Heart and Soul

I didn’t speak. I didn’t reveal my master plan to the monster who stood in front of me. I didn’t let him have any last words or give time for someone to save him. To put it simply, I killed him.

I hadn’t killed before, you know? Not really. Sure I’d used my powers to injure people if they’d attacked me, or to heal those who’d been wounded, but I’d never actually killed someone before.

I hadn’t watched that moment before – you may not know it – that one where the last shred of their life drifts from their eyes as their body sags towards the floor. I hadn’t been ready for it – hadn’t expected it.

The guilt that crashed over me as he hit the floor was only slightly dampened by the knowledge that he’d deserved it. I still wasn’t sure who’d destroyed the Willow or who had killed Madon, but I knew who’d killed her Father and enough was enough.

No more soul-stealing, this was it, I would stop these monsters. My hands were shaking as I looked down at them, tears I didn’t mean to shed were already sliding down my cheeks. He was still stood beside me, I looked to him out of the corner of my eye. He was watching me intently, as always. The man who had stood shivering behind the monster Nick called Micah, had turned and fled.

I knew it wouldn’t be long until they came for me. Looking up to Nick, I met his icy glare. “What did he mean, ‘your time’s up’?” I asked as I turned to face him, ignoring the growing unrest of the crowd. Behind me smoke rose from the Willow – had it been on fire before?

Amidst the chaos we stood like two statues, my eyes never leaving his. I would not look away from him. He was silent at first, but I was stubborn, always had been. Eventually he broke the quiet, “not here.” He instructed before walking off to the right, pushing through the angry observers.

A few called after us, but none chased us. We moved away and into the shadows. I watched his hulking figure in front of me. He dwarfed me with ease. His movements were swift and lithe were mine were dampened with exhaustion. When was the last time I’d slept?

We stopped outside a house with windows covered in wood. He paused for a brief second, checking the street and then used his shoulder to shove open the door. Looking behind him, indicating with a slight move of his head that I should follow, we walked into the decrepit house.

Floor boards creaked and darkness hung in the air. I could see, but only a little bit. Avoiding touching the walls, scared of insects or splinters, I hugged my arms to my side, much like Nick had made me do before. How had he done that? How had he controlled me?

Was that one of the soul-suckers powers? I shivered in disgust, why had he brought me here? We walked into what was the living room and finally he stopped, turning to face me. For a brief second I considered the possibility of him killing me, but looking into his cold-eyes, I knew I could trust him. I didn’t know why I could trust him, but I knew that I could.

“We haven’t got long,” he told me as he paced in a circle in front of me, pausing only to check out of the window. “They’re on their way to get us. They know we’re here.”

“Is that why you brought me here?” I asked, panic obvious in my voice.

“No. We’re safer here than out there.” He nodded his head towards the boarded windows, cracks in the covers letting in thin streams of orb light.

I nodded and scuffed my feet against the floorboards.

“So what did he mean? That man. The one that I-“ I gulped, swallowing a large lump in my throat. “The one that i-“
“Killed.” He finished for me, his voice containing no emotion.
I flinched at the word, it sounded so harsh, so cold falling from his lips. I nodded, unable to say it, ignoring the human part of my brain reminding me I’d actually killed someone.

“He meant that the Boss is done with me, nearly. I’ve been pushing my luck for a while to be fair. He’s clearly made his mind up now. He was hoping I could control you – use our ‘connection’ or whatever this is, to make you do his bidding and convince you to join his side.”
“But you refused?”

“Yes. I’d already failed once before.”

“Sora?” I interrupted, but he didn’t flinch this time.

“Yes. You were my chance to redeem myself, but I couldn’t do it. He knew I didn’t and then I left the compound, you must never leave the compound and now I’m hiding you. Overall I am practically asking to be killed.”

“He can’t kill you though. That’s not fair. You’re just trying to help me. I can stop him – I will stop him – I just need my full magic back, it’s only temporary, it keeps waning. I can’t control it. Help me get my soul back and I can help you escape Leith.”

“It’s because of me – your magic. It’s my presence. Our connection. I stole your soul-“ I flinched, “-so a part of it will always be with me. Your mind, your spirit, it can feel the connection, just like it did before when you controlled my limbs as I was escaping and like I did with you just now. We are connected now and always will be. There’s a little piece of you with me, just as there will be a little piece of me in your soul. And you can’t fight Leith, you won’t win. If I could help you get your soul, I would, but there’s no point. He’ll kill you, he’ll kill me, he’ll kill anybody he can to get his way, what is the point in fighting him?”

He looked so defeated, his shoulders were slumped and I could practically see the weight of Sora’s death resting on his shoulders. My poor, damaged intruder.

“The reason to fight is our freedom. Do you not want to escape Leith? I do. I just want my soul, I want my life, is that so wrong?”

He looked up at me then, our eyes locking once more. “He’ll break you. He breaks everybody.”
There was a silence that fell for just a second. Then suddenly the sound of splintering wood and the hiss of familiar creatures filled the room as chaos descended.