(First: https://redd.it/1736lm8 Previous: https://redd.it/174vvue )
I carefully pulled the receipt out of my pocket to look at the handwriting of the one person who acted concerned about my wellbeing. Calling him was out of the question.
I thought back to Amanda. How I wasn’t able to save her. I didn’t see that dagger go into her chest, but I knew she was gone. Calling wasn’t just trying to save myself. Jasmine’s fate may be the same as her friend shortly enough.
I pulled out my phone to dial the numbers. The same revolting feeling came to my stomach. Black bile came from my mouth and my thumb locked up. The promise that Seren would answer gave me enough strength to push through those awful feelings to hit the final number.
I heard his voice but not what he said. The pressure in my head forced me to the ground. I coughed and sputtered, my entire body wracked with pain. Somehow, I said the hardest words of my life.
“Please, help.” I choked out.
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Seren replied, just before the phone died.
I stayed on the ground, rolling in pain. I dreaded the fact he answered. I begged that I would just die so nothing happened to him. I wasn’t so lucky.
“Knock knock, Mr. Park!”
I heard Norman’s voice. I struggled to sit up to watch him open the door. The urge to punch him in the face got me to my feet. I made my way over to him, fist ready.
“None of that. At least, not right now.” He commanded.
I hissed in frustration as my arm lowered back to my side. My muscles hurt as I fought against his control. He noticed my phone and the receipt on the floor. He picked up both items, then handed the receipt to Jasmine who just walked into the room.
“Mr. Park, go into the lobby and wait for the person you called. Then kill them.” Norman said to my sheer horror.
Jasmine pulled out a lighter to set the small scrap of paper on fire leaving no trace behind. Norman kept my phone, and I knew I would never see it again. An expression came over my face. One I couldn’t control. I was smiling. Something just below the surface was looking forward to hurting Seren. This wasn’t me. No amount of struggling or internal screaming made any difference. I was trapped in my own body helpless to stop what was coming.
Outside, I appeared calm. Inside I wanted to run and scream. Ten minutes was like an eternity of waiting. Finally, Seren arrived at the lobby doors, a worried look on his normally calm face. Instead of the baggy sweater he wore at the bookstore, he was dressed in a suit and tie.
“Are you alright? What happened?” He pressed as he followed me through the lobby.
“It’s easier to explain upstairs.” The other force controlling my body said.
He nodded, not suspecting anything. We walked into the elevator. I’ve never wanted another person I cared about to die. Most people said I wasn’t to blame for Abby, but this time there was no way around it. I was going to kill a person.
The doors closed and we rode in silence for the first two floors.
“You’re not acting like yourself.” His soft voice came from behind me.
I watched in horror as my hands flew to his neck. With strength I didn’t know I had, I lifted him off the ground. His legs kicked trying to get out of my grasp. I pressed so hard that the mirror behind him cracked. I saw my reflection and didn’t recognize who stared back. Eyes wide and crazed. A grin so wide it took up my entire face. This was a true nightmare. I felt his warm skin twist under my fingers. I wanted to break his neck to make this quick, but he gasped for air as his hands pulled at my own.
Tears didn’t come. Just the disgusting happiness from hurting another person. I could never forgive myself for calling him. When all hope was lost, Seren did something I didn’t understand. He shoved a small black paper-like object near my mouth. It confused the thing that took over my body long enough for me to act. Somehow, I knew I needed to accept this from him. I ate what he offered, and the effects hit me instantly.
My hands let go of him to claw at my neck. My vision swam. Whatever had control was pushed aside for a moment. It fought back hard to get back into power. It took everything I had to push it away again. I fell to my knees, the inside of my chest feeling as if a hundred wasps were stinging my lungs. No matter how much it hurt, I refused to give up. If it took over again, Seren would die. I coughed up black liquid for what seemed like hours. The pain flared up as the other force thrashed. I pulled and pushed until finally the war inside settled down. I still felt something there but it wasn’t the dark heavy force as before. For the first time in weeks, it didn’t feel like something was watching me.
