Graveyard, Backyard

65. Farewell

Claire..
I have to save her.
Claire.. Claire..

A light turned on in the farthest corner of the kitchen, just enough for Ander and Claire to notice the massacre before them.

Sebastian, Rick, and Aria lay on the ground, hardly breathing and very bruised. Their hands clutched the key amulets tightly. They were safe, Ander heaved a sigh of relief but not for long.

Tick-tock.. tick-tock.

Jake or rather George stood among the unconscious figures, unstrapping Dora's possessed body.

Claire tightly clutched to Ander's hold. He tensed. She would've figured out Jake was possessed, the reason Dora was smirking with an evil look - Claire was smart enough. But was she strong? After all, she had endured? Ander's hands trembled, his knees shook with terror.

Now was not the time to respond to the guilt eating him on the inside but his body was hot, mad at himself. He was the root of all troubles, all the pain, all the danger he inflicted on everyone around him. How can he meet his eyes with her?

He was so sorry, regretful that it led to this day.

He had fight left in him, enough to get Claire away but for how long? He created such troubles in the first place, forced her through all of these. How can his love be so destructive? All he wanted to give her was happiness. All he gave her was misery.

He didn't deserve love. He didn't deserve this life.

His shoulders shook, his throat preparing to scream, just to let the frustration out when Claire's voice reached his ears, "Don't you dare think loving me was a mistake. Don't you dare regret it? Stop taking the blame. Put your old arrogant ego to work, mongrel. No matter how much I hate you, we're going to get out of this together."

He heard a smile in her voice, a smile that washed over his tight nerves. He smiled, actually and gazed towards his side, seeing the old Claire. "You don't hate me, agapi mou."

Claire rolled her eyes. She beamed, looking straight at Ander and asked, "Do you know the joys of these witch dramas? You get to see your badass lover kicking your ex's ass."

"Ah, it makes me sick to watch those two flirt." Gabriela's voice broke their stare. "Pathetic!"

Ander rolled his eyes, shook his head and concentrated on Claire, "We have to finish exorcism. Try to wake up Sebastian anyhow. Don't let go of your safety charm and don't look at their faces. That's George, Gabriela's lover, in Jake's body. Dora and Jake are gone."

Claire would've cried, let her heartbreak express on her face but she chose not to. Gulping down her tears, she nodded to what Ander said. She would be brave, for Ander, for herself. Dora and Jake were puppets, control by these demons. She had to free them.

'Now's not the time, Claire. Don't fear. Woman up!' she said to herself.

A spark of hope beamed on her face when she spoke to Ander, "They can't be gone. Otherwise, Gabriela and George would be stuck in those bodies -"

Ander stopped Claire from completing her sentence, "No. We can't think of that now," Hope was dangerous. Hope was lethal. "Let's finish what we started. Just do what I told you."

He wished he could convey words through his eyes, tell her everything he desired to say but he dropped his hand and faced forward. Possessed Jake and Possessed Dora stood tall before him as Claire rushed away from them.

"Oh, Andy," Gabriela's voice boomed in the room, "I always pitied you. You were too easy, always easy. And quite stupid too. You think you could win against us? Have you not learned anything?"