Remnant Of The Gods

Chapter 29

He calls.

The feeling of dread settled in far before Demetrious softly nudged my shoulder. Having slept for only an hour or so the nightmares had barely enough time to set in thankfully. Darkness was well beyond a natural occurrence, a prerequisite apparently of a visit from Charon. Working through the haze of sleep I focused on Demetrious who stood before me, though curiously not at his usual eye- level.

We must travel quickly, hop on.

He had grown to the size of a horse, defining each movement tenfold as he moved closer to me, lowering himself so I could climb up. Remaining crouched, he inched through the doorway and out into the night, giving me the time to adjust to the lack of grip.

"And just how am I meant to balance if I cannot grab your coat?" I huffed, frustrated at wobbling every which way when he moved.

Move your arms to around my neck and hold onto yourself.

"What happens if I fall?" I hadn't meant for it to slip out but looking down, it was a long way to fall.

I will not let you fall. He said calmly. We must go -hold on.

Suddenly we were travelling at breakneck speed, the few people who were outside jogging took no notice of what was happening around them. To think, not so long ago I lived in the same world as them, unknowing and happy with life as it was. Whatever magic Demetrious had that allowed him to pass through worlds must also make me invisible.

Demetrious slowed on the outskirts of town, trotting closer to the sound of wailing sirens and flashing lights of emergency crews. Crouching, he helped me down and shrunk to his usual size in a matter of seconds.

"Why couldn't you do that when we first left town?" I said angrily, glaring at him as he flashed his usual toothy grin.

I did not know you then, nor did I think it possible. It is a skill not many of us possess. He waited at the corner of the building, peeking out at the scene.

"You were showing off," the realisation hit me.

Demetrious looked over to me, he luckily hadn't heard me. I was still shaking my head in amazement at the ego of a mythical creature and he mistook it for dismissal.

You must remain here, they are nearly ready to be delivered.

Souls. An unease began to grow in my stomach as I remembered that people were dying, and I was using that to my advantage. Watching Demetrious slowly walk away, I ducked around to the next building, slightly closer to the accident. The forms of a large semi-trailer truck and the crumpled form of what used to be a small car were intertwined.

An ambulance approaching began to wail out its siren, combining with the sounds coming from the two police cars and the fire engine. It roared past where I crouched, taking no notice of my presence or that of Demetrious as he trotted into the hub of commotion. Looking down, to avoid any obstacles I quickly dashed closer to behind one of the police cars which were effectively blocking off the road to oncoming traffic. Given the late hour, however it was hardly necessary. The scene was now only a few meters away, the whir of machinery now much closer as the fire crew tried to scissor open the door to the smaller vehicle. My eyes watched each move that Demetrious made as he waited patiently, off to the side.

"What's the condition of the injured," came a familiar voice, addressing one of the officers, the closest to where I was hiding.

"Two in the back, two in the front with the driver looking the worst. The other three we believe to be unconscious, possibly from the impact." the officer said, his face a pale shade as he looked on at the incident.

"Are you feeling alright?" Lysander asked, taking in the appearance of the officer and receiving a small nod in reply.

Lysander's eyes roamed around the accident then to the surrounding as my heart beat frantically in my chest as his gaze almost met mine. A small frown creased his forehead as his watched for a moment longer then returned to his sweep of the area, completely overlooking Demetrious as he stood a few feet away in the open. One of Demetrious' ears flickered towards the car while his entire demeanour changed and I knew it was time. His eyes glowed through the night as they locked onto his 'delivery', each step he took was carefully calculated as he grew closer, crouching along the ground in a stalk-like stance.

"I got it!" shouted one of the fire-crew as he got up and Lysander rushed in to get to the people within. His partner was just behind him with a stretcher, ready to transport the wounded.

My eyes flickered between Demetrious and Lysander, and I held my breath as they got within a foot of one another. Demetrious' back legs bunched beneath him as he leapt, through Lysander, grabbing the driver the tumbling down into Hades. Lysander began to call out to his partner as they drew the body out, checking for vital signs that would never find.

I saw a look of defeat cross Lysander's face, quickly becoming a mask of determination as he reached into the car to bring out the remaining survivors. The first person had seemed like she had made it, they brought her out of the car and handed her a mask, directing her inside the ambulance to wait as the paramedics pulled out the more critical of the two patients still trapped in the car. The female was able to stand and she sat on the back of the ambulance, as I had once done. While everyone was busy with the male I saw her start to cough.

I didn't know why or how I knew. I just knew. It was like when you feel someone watching you, I knew that this person, this woman was the next to die.

Demetrious returned as they were drawing out the last body, he quickly dove to collect the soul of the last passenger and headed down again. I headed towards the ambulance where the female was still coughing and gasping for breath but the sounds of everyone shouting covered her gasps. They could not see it yet but I could. Life and death together, battling for supremacy.

I moved to the back of the ambulance, out of sight of the paramedics, Lysander and the woman who was starting to go blue in the face.

Demetrious came up from the ground, his paws clicking against the cement that only I could hear and apparently, so could the women. She was leaning over now and had looked up to see Demetrious starting towards her. She shook her head, frightened beyond words as she tried to breathe more desperately.

The moment I saw Demetrious leap, I jumped out from behind the ambulance towards the woman. Demetrious landed on the woman and with his jaws, reached down through her chest to pull out her soul. The sight of it almost made me halt my plan... almost. I heard a shout as someone had finally noticed the woman dying in the back of the ambulance.

Holding the soul carefully in his jaws, Demetrious looked at the ground and leapt - just as I grabbed onto his back leg. The haunting look of shock and terror in Lysander's face as he caught my gaze stayed with me as I sunk below the human plane once more.