Free Spirit

Ride With Me

Forests are a terrible place to hide from ghosts, they love to float around in the shadows and scare unsuspecting hikers. It was the last place they should have gone to get away. But that's exactly where they were heading, the stranger in the leather jacket hadn't stopped running for the last hour. Neither had he spoken, he just kept looking back and smirking. Finally, he slowed to a walk once they were deeply entrenched in the forest, not a sign of civilisation anywhere.

And surprisingly, there were no ghosts or ghouls in the immediate vicinity, they should have swarmed them by now. However, the sheen of their ghostly bodies was nowhere to be seen. It gave them a moment of respite, and time to talk.

"So, are you going to explain who the hell you are and what happened back there?"

The stranger leaned against a tree, smirk firmly in place. "I think you've got better questions in you... and funnily enough, they all link together. Joel, can I call you Joel?"

Joel's brow furrowed, "You can call me whatever you want if you're going to explain a few things."

The gnawing sensation in his gut to have his lifelong questions answered was almost overbearing. Joel braced himself, he knew whatever this guy said was going to change his life, he could feel it.

The stranger held out his fist, "My name is Azazel." He looked like he was waiting for a fist bump but when Joel didn't move, he shrugged it off and continued. "I guess you could say I'm an angel, of sorts... and I'm the one who saved your life twelve years ago. You're welcome."

"Welcome?" Joel's eyes popped. "You've turned my life into a living nightmare, I'm constantly running from ghosts because of you. Why would you do that?"

Azazel seemed surprised by Joel's reaction, he shook his head. "Because it wasn't your time to die? Someone orchestrated your 'death', they want you in the underworld for something and I assure you, it can't be anything good."

Joel swayed slightly, he couldn't quite grasp what was being said. "I was only six at the time, who would want a six year old dead?"

Azazel snorted, "Lots of people, sick people, but that's beside the point. It didn't matter your age, they want you regardless and they're going to keep coming after you. I tried to stay back, help where I could but it's becoming too tricky. I needed to step in so we can figure this out together and I can protect you."

Joel stared blankly at the so-called angel, who was now kneeling on the ground and rubbing it with his hands. Could this all be true? He'd always wondered why he'd been saved from death, and why the ghosts were so relentless. But why did they want him so badly? Even the Angel had no idea.

A fire suddenly blazed on the ground between them. Joel felt the warmth seep into his body and he found himself relaxing a little. He sat down on the other side of the fire from Azazel, watching him sit with his legs crossed, grinning at Joel.

"Why did you save me?"

"I already answered that question, because it wasn't your ti-"

"No, I mean why you in particular? Why was anyone even there to save me? I was lost, there was nobody else around, how did you know I'd go near that river?"

Azazel rubbed at the scruff on his cheeks, he took a minute before he answered.

"Okay, this is going to sound a little strange..."

"Stranger than ghosts and angels?"

"Good point," Azazel grinned, showing off pearly white teeth. "But okay, I've been watching over you since the day you were born... I'm like, your unofficial guardian angel."