Page 42

5

A BARGAIN FROZEN IN TIME

RILEY

B lood pours from my busted lip. At this point, I’m not even sure who gave it to me. I’ve never felt so strong, so powerful. Everyone who didn’t dare to jump into the brawl, crowd around me in a circle, their phones out recording the mayhem with dumbfounded looks on their stupid faces.

With all of my strength, I kick Amber in the abdomen, knocking her to the ground with an over-dramatic scream. She curls into a ball, whimpering and trying to gain any form of sympathy she can get.

The haze of the madness ebbs as I look around for my strawberry sunshine—my Willow—but I can’t find her. Fury takes hold once more as I tower over Amber’s cowering form.

Stepping on her fingers and twisting my boot until her bones crunch beneath my weight I seethe, “Where is she?”

Amber cries out, whimpering and blubbering while her fingers break under my foot. I pick up my boot and stomp down again like a rampaging beast.

I kneel closer to her, tears racing through the black-smudged makeup on her cheeks. “You’re breaking my fingers!” She squeals like a pig in a slaughterhouse.

“That’s not all I’m going to fucking break.” The coppery scent of blood mixes in the air with alcohol and sweat. It’s intoxicating. And I fear if I don’t find Willow soon, or intact, I may give in to my bloodthirsty cravings. “Where.” I slam my boot into her side. “Is.” My boot meets her ribs once more, her cries of agony never cease. “Willow?”

I bring my foot back to deliver another blow, when Heidi gets up, spitting blood onto the floor from her crimson-soaked mouth. “Your girlfriend is out back getting roasted like a marshmallow. Better hurry, bitch.” She grins sadistically, nodding her head to the back door.

“If she’s hurt in any way, I will kill every single one of you.” All emotion drains from me. My eyes darken a shade as I look upon my enemies faces, converting them all to memory.

Without another word, I dart towards the back door, prepared for another fight. But what I find when I exit into the warm summer air, I could never have prepared for.

There, next to the crackling flames of a bonfire, tied to a wooden stake and unconscious, is Willow. Small flames flicker, eating up the oxygen carried by the wind as the fire begins to lap at the soles of her shoes. Thick, black smoke rises from beneath her.

I’ve never moved faster in my life, going from zero to sixty in the blink of an eye, I race through the gawking crowd to my Willow. In front of the fire pit, I reach down and grab the switchblade I stashed earlier in my boot, cause you never know what kind of fucked up situation you’ll land in to need one.

Leaping over the flames that try to pull me into their suffocating embrace, I cling to Willow to keep me steady. Her skin is slick with sweat and she smells like stale beer. I lightly tap her face. “Willow, baby, I need you to wake up. I’m here. I’ve got you,” I say hastily.

She slowly comes back, until her emerald eyes pop open in fear of the very real danger surrounding us. She begins hyperventilating watching the blaze inch closer. Heat dances up my legs, the fire getting too close for comfort. “Eyes on me, Will. I’m gonna get you out of here, okay?”

She nods, whimpering and holding back tears.

The blade slices through her rope bindings with little resistance to her wrists and around her waist. Her arms wring tightly around my neck, clinging to me. “Hold your breath,” I choke out as smoke fills my lungs.

My feet burn, and I don’t dare check to see if an orange hue has engulfed my favorite combat boots. The only thing that matters is making sure that she is safe.

I spin us around, grabbing the back of her thighs as she instinctively wraps them around me. The fire has risen substantially, so this might fucking suck.

I back up as far as I can and hurdle through the inferno that wants to swallow us whole. I hiss as my skin cracks and peels on the way out, but we emerge from the fire, like phoenixes rising from the ashes. Only our return fuels the vengeance skating in my veins.

We gasp and choke in precious oxygen as we land safely in the grass. With Willow beneath me, I quickly scan her for any major injuries, and thankfully find none. My feet are scorching, and I scramble to kick off my boots that are very much on fire.

I grab her cheeks, latching our gazes on one another. “They burned my favorite boots. And they tried to take you away from me. This can’t continue, Will,” I breathe, pushing her strawberry blonde hair out of her face.

She makes a sound, almost as if she were trying to speak. “I… I…” her voice quivers as she attempts to talk to me. For the first time.

“Shhh. It’s okay,” I murmur, placing my forehead against hers. “They don’t get to hear your pretty voice. That’s only for me, okay?”

She sniffles, choking back a sob.

