Death's Embrace

I awoke in the dimly lit room to an odd shuffling noise. That was weird. I had no earthly idea what it could be so I got up to investigate. As soon as I stepped out of the bed, I sank back down, thoughts trailing over Paul's untimely death. He had been the only person I could ever really talk to. He had understood me like no one else could, but now I felt a sort of emptiness seep into my life. A little less happiness, knowing I would never see his smiling face again...

I looked up. There is was again! It sounded like a cat zipping up and down the hall outside (ya, we had a lot of cats when I was growing up). Shouts! I jumped to my feet and ran to the door as a huge crash reverbrated through the manor. Geez, what was that! I wrenched open the door and poked my head out.

"What the-" I saw Drear sprawled against a wall. A huge crack ran up from where he leaned against it, like he had been hurled against it with tremendous force. Was that the crash I had heard?

"Get the hell back inside!" Jeton shouted from somewhere down the hall. My first thought was that the two had been fighting or something, so I ignored Jeton and walked quickly to Drear.

"Drear?" I bent down and touched his face. His eyes flickered open; his hand gripped my wrist tightly, his dark eyes growing blacker. My mind reeled as I felt the world slipping from my grasp. "Drear!"

"Lea!" he let go. I found Drear pulling me to my feet before everything returned to normal. "Lea, get back inside!" he shoved me toward the door, but I refused to go in.

"What's going on?!" I demanded, turning on him.

"Look out!" Jeton yelled from down the hall. Drear shoved me backwards and dematerialized. Crimson flames shot passed the place where we had just been standing. I could feel the sickly heat of that roaring blast; it stirred my heart and I could already feel beads of sweat forming on my face. Once the air had cleared I looked around wildly for the source. A gang of ten men stood at the end of the long hall dressed in various shades of dark attire. There skin was ashen and their hair was dark, but their eyes had a strange reflective, silver glow that gave me the shivers whenever they looked my way. Demons?

"Drear!" I shouted as he swirled back into view on the other side of the hall. Drear ducked as several daggers flew over his head. In one fluid movement, he stood and disappeared within that black mist. It swirled violently, resembling a dark sandstorm, as it traveled over the nearest demons. It- devoured them... Drear reappeared and saw me still standing there.

"Get inside!" he called to me as he ducked another steam of fire. It blackened the stone behind him, but otherwise did no damage.

"Drear?!"

"GO DAMN IT!" he yelled as he swung an almighty punch that hit a demon square in the jaw. I watched in something akin to awe as the demon flew back twenty feet, then landed on the floor with a loud crack. His neck had snapped upon impact.

"GO!"

I turned and ran to the door quickly. I locked it and backed away as sounds of the fight drifted to me. What good would a door do against demons? I continued to back slowly away and my heart just about stopped when someone grabbed my shoulder and pulled me around to face them. Shymal!

"Let go!" I struggled to pry his hand off me. His dark eyes danced with a strange light as he studied me.

Shymal smiled slightly and shook his head, "So iyou're the one I've been after...Perfect."

"DREAR!" I yelled.

"Lea?" I heard a muffled voice call in confusion. "Jeton! He's in there with her!"

"Seems to like you a fair amount." Shymal nodded approvingly. "But not quite enough for me to take you yet."

"What do you mean?" I gapsed as he yanked me into him. I struggled to pull away, but he just laughed at my futile efforts. I heard the door crash open and managed to look around to see Drear repelled by some strange force field. It threw him across the hall, but he was instantly back at the threshold prowling back and forth as he waited for the barrier to go down. His eyes never left us.

"You'll find out soon enough." Shymal smirked, dark eyes glistening with malice. "For now however..." his arms wrapped around me as his lips locked onto mine. A cold burning sensation seemed to flow from him through me as I fought desparately to free myself. His other arm wrapped around the small of my back as he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. Drear help! Shymal's other hand touched the bare skin of my neck and sent shivers through my body. DREAR!!!

"LEA!" Drear was shouting.

"Get off!" I gasped as he let me pull away. "What did you do to me?" I wavered as the room began to spin. My hands were shaking like crazy. What was happening to me?

"Ask Jeton." Shymal smiled wickedly. A strange, white light rent the air apart. It widened into a gateway which he stepped through. "Until next time, Lea." his words echoed ominously throughout the room as the gateway vanished with a loud crack.

"LEA!" the force field vanished and Drear ran toward me. His arms enveloped me, keeping me safe, keeping me warm. "Lea, what's wrong?" he whispered, feeling me tremble.

"I don't know. He did something and-" Drear stood back to look at me with a worried expression. I held out my shaking hands and he took them in his.

"Guys, what's wrong?" Jeton stepped over a dead body, as if that were normal, and looked at the two of us. Most of the demons had fled the scene as soon as Shymal had, but they left the two or three dead behind.

I now watched Drear's face darken, "Jeton, read her for me. Quickly!"

Jeton walked over to me with a look of intense scrutiny, "My God, Drear! She should be dead right now! Did Shymal do this? She should be dead..." he ran a hand distractedly through his hair. "That's crazy! It goes against- wow." Jeton looked as if his world had turned completely upside down.

"I what?" I blinked in confusion as I slouched against Drear. He wrapped an arm protectively around me, keeping me safe as well as upright. I felt Drear tremble as well, but for a different reason. Rage.

"I can't take her Jeton. I CAN'T! Even if I WANTED to..." Drear finished in a whisper. His hand found mine and held it gently, yet firmly while his other arm pulled me closer to him. He was kind of making me feel claustrophobic...

"That, I fear, was the point." Jeton sighed. "You are meant to watch her suffer. Shymal knows you cannot kill her."

