' Or, maybe we were destined to meet… Eve, my powers are far more powerful than any material force… It is beyond anything that this world has known… Past the knowledge that is E.S.P… With it, I can talk with the dead… bring back forgotten memories…change the way things were meant to be…
" I can help you… I can heal you… I can do anything you'd want me to do…"
"No, you're not…!" Eve growled in her dream world… Or was it…?
"Y… You're a… a fake …!"
"I'm afraid you are most absolutely mistaken… With me being here as I am now, your claim stands little chance against my visual credibility… Perhaps now is not the time to advertise—money makes the world go 'round, and I have spent too much time convincing you as it is…
"Trust me Eve—you will see me again… At the Wake… It is there that I will grant you your most dearest wish of all…"
Eve glared in anger… How could he know what wish was her most desired…?
In a spiteful comment of disgust, she ignorantly asked, "My mother…? Could I speak with my mother again?"
"But of course…" He replied… There was a certain hesitancy about his voice… and it was that which disgusted her…
"What do you want from me…?"
"Oh, oh—nothing, child…! I do not request anything from you at all…"
"You're trying to flatter me… I'm not interested…"
"Flattery gets one nowhere. I am here as part of business. You summoned me because you said you would do anything if you could so have your wish granted...! Don't you want to wish your mother farewell before she parts off to the afterlife?"
His words seemed to be more than credible… He spoke the truth, through what all seemed like lies… Not all angels were said to dress in white, nor were all devils dark and black…
"Y… Yes…"
Hortus gave a sigh, seemingly relaxed as he regained his composure, "…Very well, then. It will be settled then… Your mother has been waiting for you, I hope you know…"
"W… What do you mean?" Eve appeared confused.
"She may be dead, but yet she is still living… Have you heard about out-of-body experiences…"
"What of them…?"
"You are experiencing one of those, right now… Don't you see? He hit you… Your father just struck you down with the back of his fist… He is worried he killed you…"
"No! I'm asleep! I can still feel his warm arms around me, trying to wake me up…!"
"Ah yes, but it appears as though you are dead… The same can be said about your mother… She too is suffering from an out-of-body experience…"
"My mother is dead… I saw her die…!"
"Hush… Hush, child… Of course she is dead… But only temporarily…"
"Temporarily…? What, is this some sort of sick prank, like 'The Princess Bride'?"
"Do you take me for a liar…?"
"Quite frankly, yes! Actually!"
He seemed to stare at her for a while, a deep anger-felt aura emanating off of him. He walked to approach her, grabbing her by her neck.
Eve started to convulse, coughing and gagging while clutching her throat… Her father gasped, holding on to her, "Eve…! Hold on, Eve—you're choking! You're choking, Eve! Don't move—let me help you…!"
"You've tried my patience…! If you ever dare to try that again, calling me a LIAR, then the pain you feel now will be nothing in comparison the day you die…!"
"Let… go! Let me… g… go!!" Eve screamed.
Hortus held her above his head, her arms and legs writhing as she could feel the life energy being sapped from her body… His eyes were filled with a great anger, and his teeth were gritted in rage… Suddenly, his grip softened, as did his eyes… He seemed much more relaxed, a small businessman-like smile hovering his lips… He gently sat her back down on both feet before stepping away…
"Forgive me, as I do lose my temper from time to time… You will still be able to speak with your mother, even if she is dead… To you, I will show you the way…"
"Fcking ass!!" She growled between shaking clenched teeth.
"Take your time recovering… I will see you at the Wake… Try not to do anything stupid…"
With that, he walked away…
"Eve… Eve…! Wake up, Eve…!"
He never bothered to glance over his shoulder… Only his empty voice filled the void… "Oh, and you'll be needing this, too… Wake up, Eve!"
With that, he snapped his fingers…
Eve gasped, awakening before her father in a sudden rise. She grabbed her throat, coughing loudly as she tried to breathe. Her father backed away at the sudden rise, but immediately started rubbing her back… He held on to her, seeing now she was alive…
"Eve! Eve…! Oh, dear God—Eve…! I'm so sorry, Eve…! I'm so sorry…! Can you breathe…?"
Eve nodded, coughing again before she shook the tears from her eyes… She covered her face, and wept… This day was turning out to be more like a day in Hell than a day at the wake… Outside, the little chickadee lay dead at the base of the house…
He stood at the base of the tree, watching the little chickadee lay in its deathly silence…
"The poor thing—it had flown into the window and broke its neck… Hmm… Well, there will be a better place for you too, little one…"
With that, he placed his hands on the chickadee, and closed his eyes… There wouldn't be any more sun that day... Only clouds seemingly laden with rain...
Eve stood before her closet door, staring at the life-sized mirror hanging before her. She was gazing upon her reflection… Gazing at the one girl who did survive the accident… Her reflection, at least, would show who she really was… even if the outside world failed to see her through her eyes… Her deep, large eyes shone through the surface reflecting the light given off by the objects in front of it… Grey and blue, or blue and grey—it didn't matter… Her eyes were nothing more than slates of a depressing steel color, which would never show what true happiness she might have ever had…
She turned herself at an angle… Perhaps a different angle would dramatically improve her appearance… No… No matter what angle she would look at herself, she would always look the same… She wasn't beautiful… But that didn't matter—many girls thought of themselves in that way… She… wouldn't ever be happy…
Maybe if she cut her hair…? It wasn't unusual—most girls cut their hair nowadays… Her mother never really cared for it, but it wasn't like she didn't ever encourage her to do it… Speaking of which, what was she going to do about her hair today…? It wasn't anyone else's death—it was her mother's, and she felt she should look respectful for the one who brought her into this world.
