AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The In-Between
Run! The dog barked and barked. Run, Loren! Don’t stop. You need to keep running!
“Where?” she panted. There was nowhere to go. Another seven feet, and she would be out of path. Down she would fall, into the unknown. It terrified her.
The Widow’s otherworldly voice, ancient yet young, shot into her mind. Words spoken in a blue-lit cavern. ‘He who wishes to return to life must take a leap of faith.’
A new light shone ahead—brighter than all the stars. Brighter than the moon, if there had been one. Was she imagining it? The light? Creating a way out for herself?
Was it all a lie?
But then she heard a voice. A powerful male voice, calling out her name.
“I need you to fight, baby,” the voice was saying. “I’m right here—I’m not going anywhere.” Loren sobbed, and for the first time since she had awoken in this strange place, she could have sworn she felt the splash of tears on her cheeks.
That voice—it was so broken, yet so strong, and the emotion in it nearly shattered her, nearly buckled her knees. She picked up her dress with both hands and ran faster.
“I’m not leaving you,” the voice said, “not now—not ever. Come on, Loren. I believe in you—you can do this!”
Behind her, the last few feet of path fell away.
And up ahead, the path ended.
With a ragged inhale, she pushed off the ground and threw herself into the unknown, a dog on either side of her, aiming for that voice—
Her leap of faith.
Darien dropped his fist again.
And again.
And again.
And again—
Bandit materialized in a swarm of black mist, tumbling out of Loren’s shadow and splashing through the water on the floor.
Darien kept shouting, kept pounding his fist on the table. “Wake up!” Bang. “Wake up!” Bang!
Bandit scrabbled to his feet and sprinted to Darien’s side. Keep going! he shouted. Strained barks tore through the room. The alarm kept wailing. Come on! Bandit begged, leaping to see better. Bark! Come on!
“Wake up!” Bang. “Wake.” Bang! “The.” Bang! “Fuck!” BANG! “UPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!”
Magic tore through the room in a rainbow hurricane, blinding him and covering everything with effervescent color and light.
A breathy, broken sob that didn’t belong to Darien cleaved the room.
Bandit stopped barking.
Darien held his breath.
The colors and shadows dropped to the floor in a fog and curled away—
And Loren opened her eyes.
Part Three
THE DUNES
