Perverse Thirst: A Ghost Walkers Prelude

Chapter 16

Carrying with him a sense of betrayal, Pilo had the bat fly him away from the coven's den. Feeling used, he wanted to escape, in case she decided to fully turn on him. Working with Chloria didn't feel like a total loss for Pilo, he did learn a pivotal ability for protecting himself. The former High Priestess' words gave him a lot to think about it. He now questioned everything. Not only did Chloria's plan turn out to be a lie, but everything he had been fighting for became an illusion, if her words were truth. To find some direction, Pilo needed to get some more answers, and only one person in the city had the ability to do that. Returning to the Light Witch would be his only option.

Before he reached his destination, Pilo had the bat rest in the woods. When the bat came to a stop, he swapped planes, and stood on solid ground. Dropping to his knees, he gave into emotions. The curse stole his ability to cry, but he could still feel anguish. His chin tightened, eyes squinted, and his brow pushed together. All of his muscles tensed up, and he cried out into the night sky. With total disregard to his health, Pilo swung his fist into the tree in front of him. Thinking he would be met with pain, he instead, felt the release of energy. A chunk of the tree flew off into the distance from the force of Pilo's fist. In shock, he watched as the tree gradually leaned over before snapping and falling to the ground. Thick blood dripped off of his knuckles while the skin healed itself underneath the substance.

Realizing he couldn't release Demini from the curse, tormented him. The only thing he wanted became an unachievable dream. To be with Demini, they both had to live with the curse. To save her, he would have to sacrifice himself. Pilo knew Demini wouldn't take his death lightly. He feared she would hunt him down in the afterlife, just to get her revenge for the pain he caused her. An eternal life, stuck with the curse, became a reality. Pilo just couldn't find a way to accept it quite yet. His whole reason, for unknowingly helping create a legitimate threat to his safety, turned into a lie. Blindly following, once again, destroyed his future. All of his grief made him miss Demini even more. Standing up, he needed to finish getting answers in able to return to her.

Through the air, the bat carried Pilo back to the Capitol Building. When they approached, Pilo could see a Ghost Hunter patrolling the rooftop. They both noticed each other at the same time, and Pilo thought about how to get by the man, but keep the man's health intact. An arrow flew from the rooftop from the Ghost Hunters bow. Pilo maneuvered out of the way, and continued toward him. His feet skimmed the rooftop before Pilo found his footing. Stable, and upright, Pilo ran at the Ghost Hunter as the man sent another arrow in his direction. Pilo had the bat lift him above the arrow, and into a collision path with the hunter. Trying to run out of the way didn't work. Pilo had the bat quickly fly him into the side of the man, knocking him over. Picking the man up, Pilo raised the man into the air, and forcefully threw him down into the rooftop. The force sent the Ghost Hunter through the surface of the rooftop, removing the threat. Knowing it wouldn't take long for the man to sound the alarm, Pilo moved to the opening above the Witch's garden.

Looking down into the garden, Pilo could see the Light Witch with a distorted figure beside her. He didn't have a doubt Bynan stood at her side. Using the bat, Pilo lowered himself into the garden while keeping his distance. Taking a minute to watch them, Pilo waited for a good opportunity to make his entrance. The Light Witch walked away from Bynan, and both of them had their backs to Pilo. Having the bat rush him to Bynan's side, Pilo swapped planes. Back in the worldly realm, Pilo grabbed Bynan's blade, and unsheathed it before Bynan had a chance to react.

"I owe you this," Pilo said before he drove the blade shallow into the commander's side.

Bynan's eyes were wide as he turned to look at Pilo. The shock migrated from surprise, to pain, as his brain interpreted the damage Pilo had just caused him. Pilo yanked the blade from inside Bynan, and tossed it into the garden behind him. Stumbling backward, Bynan coughed as he put pressure on his wound. Still trying to interpret the attack, Bynan tripped over his feet and fell down to one knee. The Light Witch ran to his side when she realized the commotion.