Love Spell Ch 02

Chapter Two: All Saints' Day

"What is this?" I hear from my side.

My head slowly turns in disbelief. There are my friends, with me in this terrible dream.

Tara shakes her head in shock. Tom has his arms around her, his expression matching hers.

And Brian is still behind me. I can feel his heat on my back, his anxious puffs of air on my neck.

Then there are the unmistakable sounds of boots pressing down on snow. The man of my dreams appears, wearing the same clothes as last time. He has circles under his eyes. It's as though my restful nights have caused him restless ones.

"Is this really happening?" I ask in desperate dread. Please be a dream, I think. At this moment I'll take a sleeping nightmare rather than a waking one.

They don't answer, but Tara takes my hand. That's all I need right now, dream or not.

"I've come for Rosemary."

"No," Brian grinds out behind me. "What the fuck is going on here? Did you drug us?" He tugs me around and behind him.

The man smiles. It's almost kind. "Your devotion is touching but completely meaningless. What is destined will come to fruition--I merely brought you here to facilitate your friend's passing."

"Passing?" Tara asks. "As in dead?" Her blonde head swings toward me and her eyes are filled with horror. "Is this what you've been dreaming about?"

"Yes." This is real. It has to be. And if it is, that means I just fucked my worse nightmare.

The man comes over to me. I don't even know his name and he wants eternity with me. I can feel Brian's hands tighten. "No harm will come to you," the man assures Brian. "Just release her and I will send you home."

"Fuck no."

"Your chivalry was admirable a moment ago. Now it will get you killed."

"Excuse me," Brian mutters sarcastically. He twists around so we're face to face. "What should we do?"

"I don't know," I whisper. "It's useless, I think."

"She's bound to me," the man calls out. "She did the spell herself."

"Oh, no," Tara says from far away.

No. The spell was to ward him off, wasn't it?!

"You have a choice, Rosemary. You can make this painful for everyone, or you can surrender." I look at him and am captured by those dark eyes. "It's your first and last decision in my world. Stay with me. Stay with me as you promised."

I swallow my tears. "No. I won't stay with you. I'll never stay with you."

His face shuts down. His black eyes turn cold. "I didn't want it to turn out this way."

My lips tremble.

"I wish you'd change your mind."

"I won't. Please."

He sighs, letting his shoulders rise then fall dramatically. "Very well."

Suddenly I'm torn from Brian, hurling through the air. My friends cry out. I land face down in a pile of snow. I'm not seriously hurt, but I whimper all the same. I can hear Brian flipping out, and Tara screaming.

I lift my head just in time to witness the nameless being stick his fist through Brian's chest.

Angry red blood spurts in a straight line, staining the pure white snow beneath. Brian opens his mouth in a soundless scream..

"She was a good fuck, no?" the nameless man taunts.

Brian falls to his knees, his dying eyes scanning my face as if for confirmation this isn't truly happening. I am sure my expression offers him no such solace. His body drops to the side, almost delicately.

The nightmare man looks at me, still holding Brian's beating heart in his right fist.

Then he grins at me, throwing the heart into the snow.

X

I wake panting. Brian is beside me. I'm still wearing the short dress, though the skirt is pulled up around my hips.

Everything is okay. It's all okay.

I let out a long sigh, disappointed my nightmares are back again but relieved I'm back in the land of the living.

I'm okay. Okay. The word begins to lose meaning.

My arms and legs extend, spooning Brian.

As I stretch out, my arms touch a warm, sticky substance. Brian was dressed as a zombie earlier, so I figure it's makeup oozing out of a tube. Gross.

I put out my arm to turn on the light.

And then I scream and scream. I scream so hard that I can't scream anymore. I lose touch with everything around me. Seconds, minutes, hours pass until I come to in Tara's arms.

"Brian," is my first word.

My eyes focus and I find I'm still in my bedroom. I'm on the floor, chin to knees. Tara's arm is draped around me, rubbing my back. Tom stands over Brian's lifeless body.

"That thing," Tara says, her voice shaking, "he killed him."

My neck snaps towards her. Sad and terrified blue eyes slide to meet mine. "You were really there?"

"Absolutely."

Tom runs a hand through his hair. "What the fuck is going on?"

Then the tears come. "Oh my God! Oh my God, my God!" I am panicked, crazy.

We sit in silence for what feels like hours.