I hadn’t fully recovered but I needed to see if Seren was alright. At some point, the elevator stopped. I crawled over his slumped body, tears threatening to spill over. He weakly raised his head, throat bruised from the attack.
“Are you alright?” He asked in a hoarse voice.
I shook my head. I didn’t understand how he could ask someone who just attacked him such a question.
“I… I didn’t mean to…” I spoke, unable to find the words.
The doors opening brought my attention to the other side of the elevator. Jasmine was on the other side with two men I’d never seen before. They all appeared confused, then set off to finish what I started. She pulled out a knife to aim directly at Seren’s face. For once, I was in control. At least, for the most part. I knocked her back with way more strength than I expected. She slumped against the control panel.
The other two men can with weapons. They seemed to be moving in slow motion. Tossing them out was an easy task. One was also knocked out but the other went running towards the stairs. I let him go knowing I wouldn’t catch up. I carefully lifted Jasmine to half drag her out of the elevator.
“It appears as if you have been possessed.” Seren spoke startling me.
He looked fully recovered from the attack. The bruises on his neck almost faded.
“Like… by a ghost or a demon?” I asked slowly.
He half shook his head looking deep in thought over his next response.
“No, like by tainted magic.”
“Ok, what? Wait.” I said putting my hands up, trying to understand what had just been thrown at me.
“That’s an understandable reaction. It seems like I should have properly introduced myself. I’m Agent Seren Wryn. I work for a company that deals with supernatural threats.” He said which really didn’t help me be less confused.
“Is that why you kept coming to the bookstore? Did you somehow know I was mixed up in all this?” I questioned.
“No. I like books. However, I did sense there was something different about you. I was uncertain if that was because you were a half-breed or a human being affected by magic in some way.”
At least that was a straightforward answer. It did leave me with more questions though.
“So, does that mean your company didn’t send you to deal with what’s going on in this building?”
He shook his head at the question.
“I have left a message with them. We are short on manpower. If they are aware of this building, then they did not deem it as enough of an emergency to take action. If I do not return in three hours, they’ll send backup.”
I looked over the two people I knocked out. I wasn’t sure how many people we would need to deal with or what kind of powers Norman held. I doubted we could hold out for three hours.
“Why are you here then?” I said wondering why an agent was acting alone.
“Because you asked for help.” Seren said in a very warm tone.
I nearly broke down and cried after he spoke. I doomed the both of us because I couldn’t keep my issues to myself.
“I’m so sorry. I never should have-” I started but he cut me off.
“May I use your full name?” He asked.
I nodded and he went on.
“Ye-Jun, none of this is your fault. You should not apologize for the actions of others.”
It was strange hearing my name after so long. I nodded, pushing back the tears that refused to go away. I took a moment to rub my eyes clear. Seren offered help, and I asked for it. That was all. It had been so long of blaming myself for everything, I didn’t know how to react when someone said I wasn’t guilty.
“How did you know my name?” I asked knowing I didn’t tell him.
“Caller ID.” He answered back.
The simple answer made me laugh for the first time in months. With that cleared up, we now needed a plan to get the hell out of here.
“What did you do to me? I mean, how come I’m not under Norman’s control anymore?” And can we do the same to everyone else?” I said trying to understand what skills he had.
Seren looked away as if he was guilty of something.
“I should apologize for that. I took a risk. I can purify darkness, sort of. My power risked your life. If you weren’t strong enough to take hold of the magic that was left behind, you would have died. I highly doubt the same outcome would happen to the others. They accepted the darkness and the power it brings. If I purify them, it’ll erase their entire self.”
I looked down at Jasmine wondering if that was true. She did appear to be enjoying herself. And if what with Amanda really happened, she willingly handed her life over. Even if other people were like me there would be no way to tell. Seren only used his power because he knew I would die soon anyway.
“If we knew that someone wouldn’t die from being purified, should we try it? We’ll need more people on our side to get out of here.” I pointed out.
“It may be good for us, but bad for them. Instead of attacking us, they’ll get attacked. I may not be strong enough to protect both of us. It would be difficult to add another person.” Seren replied.
