Out of the Darkness

109

This wasn't the first time that Tara had went off on me, but it didn't happen often. I was chided into silence for a minute, while I tried to think of something to say. "Tara, look, I wasn't rude. Well, maybe a little but I just don't feel like entertaining the idea of her and I. There's not going to be anything there. You know that I don't want to get into a relationship, so might as well make her hate me. It'll be easier for her not to like me." I raised my eyebrows, surprised at what I had said. It was true, but I didn't know if I had it in me to just be rude for no reason. Sure, I got ill and annoyed like anyone else, but I didn't purposely try to be mean to people. "It's not going to kill you to act like a decent human being, Colby," Tara huffed out, and tucked a loose strand of wet hair behind her ear. "All I'm asking is that you give her a chance. Not to date you, but to be a friend. Or at least just be cordial so that she doesn't feel like you hate her." Shame rose up in my chest, causing a lump in my throat. I hated it when she was right. "Fine. Yeah, I'm sorry. You know how I get sometimes. I just have other things on my mind." She nodded, and looked sympathetic. "I know you're still thinking about Anna. But it might be time to let her go Colby. It shouldn't be this hard to spend time with someone you like." She leaned forwards and hugged me, wrapping her tiny arms around my waist. I hugged her back, squeezing just a little. "Thanks Tara," I said quietly. She leaned away from me and smiled. "Anytime. We'll be downstairs for a while if you change your mind about hanging out." I nodded, and watched as she walked out the door. Earlier, I had felt like having a good time with my friends. Now, not so much. My mood had changed just as quickly as Anna's scent had left me. I tried to do more research on evil witches who stayed young forever, but it just led me down the same rabbit hole as before. Loads of lore, and black magic spells that ended up weirding me out. When my eyes were burning, and I couldn't keep them open any longer, I closed my laptop and slept. It was anything but a peaceful sleep, however. The dream came back. Only I was alone on the beach this time. The usually peaceful waves were crashing into one another, the roar of the ocean almost unbearable. The skies were gray and overcast, leaving a chill in the fishy air. I heard Anna call out for me, but when I looked, no one was there. "ANNA??" I yelled back, my voice getting lost in the rumbling sky as lightning struck over my head. Gray turned to an inky blackness that had me straining my eyes to see where I was going. The roar and crashes from the ocean seemed to be coming from all around me, leaving me unable to determine which way to walk. I thought that I heard Anna's voice again, screaming in pain, then telling me to leave. "ANNA!" I yelled, picking up speed. I felt the cold water splash up onto my legs, but I didn't stop. I wasn't sure why, only that I had to help her or she would be stuck in a fate worse than death. I moved further and further out into the ocean until the waves were crashing over my head, making it hard to stay afloat, and even to breath. "You silly, foolish boy." I spit out the salt water that I had just choked on, as the voice filled my ears. "You won't find her. She only stays with you because I allow it. You can't save her. If you try, she will die. Her spirit will cease to exist. Is that what you want?" The gravely, spine-tingling voice chilled me to the bone. I looked up into the sky as I fought to stay above water. It was black, except for the occasional flashes of lightning that cracked through it, illuminating the black shadow that was right above me. It almost looked humanoid, except for the inky black tendrils that floated out from it's body, like those of an octopus. "GIVE HER BACK!" I yelled at it, swinging my fist up and back down into the water. The small splash that it made disappeared into the loudness around me. The chilling laughter that boomed all around me was more disturbing that any thunder. "Oh child, but you took her from me. I am only taking what is was mine to begin with." "She's human! You can't own another human," I screamed at it, jumping back, as one of the tendrils seemed to reach down to touch me. The laughter sounded again. "I can do what I want. I am all powerful. I am invincible. You are a silly human man child." The laughter sounded again, making me grind my teeth in fury. Then it started to speak again, cutting me off with it's voice. It was no longer this hoarse, spine chilling thing. No, now it was much, much worse. It was sultry, almost hypnotizing, but like nails on a chalkboard at the same time. Pain ripped down my spine with each syllable spoken. "You will stop, or she endures torture more intense than anything I have made you feel. She will feel this over and over again, being allowed to heal, only to let it happen again. She will have an eternity of this. And so shall YOU!" The last word was hurled at me, along with an inky black tendril, knocking me back into the salty waters. I went under, inhaling the burning water into my lungs. I kicked and kicked, trying to make my way back to the surface, before my lungs gave me no option but to allow more water into them. I peered up, wondering why I hadn't broken through the top yet, but could see nothing. The pressure on my chest got more and more intense with each kick, until I couldn't take it.