Psyche

Chapter Twenty-Three

I journeyed down dark halls and made my way around the haunted corridors. There were light bulbs all around me but to no avail since the light clung to its origin. The shadows danced for no apparent reason and the light bulbs seemed to tell stories of all that went down in this house. And trust me, there were lots of stories, some you might want to here, others I couldn't be paid to. But I did notice once thing. One thing that was missing in this house full of treasures from around the world.

There might be adventures, but there was no love.

I took the back stairs down to the first floor of the house and found a door that would take me outside into the biting fall. I smiled, reveling in the fresh air. I needed a break.

The wind was echoing. The vibrant leaves of red, orange, and yellow, danced in the air as they broke free from the branches of trees that practically touched the sky. Being that far from the ground was already freedom. They blindly let go and now they drift to the ground and fall at the feet of the person they've always looked down on, me. But the tree doesn't care. Its ugliness is temporary and when the snow falls, it won't be so bad. Its leaves will be replaced. Everything can begin anew once more.

I walked slowly, eyes closed; face tilted upward, feeling the warmth of the sun as I strolled through the yard around the house, crossing the lawn until I was face to face with the edge of the woods, lightened by color, stained with the season. A trail beckoned to me, and I found myself walking on the small dirt path excited by the possibilities. But then I began to wonder if Phoenyx was up yet. Was he looking for me or just waiting for me-?

Suddenly, my movements turned lifeless as I entered into one of his dreams.

***

Enter stage right: everyone's (I'm everyone) favorite bitch: the "Lovely" Lady Sabina. Iris herself called her a bitch and the way Phoenyx talks about her, she must have always been right. He didn't seem like such the ladies' man that I thought he'd be. In the back of my mind, I was squeamish about getting into Phoenyx's sex life.

My eyes, like his, stung with fire. I looked over to see buildings, an entire civilization, in flames. This fire burned the same color as the leaves; I almost thought the city was engulfed in the flames of autumn.

***

I opened my eyes and went pale at what I saw:

Demons, twelve of them, standing before me. They were bleeding from their wounds, thick reddish black rivers pouring from their skin, their demonic eyes swollen, conveying that I was in danger, as they stared me down, molted wings sprouted from their backs and flared out like bruised fire, slashing at the air like it was nothing. Half of me felt that if I could reach out and touch them, I would be feeling nothing, my hand disappearing into the apparition. The other half of me knew better, and, I would be touching hard, wounded, warm, yet icy, muscle... satanic flesh.

I tried to read their thoughts, but even Phoenyx is not human enough for me to do that. Perhaps they didn't even think, they just did . . . they just killed.

I closed my eyes and willed my vis to them. "Pain," I whispered.

I had watched plenty of movies and shows about people being taken over by demonic beings. I heard their surreal screams on the shows. This was the very same scream only louder. The demons all screeched in a chorus until running off. There is nothing compared to the screaming of something that is being tortured. Nothing. It rang in my ears, and I could think of nothing else. The very sound possessed me.

One of the demons raised their hand, and the world around me turned purple with some poisonous fire that blew me back a couple feet, stinging my eyes, and making me fall to one knee. I scrambled to my feet and bolted back down the path . . . to safety . . . to him . . .