I wanted to apologize again for calling him here. I hated to leave anyone behind. Seren was right though. We needed to focus on ourselves. He called for backup that wouldn’t arrive in time to help us, but they should clean up the mess we left behind.
“Should we take the stairs to the lobby then? I want to try and get out of here.” I said but deep down I knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
Seren shook his head and then nodded toward the elevator.
“I am able to sense things you are unaware of. The stairs have been locked by magic. Currently, the only clear path is to the way we arrived.”
I would rather try kicking on the door to the stairs until my foot broke. The elevator could be easily controlled by outside forces. My skin crawled when I thought back to the bits of hazy memories of being in that basement.
“It’ll be fine. I’m here to help you no matter what happens.” Seren said and I didn’t know where he got his confidence.
“I still don’t know why you showed up. We don’t even know each other.” I told him.
“You asked for help. It’s the same simple answer I gave you before. The reason will not change.”
We were in a terrifying situation about to walk right into something even far more dangerous. I called him here. None of that will change. But the fact I now had help also wouldn’t change. Facing whatever horrors may wait for us was far better than doing it alone. Without any other choice, we started back to the elevator. I noticed how nervous Seren looked when the doors closed behind us. It was the first time he got even the slightest bit rattled.
“Are you alright?” I dreaded what we might face if he looked this scared.
“I hate elevators.” He admitted.
That human reaction made me feel a little bit better. We descended slowly, each floor passing until we hit the lobby but then kept going. I knew where we were going and wanted more time to prepare for it. Seren took off his suit jacket and handed it to me.
“This should offer some protection against minor attacks.”
It felt like a normal jacket. No sign of alterations that would make it tougher. I accepted it, finding it a bit too small. After I got the jacket on, I noticed he suddenly had a weapon in his hand. A gun would be more comforting, but he held a long black wooden staff instead.
“The tainted magic that possessed you has a chance to take over again if you’re carrying any emotional burdens.” He said not looking over in my direction.
I chewed on the inside of my cheek. We kept going down, the feeling of falling making my stomach sick. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t have spoken about what tore my life apart.
“My girlfriend… Abby… She died in an accident. Everyone keeps calling it that. An accident. It was dark, the driver said he didn’t see her. Even the paramedics said she should have lived if she hadn’t landed wrong. No one wants to pin blame on anyone but… You can blame someone. I suggested she start riding to work so we could save money. I wanted to get a house and have a real life together. I’m the one who didn’t give her lights for her bike because I wanted to save them as a birthday present. I put money and a small surprise over her safety.”
My voice was calm when I spoke. I expected to not get through all the words. I just cried so much over her death that I simply didn’t have enough tears left. Seren listened quietly. I glanced over at his expression, the sight told me everything I needed to know. He was an agent, right? How many people he knew died because of his work? He fought against the supernatural. Getting out alive wasn’t a promise.
“Do you ever stop blaming yourself?” I asked him.
“No. You just keep living because you still love them, even if they’re gone.”
Oddly enough, that comforted me enough to think I could deal with whatever may happen. That was until the elevator did a sudden drop. Our feet lifted off the ground and I fell over when it finally stopped. Seren recovered quickly to stand in front. He was ready for whatever waited just outside the doors.
A ding rang out as the doors slowly opened to darkness. I regretted the fact I didn’t have a weapon. My breath caught in my throat when a hand reached into the light. It was caked in dried blood with long claws. Before the creature fully emerged, Seren moved. He forced the creature back with the tip of his black staff. I shouted after him.
I got up on shaking legs to charge into the darkness to help him. I fumbled around blind for a moment. Suddenly lights flickered to life around us. Small floating orbs flared up giving us enough to see by. I saw those twisted creatures with stark shadows making their features appear even more frightening. They had been human once and what I might have turned into if Seren hadn’t helped me. Their mouths were far too large, and their eyes were nothing but pits of black. Each limb stretched to unnatural lengths. One came towards me, and I grabbed their thin wrists to toss them aside.