A loud, slow clap breaks the immersion of the bubble I placed us into, bringing me back to reality. We are still in danger, surrounded by a pack of barracudas that smell our blood in the water.

“Well done, Riley. What a stunning performance you’ve put on for all of us tonight. I think this party might just go down in history,” Brad taunts, his words slurring from how drunk he still is.

I ignore him, my hand next to Willow’s head squeezes around the hilt of my knife. I’m going to kill him first. Then the rest will all die screaming. I place a gentle kiss on Willow’s lips, then peer back at her with a painful smile.

“I’ll make sure this isn’t the end. I love you. Always have, always will,” I whisper.

She shakes her head furiously, trying to hold me in place atop her to stop me. But there’s no stopping me this time. I’m done playing games.

I thrash out of her hold, lunging for Brad, swiping my blade through the air in front of him. He jumps back, his jaw ticking in anger. “You wanna kill me, Riley? We were just having some fun,” he scoffs.

“Come here and find out if I’m serious or not,” I smirk, tilting my head and licking the sweat and blood from my upper lip.

“I’m gonna call the cops on your crazy ass. I knew it was a matter of time before she snapped,” Vanessa snorts a laugh, whipping out her phone.

“You’re next, bitch. Don’t get too comfortable, this is your last night on earth.”

Brad mockingly puts his hands in the air in surrender, but his smile only indicates that he doesn’t fear me.

I go eerily still, staring directly into the eyes of my abuser. Movement catches in the corner of my eye, when Felix rushes to the front of the crowd.

“Stop! Riles, don’t do this!” Felix shouts.

“Where the fuck have you been?” I snap.

“What the hell is going on out here?” It’s Shane, concern marring his ruggedly handsome features.

Heidi nervously links her elbow with Shane’s, he turns to her with fury in his eyes. “We were just having some fun with the dreary sisters, Shane. Don’t be pissed. It went too far.”

“Don’t act like you didn’t know what cunts your girlfriend and all your friends are, dude. It won’t save you,” I deadpan.

Shane furrows his brows, looking at the switchblade, then back up to my face. “I had nothing to do with this. We can figure this out, everyone just relax.”

He pulls away from Heidi with a look of disgust, but as soon as Brad is caught off guard, I strike.

The blade zings through the air, this time because Shane grabbed Brad just in time to save him. “Stop, Riley,” Shane commands.

“No.” My lips curl into a malicious smirk.

“Aren’t you curious why Felix brought you here, Riley?” Heidi cuts in, making me stop in my tracks.

I whip my head towards Felix, who is physically trembling. “T-they m-m-made me. Riles, I-I swear on everything. I d-didn’t know what their plans were. T-they threatened m-me. It was me or the b-both of you.”

“Cowards die last,” I growl, pointing the tip of the knife in his direction.

Now it’s Brad’s turn to catch me off guard. In a matter of seconds, his fingers wrap around my wrist attempting to bend it backward to make me drop the knife. I roar in defiance, cut off by his free hand now constricting my throat. His lips are pulled back in a sneer, his eyes manic and lustful with murder.

As soon as my grip turns limp, he rips the knife from me, and I knee him in the balls. He howls in agony that’s over too soon. He stabs the knife, aimed right at my chest, and before I realize what’s happening I’m pushed aside.

“NO!” I scream.

Willow’s knees grow weak, and she crumples to the ground. I rush over to her and drop to my knees. There’s blood everywhere and she’s gasping for air. My switchblade is buried to the hilt inside her chest, and I know if I remove that blade, it’ll only kill her faster.

“No, no, no, no, no! Stay with me, baby. Look at me!” I shriek, tears I didn’t even realize were building spill rapidly down my face.

I see the fear in her eyes, I know she’s trying to hold on for me, but every breath sounds wet as her lungs fill with blood.

My vision starts to blur from the tears, I turn to the bystanders. They’re just staring at us. Vanessa grabs Brad’s arm, pulling him away as he runs his shaking hands through his hair. “Let’s go, Brad! What the fuck have you done!” Vanessa screams, leading Brad out of the party.

Felix is sitting on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. And still, he doesn’t move to help us.

“Someone call 911!” Shane barks, rushing over to Willow’s side. He takes off his tee shirt, shredding it to pieces. “Here, maybe we can hold off the bleeding until help arrives.”

We hurry to apply pressure with the rags of his shirt around the knife and the wound, but her blood continues to seep through the material.

“Hold on, Will. Please stay with me,” I sob.

She’s struggling to keep her eyes open, her breathing more shallow.

