Eli pulled over to the side of the road across from the ruins of Springlawn Farm and turned off the car. He had been searching for Lili everywhere and found nothing. He had his doubts that she was here, but he didn't want to think of the alternative. His fear was that one of the Preacher-man's goons had managed to abduct her. As a last ditch effort he had driven out to the remains of Springlawn Farm because he remembered her saying something about liking this place because it was a good spot for thinking. If she wasn't here then he didn't know where else to turn except the police and given Levi Sethos connections, they were unlikely to be of much help.
Looking out of his window at the overgrowth, he could just make out the old dirt driveway that led up to what used to be Springlawn Farm. He didn't move, but sat there staring out at the thick foliage and the remnants of a path that had been strategically blocked by a large log. Clearly, whomever owned the property did not want people visiting. There is no family of albinos lurking in the woods to murder me, he silently reminded himself. He had heard the stories growing up and had always dismissed them. Even now, his rational-self found the stories ridiculous and yet there was something in the sight of that overgrown forgotten place that brought back every creepy story.
Taking a deep breath he got out of the car, but still didn't venture across the street right away. Urban legends or not, it was still trespassing and he really didn't want to get shot. Looking towards the nearly hidden road to the farm, his hand lightly brushed the well concealed Smith and Wesson 642 in his jeans to reassure himself. With a sigh, Eli crossed the road and climbed over the log, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of his surroundings. To his left he noticed a foundation that was just below the stone bridge. Given its proximity to the dry creek bed he could only surmise that it had once been an ice house or something. He continued on up the driveway, over a stone bridge then further up a gentle slope. At the top Eli stopped again as out of the greenery appeared a tall brick fireplace and chimney. Near the crumbling monolith were the remains of rock porch columns with brick steps in the middle. He walked over and walked up the stairs to where a porch would have been. All that remained was a large pit that he could only imagine must have been a basement. A series of concrete steps jutted out of the earth as the only trace of a cellar door.
What a strange place for anyone to visit. There was nothing here but trees, brush and the ruined finery of a bygone era that few people truly saw or appreciated. He wondered what the house must have looked like. The only real history he knew about that place was that it had burned to the ground in 1980. Eli turned around and looked across at a fairly clear space that obviously made up the original walkway to the porch with two short stone columns on either side. It was hardly a stretch of the imagination to think of fine ladies and gentlemen from society walking up this path.
Turning south his gaze fell upon a tall stone tower, like a silo that was built up of rocks. It was certainly imposing, but he doubted if anyone really knew what it had been built for any more. There were no windows or doors around it, only a metal ladder leading to the roof that seemed more like a circular battlement. On a whim he climbed all the way to the top, which wasn't easy, then looked around. Surely if Lilith was hanging around this melancholy property he could spot her from there. The view was amazing. On one side, through the trees, he could see a housing development that was built on a portion of the old farm land bearing its name. On the other side, he could just make out a small lake hidden in the trees. He could also see the ghosts of the other remaining buildings peeking out of the brush as if to say 'We can see you too'.
Noticing the unique and dilapidated chicken house, Eli started to walk to the other side of the tower only to have his foot accidently hit a piece of dirty plywood laying on the roof between the rock parapets. This seemed an odd place to find a random board, but then tennis shoes hanging from power lines was weird too. He might have dismissed it, but he suddenly noticed the edge of a metal frame sticking out from beneath the plywood. Eli knelt down and lifted it slightly revealing an opening that led inside the tower. A chill ran through him as he wondered what secrets were lurking within the stone edifice. A breeze swept through the trees that felt like a warning from something unseen and he dropped the plywood and decided it would be best if he got down and left this forsaken place.
Eli's descent down the ladder was probably the fastest he had ever made. Coming here was a foolhardy venture and he had wasted enough time. As far as he was concerned, Lilith wasn't here and he was glad. This was not a safe place for anyone, particularly a woman alone. With so many little buildings half hidden in the brush it seemed like a perfect place for a rapist or a murderer to hide, let alone the Preacher-man. Hastily he came around the ruins of the old front porch intent on getting to his car.
"Looking for someone?" said a familiar voice. Instantly Eli whirled around, his hand ready on his weapon. Sitting on the crumbling steps was Lilith watching him with a half-smile on her face as though she had been there the whole time.
