Page 21 of Unbinding the Demon

A loud clap of thunder boomed overhead, drowning out the sound of my frantic heartbeat and chattering teeth. Cold rain drizzled down around us as Ashton and I stood under our umbrella among the line of costumed bodies, all waiting to be granted access to the club. Most were college kids, and I was shocked by the turnout for a spot in such a rinky-dink town. My hands clung to Ashton’s jacket as I took deep breaths in a lame attempt to calm my anxiety. He held me close and caressed my upper arm to comfort me.

“Maybe if we act like a couple of nutcases, they won’t let us in. Then William can’t complain that we didn’t go,” I joked while shivering against him.

He looked down into my anxious eyes, and his smile turned into a concerned frown. “You’re really not comfortable here, are you?”

“I just don’t like crowded places. They freak me out, that’s all.” I gave him a fake smile and rested my head against his chest, trembling more from my anxiety than the cold. He squeezed me a little tighter against him. I closed my eyes, listening to the gentle rain and the surrounding conversations. Ashton’s scent comforted me as I inhaled a deep breath. He sighed as his hand moved under my chin and lifted my face so our gazes met.

“I don’t enjoy seeing you this uncomfortable. So, I’m going to put your plan into action. Just don’t be frightened, okay?” He caressed my cheek and placed a tender kiss on top of my head.

“Wait, what are you going to— what the!?”

He closed the umbrella, then spun me around and locked my back against his body with his arm. “Back away all you worthless blunderbusses! Or prepare for merciless annihilation!” he shouted in a deep, sinister voice that startled several people. He began waving the pointy umbrella around at bystanders like a berserk barbarian.

“Wait! Ashton! I was just kidding!” I tried to yell and get his attention to stop him, but he started going completely feral madman on the place.

Our feet splashed in the shallow puddles as he frantically pulled me to the front of the line. People screamed and tried to get out of the way, as the yelling, snarling, deranged lunatic of a man waved an umbrella at them. My eyes were wide and my mouth was agape, as I clutched his arm with both of my hands. His hair fell wildly around his face and his eyes had a downright infernal gleam in them, making him appear as some crazed, diabolical maniac.

He then gazed threateningly into the tough-looking bouncer’s petrified eyes. “Now, you! Mr. Death’s head on a mop stick! Can we get into the club!?” I froze up and my face paled when I heard his deep, demoniacal tone. It was the most terrifying-sounding voice that I’d ever heard come from a human being, and the fake horns he was wearing didn’t help at all.

All the blood drained from the bouncer’s face as he gazed up at Ashton with the fear of the devil in his widened eyes. “Yes, of-of course...” He shook like a leaf as he opened the rope to let us in. “Enjoy your night, sir.”

Ashton’s diabolical act faltered, and he frowned in confusion. “Oh, huh? I really thought that was going to work...” He held his chin and looked down to think for a minute. “Well, we could always lie and say that we didn’t get in?” he casually suggested.

“No, no, no, it’s fine. Let’s just go in!” I didn’t want to spend another measly second out there with all those confused people staring at us.

“Alright, as you wish.” He gave my hand a gentle kiss. “Don’t worry, though; I’ll be with you.” He smiled softly, then led me inside as the people behind us murmured about his crazy theatrics.

I latched onto Ashton like a hungry leech as we made our way through the tumultuous crowd. Bright, colorful lights flashed overhead. A repetitive electronic tune blasted over the speakers. And the sickening smells of sweaty bodies, cigarettes, and spilled alcohol assaulted my nose. He clutched my arm, terrified of losing me amidst the throng of people in costume.

By the time we made it to the bar, we were bent over and gasping for clean air. A wall of colorful neon lights illuminated several shelves stuffed full of various bottles behind the bar. I ran my finger along the sleek black countertop, finding it to be a bit sticky. We spotted William and Oliver waiting for their drinks among the crowd and headed over to them.

“Hey! There you guys are!” Oliver exclaimed and gave me a big hug. He wore an undead Viking costume, complete with ghoulish makeup, a fake bow, and a quiver of arrows.

“Fucking took you guys long enough!” William laughed and hugged me as well, trapping me between his and Oliver’s embraces. “Ashton, get in on this.”

Ashton laughed as his large arms wrapped around all three of us, squishing me in the middle. “I like your costume, but what exactly are you supposed to be?” he asked Oliver.

“I was trying to go for an undead Viking sort of thing. William wanted us to match, but I wanted to be scary, so this was a compromise.”

“Alright, you guys, I need to breathe!” I giggled as the guys released me from the four-way hug.

“Yeah, and doesn’t he look fucking sexy?” William grabbed Oliver’s face, and they shared a quick but passionate kiss. A rhythmic beeping noise sounded overhead. “Oh shit! That’s my cue to get backstage! Can you bring me my drink when it comes out, lovecake?”