She ran her fingers through her hair, removing a hair band from her pocket and tying her hair up in a ponytail. She posed in front of the mirror again, examining her appearance. It didn't look like anything appropriate for a wake… Off went the hair band, and on went on the head band. She looked in the mirror again. It looked presentable, right…? She seemed to doubt her own words, and with good reason—It was for her mother's wake, not a wedding. Because of that, hairspray was completely out of the question for a stylish hairdo. This wasn't a dance she was going to. There wouldn't be a dance afterwards, either… She gave a frustrated sigh, falling backwards onto her bed, and landed on her back. …Whatever was she going to do…?
"Mother's gone…" she said out loud…
Thoughts of her mother swirled themselves inside her head… Some were good… Some were things that could have been done better… Others… … …
She felt the tears come, and let them fall. No sense in holding them back—the tears would have come, regardless of how hard she would have held them back… Now she was crying… How… unemotional… She wished she had more feeling behind them—she had already cried her tears thoroughly earlier in the day… earlier in the week… earlier the day it had happened… The feeling behind it had died… much like her mother… How… ironic… The chances were of her crying about it again weren't too slim—just a happy moment would have to pass, and then the tears would start up again. That was right—it wasn't like she never cried after something great had happened, anyways… She was always crying… There wasn't any point to it, either, and both her mother and her father were always assuming she had some sort of a depressive disorder or something… Today felt like shit…
She gave a long, frustrated scream, her shriek echoing in the hallway, and piercing the ears of those inside the house… Dissatisfied, she let out another… And another… And another… Her father wouldn't care—he wouldn't even notice, really… He wasn't home… He went off to the post office to check the mail… He wouldn't be back for another half an hour…
That damned figure… That damned cream suited man… All this fcking shit started the moment that he appeared in her life… What the hell was he, and what the hell did he want…!?
"… … …"
She half expected him to say something… He always came out at that time… Once her thoughts were consumed with anger and frustration—he would always say something sudden and surprising… He would freak her out with his seemingly charming tone and hollow words and phrases…
…But he wasn't there to say a thing.
This puzzled her… He always spoke—he ALWAYS spoke… But now he was gone…
For a moment, she felt really glad… Glad to have him away, glad to be freed of his maniacal nonsense... glad to be away from those words which hurt her…
…And yet…
He was there. Up—in the corner! He was—
"…He's gone…" she blinked, looking back at her mirror… She knew she had seen him there, but…
"Eve, my powers are far more powerful than any material force… It is beyond anything that this world has known…" His words echoed in her memory.
…Maybe he really was omnipotent…?
More silence… It didn't seem like he was going to be coming back… Just her luck… Some creepy guy shows up in her life, promises to bridge a communication gap between the living and the dead, and then just disappears all of a sudden… How charming…
The Bible… Maybe the Bible would know something about all of this… Eve never really became a dedicated member and reader of the Faith, although she believed in most of it… Some of it, she just wasn't really too sure of—it made her uncomfortable to think about religion… But maybe religion was something she needed to get a hold of… Maybe she needed to talk with someone about all of this…?
The Bible was nowhere to be found... Not even any of her Sunday School handouts seemed to exist anymore… Nothing else, other than a small colored in picture of a little girl on Jesus' lap, smiling happily with the words "God Loves All The Little Children of The World" written right below it… She'd colored it when she was about six, and since then never took it off of her wall… How helpful that was going to be was thought up as pure sarcasm.
"For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Sonso whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life…"
Another great and wonderful line from the Bible, but it would still solve nothing…
"Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen."
"Hmmm…" The phrase almost seemed to fit, but… there was still something lacking about it…
Perhaps it had something to do with the Devil…? Maybe Hortus was actually the Devil himself…? There stood a chance… Perhaps the force that she was dealing with really was the devil… But… if he was, how would she have summoned him…?
Those of weak heart, she thought… The Devil was always hounding down those who he could take from the Lord… He would never give up, and was always in his best disguise... He could look very beautiful to those lured by beauty, or terrifying to those convinced by things more horrific than anything the world had ever seen… He could sound convincing, or he could sound as plain and obvious as the oldest trick in the book… The only way to keep him away was to lock him out of the heart, and trust solely in the Lord God, and the Faith… Even then, he would only try harder…
…But, would he lie…? She never really knew about that part… Even in the face of death, the Devil should still be able to reveal himself… He WAS once an angel, after all…
As she continued to lay there in deep thought, she hadn't really noticed the time… She continued to think, drifting into a gentle sleep as she laid there on her bed… It wasn't until her father came home that she woke up…
"Eve! Eve, are you ready to go?"
Eve jumped up from her bed, eyes wide open and awake, ready for most anything. She tried to swallow, finding that a large piece of phlegm had lodged itself in her throat. It was hard to swallow. Even harder to dispose of…
She coughed, cleared her throat, and tried to speak. No words would come out because her mouth was so dry… She tried swallowing her spit to do the trick.
"Eve?" Her father walked into the hallway.
"Y… rraaah!" Her voice made a funny noise as the phlegm dislodged itself. The phlegm flew from her mouth, getting caught on her carpet floor. It was completely revolting, but she'd forget it sooner or later… It would dry up and disappear—it was only throat mucus after all…
"You ready to go?" Her father knocked on her door.
Eve glanced at herself, and gave a gasp. She hopped up off her bed, rushing to her closet to find the dress she would be wearing.
"Found it…!"