"Where the Hell have you been?" he demanded, relaxing some, but still ready just in case someone else was hiding among the overgrown brush.
"I was just over there," she pointed at the half-hidden path that led through the overgrowth. "Doing some thinking over at the small abandoned lake. It's a rather peaceful place. Staring into the dark waters it's easy to contemplate your troubles and even discover solutions."
"I'm sure it's amazing," he answered, trying to stifle his annoyance. "Can we get going before someone calls the cops on us for trespassing or worse?"
"Go if you want," Lilith sniffed. "I never once asked for your company or help."
"Yes, I'm aware of that," he answered a bit annoyed at whatever game this was she was playing. "Is there a particular reason you decided to trespass here?"
"To pray, I suppose," she answered, looking around at the forgotten and crumbling farm around her.
"Is it working?"
"I don't know. I've never tried it before. I'm not exactly sure what's supposed to happen," Lili looked up at him uncertain. "How did you find me?"
"I remembered you saying something about how you liked to come here and think. I thought there might be a chance you were here, thinking things through or momentarily hiding from the prying eyes of the Preacher-man," He knelt down next to her on the steps, his gentle blue eyes looking at her. "Why didn't you tell me what he had done?"
"Pride. I 'm not accustomed to being vulnerable and . . . well, that night I discovered just how weak I really was. No human has ever been able to overpower me. For God sake, you had to step in and rescue me from the bastard's car. How humiliating is that? I feel like a one-legged cat trying to fend off a rabid pit bull." She sighed in frustration then looked back up at her friend. "Besides, what could you have done?"
"I don't know, but at least I would have known the whole story. I would have listened and been there for you. Punched him that night when he had you in the backseat of his car." The thought of him landing a blow to Levi's face brought a slight smile to Lili's. She couldn't understand why this human man was so protective of her, but he was. Something about Elijah stirred feelings in her that she had never felt before and couldn't figure out. The pastor at the church had dared to say she loved Eli. Maybe he was right. "Did Millie know what that bastard tried to do?"
"Of course not. She would have been angry that I went to see him at all, regardless of my reasons and she probably would have tried to shoot him," Lilith thought of that loud, boisterous, tough talking old broad with her coarse language and frank no-nonsense attitude. How could anyone not be drawn to that bright, friendly smile or her tacky red dye job that she was so proud of. Everyone knew it was fake before Millie ever told them, but the old gal was convinced she had them fooled. Every time someone complimented her she would beam from ear to ear and tell them how she had gotten a good deal on a box of color down at Wal-mart and dyed it herself. God how she missed that old woman.
"I'll never see Millie again, will I?" It was a foolish question and she knew it. There was no doubt in her mind that she had gone to a far better place. One that she would ever know.
"You still have me," he answered gently, brushing a dark hair from her face. Yes, she had him, but she couldn't keep him and she knew it. She had to let him go for his safety and his happiness and it was killing her inside. All she could think of was how Elijah's kindness had led to his motorcycle being damaged and affected his income. For the first time she could see what her 'friendship' was costing those around her and it hurt. She didn't want him to suffer for her sake. She wanted Elijah to reach his dreams and have all his heart desired. He deserved a woman that could help him achieve happiness, and that wasn't her. Pastor Eilish was right, she did love him and the best thing she could do was to make him move on and leave her.
"You are such a fool," she sneered, getting up and stepping a short way down the half buried stone walkway before turning and facing him again. "You don't get it, do you?" she said in frustration. "I'm not like you!" Lilith stared up at him in disbelief. She had been hinting that she was different since they met. How could he not see the truth? "I live an existence where I am never hungry or thirsty, neither hot nor cold, unless I am stripped of my power and trapped in human form." She sighed for a moment, unsure of how to explain it to him. "Lilith isn't just a name for me, it's who I am!! You called me a good person once and I wish it were true, but it's not. I am the demon Lilit also called līlītu. I have stolen the souls of men and dragged them to Hell. They spend eternity in a harem of my design where their longing for me manifests in physical pain and drives them mad. They cry out just for a glimpse of me just to ease their suffering. If they offended me before I laid claim to them then I have a far worse punishment waiting for them."