Eventually Tom kneels down beside me. "Look, I don't know what the hell is going on. I fall asleep and wake up in some winter wonderland nightmare with a stranger who tears out my best friend's heart. I wake up and find that shit to be a reality." His grey eyes squint at me. "We need to put our grief on hold so we can figure this thing out."

Tom gets up and tosses a white sheet on top of Brian's body. The blood seeps through, making the pure white appear pink. Tom grabs each of our elbows and hustles us out to the living room, closing my bedroom door behind us.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you," Tara says to me.

"How could you?" I feel as though someone is sitting on my chest. Do I tell them I fucked him? It's important information, surreal as it may be. Would they understand? Judging from the sadness weighing down their features, I figure it's not the best time.

I feel disgusting, and entirely responsible for dragging everyone into this disastrous hell. And furious with that fucking witch.

"We need a plan." Tara wipes the tears from her cheeks and takes a deep breath. "Where's that book?"

I look at her, incredulous. "Are you kidding? I don't want to fuck around with that anymore."

"It might have a way to solve this."

"Hell no."

"What are you guys talking about?" Tom asks.

"Basically Rose and I went into this witchcraft shop and bought a book of spells."

Tom stares at us blankly. "Okay."

"We think it brought about today. Or at least I do." Tara glances at me and I nod. "Yeah, we think that's what happened. There was this weird witch running the store. She recommended this book to us."

Tom's eyes flash with annoyance and he shakes his head. "I can't believe you went along with this, Rosemary. Of all fucking people. Where's the book?"

She runs to get the brown leather piece of shit. Brian lets out a sigh of disbelief when he takes it from her hands. He skims it, shaking his head every now and then. Eventually he throws it on the ground.

"Enough. I know I'm tripping on E. I must be."

I get up off the floor and spot my bloodied hands. I swallow hard, hiding them beneath my arms. "This is real. I don't know how, and I don't know why. A week ago I didn't believe in anything supernatural. Now I've lived it."

Tara comes to my side. "We need to do something, stop this somehow.."

"A spell didn't cause this." He's insistent. He paces, running his hand through his hair. "Someone slipped us drugs tonight. We thought we were dreaming. Then some fucking psychopath killed Brian." He nods with greater force, believing this reality. "Yeah."

"Tom. You know that isn't--"

"Yes, that's what fucking happened!" he snarls. "Anything else is just too fucking much!"

Tara turns back to me. "Maybe we should go back to the store. To Mina."

"I think that's the shittiest idea I've ever heard," Tom spits. "Go to the woman who you think is responsible for all of this!"

"What's your idea, huh? Call the police and say 'Oh, well, apparently we collectively hallucinated that some weirdo Rose's been dreaming about killed our friend. Sorry!'? Is that what we should do?"

"Tara, shut the fuck up. I'm trying the best I can to--"

"I met him," I interrupt in a dead voice.

"What?" Tara asks, dropping down beside me. "What are you talking about?"

"I met him after I started dreaming but then... then I dreamt of him. I didn't realize..."

Tom takes me by the arms and hauls me up. "Ro, focus. Where did you meet him?"

"The mall." I think I'm going to throw up. "This store. Beware, or something. Maybe I was dreaming."

"I've never heard of it," Tara says doubtfully. "Honey, maybe you--"

"No, it's real," I insist. "That's where I got this dress."

"Sweetie," Tara says softly, "you got this dress in Macy's."

"No, no I didn't!"

"Rose. I was with you."

"No!" I scream, shaking my head. Sobs wrack through my body and I can't breathe. "No. I met him. He sold me this. He... I met him!"

Tara wordlessly logs online and googles our mall. She shows me the screen after a few minutes. There is no store 'Beware' there.

"Maybe it's called something else."

I insist Tara and Tom drive me to the closed mall. Tom locks up the apartment and we leave Brian's lifeless body behind. We go on our aimless journey. I notice Tom and Tara share glances but I ignore it; the store is real. It existed. Exists.

We pull up and walk into the darkened mall. Gates cover eerily dim stores with mannequins that seem to stare at us as we pass. I shudder while we make our way to where I know the store was.

And that's when I see we're walking in circles. We've been walking in circles, but Tara and Tom didn't know what to say. They're sharing those looks again and I know I'm losing my mind. My fragile hold on reality is shattering.

Eventually I stop panicking and find myself in Tara's comforting arms. "We're going to figure this out, I promise. We're going to Mina."

A chill chases a shudder down my spine.

X

It's just 5am when we get to Mina's dinky shop, though it feels like it's been days since Tom's Halloween bash. Since I last saw Brian alive.

