Chapter 18
Looks Like You're Stuck With Me
'Oh my God, dude, I can't believe that just happened, I can't believe that I just said that, holy crap!' Cora managed to say without stumbling over her own words since she was speaking this fast, barely able to comprehend all the events that had transpired mere moments ago thanks to the sheer, unfiltered adrenaline that began rushing through her body from the second she had rushed to the passenger's side of Darby's van upon hearing her severely pissed off mother's voice, as if there truly had become impossible to undo the switch that had been flipped inside of her head. She had simply stopped caring about it all, there was no turning back; not once had she thought about asking Darby to turn the van around and head back to her mother's place, feeling sweet, blissful relief peeking through the adrenaline as the distance between them and her childhood home increased by the second. Her duffle bag and skateboard had been quickly tossed in the back before they took off. Hardly any kind of traffic could be spotted on the streets that lead them to Autumnfield's main street, so within less than five minutes at most, they were driving down the same street where nervousness had been gnawing on Cora's mind in the early afternoon. Crazy to think that she was feeling something completely different right now… but she wasn't complaining, oh no, not at all. But God, this still felt too surreal to wrap her head around this, which was probably one of the contributing reasons on why she couldn't stop rambling and trembling like a leaf on a stormy day this moment.
Darby hadn't said anything to her up until now, having allowed her to mumble the phrase 'Oh God' at least more than fifteen times during the ride and let the adrenaline wear off a bit. It should be noted though that the same small smile that had formed on his face earlier hadn't vanished, having to admit that he was slightly amused by seeing his traveling companion being this close to bouncing around in her seat like a toddler that had consumed way too much sugar. And hell, he would be willing to admit this as well; seeing her stand up to that insufferable woman she had been forced to refer to as her mother for as long as she has lived, knowing damn well how she had felt about her and sensing the intense discomfort that was basically radiating off her earlier today, well… it did make him feel pretty proud of her.
'How are you holding up, Cora?' he asked, even though he knew damn well what must be going through her head right now.
'I… Well shit, I'm still shaking like crazy, I feel like I have been drinking like a hundred cups of coffee or energy drink or… shit, I don't know! But it's not like I'm scared or anything, Darby. Even if I would look in the mirror and see my mom would be driving behind us now and scream at us to stop the van, I wouldn't care less. It's just because I feel so… amazing right now. I don't think I have ever felt this way before, and you know why? Because finally, after everything that has happened as of late… I am free. I got my freedom, Darby! Choosing to run off with you and live the ghost hunter life… I know that I have made the right choice. I want this. This is the life for me… I know that now.'
'Then I'll be the one to officially declare you a ghost hunter. Congratulations, princess.' Darby answered, but absolutely nothing in his voice indicated that this was meant as some sarcastic remark. 'If I had some party poppers and a kazoo lying in the back, I would put them to use right now. Just saying.'
'Nah, that's all good.' the female ghost hunter chuckled. 'That would only make a mess, after all…'
'Cora… I know about what I have told you some time ago. About how a life of ghost hunting is truly like. Make no mistake, it's about as harsh as it can get, I will never have any intention of sugercoating it for you, ever. It will chew you up and spit you out if you're not prepared for some of the most wretched bullshit you can encounter during the job. But nonetheless, there is still some sort of bright side to it. It's like you said, you know? Despite everything that will happen, you have freedom. Absolute freedom. Just think about it, Cora. You never have to settle, ever again. You don't need to afford a house and stay at one place for the rest of your life, never able to see the world outside of that bubble. You will never have to worry about getting a permanent contract so you have to keep working some crappy, miserable, soul-killing job to stay afloat. And your bank account will never have to be drained for the same bills that has put so many on the streets…all of that shit that I absolutely hate.' The blonde ghost hunter couldn't help but snigger at this, but it was true. It was something he had realized along the way, and it had made living this life all the more appealing to him. Of course, plenty of horrible things would come across your path during your career, be it the most heart-wrenching, sickening or infuriating stories behind some of the ghosts he'd cross paths with, the grotesque forms they would adopt as soon as they reached the Mindless phase, or the fact that he was basically putting his life on the line on many nights, but at the same time, it did give you something precious in return, something which not a whole lot of people possessed. From the moment he had set out and left the prison that had been his grandfather's home for good, he had been practically tasting it at the top of his tongue. Freedom. No place, aside from the road, would ever be able to chain him down again, he was free to go wherever the hell he wanted, he no longer had to abide by the responsibilities that had brought so many people to ruin, be it emotionally, mentally or financially. It had been just him, his van and his work for ten years, and he had been perfectly content with it, despite all the horrors he had been forced to witness, and the freedom it had given him in return was most definitely one of the contributing factors.