Strength I didn’t possess before made easy work of throwing them hard off into the distance. Whatever purification Seren removed the tainted part of the magic but left behind the power of it. I knew it wouldn’t last forever. I needed to move and act wisely.
Seren fought on his own. He moved as if he’d done this sort of thing a thousand times before. It was as if he could sense the creature’s movements even before they did. I could only watch him for a few seconds. I needed to focus on saving myself.
A set of claws landed on my arm; the suit jacket protected me from damage. I didn’t know any kind of martial arts, or how to fight properly. Turns out, I didn’t need to. One well-placed punch to the face was all it took. We were both out of breath by the time we cleared out in front of the elevator.
Seren gave me a moment to recover. I didn’t want to keep moving, but we didn’t have a choice.
“Shouldn’t we… fully take care of these things?” I asked, sweat starting to sting my eyes.
“No. There is a slim possibility the tainted magic can be removed from them. However, that will not be the case moving forward.”
He gripped the black staff in his hand, and the pole turned into a long blade. He no longer could afford to leave these creatures alive. We headed deeper into the darkness, the floating balls of light leading the way. I wondered if Seren made them but didn’t bring it up. It felt almost invasive to ask if he was human or not.
The floor became sticky the longer we walked. Flashbacks to those horrible nightmares came back. I knew what we would find and dreaded it. No human should ever be in this place.
We stopped a few feet away from the grand stage in my nightmares. Dim red lights hovered above. A man I hated stood, a wide smile on his face waiting for us.
“Now, what do you have here? You somehow broke free? How interesting!” Norman didn’t sound upset I was no longer possessed. He was almost excited about it.
As expected, more of those monsters came from the dark. I forced down a scream of terror when I saw them. Exposed ribcages, bodies fused and bodies with missing heads stumbled closer. These things could no longer be saved. The best thing for them was to put them out of their pain.
Punching them in the face didn’t appear to be an option. I wasn’t sure how I would help in this fight. The first creature leaped into the air, claws out. I caught it and tossed it aside unsure what else I could do. Seren already sliced two in half by the time I grabbed a hold of a second one.
I slammed the thing on the ground until it didn’t move. The smell of blood turned my stomach. I might be stronger than before, but I wasn’t cut out for this sort of fighting. Even with Seren’s skills, we couldn’t win.
A group of those monsters knew I was the weakest link. They piled on me, completely overwhelming any attempts I made to escape. Each took an arm and painfully forced them behind my back. I cried out as I was forced to my knees convinced I was about to die.
“Agent, come up here and join me.” Norman called out in a gleeful tone.
I silently begged Seren not to listen to him. Against my wishes, he started to move towards the stage. The creature let him walk by them. Norman waved a hand to signal for Seren to drop his weapon. The sound of the black blade hitting the ground tore at my heart.
When Seren climbed on the stage, two creatures grabbed hold of his arms to drag him over beside Norman. His expression appeared calm in front of this monster that had tormented so many people. He didn’t even flinch when Norman wiped some blood off Seren’s face with the back of his hand.
“I’m shocked Mr. Park knew an Agent! What a nice surprise!” He started.
“Cut the shit!” I shouted, making Norman’s smile drop for a second. “What the hell is all of this?!”
He debated my question. With another playful expression, Norman turned to face me.
“I rarely get to do a villain speech. I think it’ll be fun!”
It was disgusting he played this off as a joke. At least I would get some answers.
“As you may be aware, I am placing tainted magic inside humans. It brings out their suppressed traits letting them act on any impulse that comes to mind. No morals, no regrets just sheer bliss from their actions. If you just accepted my gift, you would have greatly enjoyed your days with us.” He started to explain.
I spat as a reposed which didn’t bother him.
“This is an exchange. I give people the chance to feel alive, for a time. Eventually, the magic makes their bodies into what you see around you. When they are too far gone, I put an end to their suffering.”
“You don’t care about these people. The tainted magic feeds on their emotions and grows over time. You’re just using their bodies and their pain.” Seren said in a stern voice.
Norman’s expression almost faltered from getting called out. He recovered and spread his arms out like a pastor at church.
