Daleth and I had been walking for quite some time in the blackness of night. Trying hard not to talk to one another, or in my case; not look, or even acknowledge his existence. my hatred for Daleth was deepened by our last argument.
I finally did tell him what I was planning to do over the next few nights, he wasn't entirely thrilled that we only had three nights to rescue them (for by then both my water and food would be gone). He suggested that we run for a while, but unlike him, my sight was not meant for darkness. I ran smack into a tree, and even when I held onto Daleth's hand it wasn't much better. I kind of think he made my trip over that rock on purpose.
"So, if you only have three days, during the day it would probably be better if you ran until you can't see. and then don't wait for me when evening hits. you can move faster if you aren't waiting on me," he said gently.
"You got that right." I retorted coldly.
"Oh come on, how long are you going to stay angry at me?" he sounded exasperated as he asked this question.
"Probably until they build a year-round sledding hill in Hell." I returned, it would take more than a simple apology to make up for being such a pain. It might suffice if he invited me to his hanging that the humans might hold in my honor.
"You can't be upset that long."
"Challenge accepted!" I said, surely he didn't believe I was ready to forgive him an hour after our argument.
"Women! They're all the same. One stupid argument and you're forever on her hit list."
"It wasn't the argument, Daleth!"
"Then what was it?"
"You!" I hadn't originally meant for it to sound like he was the entire reason I didn't like him, but that worked too.
"You're the reason why I don't have answers, you're the one who's to blame for my restless nights. It's your fault! In fact, everything is your fault." I stormed off at a faster pace. Hoping he would get the point and leave me with my thoughts. But no, he followed on, not leaving my side for more than a second at any given time. Although, he was smart enough to keep his mouth shut during the next few hours. He stood back and walked a few paces behind me, I was sure it wasn't meant to bother me but at the moment even the air I breathed was annoying. and my thoughts were worse still.
'You shouldn't have treated him that way! It's not like he could have saved Syrell any more than you. But on the other hand, something did need to be said to him to make him shut up. Yes, but you shouldn't have been the one to say it. I wish Ammon was here! He would know what to do.' I thought.
In fact, he always had a way of handling vampires that not even I could understand. He seemed to love everyone even if they didn't love him back. He was kind to all and treated everyone as equals. Which is part of why Zhubin hates him. Zhubin tends to see himself as a master overall, and should never be equaled with anyone. I have always wondered why there was so much tension between them. But once again Ammon rarely speaks of his past. And even rarer than that, spoke to me about it. If anyone would know his story it would have been Haruko.
For a thousand years, she has never left his side. Though she never showed it, Ammon was her most trusted family. I heard the twigs snap and the leaves rustle as he walked behind me. After a moment I heard him stop, and then it sounded as though he was joined by another person. I turned my head to see the newcomer, (I didn't care who it was, just as long as it wasn't another vampire.) much to my surprise it wasn't! It was none other than Syrell.
Joy filled my soul once again as I saw his face, I ran and grasped him tight in a hug being careful not to touch him. Heaven knows I would never be able to go through such pain again. I released Syrell from my grasp after a long moment.
"How . . .?" I started but Syrell cut me off.
"It doesn't matter, none of that matters now. I am just thankful that you didn't sleep until I got a chance to escape from that dungeon of judgment. You possibly saved my life by your selflessness."
"It wasn't because of me," I admitted. "My mother stopped me from reaching the other side last night. And she told me where to find Ammon and Haruko." He looked carefully at me as Daleth had done and gazed into my eyes deeply. It was very eerie to have someone that close staring into my eyes.
"Stop that." I finally snapped and pushed him away. Looking into someone's eyes is probably the creepiest tradition I have ever seen. It feels so weird to sit and stare into another's eyes as I talk to them, it's like they can almost read my thoughts.
"I am fine really. I am not crazy." I said. Daleth started to laugh.
"Well, that's yet to be seen." I gave him a look that I am sure could have curdled milk. Much to my surprise Syrell laughed hysterically, but whether it was at me or at Daleth's comment I wasn't sure. I decided that was enough pleasantries for one day and began to leave in the general direction that Daleth and I had originally begun going. Of course, now that Syrell was back we could easily take a few more days to get there. But sleep was still off the menu until further notice.
