Chapter 135 - Shriek
“Jump, now!” Jasmine yelled unfastening the chaise belt around her waist.
The horses made a rough landing crashing through the walnut trees. The horses' harness was broken as the chariot crashed into the black river that changes its color to sea-blue.
Jack was hung on a walnut tree branch as he held Jasmine with the other hand. “Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yes, but you have to let go.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.”
Jack smirked to himself as he slowly release his grasp on her. As soon as Jasmine landed on the rocky ground, he thought it will be wise to do the same. He releases his other hand from the walnut branch.
He missed his stance and couldn’t make a smooth landing instead he landed on his butt.
“Oh no!” Jasmine rushed to help him up. “Are you alright?” she asked stretching her hand to pull him up.
“Ouch!” Jack quickly grabbed her hand as she pulled him up. “I’m fine now.”
He puts on a fake smile to cover his hurting butt. But the smile couldn’t get to Jasmine. She could tell it was a fake smile.
“You mind if I take a look?”
“A look at where?” Jack asked with a wide-eyed gaze on Jasmine. Of course, he knew what she meant and what she wanted to do but no way is he letting her do that now.
Jasmine smirked with her eyes rolling on Jack. She pointed at her butt with her index finger and squeezed out her reply in her soothing voice. “To check your butt.”
“Oh hell no!” Jack tilted back on his heels. “This not the time for that.”
There still have the ghost-banshee chasing after them. Besides they need to save the horses that are trapped in the walnut tree.
Suddenly their eyes were drawn to the black river that changes its color to sea-blue. What drew their attention was the tweeting sound made by the weird birds flying over the river. The birds have four wings. With two they fly and two they cover their faces.
Jasmine quickly drew away with disbelief written all over her. She slowly leans on a walnut tree trying to make sense of the scene.
“Are you alright, love?” Jack inquired “It’s not safe here.”
“Of course nowhere is safe in the land of the dead.”
Jasmine glanced at Jack with a weird look. She isn’t talking about the land of the dead in general. Too bad that Jack couldn’t remember they have seen this river the first time they got to the land of the dead. “Don’t tell me you have forgotten?” she asked with a wide-eyed surprise.
“What my dear?”
Jack still can’t recall. He is unaware of the situation they have gotten themselves into.
This is the river Jasmine talked about where creatures crawl out from looking for their meal at night and sadly, it’s already night. No one should be close to this river during the dark hours because powerful creatures that can defeat the strongest demons are living in the river.
Demons never believed the land of the dead exist. They only believe it’s just a legendary story. After Werewolf Overlord sent Jack and Jasmine away, this changed their mindset. Most demons have mistakenly found their way to the land of the dead and never got away to tell their stories. But things have changed. Demons can be summoned to haul souls back to hell. Demons and mortals with a touch of darkness can be trapped in the land of the dead.
As for Jack and Jasmine, staying around the black river isn’t the wisest thing to do. No one needs to get hurt.
Without saying any word to Jack, Jasmine hops into one of the walnut trees with her demon’s blade in place. The horses caught by the tree branch could be their only way out of this place before anyone gets hurts.
Jack cast his gaze as Jasmine continued to hop into one tree branch one after another. “Where are you going?” Jack asked.
Jasmine never looked down or cared to answer Jack. She has finally gotten to the first horse. With the demon’s blade, she cut off the tree branch of the walnut tree freeing the first horse. As she was about to move to free the second horse, one of the weird birds started flying at a terrifying speed towards the second horse. “Oh shit!” she cried out.
Jack quickly hops into the walnut tree to see what’s going on. “Honey!” he called out as he continued to hop faster than he could.
The weird bird revealed its face by removing the wings covering it. It looks like a human face but so hideous with red eyes that glowed in the dark. Instead of the normal beak for birds, the weird creature has canine teeth that are extra pointy and curvy.
It was a terrifying moment for him when he caught a glimpse of the weird bird. “Bloody hell!” he exclaimed.