Plop. On the bed the dress went. Quickly, she removed her shirt, tossing the thin, cotton-fabric article into her hamper before quickly removing her pants. Light-blue silky hipster panties covered her bottom, right at the moment her father came into the room.
"Eve—? OH—oh, my goodness—sorry!" He closed the door, observing her privacy.
Eve flushed red. Could this day get any worse…?
On went the dress… It wasn't too difficult, if only it didn't have the zipper in the back… Looks like she was going to need her dad to do that…
"Dad?"
"Yes, hon?"
"Could you zip up the back of this dress…?"
Her father hesitated for a moment.
"Are you completely dressed?"
She couldn't help but to laugh… "No dad—I'm bare-butt naked and want you to zip it up before I put it on. Yes dad—I'm dressed and it's safe for you to come in now."
Her dad came in through the door, trying not to look at anything in the room. He just wanted to respect her privacy was all—he wanted her to feel that her room and all its belongings were of her own personal business, not his. She had learned that from the faces he would make if he had to go into her room. She had to admit—He was a sweet heart dad, but even then he was just a little silly…
She turned her back to him, indicating the zipper at the base of her back. Seeing the zipper, he approached her back, and held the fabric of her outfit together. Slowly and gently, he zipped up the zipper, finally closing the last bit of her beautiful black dress. It wasn't much of a dress to be worn at informal occasions. It looked more like something that would have gone along to a graduation party, or for a special night out. It was indeed very beautiful; her aunt bought it for her birthday one year, when her aunt took her out shopping. She had worn it several times since, but never for much more than a special occasion. Long and delicately woven black fabric elegantly weaved its way down, from collar to ankles, a collar with an intricate textile pattern which greeted her slender and lightly rounded neck. There was an optional shawl to wear about her shoulders, but it looked like it would be something for a more uplifting event… like prom… That was something she would have wanted her mother to have seen, but…
"Got it all set for you… Are you… going to wear a necklace or anything to go with it, maybe one of your thin silver necklaces…?"
"Yeah… I'd like to, but…"
Her father glanced back to look at her questioningly.
"I… … don't know if it would be right…"
"Which one, Eve? It should be fine, I'd think…"
"…Can I wear mom's wedding necklace?" Eve asked bluntly. Her father was stunned. The sudden impact of her words left him speechless, his mouth drawn open in utter astonishment that he really didn't have much to say…
"Mom told me that I could wear it and keep it on my wedding day, or on the day she died… I was just wondering if it would be appropriate if I could wear it for her on her wedding day to the Lord…"
Her father's lower lip scrunched up close to the top. It hurt him pretty bad to think that all this was happening so soon… that decisions would have to be made and arrangements dealt with sooner than expected… He nodded his head noticeably a few times, his voice not much more than a restrained whisper…
"Yeah…" He nodded a few more times, turning away to look at the floor before returning his gaze back to his daughter. "Yeah… You… you can wear it… I mean… You should…" A tear dripped from her father's face…
Her face softened, and even a tear dripped from her cheek as she started to cry, "Daddy…"
He gave her a hug, and patted her back… lightly rocking her back and forth… It was going to be a tough time for the two of them… Where once there were three… there was now only two in that one white-tinted house…
The drive to the Wake didn't last very long… It took a few minutes to meet up with her relatives, who followed them from the gas station located ten blocks away… She remembered her and her friends used to take walks down to the gas station and get candy bars on an early day in spring, or ice cream sandwiches on a hot summer day while on the way back home from the basketball courts. Now, it had become the day's meeting place for a situation much more dire and… … …
It drove her mad… … …
The candy bar she held in her lap had been a present from her father, in hopes to at least show some care during this situation in crisis… It had begun to melt, the chocolate warm and squishing inside of the wrapper. She would have felt bad for not eating it, but the truth was—she was not hungry right now. Chances were, she would not be hungry for the rest of the day. The week had gone to shit, and she wasn't feeling at all very chipper on this lovely autumn day in October…
The building the wake was held in made it far worse than she had imagined… Dry… The air was extremely dry… like… she couldn't hardly breathe… She could feel her heart rate increasing while pressure felt to be pressing in on the base of her neck. Her mother's necklace hung from her neck—a beautiful silver piece adorned with three special diamonds. The diamonds did little to make her feel any better or "pure," as diamonds were said to be… No—that was something else… Just for the pleasure of it all, she should have gotten herself a $ bloodstone… It wouldn't be very funny if only others knew what they were for… She was humorous like that. She believed that the stones had that sort of power bestowed upon them, or that they were able to do the things others believed they would do. Bloodstones were said to sooth the mind and relieve the depressed mind… It sure would have been a whole lot of help to her, especially in a day like this day and age… Today of all days, to say in the least…
She received many hugs and kind words from friends and family… Some were crying, some were gossiping, while others would just stand around in the open moping… It irritated her… It was for her mother, after all… What was she doing? Not being heartless, but rather trying to get around in this congregation of sorrow and insanity… She couldn't stand funerals… They made her feel so… so… claustrophobic… At least she could try to be with her dad, but he today of all days was finding his comfort in conversation with one or two other family members… Perhaps she was being selfish. Perhaps she was being a bit moody. She had worn herself out from the studying earlier that day, and had forgotten to put deodorant on. Her shoes were killing her feet, and her underwear was getting stuck up her $$... So, yes—maybe she WAS feeling a little bit btchy, "thank you very much."
