CHAPTER SIX

He shook his head. What happened? One moment they were going to start their new life together and the next... He couldn't remember. All he knew was that he was in this shrouding darkness with no ends in sight. Where was he?

Shaking off the remnants of his daze, he got up and started walking in one direction. At least, he hoped that it was the same direction. He really couldn't be sure with no marks to line his path. It's not as if there was really a wrong answer at this point. He didn't have a clue of where to go, so it was probably better if he didn't keep idle.

That is with the assumption that Madi wasn't going to appear where he once was. With that thought, he froze in his steps and an instant moment of dread filled him. Madi would be so frightened by herself. He couldn't just leave her there. Why hadn't he thought of that sooner?

He turned on his heels and stared at where he hoped was the direction of where he had first started. There was really no way to tell. He didn't even know how far he walked, so how would be know when to stop?

"Madi?" he called out, wondering if perhaps she would be able to hear him. His voice met nothing as if there was truly nothing around him. It didn't echo or... Even travel. Had he even gone anywhere? "Madi?"

Nothing.

Maybe she wasn't here, after all. Maybe she wasn't ever going to be here. One side of him wished that she was here so that he could hold her and keep her safe. The other side hoped that she never arrived here because he didn't know what this place was nor did he know if he could really guarantee her safety.

Unable to decide what to do, he plopped down and let his head fall into his hands. How had he gotten himself into this mess? He couldn't remember, at all. Was Madi okay? Did he at least protect her with his life or had he stupidly gotten himself killed with no purpose, again?

He hoped that that wasn't the case. He had left her to grieve once already and after nearly losing her in the trials, he knew that he definitely didn't want her to feel anything close to what he had to, again.

As he continued to sit there, he thought of everything that he could remember up to this point. He remembered the feel of her silky nighties in his hands and placing them into her small suitcase. He remembered the smell of her hair as they draped around his face – kissing her and loving her. He remembered leaving everyone behind and excited to start new memories with her.

They were all outside.

But what happened after?

He couldn't remember.

It felt as if someone had drilled a hole into his head and all of his memories had come rushing out and disappearing into the oblivion.

He stopped and touched around his head just to make sure that that hadn't happened. No, there were no unsuspecting holes, but he felt as if he was on the right track. Something had happened to him and it was so frustrating not knowing what that was.

Slowly, he went through each memory, again. His most memorable ones were of his Madi. She was always on the forefront of his mind, but thinking about her made the worry surge right back up. He tried desperately to cram it back down because he knew that in his current state, he was of absolutely no use.

He was at the manor. Everyone was waving to them. He was going to miss them all and he was glad that Zoe hadn't taken the rejection too hard. It had never been his intention to lead her on or hurt her. He just didn't know how to go about it with letting her down easily, but she was smiling now, so everything was okay.

His gaze turned back to her and how the sun seemed to make her hair a raging red. She seemed distracted by something on the second floor, but when he looked to see what had caught her attention, all he saw were the curtains moving. He assumed it was a spirit. There were probably hundreds in that place.

"Where are you guys heading?"

He turned to the taxi driver and quickly gave him the directions. The man nodded, seemingly competent enough to get them there. That was good. He didn't want to get lost. Once that was settled, he took one last peek at the trunk of the car and slammed it shut.

"Ready to go?" he asked Madi who smiled back at him. Her smile was just a little different when it was for him. It was a little warmer, maybe even hot. Perhaps it was just him and all the heat that had transferred to the point between his legs.

He watched as her gaze shifted and the smile disappeared. He watched as -

He couldn't remember.

What had she seen?

What happened that brought him here? Was it the Voodoo Queen? It definitely seemed like something she would do. He gathered that she would've wanted revenge for them trying to sneak into the hunters' headquarters or had that just been a trap for them.

A sharp pain burrowed into his head and he stopped to try to shake it off. It only made it worse. What was wrong with him?

The sensation of something dripping down the front of his head made him stop. He touched the oddly warm liquid that was slightly thicker than water and glanced down at his hand. It was peculiar seeing himself so clearly, yet had everything so dark around him.

He brought the dark red substance to his nose and gave a big sniff. His face immediately scrunched up with revulsion. Blood?! Why was there blood on his head? Was there something above him?

He tilted his head to look. He couldn't discern anything but darkness.

He reached up to his head again and allowed his hand to travel slightly further, following the trail until he stopped at a jagged dip that was slimy and fleshy. He probed deeper until something hard stopped his movement. It wasn't quite in his way. It merely hugged his fingers as he tried to explore exactly what he was feeling. When he scraped it with his nails, he heard it loudly in his ears. It was a terrible sensation that made him jerk his hand back.

He wasn't so much of an idiot to not know what he had just felt, but it was so difficult to wrap his head around it. The irony was not lost on him.

As he sat there, slowly probing his head, he knew that there was no way around it. It was something he had known for a while, but it wasn't until he physically felt the bullet wound in his head did he admit to himself that he was dead. He was as dead as a doornail and now, he was positive that he didn't want to see Madi here because it'd mean that she had somehow died as well. It would mean that he had, once again, failed to protect the one person who was most important to him.

But what was this place? There was absolutely nothing here. The darkness expanded as far as the eye could see. Surely if this was some form of afterlife. There'd be another person somewhere.

The thoughts ran rampant in his mind, but nothing made sense. The very fact that he was here didn't make sense.

What about Madi? Was she okay? She had to be. He'd wait forever here if it meant she had lived a long and happy life.