"What's what?" I sank a little lower to the ground as my mind fogged over. Nothing made sense anymore. Drear picked me up quickly, holding me tightly in his arms. So long as I was with Drear, everything would be alright. Or maybe it wouldn't. I didn't know what I knew anymore.

"She just seems tired." Drear looked at me as I closed my eyes and let my head lean against his chest.

"Wait." Jeton's voice sounded hollow, like something dreadful was about to happen.

Wait? Wait for what? What was Jeton talking about? Suffering? My eyes shot open as pain rippled through my agitated body. I twisted right out of Drear's arms. God, unspeakable pain! It felt like all my bones were breaking, my muscles were tearing, and my blood was fire! And that was just the physical part. Inside it was like I was drowning, gasping for breath but never quite catching it. If I didn't know better, I would have said my soul was dying too!

"P-please!" I shrieked. "Make i-it STOP!" I felt a hand press gently against my forehead. The pain subsided slightly, but only slightly. I glanced up at Jeton as he pulled his hand away. My vision was blurred from the incredible pain.

"That's all I can do. She'll be like that until we can get to Shymal." Jeton sighed sadly. My breathing was erratic still, but the pain had finally subsided to a dull throb. I glanced up at Drear and realized I had somehow been carried over to the bed. "We can't leave her alone though. She needs someone with her."

"Why? What did you do?" Drear looked up from where he was kneeling next to me.

"I made it so that she can share another's life energy for now. You and I, being immortal, are like inexhaustable batteries. One of us needs to stay with her at all costs- if you don't want her to suffer."

"I'll stay." Drear looked back at me and I smiled slightly. His haunted eyes stared down at me. I couldn't quite tell what his mood was at the moment. It made me a little uncomfortable not knowing.

"Hmm, yes. That's all very well, but you can't neglect your duties." Jeton stood at the end of the bed studying his brother thoughtfully. He was right, Drear would have to keep up with his work despite my current condition.

"I'll go later."

"You said that three days ago! You need to aid the dying now! They have suffered long enough waiting on you!" Jeton shifted angrily.

"You should go." I muttered wearily. "Jeton is right. You need to complete the task you have been assigned."

Drear looked from me to his brother and stood slowly, "Alright I'll go, but you must swear not to torment her. Your anger scares her beyond belief; Life is her greatest fear."

Jeton opened his mouth in outrage, "I was the one who just saved her from immense amounts of pain! You think I would torment her further!!"

"I know you helped her, and for that I am thankful, but you don't control your emotions well. That is what terrifies her."

"I DON'T CONTROL MY-"

"Jeton please!" Drear looked at his brother with the most sorrowful look I had yet seen. Okay, now Drear was getting a little crazy. Sure I was scared of life, but I wasn't terrified! I could handle anything- or so I kept telling myself.

Jeton took a deep breath, "Fine."

Drear turned to me and put his hand on my shoulder. I cracked my eyes open to look at him. "I'll be back as soon as I can." he whispered.

"What about Shymal? Won't he come back?" I blinked, watching his dark eyes for any sign of concern over this.

"Don't worry about it. He won't get to you again. This I swear."

"But-"

"Don't worry so much, Lea. You'll be fine here." Jeton interrupted. He nodded at Drear as he vanished in a fog of black mist. I didn't bother telling Jeton that I was hardly worried about my safety. My life didn't matter all that much anyways. I was truly concerned for them. Oh well, let him think what he wants.

My gaze shifted to Jeton after Drear left. I watched him walk slowly around the bed and sit at the edge, "So-" he began awkwardly.

"Ya?"

"How's life treating you?"

I laughed, "That is the weirdest expression coming from you." His face lit up, glad he could make me laugh a little. Truth is, I probably wouldn't have laughed if I hadn't felt I needed to lighten up the tension between us.

"I guess it is strange!" he smiled back. Even though he smiled, there was a certain dampness to the general radiance he gave off.

"Jeton, are you alright?" I breathed wearily, studying his profile. He was so much like Drear, yet so opposite from him...

Jeton shifted and turned to look at me, "Hey, I told you not to worry. I'll be fine." Jeton leaned back across the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I looked up to see what he was looking at. Huh... It was like I was looking into the deep vaccum of space. Every star, everything, was clearly pronounced. A grey cloud touched by a setting sun drifted across. I realized the ceiling was made of glass; that was outside I was seeing.

"Wait..." my eyes narrowed. I distinctly remembered that outside had been this strange land of eternal twilight. What gives?

"What?" Jeton asked lazily.

"Why is it night out? It's always twilight!"

"Oh, that just means Drear is busier than I am. Stronger too, at the moment." Jeton yawned and turned on his side facing away from me.

"Oh." silence ensued for several minutes, building until I couldn't take it anymore. "I'm sorry you have to stay with me." I mumbled, watching the cloud skirt the edges of the window.

"Drear would do the same for-" Jeton's words faultered. He must have fallen asleep.

I sat and watched the sky, wondering why they weren't concerned about Shymal attacking again. After all, he knew where the house was. He knew how to get inside. Well, that was not for me to worry about. They said we were safe and I believed them. My eyes drifted shut.

___

"Hey."

"Hey..." I blinked up at Drear as he leaned over me, stroking my hair back out of my face sometime later. His weird touchy-feely mood was kind of creepy. Why was he acting like this now?

"Are you feeling alright?" Drear whispered.

"Better." I smiled slightly and let my eyes close again. I felt his hand reach for mine, holding it as if he would never let go. This felt so strange. He was death, after all...

"I'll hunt him down and make him return your strength." Drear whispered. He must have been right next to me, for I felt his breath stir my hair.

"Just don't get yourself killed." I muttered, not really taking in what he said.

"So long as you stay in this world, I will too."