“I gave these people a safe place to live! Joys beyond their dreams! Of course, I’ll ask for one simple thing in exchange.”
He dropped his arms at the same time the layers of red curtains behind him fell to the large wooden stage. What they revealed made Seren’s face drop. I wasn’t sure of what I was looking at, but I knew it had the power to end the world.
“It’s dangerous to be so near to a rip between worlds like this.” Seren warned.
It did look like a rip in reality. The edges flickered with a dark blue light that rippled outwards. It must have only been a foot across but six feet tall just floating above the stage. A low humming came from the tear, making my ears ring. My head became dizzy just staring at the thing. A primal fear came to the pit of my stomach. My body knew to be afraid for reasons my brain didn’t know.
“I came from this tear between worlds.” Norman announced, his false kind tone finally dropping to a sinister one. “My mother was a part of a supernatural research team to investigate this opening. A monster made of nothing but chaos and madness slipped through. They were able to banish it back to where it came from, but not before it infected my mother with yours truly. I’ve been feeding this place with magic for so many years to open the rip large enough for my real father to come forth.”
I forced back the chill that went up my spine. The building may have looked new, but who knows how long it had been a trap to feed people to this portal to the beyond. Norman lured in people who no one would look for when they went missing to keep this going for so long. I hadn’t told my parents where I moved. I imagine it was the same for everyone else who arrived here hoping for a new start.
“If you let that tear open any further, what’s on the other side will destroy this world.” Seren stated.
He slightly pulled at his restraints testing them. As a response, the monsters that held me into place bit down hard on my shoulder. The suit jacket kept the sharp teeth from digging into my flesh, but the pressure almost broke bones. Seeing this, Seren stopped his minor struggle.
“I’m aware of that fact. So, thank you for coming here and helping me towards my end goal.”
Norman walked over to Seren, a large half-circle blade in his hands. I yelled for him to stop, ready to beg for the other man’s life. If he wanted me to become possessed again, I would. I couldn’t bear another person dying because of me. The blade touched the back of the Agent’s neck. His face was even as if he was ready for death. He made eye contact with me and smiled in a way he must have thought was comforting.
I could do nothing but watch as Norman grabbed hold of Seren’s hair and then pulled the blade towards him. The steel cut through without any effort. In the blink of an eye, the person who answered my call for help had his head neatly removed from his body. Dark blood poured down the front of his white button-up shirt. Norman’s cackling laugh echoed through the darkness. The hovered balls of light that followed us disappeared leaving only the red light above the stage.
I shook my head not wanting to believe what I just saw. I almost threw up. If I had anything in my stomach, I would have. The creature held Seren’s limp body so he stayed on his feet. Norman pointed the blade he used to take another life towards the tear in offering.
“With this, I’m one more step closer to my-”
A deafening tearing sound cut off his words. The creatures flinched with some scattering back into the darkness. The room shook, causing Norman to fall onto the wooden stage. He stared in awe at the tear opening large enough for a bus to drive through. Finally, what was beyond could be seen. I nearly lost my mind from just looking at it for a few seconds.
Massive monsters moved beyond the rip between worlds. So many of them twisted into each other in an alien land. No human mind should ever be able to understand what those things were. So many eyes stared outwards noticing an opening to a planet they could easily take over. That world was nothing but chaos.
“I should have killed an Agent sooner! Who knew that had this much magic!” Norman shouted beyond ecstatic as he completed his life’s goal.
When I drew my eyes away, I noticed something else that shouldn’t be possible. Seren’s body didn’t collapse when the other creatures ran off. When Norman didn’t even turn his head to see the black liquid come spilling out of the neck wound, or Seren’s head turning into the same black ooze.
Hope came to me for half a second only to be crushed when I saw what my new friend was transforming into. Norman was oblivious to all the dangers around him. He stood up welcoming an ever-shifting tendril coming from the tear.
“I’ve finally-” His voice was literally cut off.
The tendril came down too fast for the human eye to see. Slowly, both halves of the man peeled away from each other. He didn’t even have time to realize he was dead as his mouth moved for half a second to try and finish his last few words.
