Justin ran over to us, shaking. I still a hold of Joey’s shirt, when he reached our sides.
“We’re going to play a game. Do you like games?” Walter asked.
“Not the kind you play,” J.C. whispered.
Dorothy looked at him eyes narrowed and threw him across the room with just a slight tilt ofher head. J.C. hit one of the pillars hard, before falling to the wooden floor. He groaned in pain. I tried to rush to his side only to be threatened.
“Tabitha, if you help him up your precious boyfriend will be sliced across the throat with a piece of crystal.”
I turned around slowly to look at Joey. Dorothy had a hold on Joey and had a large clear crystal to his neck. “Wouldn’t it be a shame if he died when the game we’re going to play, you don’t have to?” Dorothy kept her solomn look on her face when she said it.
I slowly moved back to where I was before. Joey was let go and I wrapped him in a hug.
Walter continued on. “If you can answer this one question you all can leave this house but… if you get the answer wrong you all die.” J.C. slowly crawled to us. Justin helped him stand. Joey held me close.
“Ready to play?” We just looked at him. “Good. Now for the question. What are we?”
I looked at him confused. “What kind of question is that?”
Walter’s eyes flashed at me. “I get to ask the questions! Not you!” he yelled at me.
We all stepped back unprepared for his anger. Walter’s eyes softened a little.
“Whats your answer to the question?” he asked.
“Ghosts,” Chris told him.
“I’m sorry buy you are wrong. The answer to the question were demons. We are demons… angels of Satan. And thanks to you…you all have lost…your lives.”
I felt Joey being pulled away from me. I tried to hold onto him more but my grasp I had on him started to loosen. Dorothy pulled on him harder. My hands sliped and Joey was being pulled away. I bolted forward buy was held back by Chris.
“Tabitha stop they’ll kill you too.”
“We’re all going to die anyway! Let me go!”
Joey struggled to get away but Dorothy had a firm grip on him. She wasn’t going to let him go. Joey fought to loosen her grip on his arms. I fought to get by Chris who was doing a good job by blocking my path. I swung my arms in front of me shaking Chris off. Finally Chris lost his hold on my elbows and I ran past him.
Chris tried to grab me a second time but I was too quick and he just missed me. I ran towards Joey. His eyes locked with mine and alarmness was discovered. I tumbled backwards like I just hit a invisible brickwall. My back hurt form before but when I hit it the second time it felt more like numbness. Rolling over onto my stomach I put my head onto my arms. The pain that hit me a second later was like a wave of fire from hell.
Managing to look at Joey’s scared filled eyes was even more painful. The salty tears were starting to make me sick. I laid my head back down on my arms not able to move 5 inches. I prayed for a simple miracle.
A shallow angelic voice filled my senses. “Tabitha, get up and save your love.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” the voice echoed. “He saved you. Now, it is time you saved him. Don’t be afraid you can do it. You’re stonger than everybody in this room. Get up, Tabitha, get up,” the voice instructed. “You prayed for love and you prayed for a miracle. You got love right in front of your eyes and you’re just going to let it slip through your fingers? Get up and save your love, Tabitha.”
I slowly started to get up. The voice echoed a phrase. ‘Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.’
I whispered it repeatidly. Dorothy and Walter started to disappear. Dorothy loosened her grip on Joey and he stepped away from her. I slowly moved closer to Dorothy and Walter.
“Stop it!” Dorothy screamed at me. “Stop it!”
My blood boiled with anger. “You both have made my life a living hell and I’m tired of it. Take all the demons in this house because, mom and dad, its time for you to got to HELL!”
They both disappeared in front of my eyes. Banished never to leave hell. I stood there, motionless. Joey tugged at my arm. “Tabitha we have to leave. Lets go!”
Reluctently I ran after them. The rain had lessened a little buy it was still pouring like it never rained before. It was dark. Once in a while lightening struck the clouds with its electricity. I halted to a stop.
“What are you doing? Come on lets go!” Joey told me.
“I can’t,” I said. We had to yell to hear each other over the storm.
“Why not?” he asked dropping my hand. Lightening lit the sky and for a brief moment I saw Joey’s sadden face and soaked hair.
“This is my home! I don’t know where else to go!”
“Don’t be silly! You’re coming with us! You said you were!”
“I can’t leave! This is where I belong! I can’t leave!” I yelled.
“Then, I’ll stay with you!” Joey persisted.
“No!” I refused.
“Why not?”
“Because you have a career a life to live! I don’t!” I wiped my forehead with my wet sleeve.
“I don’t want to lose you! I want to spend the rest of my life with you! You are my life now!”
Tears started to sting my eyes. “No! You have to leave!”
“What if we never see each other again?” Joey asked.
“Then its not meant to be! I will always be here, though. Go!” I yelled.
“When will we see each other again?”
“When you have time for me! When the time is right! You will know!” I told him. Streams of tears rolled down my cheeks.
He pulled me into a hug. His shirt was wet under my cheek. I breathed in his cologne. I held him like there was no tomorrow. “I love you, Tabitha! I’ll always love you! Don’t ever forget that! You hear me? Don’t forget that! I’ll come back, I promise, I’ll come back! Never lose hope!” I never wanted to let him go. He kissed me once more before leaving me behind.
Joey’s warmth and smell lingered in my senses. My tears came down like the rain, cold and unstopping. Dropping to my knees on the muddy road gave me of never ending hope. I hugged myself rocking back and forth while the cold rain hit my soaken wet head. I could tell my hair was all stringy but I didn’t care. My heart was broken and empty all at the same time.
All I could do is ask myself why I had to let him leave me.
copyright © 2001 AngelH