Her Aunt Sue had given her a compassionate hug, and smelled of that Mystic Rain spray she had gotten a month ago… Her Aunt Marcy had given her a card with all the names of her immediate family written on it, and told her she would be there in case she needed someone to talk to… Her cousin cried on her shoulder, and her best friends all gave her a group hug… It was all about giving comfort, but sometimes even a little bit of comfort was too much...
The most surprising was her grandfather, who hadn't come with hugs or kisses, an apology, card, nor even a gift… What he brought were words that did little to improve her self-esteem, or to aid in her recovery…
Her grandfather was in his early sixties, roughly around twenty-five years older than her mother. The man was a man of great strength, of courage, and a great sense of pride. At first glance, he appeared to be nothing but a heartless old man, but upon a closer look, one would find that he had the greatest heart of all… That others were of little heart to seek out the love and compassion he truly held… and it was his words that mystified her…
He approached with a specific air about him... People stepped aside as the old Leafeon advanced forth. Stopping before his grand-daughter Eve, he spoke to her clearly, which quite surprised her a bit.
"Eve, I am not a very compassionate man. I do not seek the sorrows of others to aid them comfort, nor do I ever have any intension of doing. Help will come to those who seek it, and life doesn't give away any freebies. If you expect to live the kind of life of as your mother did, then a long road ahead awaits you. Starting today, you will be expected to do great things; to stand up for yourself… You will feel the painful agonizing feel of defeat, the harsh words of a dictator, and the suppression and repression of your worst fears… Today is the day you become a woman, and not some juvenile delinquent. Stand up for yourself and others, and only then can you truly become all of what your mother ended up becoming." With that, her grandfather passed on by her to disappear amongst the crowd of friends and family.
She blinked, in awe and confusion… What could that old man have meant…? Did he just say what she thought he said…?
What… in the world…? It was… so strange…
At least he wasn't saying what everyone else was… His words were direct and determined to hit home… Even grandmother never really understood him half the time, but… at least he had a good heart…
Finally, it came. The Wake… The most torturous moment in her entire life… The casket… left open… for the entire world to see… Her mother's face—draped with a cloth over top… Jane was no more… Her mother Jane was no more… Under that draped cloth… Underneath that which hid the remains of one once living… The hideous corpse of inanimate flesh… So cold… Like a sin performed in utter guilt and fear… There she was… A shiver… Dead… A moment too soon, yet a moment too late…
Organ music stops… Man steps forward… Not another one of those men—no… stupid… hate them… always going on about things… I mean, to rule life… live life… is… whatever… … … …
A tall and sickly-thin middle-aged Glameow stepped up to the podium before the altar. His clothes suggested he was going to be the priest for the day's ceremony. His curved whiskers and cold toned fur expression gave her the shivers… He disgusted her…
The Glameow cleared his throat to begin… He appeared to be a cat all about posture. From his feet to his head, he was as tall and straight as an arrow, yet refined and soft-looking as a plush doll bought from a store…
"Dearly beloved… We are gathered here today to witness the death of beloved family member, Jane…"
The crying started…
"As we gather here today, we should remember that Death itself is not an ending, but a beginning to a new life beyond the reaches that any mortal man or woman could ever perceive… A land where riches are told… Warmth from the Holy Father… and peace everlasting… It is a time where we who gather here have come at last to see the departure of one so young… Yet, we know that the Lord has chosen a time and a place for everything… It was her time to come, and the Lord will know let her come with him up to the farthest reaches of Heaven, to be greeted and granted passage by St. Peter at the gates, and there to kneel before the throne of the Holy Father…"
"No kidding…" Eve winced, feeling her tears daring to fall without her consent. She felt a cold presence within the room. Probably started by the ceiling fans above… It was quite cold in the building, after all…
"Now, let us rise and sing tribute to the Lord… May the songs and prayers of our hearts comfort one another, and bring full glory to the Lord our God…" Everyone rose… It was that systematic process of rising and sitting… It had begun…
"I love you Lord, And I lift my voice
To worship you, Oh My Soul Rejoice
Take joy my King, In what you hear,
May it be a sweet, sweet sound,
In Your Ear…"
Her lip trembled… She felt anger… Happiness… and anger… Dead… and beautiful… One of life's simplest forms of angst… She… just… wanted to cuss and swear… She just wanted to say foul things… Curse it… She hated it… And yet it was so dang pretty…
"On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,
the emblem of suffering and shame;
and I love that old cross where the dearest and best
for a world of lost sinners was slain.
So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,
till my trophies at last I lay down;
I will cling to the old rugged cross,
and exchange it some day for a crown…"
"Mother was my cross..." Eve's voice shook… It was terrible… It was just terrible… She never thought it was going to be this rough… Well, she did, and… It was… It… It was… just… … … as she imagined it…
Her cousin, Tracy, sat next to her… Seeing Eve cry in angst, her immediate reaction was to hug her… The Eevee only wanted to comfort her cousin… She just wanted Eve to feel safe and comforted by those who loved her… Eve knew what her cousin Tracy was doing… and she respected it… She clasped her cousin's hand and cried on her shoulder... Her father, watching her, held on tight to his funeral program, and wiped a tear from his eye. His mother and father sat next to him—Eve's other pair of grandparents… They frowned sadly, and comforted him with their presence…
Eve cried in her cousin's arms… On her cousin's shoulder… On her cousin's dress… She found some comfort there, even if it did seem and feel a bit awkward… She continued to cry though… The smell of detergent, freshly pressed fabric, and women's deodorant did little to comfort her, but rather tried to redirect her mind to other thoughts… She just wanted to cry…
"Eve…" Tracy said sadly… Her face started to wrinkle up as well—her mouth falling to an open frown as her eyes watered and darkened over. She cried as well, crying on top of Eve's head… The two remained in each other's arms, and cried over their loss…
"I'm here for you, Eve… I'm here for you… Please don't you ever forget that… I'm here Eve, because we're family, and we love you… We love you, Eve…! We love you…!"