He has not seen any bird like this. Indeed the land of the dead is the strangest place any human soul could be in.
Before Jasmine could get to the second horse, the weird bird pierced its canine teeth into the horse aiming for the horse’s venae cavae.
“We need to go now!” Jack yelled. He has suddenly recalled the sight of the river. Although this wasn’t the exact spot they first landed when they got here. But it’s clear to him now.
Jasmine didn’t want to let go. She needed to put the weird bird down. She ignored Jack. In her rage, she dived her demon’s blade into the weird bird.
The weird bird let out a roar like a wounded lion. Birds down roar but this is the weirdest thing about the weird bird. It’s a way of calling for help.
“Oh oh!” Jasmine exclaimed.
She thought it could get better by killing the weird bird for killing the horse. Things got worst. The roaring of the weird bird just signaled the rest of the weird birds flying over the black river. Before she could get the chance to jump off the walnut tree, the other flock of weird birds surrounded the walnut tree.
*****
“Jack, wake up… Wake up Jack.”
A soothing voice continued to call out. It was uncertain whose voice it was even though it sounded familiar. As the voice continued to grow louder in Jack’s subconscious mind, he couldn’t help but barely open his eyes.
His vision is blurry.
“He’s awake!” Another voice called out.
“Jack!” Clara’s cheeks flushed with excitement. She ran toward the bed and threw her arms at him. “I thought I would never see you again.”
“Where am I?” Jack tried to look around but nothing was making sense to him. He had no idea where he was. A while ago, he was fighting for survival with Jasmine.
When he tried to get up, Bonnie held him down, saying, “You need to rest until the spell wears out.”
“What spell?” His voice sounded groggy but he hadn’t given up his quest for answers. “Can someone tell me what’s going on?” he glanced around.
“You are alive, that’s what matters,” Lacey finally spoke up as she approached. “We thought you wouldn’t survive the demon Overlord, but you did.”
None of this make sense to Jack. He needed answers. He finally leans back on the wall while still sitting on his bed. His vision was becoming clearer as he continued to glance around, making profiles of Lacey, Clara, Bonnie, and Alex. He thought for a while that the land of the dead was messing with his head.
“Where is Jasmine?” he squeezes out, rolling his eyes.
“I have been meaning to ask you that when you wake up,” Lacey said. “You have been talking in your subconsciousness for days now.”
“What are you talking about?” he gaped at Lacey with surprise. He still can’t believe how he got back to the Williams Hotel. The pictures of his surrounding are becoming clearer but his memories are screwed.
“Don’t tell me you have forgotten what happened and you ended up in a coma!” Bonnie said, casting a searing gaze on him. “The Werewolf Overlord attacked the hotel on your 19th birthday and strokes you with an eldritch blast.”
She paused and peered at something as she continued. “Ever since then, you have been in a coma before I finally succeeded with a spell to pull you out of your coma.”
“You mean all the shits I went through was not real?” he stared with disbelief. “Including getting married to a demon?”
“What?” Alex cut in. Curiosity was written all over him. “All these happened in your mind?”
He sighed. “You tell me, brother-in-law.” Something in the mean feels at home. All this while, he thought he had loss those he cared about not knowing the eldritch blast was messing with his head. “What about the Werewolf Overlord?”
“I send him back to hell,” Clara spoke up. Her cheek flushed with a winning smile. “I couldn’t stand what he did to you, I had to burst into my wolf rage.”
Jack sighed with relief. All the people he loves are surrounding him, except for one person. “Where is Monica?” he asked impatiently.
For a while, no one answered him. They all lowered their head, trying to avoid eye contact with him. When he became too persuasive, Lacey opened her mouth to speak. “She’s no longer with us,” she muttered. “She died trying to invade your head to help you out of your coma.”
Jack’s jaw clenched as tears rolled down his cheek. This can’t be his happy moment. Not without Monica. The very tough old wolf who is an ass-kicker.
The End.