The Limbus

Ch. 5- The Power Inside

"So, you're truly all alone now, even in death." The cloaked figure said to me. He reached up his hands and pulled off his hood to reveal his face. Death stared at me with his cold, seemingly emotionless eyes. They pierced into me like icy daggers, gazing deeper into my soul than anything else has. He had long, black hair nearly down to his shoulders. One half was undercut and the majority of it was pushed to the other side. Yet it looks good on him. "You've reached the pinnacle of loneliness. You've been abandoned by your friends, and no one knows where I killed you. Your soul belongs to me and you've been running for too long."

"What? You killed me. That was you!" I was beginning to get angry. That was his truck? He was the one who ran me off the road?

"Oh, did that slip out? My bad. Well, it doesn't matter now. I have what is rightfully mine and there is no more escape for you. You can run anywhere in this plain of existence and I'll still find you." He seemed confident. Doesn't he know I could get out of here if I really accepted him.

"But there is a way out. I just have to accept you. And after what Rose and Matt told me, I'm alright with this. I'm not afraid of death, afraid of you." I could feel myself growing warm, like a soft blanket by the fire in winter.

"No, not you. You're different Alex." He raised his hand, and he clutched his fist dramatically. In that instant, I fell to one knee and my warmth turned to a chilling frost all around me. Even in this really nice weather, my breath turned to a fog. "You don't get to leave. Like I said, you don't get to run away anymore. I have what is mine, the others mean nothing to me compared to you." His fist grew tighter, shaking from the force. My chest grew tight, my throat began to close up. Breathing was difficult. I knew what he was doing; trying to scare me so I can't leave.

I took in as deep of a breath as my lungs could hold, and put all the force in to my legs as I could. Slowly, I resisted his force. Within seconds, I was on my feet, and the cold was gone. I could still feel his pressure on my chest and neck, but all I could think of was Rose and what she said to me.

"If you fear something, you must face it head on. If you don't fear something, it has no power over you. Rose told me this. I now understand what she truly meant by this." I looked at death as intense as he stared at me. He tried to get into my soul and I tried to force him out. His hand dropped, and all the pressure went away. He was breathing heavily, obviously tired from the massive exertion I just put him through. He seems like he wasn't expecting me to put up such a fight.

"OK, you win this little fight. But you still can't leave. I have something you need to get out." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass vial the size of a palm. He smiled a wicked grin and threw it in between our feet, creating cloud of purple and blue smoke, it looked like outer space. When the cloud cleared, I saw something that I knew would never get out of my head.

"YOU SEE THIS!" Death was shouting from on top of a pedestal that was quite far away from me. I assume for some kind of dramatic effect or because he doesn't want to be near me. "THIS IS YOU. THIS IS THE VERY ESSENCE OF YOUR BEING! AND I HOLD THE KEY TO IT!" In front of me was a large ball of blue, purple, and green colors washing around like really thin paint trying to morph together. It was mainly blue, with the next dominant as purple, and green showing only every few seconds. It was wrapped up in chains, with a giant lock holding it all together. I began to run over to it but a giant slab of ground shot out cutting off my path.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE. YOUR SOUL WAS MINE FROM THE INSTANT YOU WERE BORN! NOW, I HAVE YOU IN MY GRASP AND I WON'T EVER LET YOU GO AGAIN! NOT THIS TIME, NOT ON YOUR OWN ACCORD!" Death's voice was growing deeper and deeper, with each word growing more and more menacing until he formed a demonic growl.

"Why not? How do you own MY soul?" I tried to shout as loud as I could so he could hear me.

"YOU ONLY HAVE YOURSELF TO BLAME FOR THAT ALEX." His pedestal began to lower to my level. "But, I'll cut you this lovely deal. If you can find a way to get your soul out and escape the Limbus, you will be free, and I will never try to take you again until your time truly comes. I will not interfere with you getting your soul free either." The ground in front of me sinks back to normal height.