"I love you too, Tracy…!" Eve cried again.
The Wake continued, and several prayers were said… Several more hymns were sung… Several more hearts were broken… In the House of the Lord, a sense of sorrow and righteousness filled the air… Jane, Eve's mother, had begun the transition from the material world to the afterlife…
The Glameow cleared his throat after a short prayer of thanks and glorification of the Holy Father, and announced that it was time… "Friends… Brothers and Sisters of our holy congregation… Now is the time we should see our sister off to the Lord. Like Him, she is risen, like Christ has on the third day, and was seated at the right hand of the Father. Since this is the day we shall see her no more, let us gather together here, and give our last respects before we continue on with the service."
The line started to move as pews upon pews of people rose from their seats to gather in line to see the casket. Eve stood with her cousin Tracy in front of her, her kind and loving father behind her, and some-odd twenty or so individuals in front of her. To think this had all happened so soon… That she would not be seeing her mother again… It was a repetitious thought that she couldn't help thinking about… It was all a nightmare with no end… A dream that had taken an awful twist… … …
"May you rest…"
Her hair stood on end as she felt a sudden jolt in her heart. She froze, shocked in place of her experience… He… was there...
Should she turn…? A slight adjustment of the head revealed the cream-suited man… standing before the coffin of her mother… a respectful and observant look on his face… Hands crossed, he walked forth towards the coffin, taking off his cream-colored hat…
He closed his prayer with the sign of the holy Trinity… "May you rest in peace… And may God bless your soul…"
Eve could feel her soul screaming…
"Welcome, Eve…" His words hissed through seething teeth…
Eve felt herself tense up… Her muscles became taut as her gaze became fixed and locked on his very being… The cream-suited man, in the house of God, was standing there before the coffin. Her legs moved without feeling; involuntarily, she found herself approaching him… Her blood was ringing in her ears; a most deafening and mind-blocking noise… She could not think, except for thinking it was him… She could not see, except for seeing it was him… She could not "be…" …without him "being" there with her…
Her breathing intensified, as her heart sped up to a racing beat—the madness of the man in front of her driving her insane, and to lose all conscious thoughts and feelings…
His hand gestured her forth—the pearly-white gloves of a gentleman beckoning her to him… The eerie look of evil hid in his glowing silver-red eyes behind those dark and tinted shades…
"Come… to me…" his voice reeked of one who was ominous…
She stepped slowly to him… The funeral home, and those around her slowly faded into nothingness… There was only her, and there was only him… The casket of her mother flickered dimly before being lost amidst the void of the shadows…
"Be one… with the power… Become one… with me…"
"L…Lucifer…" her realizing consciousness managed to mutter out…
He gave a most fiendish laugh, smiling widely as he corrected her, "No… I am not the one whom they call Lucifer… Nor am I the one whom they call Satan, for I am neither… I… am Hortus…"
"A demon…"
"…Perhaps…" Came his ever-open answer…
"Your mother, Eve… She is waiting for you—she is listening…"
"Listening…? To what…?"
"For three days, her soul has been waiting to talk to you… She has missed you, and the times you used to have together…"
"I just wanted to wish her farewell… I wanted her to have good luck in th… the afterlife…!"
"…But in order to do that, I will have to take something from you. . ."
"What would that be—… …!?"
He came at her—faster than lightning through the thunderous open skies… His very being tore into the life of her, and his form became one with her body…
She gasped, clutching her throat as she could feel him moving violently inside of her. Her organs felt like jelly, and it felt like someone was moving their hands around inside of her—searching for the essence of her being…
In the real world, family members gasped as Eve started to breathe with great difficulty… She was grasping her chest, and threw herself against her mother's coffin, making loud noises as she struggled to regain herself. Her father gave a shout, and rushed to her side, trying to hold her steady. Her arms thrashed out at him, forcing him back with some sort of supernatural power… He flew down from the raised platform and backwards into the arms of those behind to catch him. Eve started to convulse, shaking badly and unable to scarcely hold herself upright… She appeared as though someone were shaking her like a doll, slapping her face to simulate such violent head movements… The people around her were too scared to do anything—it appeared Eve was becoming possessed…
"Eve!!" Her father yelled, but the words fell upon deaf ears. Eve was no longer within this realm—her spirit and mind had gone to a place outside of her body, even if only a few feet from the scene… But no one could see what was happening…
Eve screamed, shaking and writhing as she tried to free herself from the grasp of the hideous thing… She could feel herself being torn and ripped, her insides putting up a valiant fight against the unknown intruder which had come to do them harm. A voice inside her whispered for her not to give up… not to give in… not to let this become of her… She listened to it, the whisper having given her enough strength to fight back the demon that had entered inside of her.