The door is predictably locked. A black cat slithers out from around the corner of the building, hissing when she sees us. This whole thing would be silly, almost laughable, if I didn't have Brian's blood on my dress.

Tom mutters something and shakes his head impatiently. His big fist slams down onto the door, shaking it with his force.

Moments pass and then the door opens, its little bells chiming as it slides to reveal Mina in a deep purple robe. She looks perfect for someone apparently roused from their sleep. Her vibrant red hair lies smoothly on her shoulders and down her back, and her eyes are bright and alert. And she doesn't look surprised to see us at all.

"Ronan," she whispers.

Either Tara doesn't hear her or she ignores her, because she stomps by her and starts ranting. Tom drags me in behind her. "What the fuck kind of spell did you give us?"

Mina softly closes the door. Only now does she appear tired, as if the dark secrets and powers she holds are suddenly too much to bear. Her pale face turns to me, and those light green eyes--so unlike the bewitching green of his--focus on me.

"My poor child."

"Explain," I beg her.

She comes over to me and touches my cheek with her cold palm. "Magic doesn't just end when the spell is finished."

Tara pushes Mina's arm from me and covers me with her body. "Enough with the enigmatic answers. Rose's dream guy pulled us all into some fucking horrible dimension and killed our friend. Explain how the fuck that happened, and how we get him to stop. Right now, or I'll strangle you with your pretty little cat."

Mina is unaffected by her threats. Her eyes still watch me, tragedy and sorrow pouring out of them.

"I made a promise," she whispers. "Ronan is a very powerful spirit."

"Spirit?" Tom scoffs.

"If it wasn't me, it would have been another witch. A harsher witch that would have laughed at your misfortune, who would have embraced this prophesy with open arms. Fools. Believe me--this is eating my heart." She sits in a wooden chair and stares at her hands. "He came to me years ago, after I completed a difficult spell eradicating another evil spirit. He tricked me, got a blood oath out of me to be his servant. Told me what he planned to do, what would happen. The words he said slithered into my brain. I cannot shut my eyes or close my ears to them; they come in the night just when I've shut out the lights." Her wide eyes move to us. "You can't know how it's tormented me. But I knew what he said would come to pass. It's in the wind. It's in every spell I do. The others like me come in weeping. Herbs turn to dust, blood turns to water."

"What the fuck are you saying? This isn't a fucking poetry class, just tell us what is happening!"

Mina's bloodshot eyes focus. "Dark spirits grow restless. They covet your lives, your skin. They want more and more. They want to own you. You will eat and shit and fuck until you die, and then you'll rot in his underworld like poor Persephone."

"He called me Persephone..." I remember.

She nods. "That would be an accurate comparison."

"What, is he Hades now?" Tara asks, throwing her hands up in frustration.

Mina almost smiles. "No. We'd have better luck if Hades was real."

"You're crazy," Tom says. "I've heard enough. Next she's going to sacrifice a chicken. Let's call the cops, okay? Enough of this magic bullshit."

Mina laughs. It's bitter and dry. "Cops? What authority do they have in the underworld?"

"Can you stop and just tell us what is going on? Who is Ronan?" Tara pleads.

"You've met Ronan. The man in your dream. He is a ghost. A very, very old ghost. A powerful one, too. He's been following your friend for quite a while." She stands and takes my hands. "Please don't hate me for giving you that spell. It was the easiest way. He wanted to rip through the walls of our world, to snatch you out and tear apart all of your loved ones so you'd have nothing left but him. I convinced him this approach was better, but I feared for your boyfriend's survival."

My throat is dry. I swallow and swallow but I feel like I'm going to choke on air. "What does he want with me? I keep asking and I never get an answer."

Mina shrugs. "No answer will satisfy you, but there is a darkness in you. It's true that tens of thousands of other girls could be in your position now and there wouldn't be any difference. But asking 'why me?' is like getting run over by a car, or losing a loved one and wondering 'why me?'. The answer is no answer." She sweeps my hair back. "He will have you. I'm so sorry."

"There's nothing we can do?" I ask. I squeeze her hand. I want my mother but she's hours away, and what can she do?

"No," Mina sighs. "The spirits-"

Tom pulls me out of her grasp. "I don't buy a word of this shit. You're talking about God and demons and--"

"I didn't breathe a word about God," Mina interrupts. "If He is real, He forsake us long ago."

Tom groans. "C'mon, let's get out of here."

