Out of the Darkness

79 Colby's POV

Directly after seeing the witch

This was all so surreal. How did this happen? I was literally trying to help save a ghost from being tortured and killed by something evil. But she was a ghost so she was already dead...so how could she be killed? The entire thing was so confusing but I couldn't let Anna stay in that horrible place. I had to help her. I took the stones out of my pockets, and looked at them. They weren't exactly ugly. No, the stones themselves were gorgeous, but the bulky chain and ring design weren't my usual style. I guess certain things had to be done though. I locked the chain around my neck and slid the ring onto the ring finger of my right hand. It was the only finger that it would fit, but somehow still felt right. I shook my head at myself, and started the car. I wasn't sure if I believed in all of this stuff or not, but it was all I had at the moment. I went straight to my room when I got home, waving off Corey's question as to where I had been. I needed to get to my room. I felt like all of this was some sort of nightmare, but that it would go away if I went back to my room. Anna would be there, sitting on my couch, or staring out the window. She would be there, and laugh at how much I was worrying. I could see her, in my mind, throwing her head back, a smile stretching across her gorgeous face, her eyes crinkling in amusement as her shining hair fell down her back. I opened my bedroom door, ready to sigh in relief, hoping and praying more than anything, that she would be there. The door swung open, revealing my room to me, just as I had left it hours before. My empty bed, the blankets thrown back and messy. A couch, empty except for my laptop lying open on the cushion. Moonlight streamed in through my window and my balcony door, making silver beams in the dark room. I sighed and flipped on the light. My heart felt heavy, like I had failed somehow. What had the witch said? My brain was blank right now, my emotions fogging everything else up. Meditate. She said to wear the charms, the crystals, and to meditate while focusing on Anna. Ok. I could do that. I had tried meditating plenty of times. It helped with my anxiety. I laid down on my bed, my arms relaxed at my sides, with the palms of my hands up. I tried to clear my mind first. That had always been the hardest part for me. How was someone supposed to completely clear their mind? I tended to think of any problems that I was having, or my future schedule, plans for mine and Sam's duo channel. This wasn't working. I was took keyed up after seeing Amethyst. I groaned and sat up, trying to think of a way to help me focus. Sometimes, I found myself zoning out when I listened to music, or when I was at the beach. The serenity of the waves crashing always seemed to put me completely at ease. "That's it!" I said aloud. I pulled my phone out, hooked my headphones to it, and put it on a random crashing waves sound effects on YouTube. After putting it on a loop, I lay back, getting comfortable again and listened to the comforting sounds that filled my ears. I felt myself relax, my body going limp, my mind focusing only on the sound of the crashing waves. I could almost smell the salt water, and feel the sand beneath my hands as I sat cross-legged on the beach. The sound relaxed me so much, I forgot what I was supposed to be doing. My name, sobbed out in Anna's voice, came through, faint but loud enough for me to hear. I jerked, my eyes popping open, dissolving the scene in my mind. I had heard her! Hadn't I? Was it just my mind playing tricks on me? Or was she trying to reach out to me. Damn it, how long had I even been lying here? I checked the time on my phone and gasped when I saw that 3 hours had past. "Actually?" I exclaimed, staring at the numbers in disbelief. "What the fuck...I guess I was tired." I heard a soft knock on my door and sighed. "Come on in Sam," I replied, assuming that he had heard me, since his room was next to mine. "Hey brother," he replied, poking his head inside. "Hey," I replied morosely. He came inside, and shut the door behind him. "You okay? Did you figure anything out?" I shook my head, and scooted over on my bed when he came to sit down next to me. "Tell me what you know," he replied. I ran my hand through my already mussed hair, and sighed heavily. "I don't know anything. Not really. I saw this really dark, empty space. It reminded me of somewhere, like I had seen it before, in a dream or something maybe. I don't know. But Anna had been there. It was the empty but it was full of despair and pain. I could feel how agonizingly horrible it was for the ones who had been there. There was a girl there. I couldn't see her, but I could hear her. She basically said that I should hope that Anna was dead instead of being back in that awful place." I looked up and met his gaze, knowing that my own eyes were started to tear up. "But Sam, I can't hope for that. I know that Anna and I are impossible, but she's still one of my best friends now. I need her to be okay. I need to help her." He nodded, and clapped his hand down on my shoulder. "I hear you man. I'll help with anything that I can. Did you get any information on what you can try to do to help, or to find her?" I reached up to the chain around my neck and held it out. "This and the ring. It's for protection and clairvoyance, I guess. I don't know if that's what you call it. It's supposed to help me connect to the spirit realm easier."