Slowly and sickeningly, the thing from inside of her began to reappear from her chest. The familiar shape of Hortus' head was slowly taking shape as the top of his skull down to the bottom of his chin was being torn away from her body. However, his face was not as what he had been before… His face had turned to rot—skin and flesh intertwined into a decaying mass scarcely able to call itself remains of one once living… From his eye sockets, where his wicked silvery grey eyes once worked their demonic stare, fluids and remains of his eyeballs had all but contained their shape—having shriveled into a plaque-like substance, and the muscles and nerves gone black with rot. From the depths of his optical nerve ends, a demonic glare of light shimmered red, like the taken blood of an innocent. His skull was disproportionate, having molded into a crinkled, withered mass of destroyed matter, cracked and chipped in a thousand places, leaving certain areas void of matter, where no contents of his wretched skull save for a few black streak marks and scratches covered atop the temporal area. The jaws of her perpetrator were of thick bone stained with the blood of those who suffered at his hands, leaving behind no trace of their material existence. His jaws were obviously strong—she had noticed that of him when she first met him… but what she had failed to see were what his jaws held between them… Dark, obsidian-like teeth, gleaming wickedly like the moon during an eclipse, and hundreds of them… each one long and sharp like razors that could pierce the skin merely upon impact… Not only did he have the two primary rows in front, but a second, and even third row could be seen decking the interior of his mouth—all glistening in the coal-dark night with dead silvery light… All perfectly shaped, and disgustingly proportionate…
She screamed and struggled, fighting back the tears as she continued to force him out of her with her will and spirit. She could feel the arms and hands of her soul struggling to maintain balance with her body while containing and repelling him from staying inside of her… She threw herself upon the ground, desperately trying to smash his skull in hopes of freeing her body from him, but to no avail… His skull merely contracted and loosened its way out of her grip—slippery as wet soap in a person's hands. She fought to keep him contained he tried to force his way back into her, her wanting to be away from his congested mouth of death… He forced her with the strength of his being, and completely knocked her over on to her back. She gave an agonized yell, and began smashing him bluntly with her fists… Raising her with his demonic powers, he made an attempt to loosen her grip. In his anger, he let loose a piercing scream which shattered the void-like air, causing her to shrink and cower to him… He was losing ground, and was now unable to keep himself inside of her. Seeking his chance, he then thrust his hand towards her face, and kept a powerful hold on her forehead…
Eve screamed, using her hands to try and release his hold on her head—pulling, yanking, and relying on all her spiritual force to move him… Her forehead felt hot, and a burn mark ate into her skin—leaving a ring around her forehead… Blood spilled and dripped, sizzling from her open wound as it made contact with his venomous bones, and draining the life force from inside of her… A piercing sting attacked her sides, and soon several more rings formed over her body… On her ears… On her upper arms… On her hips… and… on her tail—all of which leaked the precious blood of life... Red as roses… Dark as chocolate… Deep as incense… Scarlet as… blood…
She could feel her skin burning… Darker and darker, it sizzled and crinkled beneath his grip—darkening from the points of the circle-rings… Her screams were drowned by his hideous laughter, laughing like a skeleton coming from a closet in a nightmare… His laughter was shrill and cold, and sent an endless stream of icy shivers down her spine… There was no escaping from him now… He'd soon as rather kill her than to let her go, or to let her suffer… If only someone could save her… If only Jesus—if only He were here now to save her… If only…!
"A miracle—please… God…!" she whimpered, having curled up and protecting herself…
His laughter continued… Even when her eyes closed, it was as though they were still open—she could still hear him and see him as though he was realer than reality itself…
"Please, God… A miracle… Please…!" she cried…
"You seek your mother! Well, your mother is as good as dead should you still be seeking her…!!"
"Please, mommy!! Please tell God—a miracle! Please save me—a miracle!!!" she screamed…
A sudden beam of light, and a holy glow penetrated the beast from within her chest… The light was more pure than anything ever to be seen… Its light was both warming and comforting—more exhilarating than anything, and bipolar in its coming… Eve already felt as though three pairs of hands were helping free her from the grasp of Hortus, and already the demon himself was being pulled earth-center-ward… She felt herself becoming free, and felt herself saved… So… this was what it was like to be saved…! She felt her pains disappear, and herself become light again, leaving the form of Hortus below… But, yet… … … …
Hortus gave an evil cackle… His horrendous voice laughed and cracked the sky like a wet whip upon naked skin… Even the hands that held her soon let her drift downwards, back down unto the dark sphere of the earth below her; the void which knew no light… Hortus' cruel gleam allowed him to grin wickedly as he growled…
"That's right… You cannot escape me, child—for you have made a deal with me… Only the grace of your mother saved your soul from totally belonging to me… But, with no one above to take you in, and with no permissions to take you down below, you are a wandering soul lost between both realms, and condemned to the very first level of Hell itself…"
Eve's heart dropped as she felt the life drained from her veins again… Empty was her body as all the liquids of the precious life force were drained and pooling down to a puddle… Her feet made contact with the earth, and soon she found herself on all fours in her own blood—her skin and dress saturated and wet, glistening red… Down went her hair, draping over her eyes, and hollow was her gaze when once there was life…
She bit her lip in frustration, feeling the lump grow sickeningly in her throat… She realized her doom was at hand, and that now there was no escape… She was unofficially property of the Devil now, and what chance she stood of being with her mother was now gone forever…
Hortus grinned, having stood not thirty feet away from her… In a reverse process of rot, flesh and skin rapidly began to form back on his body, returning him to his "former" state of being clad in cream with his hollow shades… Only his eyes reflected anything of what had been before, but even they too were masking themselves behind a false silvery glow. As the angels departed and left, Eve shook and trembled with fear as Hortus placed his hands back into his pockets. He glanced upward, watching as the ecliptic sky soon hid the sun behind obsidian clouds, lost for what seemed a thousand miles away… He reached into his coat sleeve and pulled out a book—the same book he was found reading in the library about wealth, banks, and money. He read for a while as she broke out into tears—her tears mixing with what little life was left in her body as she too began the slow descent into death… Her voice quivered as she cried, and her hands shook as the knuckles had gone white amidst the black which had become her fur. She could feel herself slowly dying, and unable to do much more… Soon, she would be dead, like her mother, but that there would be no funeral for her… There would never be a funeral for a girl who mysteriously disappeared…
The public had gathered around her form—she had hit her head against the sharp corner of the casket, resulting in a fatal wound caused by a broken artery. She had lost too much blood in such a short amount of time… Already, her face was turning white, and nothing that the emergency medical team could do would be able to stop the blood. It was a sad and terrible thing to witness, and while many family members drew in close to see what had happened, many also turned their faces away in despair… Minutes passed, but with no luck… Eve was going to die… Emergency Medical Transfer moved into the building quickly, bringing a stretcher to carry her away. The priest made a solemn prayer as the ambulance rescue team lifted her up, covering her face with a white linen-like sheet… The onlookers wept in fear and sorrow… Tracy buried her face in her cousin's jacket… Her father felt as though he had died—his family was now officially gone… Only the grandfather was the one to watch with stern eyes. As the ambulance drove away and the sirens screamed, it was he who shed only a single tear…
"Good luck, my granddaughter…"
Dead… She could feel it now—the warmth of her skin having left its state of comfort to be replaced with an eerie feeling of numb-ness… She could still feel, but in such a state it felt like a dream… But… she could walk… No—she could crawl…! She could move—mobility! She could reach out and escape from this monster, if only… if only…!