“Riley, focus! Apply more pressure,” Shane says, determination lacing his strong features.

But I can’t focus. The only love I’ve ever known is going to die. And it’s all my fault.

Willow gurgles, choking on her blood.

My fingertip brushes over the necklace I placed around her neck earlier as I reach for her face, her skin draining of color.

Time stops around me. Everyone and everything is frozen in place. I turn to Shane, whose brows are furrowed while trying to stop the bleeding, but he’s solid as a statue. I glance around at the crowd, and they’ve all stopped mid-movement too.

I whimper, looking down at my beautiful Willow. Please don’t be gone.

The flames from the bonfire emit a ghastly glow, I shield my eyes from the assault to my vision. Amidst the carnage, the aroma of sulfur fills the air, so thick and potent I can taste it on my tongue.

I blink rapidly, my eyes readjusting from the blinding light. There’s a dark figure moving towards us, and my body tenses in fear.

Has death come for us?

I look back to Willow, grounding myself and focusing on only her. If death is coming for her they’re going to have to take me, too.

Black heels crunch in the grass, coming to a stop next to us. I take a shaking breath, slowly looking up at the woman sucking on a cherry lollipop. Her glacial blue eyes capture me in her icy stare, her dark brown hair is accentuated with red bangs and a white stripe framing her face, like a candy cane. She’s wearing a black, shimmering slit dress that flows in the wind.

She tilts her head, pulls the candy out of her mouth with a wet pop, and giggles. “Hey, sweet thing. I believe you had a date with death tonight.”

“Who are you?” I ask cautiously.

She glances down at Willow with sadness in her eyes. “I felt your pain. It resembled my own at one point in time. It’s so rich and deliciously dark,” she coos, ignoring my question. She kneels next to us, reaching forward and tracing her fingers over the knife.

“Don’t touch that!” I snap.

The mysterious woman snaps her head to face me. “I can save her.” She licks her lollipop again, observing me before continuing. “For a price.”

“How? Who and what are you?”

“I am Death,” she whispers, her fingers trailing over the pendant of my necklace. “And I’m answering your call.”

She snatches the necklace, dangling it in front of her face with a bewildered stare. “No one has been able to summon me before. Your pain was so strong, I sensed you even in Hell.” She snorts a laugh, her eyes spark with mischief.

I remember reading something about this in my Demonology Codex about the bringers of death. She can’t be… can she?

“When you say you’re death, do you mean…”

Her nostrils flare, a sinister grin lighting up her stunning face. “Some call us death, some call us reapers. But you,” she boops me playfully on the nose. “May call me, Sable.”

My heart lurches in my chest. No way this is actually happening. I’m at a loss for words, sucking in a sharp breath, I gaze at my dying Willow.

“Save her. I don’t care about the price. Just fucking save her,” I growl.

Her fingers wrap around the hilt of the blade, pulling it free with a sickening wet noise. I hold my breath, waiting for a miracle to happen.

“You sure you don’t want to know what will be required of both of you for doing this?” She inquires, one eyebrow raised.

“Fill me in later,” I murmur.

Her laughter, loud and almost childlike fills the silent night around us. “I like you, you got spunk, girl. Master will be most pleased with you.”

Before I can question that odd statement, inky black tendrils swirl around her hand that’s placed over Willow’s stab wound, seeping into her flesh, and miraculously sealing it shut.

Sable leans back with a satisfied grin. “She’ll be good as new. But the price for saving a life is going to cost big time.” Her hand darts out toward me and latches around my arm. “And since I’ve included your life in this little bargain of ours, the price for Willow’s life requires two lives, paid in blood. They must die tonight, or your souls will be sent to Hell for all eternity,” she says with an eerily sweet smile.

“Who do we have to kill?” I reply with more confidence than I feel.

“Anyone, but if I were you I’d start with the fuckers that got this one stabbed.” She gestures toward Willow. “The vile ones are the most fun to play with in Hell. Two lives for both of yours.”

She lets go of my arm, standing up. “Wait! What’s going to happen after we kill them?”

She pops her hip and tsks. “Too late to ask that question. Your fates are sealed.” She turns back toward the bonfire, the flames opening in the center to reveal a dark pathway. She turns her head before entering the gateway. “We’ll be meeting again very soon.”

She disappears inside, the fire consuming her whole.

I hear a loud gasp, as Willow abruptly sits up and wraps her arms around my neck.

Holy fuck. It worked. She really saved her.

I bury my face into her neck and hold her tight.