Me and the Devil: Sebastian Sallow

Chapter ONE FOURTEEN - Together

(After Dark - Mr. Kitty)

Facing stone knights, bloodthirsty goblins and dark wizards was something my brain could entirely wrap itself around. Facing my own demons and death itself however, was entirely impossible.

Sebastian spoke quickly, keeping his voice low and tone firm. He had jumped right into that leader role our trio so desperately needed and I was entirely grateful for him.

"I need you two to stay right behind me. I don't want you to take a step I didn't already take first. Got it? We stick together, we work together, we get through this together."

Together.

Ominis nodded.

I worked my fingers between Sebastian's.

His eyes dipped to them, back up to my eyes.

Though the inked sketch of his eyes obscured a lot of emotion, there was no misinterpreting the fear behind them. The sort of fear I'd only seen a couple times before. A fear I'd seen from him facing his Boggart in class.

My chest felt heavy with it, an unconscious effort to take a bit from his soul and seal it in mine.

"Atley I need you..." 

The words lumped in his throat so thick he completely surrendered to the silence and instead pulled the back of my hand to his lips. He closed his eyes and pressed a kiss there to seal his unspoken promises, wishes and wants.

The three of us moved in silent unison, Sebastian leading up front with Ominis and me close behind. 

Together.

I kept a hand to Ominis' arm, guiding him across the rubble, through doorways and over the remnants I was almost positive belonged to prior townsfolk though I didn't let my mind dwell on that thought too long.

The silence rang in my ears, 

hollow bones clacked against stone, 

tattered cloaks whipped around every turn.

Death's demons roamed through the town homes and roads like a poisonous fog. Their eyes no more than hollow holes, but their innate ability to sense any movement or breath made up for that lack.

Death itself loomed through the sky, 

peaking down over roofs, 

around walls, 

fingers crushing, 

bones searching.

Sebastian tucked us around tight corners, ushered us through broken walls, up failing stairs. He would hold an arm out across my chest in moments of pause, timing our way through just so.

We padded quietly around a rather precariously stacked set of stone bricks and were just about to step off a stone ledge and through an open clearing when a heap of inked black smoke billowed forcefully into the center.

Ten hooded skeletons rose from the ashes, sneering and working their way out.

Three of them moved in our direction.

Another two wound around our backs.

Even through they hadn't seen us yet, 

we were trapped.