He deserved such a death. I still looked away not being able to handle such a gruesome sight. Another tendril came down inches away from my side. It snatched up a creature to try and drag it back into the other world. I needed to run and yet I didn’t want to leave Seren behind if there was a chance he was still alive.
I looked back to the stage to see the last part of his transformation. The black blood swirled to form a large creature that stood on four legs. It was such an odd mixture of different animals my mind didn’t make sense of it for a second. The body looked to be a cat, but the legs belonged to a horse. Great folded black wings were tucked tight on his side, and a long lion tail trailed behind. Instead of where a head should be, a pitch-black human torso was attached like some sort of odd centaur. The pointed head of a jackal replaced a human one, with extra-large rabbit ears on top, and a flowing mane of hair covering the eyes. It was such a mix of so many different features that oddly fit together.
A tendril from beyond came down to split the new creature in two, but Seren was faster. He took hold of it, and within seconds had devoured what dared to come near him. A booming sound came that was almost like a scream of pain.
The creatures the Norman created became victims. Both Seren and the tendrils attacked them, the tendrils dragging them away, but Seren viciously ate them. Every time he consumed something, his body grew a little bigger. It was a miracle I hadn’t been noticed by either of them.
At first, I thought this might be a good turn of events. Then I realized the horrible truth. Seren would not stop eating what was beyond that portal, all while getting larger and more out of control. If he carried on, the entire world would be at risk. I knew he would never want to endanger another person. If he stayed in this monstrous form, he would be as dangerous as the monsters he fought. I needed to get him out of here.
I ran to try and pick up the blade Seren dropped. The metal burned my hand and forced me to drop it. I went in without a weapon, climbing onto the now-damaged wooden stage and charging towards the chaos. The tendrils grabbed a hold of me and for a second, I thought I would get crushed to death. Seren noticed the easy meal. His sharp teeth tore apart the thing threatening my life but not to protect me. He was only focused on eating, nothing more.
By the time I was freed from the left-over tendrils grasp, he had moved closer to the tear. The booming screaming kept going as the monsters on the other side tried to retreat. Other tendrils grabbed the side of the rip to pull it close without any success. If Seren went through that portal, I would never see him again.
I ignored all my fear and pain to get in front of him. I wrapped my arms around his front leg and planted my feet against the wood, begging for him to stop. My full weight did nothing. He just kept moving forward. I could feel the unnatural air of the other world at my back. If I didn’t let go, I would die going through that portal.
“Let me help you!” I begged him while putting all my strength into keeping him in this world.
For a horrible second, I thought Seren somehow died. His body started to melt in my arms. I refused to panic so I could look through the black sludge for any sign he was alright. I felt an arm in the pile and needed to dive in to pull the rest of the body out.
Seren came out from the now disappearing thick pile, asleep but alive. His neck with a thin scar around it. I wasted no time getting him into my arms to struggle to get away. The creatures in the other world paused because of fear. I didn’t have longer until they attacked again.
My arms burned and yet I still carried Seren out of there. His body was limp and I worried he might really be dead. His face looked far too pale for comfort. Knowing the coast was clear, the creatures from beyond forced their way out of the tear. I pushed my body hard to start running. I didn’t dare look back to see how close those monsters were.
I saw the light of the elevator, my legs shaking from effort and my lungs burning. I felt the hoard of chaos on my back as I jumped into the light. I finally looked to see nothing but a wall of those twisting tendrils. The doors closed just in time to keep us safe. Or I thought so.
The elevator started to move, then I felt something hard hit underneath us. Those things were trying to get in. They pushed the steel box upwards with their efforts. I feared they would slam the elevators and us in it against the top of the shaft. I almost regretted letting this darkness into the world trying to save a friend.
Instead of dying, the doors opened to the lobby. I hauled Seren out just before the tendrils burst through the floor. To my shock, the lobby wasn’t empty. So many people in suits stood almost as if they were waiting for this moment. Two people grabbed us to pull us to safety as five more ran over to the elevator. The tendrils were shot back by an invisible force those Agents used. Within seconds, they sealed up the opening with some sort of magic I didn’t understand.