“Of course, lovedove.” Oliver flashed him an endearing grin with love in his eyes.

“Alright, I’ll see you guys from the stage!” He laughed and blew us a kiss, then pranced away, his pale hair swaying behind him.

“Thanks for coming, you guys. I know this isn’t your scene, but it really means a lot to him that you’re here,” Oliver said as he leaned on the bar with a grateful smile.

“You should only thank her,” Ashton gestured toward me. “I tried to get us turned away at the door.”

The bartender handed Oliver two drinks and then gave Ashton a weird, unnerved side glance. “Well, you must not have tried too hard, considering they turn people down left and right,” Oliver said with a laugh. Ashton tilted his head and furrowed his brows, likely wondering why his plan hadn’t worked. “I’m going to bring this to William. Thanks again, and I’ll see you guys around.” He chuckled and then disappeared into the crowd.

Ashton and I sat down on a couple of chrome bar seats and ordered two glasses of red wine from the shifty-acting bartender. He gazed at Ashton with intimidated brown eyes and nervously ran his hand through his short, light brown hair a bunch of times. Then he took off his name tag, which said “Kyle,” and peaced the fuck out like there was a ghost in the building.

As we sat with our drinks, I could practically feel the lewd gazes from onlookers slithering over our bodies. I actively tried to avoid eye contact with people. Ashton must have noticed it as well. He put his arm around my lower back in a possessive manner and menacingly glared at anyone who got too close. “You were right; this is terrible.” He laughed while pulling my seat closer to him.

“Yeah, I told you so!” I giggled and grabbed my drink. “But it’s much better than I thought it would be since you’re here.”

We both smiled at one another, then he leaned in and gave me a loving kiss. What I said was true; being at the club wasn’t so bad with him by my side. We goofed around a bit as we waited for the show to begin. I used my finger to draw a silly-looking duck in the condensation on my glass. Then he artistically one-upped me and drew a remarkably detailed dragon’s head on his. We were laughing when I felt a light tap on my shoulder.

“Hey, beautiful, can I get a dance?” A tall, very handsome man with dark hair and light green eyes asked with a wink, oozing confidence as he held out his hand. He shot Ashton a smug smile, as if he thought he could steal me away.

Ashton’s face darkened and his gaze was downright lethal. “I admire your courage. I truly do. But if you ever speak to my girlfriend again, I will nail your scrotum to a fence post and then set it on fire.” His voice was calm, but held a very malicious undertone that sent a shiver up my spine.

The man’s face paled and he unwittingly covered his groin. “I meant nothing by it, bro.” He held his hands up in defense. “No need to get so upset,” he deflected, and then scurried away.

“Good grief, that was a bit of an extreme threat.” I shook my head, but the look on my face said, wowza.

He tsked. “I let him off easy by only threatening it.” A murderous expression crossed his features. “The next person to ask you for a dance won’t be so lucky.”

A dainty hand landed on my arm, gentle like a bird landing on a perch. “Hey Gwendolyn, I’ve been looking all over for you! Do you want to go dance?” Lacey asked with a big, goofy smile. The smell of alcohol was on her breath, and she seemed slightly buzzed.

I glanced over at Ashton, who now looked quite amused and almost a little embarrassed. “I’ll let this one slide,” he joked and took a sip of his wine.

Before I could answer Lacey’s question, she was pulling me out onto the dance floor. “Come on! Just follow my lead!” she exclaimed with a laugh while grabbing my hips and guiding me along.

“Oh, jeez. I don’t know about this.” I made an awkward attempt to move in sync with her body, which flowed effortlessly to the beat.

Lacey’s hips seductively swayed with her arm in the air, moving with a carefree rhythm. My movements, however, were stiff and ungraceful, and I was trying really hard not to touch any sweaty people in the crowd like a nervous germaphobe. The sight was probably more cringe-worthy than a giraffe at a watering hole. I wanted to go sit back down before Ashton could see how gawky I was. I glanced over at my seat, where I saw him intensely watching me with a protective, unwavering gaze. He was also chatting with Darrell, who was dressed as a detective.

Fuck, I was really hoping he wouldn’t be watching...

The music came to a steady stop, and then some hip-looking DJ guy announced that the competition would be starting. Lacey and I made our way back over to the guys, where Darrell was explaining what “Rick Rolling” was to Ashton.

“Man , I can’t believe you’ve never heard it before! The song is such an earworm!” Darrell laughed.

“I’m just as surprised as you are. And here I was thinking I was well-versed in every method of torture,” Ashton replied with an amused smile.

“Darrell, let’s go get a better view of the stage,” Lacey said, before giving him a kiss.

“Alright, I’ve gotta go keep my lady happy. I’ll see you around.” He gave Ashton a friendly pat on the back. “Well, well, now what do we have here?” He playfully held a magnifying glass over Lacey’s bosom and pretended to inspect her breasts.