The last word is barely out of his mouth when Ronan prowls into Mina's shop. The bells didn't even jingle.

"My ears were ringing. Figured you were talking about me." His eyes don't meet mine; instead he looks between Tom and Tara.

Tara holds onto my hand tightly. It isn't enough to calm me. "She's my best friend. Forever. I won't let you touch her. I'd die before I handed her over to you."

A small smile touches his face and he finally looks at me. "You have very devoted friends. A pity, really, that it has to come to this."

I open my mouth to say something, anything, but he comes towards us in a blur and whatever I intended to say turns into a scream. Tara is ripped from my arms.

He has her in his arms and holds the knife to her throat. "As you wish."

The knife slides evenly across Tara's neck. Her eyes bulge and her mouth opens as if to say something. Streams of blood cascade over her beautiful body.

A scream escapes from me and I move forward to stop it, even though it's already done. Tom pulls me back my the shoulder.

"Your hand might as well have held that blade," Ronan growls, dropping the knife and the now lifeless body of my best friend. "How many must I kill before you accept your life with me?"

Mina steps forward with a knife, screaming in some foreign tongue. She stabs her hand and pours her blood out of on the floor. She spits with each guttural phrase. Ronan is unimpressed.

"You think you can enchant me?"

She stops, shaking and crying in silence. "I thought it was worth a try."

He stalks over to her, his hand outstretched.

"Tom!" she yells. "Another knife is in the top drawer of the dresser. Be careful with it! Stab him. Kill him!"

Tom runs off. I am left to watch as Ronan stabs her again and again.

She crumples to the floor, bloody and near death. Her eyes are on me as she says, "So sorry. I tried." She takes one last rattling breath and dies on the floor.

It's only Tom and me now. His hand clasps around my wrist, so hard my hand becomes numb. Mina's knife is clutched in his other hand, but we both know it's useless now.

"Is that enough, now?" Ronan asks. "Will you finally be mine?"

I look at the bloodshed around us. I think of my mother, miles and miles away, who I will very likely never seen again. Meeting Ronan's eyes, God help her if I ever do see her again. He will eliminate her like he's eliminated everyone else.

Tom's fingers tighten around me. His thumb stokes mine; it's amazing how much comfort this little covert gesture brings me.

Sighing, I let his hand go.

"Ronan. Can I just hug my friend first?"

He examines me, looking for any trace of a lie. All he sees is resignation. "Go ahead."

I turn around and hug Tom close. A bitter smile comes to my face when I inhale his sweet cologne. I used to fantasize him so long ago, before I reconciled myself with the fact he wasn't into me. Until I fell in love with Brian.

He's strong. I can feel his muscles clench with the strength of his embrace. I can almost hear his thoughts, furiously looking for a way out of this. A way to save me.

The movement is so fast Tom can't react. I slide the knife out of his hands, spin around and charge at the thing that's haunted my nightmares for months.

Ronan's expression doesn't change, but I can make out the flicker of shock in his eyes. Maybe there's even a little fear in there, too. He doesn't defend himself.

The large, jewel-encrusted knife sinks into his flesh over and over again until he slumps onto the shop's floor. Even then I chase him down.

He stops moving. He doesn't appear to be breathing, but I doubted he ever needed to in order to survive.

"He's dead," I heard Tom murmuring. He took the knife from my hands. It fell noisily to the floor. Then he hugged me with bloody hands, pushing back the hair from my eyes so that he could look at me.

"He's dead!" Tom's voice held a cautious amount of excitement. "Rose, I think he's dead!"

Ronan's lifeless eyes are open, directed at me. A chill dances down my spine.

Tom takes me by the shoulders and lifts me up. We stand together, surveying the carnage around us. I half-expect Ronan to vanish into dust or something. But my imagination is far cheesier than real life. He rests in a pool of blood, pale and unmoving. Even dead, he evokes danger and menace.

"What do we do with the bodies?"

I look at Tom. "I don't know."

"We could call the cops."

A small laugh bursts through my tears. "What would we tell them?"

He strokes the hair that curls down my back. "I don't know."

Stained with blood and beyond exhausted, we stagger out into the early morning sun. Wind whips through my hair, whispering horrible truths and terrifying promises. Tom's hand is tight around my elbow.

He yanks out his cell and dials 911. The conversation is brief. I can make out the shock of the dispatcher. "Three dead bodies?!"

Then there is silence. We sit in the parking lot like statues, waiting for the blaring sirens to come.