Hortus reached into his pocket, and pulled out his watch. He checked the time, watching as the moving seconds-hand ticked time away softly. He closed it again, returning it to his pocket, closed the book he held, and walked over to her mercilessly, returning the book back under his coat as he made his approach to her. Seeing her reach out to pull herself away from him, he stopped her hand by grinding it into the void-like ground with his square and sharp heel.
"Well now… Looks like your time is up…! And just on time, too. I was just about to get worried that you would never give up."
Eve screamed, pulling her hand away as she curled back up into a ball. "Give up…?! W… What…?!"
"You've lost too much blood...! Your material state could not hold you any longer, and so it passed on to become nothing more than just rotting debris for the flies. You're welcome to take a look if you'd like…"
She gasped, turning her glance back on over to where she had crawled from. Her self could be seen, hunched over in the pool of blood, wearing the exact same dress as when she had come to this place. Horrified, she stared in shock, scarcely able to make much more of a sound than a squeak.
Hortus chuckled thoughtfully, "Oh, but don't you mind—it will soon be nothing more than a memory… What matters does a shell hold if the truth is what lies inside…? You are here now with me, Eve…!"
Eve made a mad dash for her frame, desperately wanting to be herself again. Her hand raged with pain, but it was no hindrance—she needed to be herself again…! She couldn't bear the thought of having to be with this creature of nightmare from her visions…! She grasped on to her material body's shoulder, finding that the body wanted to absorb her hand completely. She hesitated for a moment, but quickly allowed her body to become one with her material form again.
It was only then that the pangs of death were ringing in her ears… A loud screech—something more deafening than Hortus' ear-piercing shriek from earlier, filled her ears and caused her to shrink, covering her ears. Deep, sudden cold filled her arms, which soon took over her entire being… It was deadly cold—like swimming in an ocean of ice… Her arms felt stiff and hindered movement, and she found that no matter how hard she willed her eyes to open—closed they would always be…
The crew aboard the ambulance kept a steady eye on her passing form. Her form twitched only momentarily, but no form of life was ever really made… It wasn't uncommon for the heart to start back up again as it went through its death throes, or for the body to twitch… Nerve movements, they were called… No matter what little twitching and slight movements she would make, it would still be unnoticeable to those inside the ambulance.
Eve felt herself being yanked back out by Hortus, whose look on his face was anything other than pleased. The sudden transition took a moment for her to adapt to the changes, but Hortus had other things in mind. He gave her a stern scolding in his icy tone…
"You might want to be a bit more cautious if you value your soul! Don't you understand—if your soul fuses with your material form, you will rot with it…! Your body will decompose and as will your soul, and once there is nothing left to decompose, your soul will not ever be in existence…!"
"I want to go back…!"
"You can't go back—there is no other way…!" He snapped at her.
"Please Hortus—I just want to be back with my family again…!"
He sighed… "There is… no other… way. This is the way you came, and this is the way you will go. Come along now."
"Hortus…!" Eve cried, not yet fully awakened to the darkness that surrounded her.
"Come, come child… There is much we are yet to do, and standing here dawdling all day is wasting my time…" Hortus replied, slowly taking foot and walking away.
"Y… You bastard…!!" She screamed, fuming.
Hortus paused, and gave a sigh, "I wouldn't, if I were you…"
Eve screamed, charging at him with full force. She raked his back with her claws, tearing through his cream suit, shirt, and deep into his flesh. Several more times she attacked him—blood dripping and spilling from him in a most unrealistic manner until she knocked his head off from his shoulders. She stared in horror of what she had done, but in grim satisfaction that she had defeated her opponent.
"Your ways are so unpolished my dear… Really, they are…" Hortus stood, not twenty feet away from her, his back turned to her. She looked at him, then back at the collapsed form of the body she had slain. It turned into a series of bats, all with which disappeared into the void, shrieking screams following in their wake. She made another charge at him, wishing she could have had a sword to swing at him with. As though by demonic magic, a sword did indeed appear in her hands, and cleanly cleaved him down, from shoulder down to torso in a diagonal fashion. Slowly, Hortus' upper half began to slide down the curvature of his sliced body, his posture still remaining motionless. A sudden rage filled her, and Eve proceeded to swing the sword once again, cutting off Hortus' head cleanly. The head flew and spinned wildly until it crashed onto the ground in a blood-splattering heap. Despite this, however, Hortus wasn't dead… She knew that from her gut feeling inside of her… Hortus was too… unreal…
"Far from unreal, my dear—I am alive and well—look behind you."