Cora let out a sigh as she turned her head to stare out of the window, watching as other cars on this road slowed down to the point where they stood completely still, which made sense since one of the main street's many traffic lights had switched to the red light; their van too was one of the vehicles who would have to wait for a couple of seconds for other traffic to pass them by on another road. She took a little moment to quickly kick off her shoes before pulling her knees up to her chest and wrapping her arms around them.
'I know what will be in store for me.' she softly said, looking at the faint light of the lampposts that had been activated mere seconds ago. 'I know that it's not going to be easy for me, or you for that matter, but the point is… No matter how tough it's going to get, it's going to be a life that I would much rather prefer living. Believe me, I'd much rather be fighting rampaging Mindless than live one day under the same roof with my mother and that pervert she's planning on marrying…'
'Yeah, I don't blame you. Not one bit.'
Cora couldn't help but chuckle a little bit about what she was going to say next, hoping that Darby would at least find some humor in it as well. 'I hope you will be okay with me being your traveling companion, because you're not gonna get rid of me any time soon.'
'Hey now… I wouldn't have come back for you if I could not have stand being around you in the first place. You're worth it.' was the blonde ghost hunter's response, the smirk on his face having something rather playful.
She did not expect an answer like this, not at all; which was why Cora's eyes slightly widened at this and her cheeks spontaneously colored with a gentle shade of red. Did she just hear that right? Did he really think she was worth being rescued from a miserable stay in Autumnfield and becoming his partner in crime? He had only known her for little more than two days, but still… he was seeing something in her. Darby… holy crap, it was hard to believe that this was coming from Darby.
'Oh… thank you.' was all the Cora knew to say, knowing what else she could possibly add to that and dearly hoping that the blonde ghost hunter wasn't going to notice the blush that was still lingering on her cheeks, having the feeling that he was going to see it as soon as she would turn her head to look at him, so instead she continued to stare outside, where the cars next to them had yet to move an inch.
If she thought he didn't notice the hint of fluster in her voice just now, she would be sadly mistaken. His traveling companion not turning her head to say this to him was all that Darby needed to know, and to be entirely fair, something had sparked inside of him before he had decided to tell her this. It was true, it really was. Even though he hadn't been looking forward of driving her around Michigan like he was her personal driver or some shit since she had been a total stranger to him at first, and yes, it did feel pretty damn awkward having someone else traveling with you after being alone on the road for a whole decade and he did have to set her straight for a couple of times when it came to the ghost hunter life, but then again… it wasn't like she had made his life complete hell for longer than two days straight. No, not at all… They did have things in common, there had been stuff they were able to talk about. Art, skateboarding, and, well… turbulent childhoods. He had never thought to open up the way he did about his life to anybody, and yet, it was her who made him do that. Something had definitely been formed between them during these past days, something that he could only describe as… a friendship? Yeah, that had to be it. Friendship. Despite all the bickering and the fact that he sometimes didn't have much patience for her, there had been enough good moments between them to establish this. God, this felt so foreign to him, given how he had been used to being alone for as long as he could remember, not even having been able to form any bond like this with the other kids at the trailer park before his mother's demise. He had been fine with this, since he had never minded being alone. But Cora… damn, she was just… there was something special about her.