His thought seemed to last forever, yet it was too short before he felt the painful tug in his mind and he was transported to a different place. It was far more pleasant than the eternal black.

He stood in the middle of a beautiful meadow. Grass and flowers brushed against him as the warm breeze ruffled his hair. He spotted a small cottage to his left and began to make his way there.

Despite this being better, he was still alone. He was already feeling the solitude taking a toll on him.

He flung open the wooden door and walked inside.

The cottage was quaint and cozy. Portraits and photos lined the walls. The sound of a soft, crackling fire drew his attention and he walked through into the sitting room where the hearth glowed orange. No one was there.

Something about this was so familiar, but he couldn't quite remember why or when he had ever been here before.

He plopped on to the armchair with a sigh. The soft cushion drew out emotions with him that he didn't understand. There were a pair of hands all over him and a soft body pressed tightly against his own. Her soft lips moved in tandem with his and her name wisped into the still night.

"Madi..."

He groaned, rubbing his eyes. His Madi was here. He knew she was. This was everything she ever wanted - a quiet home with a beautiful garden of flowers. All that was missing was the tiny brunette. He hoped that she would remain missing for if she was here with him, she'd be dead.

"Madi, where are you?" What he really wanted to know was if she was getting along well without him and if she had already found a replacement. Did he make her happy? Did he keep her safe? These were all the questions he wanted to ask, but he didn't want to know. He didn't want to imagine another man holding and loving her.

He froze when he heard footsteps padding softly towards him. Was it an intruder? Or was he the intruder? Who could be here?

As he turned around to look, a pale face peeked in. Grey eyes sparkled amber, reflecting the fire beautifully. "You're here!" She beamed at him, flying towards him in a blur. "I missed you."

He wanted to sob with both relief and utter torment. She was dead. She was dead because he couldn't protect her. "How...?"

She looked sadly back at him. "They killed you, Kyle," she whispered. "T-they shot you in the head and... and I was so angry. I couldn't stop it. I couldn't stop all the fire from coming out. They burned so loudly, but all I could think about was what they had taken from me. It served them right. They deserved every bit of pain. I think... I think I may have hurt someone else, but I can't remember. I was just burning so hot. And then... and then I'm here." She buried her face into his shirt. "I waited for you. I thought I was going to be alone here forever."

He shook his head. "You'll never be alone. I'll always find you. I'll always love you."

The smile on her face warmed his heart. "I know." But there was something in her eyes that showed that something else was bothering her. "Do you... remember?" Her voice was hesitant and small.

"I vaguely remember dying, but -"

"Do you remember us?" she tried to clarify, but then changed her mind and shook her head. "No, of course not. You wouldn't be asking me if you did. That's alright. It'll come back, soon."

He still didn't know what she was talking about, but there was no worry on her face, so she took it as a good sign. "How long have you been here?"

"Not long. Probably minutes before you. I never have to wait for you too long here," she beamed. Her eyes sparkled as they locked on his. "I know I can always count on you to be here."

He sighed, contented. Her faith on him was something he held close. It was unwavering and comforted him in the darkest of times. "I love you, Madi."

"I love you, too."

As lovely as this moment was, it didn't last long. Pain ripped into his head and he thought he must've been shot, again.

Images that he knew, yet couldn't quite recall living flashed through his mind. Barely any of it made any sense to him, but eventually, they slowed down and he saw her smiling gently at him. "Welcome back."

He blinked a few times, seeing her just a little differently than he had a moment ago. She was a little more beautiful, a little brighter, a little lovelier.

His hand cupped her cheeks and he brought her into a deep kiss. "I missed you, Madi."

She smiled back at him, so widely that he wondered if her face was hurting. "I missed you, too, silly."

His body crashed against her own. Their hands moved frantically to rip off anything that got in their way. "I love you. I love you," he breathed, moving in her in the same rough manner than always drew those arousing cries from her lips.

Her hip lifted off the bed and she came shuddering against him, but he wasn't done. He couldn't get enough of her. They moved until he came and she eventually passed out from exhaustion.

Their bodies curled together, soaking in each other as much as they could before the inevitable. They knew well enough now that they didn't last. Something kept tearing them apart, but each time, they found their ways back together.

When they woke up, they weren't alone anymore. A familiar shadow waited in the corner of the room, staring at them with envy. Its glowing red eyes pierced into his own as it narrowed and bared its teeth at him.

He knew what this demon was. It had occupied his body, while his mind recovered. It had used him like a vessel to touch Madi, to gain her trust. "Leave us alone!" he shouted, holding the slowly waking woman tighter as if he was afraid it would take her from him.

It cackled, throwing its head back. "You have what's mine and I want her back."

In a blink of an eye, Madi was in its grasp. She was squirming and shouting for him. "Mine. Mine. Mine…" It sniffed her hair and let out a contented sigh. "So beautiful…"

"Let her go!" he got out of bed and looked around for something he could use as a weapon. The closest thing was a lamp, which he pulled out of the wall and gripped it tightly in his hands.

"What are you going to do with that? Are you willing to hurt her to get to me?" the demon taunted. "Don't worry, you're needed elsewhere, so why don't you be a good boy and go on living your destiny."

He suddenly felt a hard jerk at his navel and his world faded back to blackness. He tried to hold on to the memories of her, but it was as if everything that he had been was slowly being ripped out of him.

And then…

He was no more.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Happy New Year, everyone! (It's still an hour before 2018 for me, but most of the world is already there!)

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