We walked all night that night, Syrell and Daleth playing guessing games and talking of random things to keep their minds occupied on our long journey. They tried to include me as best they could, but I had more important things to think about: Like how I was going to survive without sleep, and calculating how long it would take to make the long trip in a timely manner. Soon the sun came up and Daleth went for a long rest.
Leaving Syrell and I alone in the woods once again. We walked without words for quite some time, not that I wasn't glad to see him alive again, it was just that I had some more important things to think about besides a reunion of a lost friendship. But yet there was still one question that was fighting to get out.
"How did you escape? Did you go beyond the final door? Does it hurt to die? How long did you wait for me? Was there anyone else waiting for me? Did my mother show you how to escape? How did you find your body after Daleth moved it? Is it true that you can run at the speed of light once you die?" I blurted out at last, obviously, I had more questions than what I knew about. But seeing as I have never died before it presented a long string of questions that I could never find the answers to.
"Umm, what was the first question?" He said looking at me slightly stunned at how much information I had asked about at once. I thought back, so as to answer his question accurately.
"How did you escape?" I said again. He thought for a moment and then responded.
"Do you want the whole story or a summary?" He returned gently.
He was only gone for a day, how much could have happened in that amount of time? I thought.
"The whole story!" I said as if I were a child waiting to hear the story of little red riding cap (or Hood, whichever floats your boat).
"It was very dark after I stopped breathing as if night was getting darker instead of getting lighter with the coming dawn. In fact that darkness seemed to be enclosing the space around me. I stood there for I don't know how long. I heard voices echoing in the distance most of them I couldn't put faces to, but yours was the one I heard the clearest, not to mention the most often." I felt my eyebrows furrow as I thought hard about what he said. But yet I still didn't understand, how could he hear my voice when I wasn't there? Can all of the dead hear my voice? And if so, what do I say to them? My facial expression must have given way to the thoughts in my head for he didn't give me time to say them aloud.
"You see Asha, the dead can hear the thoughts of those who miss us the most. Anything the living think or remember of the ones who pass, that person can hear everything that you think about them." I was not entirely sure what he meant by this, but if he was at all sincere about the tale he was spinning then he heard everything I thought (that pertained to him) after he died. Heat burned my face as it took on a reddish complexion of my embarrassment. He stood back and watched my reaction, smiling as he saw me blush.
"You heard everything?" I asked even though I was fairly sure I knew the answer. he nodded in response, with that same stupid grin on his face. I felt completely violated, until recently I had no reason to guard my thoughts from anyone besides Zhubin.
"As for your other questions, the most pain I felt going through death was that I had to go alone. Nothing but the fear of the inevitable haunted me as I waited for you."
"So you didn't see the judgment room?"
"No, I can't enter without knowing the way. And you're the only one who can navigate their way freely through those tunnels. any mortal who tried would just be lost and would never find a way out. they would just be trapped within those halls." I shivered at the thought of being trapped there. I hesitate to go to sleep because I know a long tiring journey awaits me. but to never escape from such a place, would be the ultimate torture.
"How did you escape then?" I asked.
"I reopened my door. . . . Actually, I broke it down."
" . . . You broke the door." he obviously didn't understand the consequences of breaking the door. It meant that he could move freely through death without really dying. which as he has learned being immortal is not all it's cracked up to be.
"Yea, you would think the death doors would be made of stronger stuff." I put my fingers on either side of my nose trying to relieve the stress. Even though now he no longer had the curse of a climactic he still would be cursed to walk the earth forever. but without Zhubins gift Syrells body would eventually disintegrate. he would never be able to cross over into the judgment room.
"Syrell! . . . you broke the door?" I asked again just to be sure of what I thought I heard him say
"Yeah, I did. Asha, what's wrong? It was just a door."
"No that wasn't just a door, that was death's hold. If someone breaks the door then you will never die." I half screamed and half gasped my argument.
"Doesn't sound too bad. I already have done a few hundred years without dying."
"No, you don't understand. What happens when your body starts to give up on you? or worse when your body starts to decay? You can't just wander the earth freely when you look like a Zombie. Our job is to protect the humans not destroy them." I could tell by the look on Syrell's face that the weight of his actions had officially hit him in full force. He stopped walking and just stared at me as if I had just given him a death sentence. But in this case, what I really gave him was far worse. I gave him a life sentence in the world of the undead.