She spun to turn about-face, only to find herself facing an upside down Hortus sitting on what appeared to be nothingness. He looked up from his book or, rather, "down" to look at her, before giving a sigh. He put away his book and, leaping back to his feet, landed upside right to stand next to her.
"…Having fun?" He smirked. The blade suddenly disappeared before he reappeared right beside her.
She gritted her teeth as her face turned a beet red in tone. Her mind told her she was pissed, and she knew that, from her core of self-being, that she hated him… with all her soul, and with all her spiritual heart…
"Your anger is nothing uncommon… Others who have come here would have been doing the same thing over and over again, but sooner or later their fate would conspire and lead them to their ultimate doom, and they eventually surrender themselves to me…"
"I sure wish I could have fun… Anything would be a hell of a lot better than being with you..."
He appeared over her left shoulder suddenly, and pointed, "…Actually, I've had quite enough fun already. I was hoping that we could maybe move on a little to the left there, where we could finally get going…"
Having said, he walked on by her, and continued in the general direction.
"Y… You're just… sick…! You know that!?"
""Oh please, dear—I've heard enough of your angst already, and it's far too early in the day for anything of the sort…"
"What do you want from me!?"
"Believe me, girl—I've already got what I wanted."
"And that was?"
"To have you here—trapped in this little world of nothingness, with no intent of you ever going back."
"Bring me back, now!"
"Bring yourself back, if you so choose… I only tried to help you…"
"Y… You didn't help me! You killed me, you mother fucker!!"
"…Which leads you to the reason you fell to your own demise… You allowed yourself to die, don't forget."
He only kept on walking…
She coughed, amazed at his impudence and disgusted as his gentleman-like manners. She then turned and headed back for her body, intent on going back home.
Hortus paused, then gave another sigh before reappearing in front of her, blocking her with both arms.
"Hortus, move!!"
"I'm telling you dear—your soul will begin to rot if you return back to your old shell… It's best that we do not think about these things and move along now…"
"Go… fuck yourself or whatever…" Eve growled as she pushed herself past him. Again, she entered into her body, and tried to fight away the screaming and numbing cold from around her.
The EMT's had already done everything in their power to bring Eve back to life… She was already pronounced dead on arrival, but certain measures had to be taken to make sure and— above all—that the medics "didn't try to bring her back." Eve was hooked up and receiving blood while sensors did their best to detect any brain action. The defilberators had done little to bring anything more than a single heart beat before the heart would lay at rest again.
However, just as the team was about to call the operation quits, a small significant form of life halted the end of their rescue mission. It wasn't too much out of the ordinary—the heart was beating a few times… But, then the heart would beat again… and again… and again… A little brain activity showed, which raised an eyebrow to each of the men attending her. It seemed to be well worth the extra few minutes if they could reach one of their superiors to determine what would be the next best possible decision. Was this worth it, or should she be taken off the life support…?
Hortus gave a groan, and rubbed his glasses with a handkerchief he held in his pocket, and cleaned his lenses. Placing them back on his eyes, he then turned around and pulled Eve back out from her body, and prepared to give her a lecture.
"…Alright, listen. You're dead. Got it? No more of this "I'm going back home now" business, because it's not going to work. You'll only stay here in this state while your real body rots in the material world. Even if you so wish to go back, there is no going back, otherwise hundreds of others would have gone long ago. I'll cut you a deal, and I'm going to make it short. I've got a short temper with you young girl, and I'm not about to let it go before giving you a chance first…!
"Keep your material form alive as much as you want, but it won't do you any good. In fact, you can keep it. Here!" In a sudden flash of light, Eve's body condensed in size to become enwrapped in a heart-shaped crystal… The crystal itself shrunk, becoming small and smaller and smaller, until finally becoming nothing more but a jewel. Hortus then produced a chain and locket, with which he placed the jewel inside of. He closed the locket, then tossed the necklace over to Eve.
"Inside, you'll find your pathetic little body, but it won't do you any good… In fact, you'll find that it is rather a nuisance to carry around, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if you dropped it or forgot it somewhere. Open and look at it to your heart's content…!"
Eve did as she was bid, and opened the locket in front of her. There before her sat the girl in the shape of herself, surrounded in crystal and preserved in her natural form the way she looked only a few moments ago before she was pulled back out. The necklace magically tied itself about her neck, and adjusted to her correct size by means of Hortus' dark magic. She touched her crystallized self, feeling sorrowful that the form she was viewing was only a shadow of her former life… The beautiful girl with the long nutmeg brown hair, and plain slate-grey eyes… The girl who would never look pretty to anyone… Now she truly was no one… A yearbook photo… trapped in a tiny locket…
Hortus then appeared before her, his dark hollow voice growling at her in anger. "Now… Life doesn't give out any freebies, or so your old man said… I have a delivery to make of you—something I'm not even supposed to do… Still, by will of Satan the Devil himself, I must bring you to the world you are bound to… Come along, now…"
"Where are you taking me to…? Purgatory…?" Eve whimpered quietly.
"Purgatory is only for those who are neonates, deprived of life before even given much of a chance… Their world lies neither in Heaven nor Hell. Your world is one much different… No, my dear—you are bound for Limbo…!"