“Oh my gosh! You weirdo!” She laughed, then they disappeared into the crowd together.

“Would you like to get a better view, too? Or would you rather stay where it’s less crowded?” Ashton asked as he pulled me to his side.

“I think we should go get a closer look. We came here to watch William perform, after all.” I smiled up at him.

“Let’s go then.” He kissed the top of my head, and we squeezed our way closer to the stage.

Ashton held my back against his front with his arms wrapped around me, as we stood among the many people. I sipped my wine while watching the first performance, feeling quite comfortable since he was with me. Three queens were on stage acting out a scandalous but rather funny Three Fates act. As the show went on, Ashton and I both laughed at the absurd performances.

He suddenly stiffened behind me, his grip growing tighter before he let go. “I’ll be right back. Stay exactly where you are and don’t move a muscle,” he spoke against my ear in an unreadable tone.

“Wait? Where—” Before I could finish asking him where he was going, he slipped into the crowd with a laser-beam focus on something and then disappeared.

Where the actual fuck does he think he’s going!? Is he seriously leaving me all alone like this!?

My breathing became rapid and uneven as a wave of anxiety crashed over me. I was all alone in the middle of a very crowded crowd of strangers. “Oops, sorry.” A random man bumped into me from behind, causing my drink to slosh. I felt extremely vulnerable without Ashton acting as a human wall behind me, and in an attempt to not panic, I guzzled down my entire drink.

Come on, Ashton! Where the fuck are you!?

I knew he had asked me not to move, but I was practically hyperventilating and needed to get the fuck out of the crowd. As I began trying to weave my way through the sea of bodies, I started to feel disoriented. My head began to pound, and the room started to spin. I felt a man pushing me in a different direction than where I wanted to go, but I couldn’t stop him because everything was becoming a dizzying blur. The lights flashed in my sensitive eyes as a large hand wrapped around my wrist and started pulling me toward the back exit.

Am I having a severe panic attack? Or was my drink really that strong? Who the fuck is this guy? Where is Ashton?

My witch hat fell off as I was dragged out through the heavy metal doors and into the dimly lit back parking lot. It was pouring again, and lightning struck in the distance. My feet splashed through a rather deep puddle as I was hastily pulled along. I shivered from the cold and coughed up a warm liquid. My eyes widened in horror when I looked down at my hands, where I saw the rain gently washing away blood.

I’m coughing up blood? But how?

The man grabbed my shoulders and began pushing me toward a large navy-blue SUV. “Did you get the right girl?” I heard another man ask over by the car.

“Yeah, the demon was behaving affectionately and protectively toward her, making it easy to figure out which girl to grab,” the one holding me replied as I coughed up more blood—a lot of it.

“You idiot! She’s coughing up blood? How much of that stuff did you put in her drink? She’s no use to us if she’s already dead!” the other man shouted, his voice laced with anger. I looked up and saw his blurry silhouette standing next to the SUV.

“I put in extra because I didn’t think we’d have enough time before the demon returned! But then she chugged her whole fucking drink!” the man behind me exclaimed in a defensive tone.

Oh god, I’ve been drugged... and these guys are kidnappers.

“You’re a fucking fool! If she dies, then everything the clergy has done will have all been for nothing!” The other man sounded downright furious. “Where’s Roger? We need to go before that damned thing comes after her!”

I was internally freaking out. I wanted to run, but my intoxicated body was betraying me. Blood trickled down my chin as I continued to cough uncontrollably.

“I don’t think he’ll make it out alive. He was distracting the dem- aurghhle! “

The man’s words cut off with a gurgled scream. There was a loud crunching, squelchy noise, followed by a sickening pop. Warm, thick liquid splattered across my back, mingling with the cold rain. The hands that were gripping my shoulders limply slipped away, and something thumped onto the ground beside me. The man in front of me distorted his face in complete horror.

Something flew toward him, as if someone had thrown it with an underhand motion. The object thudded on the pavement and rolled to the trembling man’s feet. Once it stopped, I realized it was a severed head that looked as if it had literally been ripped right off the body. Part of the gruesome, broken spinal cord stuck out from the bloody, tattered neck. What looked like claw marks marred the face, stretching all the way from the cheek to the short, wet hair that clung to his forehead. Their dead, tormented eyes remained open with a look of terror frozen in them.

“Huh?” Feeling quite dizzy, I looked down next to me and saw the headless body lying lifelessly on the wet pavement. Blood oozed out from the mangled neck hole and trickled into the puddles. “No, no! No, no, no, no, no!” I wanted to scream, but all I did was scramble away and then fall over against a car in a weak fit of panic. My eyes fluttered shut as the sounds of deep, vicious growling and harrowing screams echoed in my head.