The blonde ghost hunter let his index, middle and ring finger softly drum on the steering wheel, over and over again while they were forced to wait for the stream of traffic to end. What else was there to say to her at this moment? It seemed like she had no idea either, given the fact that she was still looking through the window. It was like his eyes had gained a will for their own, and so they darted into the direction of the young woman he had just officially welcomed into the ghost hunter lifestyle. The sight simply proved that there was indeed something special about Cora Jade. The faint light of the nearby lampposts, combined with the headlights from some of the cars and a speck of bright red coming from the traffic lights formed a gentle glow on the outlines of her face, all the way from her forehead to her lips; as if it were the cherry on top, it brought out the beautifully dark shade of brown her eyes possessed. Now it was Darby's turn. There was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it, but soon enough, Cora's cheeks weren't the only one that showed a gentle but rather noticeable shade of red. Darby had absolutely no idea how to react to this, and so he continued to drum his digits on the leather, albeit with a slightly increased tempo.
Even though the silence between them only lasted for a few seconds, the mild awkwardness made it feel like a damn eternity and waiting in front of the traffic light sure as hell didn't do much to make any more comfortable, but it was Cora who had finally been able to find the right words to break it. 'Have you already been to Cedar Hills?'
'No, not yet.' Darby replied, shaking his head. 'I had the feeling that this is going to be a pretty tough job, and so I figured… your fire powers would come in very useful for this one.'
Yeah, that was it; that was exactly it, he swore.
'Then let's do it. I'm ready for it, Darby. I'm so freaking ready for it.'
At last, the red light than shone upon the van's frame was replaced with bright green.
She hadn't stopped crying from the moment she had manifested herself in front of him, unable to stand up as if her legs had been fused to the concrete floor. Not once had the pain that was so visible in her slightly reddened eyes become less apparent, for it was the same pain that had been formed on the night where had made the biggest mistake of his life, one that had been responsible for the remorse that made him set out in order to fix all of it. To undo the damage and receive her forgiveness, which he had so desperately craved. But the pain was still there, consuming all of her.
Her skin once had a much healthier, livelier tan, which he had expected for her to regain soon enough. She was still clad in her black summer dress, which had been the only piece of clothing that hung in the closet they had shared that could be considered elegant enough to wear on special occasions, revealing the small tattoo of a helm that had been inked on her shoulder some time before their paths had crossed. The roots of the long, black hair that had been just one of her many attractive features had been dyed crimson red a few days before he had been foolish enough to let his unforgivable mistake happen. Her hands were tightly pressed against her chest, as if she was trying her hardest to hide something from him, even though he knew damn well what he would see as soon as she would lift her hands. The tears leaking from her eyes caused her dark make-up to form black tracks over her cheeks, all the way down to her chin. There was nothing he could do about this. He couldn't say anything to ease the pain, he couldn't kneel down to pull her in for a comforting embrace. Trapped in his own body, he was forced to face the consequences of his mistake, along with the consequences of his desperate attempt to set it all right. This was all of his doing. He was the one who caused all of it. And she was going to remind him of it each time she would appear during his time of rest.
'Malakai…' Zelina Vega sobbed. 'Malakai… how could you have done this to me?!'
Then, with an ear-piercing scream that came this close to permanently deafening him, she fully changed in the blink of an eye, shedding everything that made her appear human. Two hollow, teary eyes looked in two different directions, her mouth was filled with severely misshapen teeth, clumps of hair dropping to the ground like dead animals until a handful of strands remained on her skull, every inch of skin turned pitch black with tightly wrapped itself around each bone in her body, twitching uncontrollably in pure agony as this lifeless, lanky, abomination that had once been Zelina lunged at him, ripped apart by the darkness inside her barely humanoid body.
This however wasn't the cause for Malakai's eyes to snap open and thus promptly ending the same nightmare that would occasionally return to haunt him. He slowly sat up on the bed, his cheeks glistening with fresh tears. No… something else had awoken him. He could feel it in every fiber of his being. He knew his patience had paid off in the end.
The ghost who had died a hundred deaths had arrived at last.