I had questions tossed my way. I didn’t understand anything they said. My vision swam and I found myself falling to the floor.
I woke up, head heavy convinced I was still in the lobby. I sat up, yelling looking for danger. My mind finally caught up to my surroundings. I wasn’t in my apartment building. I was in some sort of private hospital room. I got out of bed wanting to know what the hell happened.
When I opened the door, I startled the person who was about to come in as much as they startled me. I blinked a few times thinking I was seeing things. The nurse wore light blue scrubs, but her body was made of something that looked a lot like pink Jello. Unable to help myself, I placed both hands on her face to squish her cheeks. Her skin was cool, and the experience was pleasant. She seemed to enjoy herself until she pulled away and suddenly slapped herself in the face.
“Lalu, get it together. You’re a professional.” She scolded herself.
I felt a bit guilty for basically feeling her up without permission, but she didn’t address it.
“You’re not… Human.” I said finally.
“That’s right. You’re at a clinic for the supernatural. It seems like you won’t have any lasting damage from your encounter, which is very good!”
After seeing horrible monsters, it was nice to meet a cheerful and cute one.
“Is Seren alright? And what happened to the building?” I pressed, starting to feel worried.
“He’s fine. In fact, he’s in the room at the end of the hall. He’ll have more information for you about the aftermath.” She said and was nice enough to direct me to his room.
I felt a weight lift off my shoulders when I saw him quietly reading a book in the clinic bed. The nurse left us alone to talk.
There was a tray of untouched food on his side table.
“Do you want my pudding?” He offered when I sat down.
I accepted it wondering why he wasn’t eating. He told me he overate and wasn’t feeling well because of it. Aside from that, he was fine.
“The Corporation sealed the building. It’ll take some time to fully close the rip, but it can be done. Tears between worlds happen more often than others think, so it’s not their first time dealing with this sort of thing.” Seren said as I ate.
I suddenly wasn’t hungry as I thought about just how many people died over the years and how close I came to joining them.
“How did that go on for so long? If there is an entire company to deal with this kind of thing how did Norman carry on the way he did? Was it because he had powers we didn’t know about?”
Seren closed his book to answer my question.
“We investigated the area. There was no supernatural research team, and it appears the only one who knew about the rip was Norman. He wasn’t a half-breed or had any powers beyond controlling the tainted magic in that building. He was human. The creatures from the beyond brainwashed him into thinking he was something more important than he was.”
My chest tightened at his words. How many times has something like this happened? How many people were driven mad by forces beyond our world trying to get in? I still hated Norman for everything he did, regardless of if he was a victim or not.
“The Corporation has all your items in storage. They’ll provide living arrangements for you and the ones that were rescued from the building. The others are still being treated, but it looks hopeful for them.”
That was some good news I wasn’t expecting. If they didn’t offer living arrangements, I would have moved back with my parents. It would be hard leaving the country I spent most of my life in though.
“May I make a suggestion?” Seren asked in a usually softer voice.
I nodded, unaware of what might make him act this way.
“It would be unwise for you to be alone after what has happened. Would you be comfortable moving into my spare bedroom? I do need some help organizing my books.”
A smile came to my face. I didn’t think I could still do that. He was right. I shouldn’t be alone. Being alone got me in this whole mess to start with. If I was smart, I would have visited my parents after Abby died. Instead, I bottled it up and let myself get taken advantage of. And besides, Seren asked for my help. I already decided I would do anything he needed of me from putting my life on the line, or just sorting books. Because I knew he would do the same. After I agreed he then asked another question I didn’t know I needed.
“What was your girlfriend like?”
I smiled again, the pain in my chest came but it didn’t overwhelm me. I needed to talk about her after keeping it all to myself for so long and Seren had nothing but time to listen.
I was glad I asked for his help, even if he was a stranger at that point. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t still be here. After all the horrors, nightmares, and heartbreak I got lucky enough to get through it but only because I wasn’t alone.