I managed to open my eyes once more and saw Ashton pinning the other man against the side of the hood. He was growling threateningly like a beast in the man’s face, revealing large, razor-sharp fangs. His eyes were burning like embers and filled with venomous rage. The man was screaming, with tears rolling down his cheeks, as he desperately tried to squirm away.

Complete horror filled my soul as Ashton lifted a clawed hand and then tore upward through the man’s stomach. Blood and raindrops flowed down his tattooed forearm as the man screamed out in agony. He snarled as he ripped his arm back out, disemboweling the man and spilling his steaming, bloody guts all over the cold, wet pavement.

It felt like I was in a hazy dream, trapped in a drugged stupor. My eyes were growing heavier by the second, and my legs gave out. As I slid down against the car to the puddle-ridden ground, my blurry gaze shifted over to where the bartender was watching from his car with a paled face and terrified expression. I was fighting desperately to keep consciousness as everything faded to black.

My hand shot up to shield my squinting eyes as I fluttered them open. Rays of bright golden sun shone down upon my face, glimmering through the vibrant green leaves above. A warm breeze gently caressed my body and danced through my wispy bangs. I blinked a few times as I sat up and adjusted to the light, looking around at my surroundings in confusion.

I was under an enormous ancient oak tree. It had giant twisted boughs that majestically branched out, spreading cooling shade with its big leafy fans. Elegant ribbons of Nordic runes and Celtic symbols were carved into the aged bark, wrapping around the trunk and branches. Various lucent crystals and colorful flowers adorned the base of the tree. English ivy lovingly stretched its spiraling tendrils up along the trunk, the pointed leaves fluttering in the breeze.

Upon further observation, I noticed I was wearing a white flowy dress. I sat on a lush patch of clovers in the center of a ring of red toadstools and forget-me-not flowers. I appeared to be in a small summertime glade with a narrow shimmering stream peacefully winding by. Springtime birds sang their enchanting songs in the distance. Vibrant butterflies flitted around me, leaving behind sparkling trails of magic dust. I held out my hand and dreamily smiled as one landed on my finger for a moment. Then it peacefully fluttered away... And then, I snapped out of my beguiled daze.

Where the actual fuck am I!?

Slight movement caught my eye, drawing my gaze a little further up the stream. Sitting next to a mossy stone well was a beautiful woman adorned in a long, flowing violet dress. The sunshine illuminated her auburn hair like a flaming halo as it cascaded down over her shoulders to her waist. Her emerald eyes were transfixed on the pool of still water that rested within the well.

“Aunt Elowynn?” My voice was a whisper in the wind as I stared in utter disbelief.

Her familiar green eyes shifted over to me, sharing in my expression of bewilderment. “Gwendolyn? You’re not supposed to be here.” She frowned in confusion and quickly glanced back into the well, then back to me with both loving warmth and sadness in her eyes.

I didn’t have the slightest idea what was going on or where I was, but fuck all that uncertainty. All that mattered was that Aunt Elowynn was here. I frantically stood up and rushed over to her, where she embraced me in a loving hug. Tears streamed down my cheeks and my breath rattled in my lungs.

“I’ve missed you so much,” she said, her eyes shining with pure love as she squeezed me tight.

“I’ve missed you too. I’ve missed you so, so much!” I softly sobbed, squeezing her as if my life depended on it.

“I’m so sorry, my dear. My witchcraft has put you in terrible danger. I have created a monster.” She caressed my cheek and gazed into my puffy eyes.

“What are you talking about? Where am I? Am I dead?” I looked at her with uncertainty, hoping that she could provide the answers I sought.

“This realm is for the dead, but you will not stay here.” She smiled warmly. “Here, gaze into the water. There are things you must know.” Her hand gestured toward the well.

I peered over the stone wall into the crystal-clear water. She rubbed my back as I watched a vision take shape in the glassy reflection. I saw an image of Ashton. He was distraught and holding me close against his chest on his bed, with Belzar mournfully resting his head beside us. He had a few tears falling down his face as he lovingly caressed my cheek with a clawed hand. My face looked peaceful, but I was deathly pale and unbreathing.

“There isn’t much time left until you return, so I need you to listen carefully.” Her voice was soft, but urgent. “You are in great danger. Promise me you will unbind the power that can avenge my death. Extend mercy to my killer and forgive him.” She pointed at the water—at Ashton. “Evil will battle corruption, and evil must be strong enough to win for the sake of good.”

“I don’t understand.” My brows furrowed. “That all sounds super cryptic.”

“There isn’t time to further explain. You’ll know when the time comes, but right now you have to go back.” She held me close and kissed my forehead. Tears streamed down her cheeks as though she never wanted to let me go. “Just know that I love you and I’ll be watching over you.”

“Wait, I—”

“ Shhh , go now,” she whispered.

Her warm embrace faded away, and once more, everything faded to black.