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I spotted the small confines of that familiar cage, cold and harsh, and it felt like it was mocking me. It was so restricting, and I remembered how it barely gave me room to move, to breathe. I scraped my fingers on the floor, hoping for something to hold onto and delay what was coming. But it was all useless. Within seconds, the man had shoved me into the cage. The door closed with a resounding clang, sealing me inside.
“Serves you right?” The guard smirked at me before walking out, slamming the door behind him and the silence slowly drowned me.
I pressed my palms against the hard bars, the cold metal biting into my skin. The cage, a constant reminder of how powerless I was. I felt like it was squeezing the air from my lungs. In that small, lonely space, I let the tears fall. All the while hoping for something that I’d never thought possible. Hoping he’d find me and make good on his promise.
14
SPECTRE
Ididn’t waste any time. I didn’t care if I didn’t sleep or eat. All I wanted was to get to the location Exorcist had given me. Revving up the engine, it only took me a whole ten hours to get out of Seattle, riding through the night to get to the Nevada desert. The hours blurred and I could feel the exhaustion weighing on my shoulders, but I was fueled by desperation and a determination to save Raven.
The road stretched endlessly, and the desert mountains surrounded me. The temperature had dropped, keeping me awake as I pushed through my weariness. But nothing was going to stop me.
I remembered her soft melodic voice in my ear, the sweetness of her engulfing my senses. I’d never met anyone like her. My wife was soft, gentle, and kind. The complete opposite of who I was. I loved her with every fiber of my being, or so I thought. She was my first love, that high school sweetheart type of feel. Pure. Innocent.
I thought all love was the same until I found Raven. She was this power that seduced me in ways I’d never thought possible. She was so unlike my Mary. While my wife had been bright, Raven held her own personal darkness, one that matched my own. She was both sex and sweetness. A temptation I didn’t want to deny myself, an innocence I longed to corrupt. I was growing angry at my wife for leaving me and that wasn’t right, not to me or her. It had been so long since anyone had touched me. I felt guilt, I felt that life wasn't fair, and Raven provided me with that moment to lose myself in something other than this depression that dared to consume me.
I was a selfish fuck but I had my own reasons to get her out of there. I wanted her to be with me. I didn’t care if it meant she’d go from one cage to one of my own making. She was better off with a bastard like me anyway. Maybe the devil was right, and I did belong in that burning hell.
Dawn painted the sky in those all familiar hues of pink and gold as I arrived at the coordinates Exorcist had given me. The seer's house emerged from the desert landscape like a mirage. It was a solitary structure surrounded by nothingness. Its isolation added an eeriness to it, as if it existed in a twisted realm beyond the boundaries where a human should step foot into.
I cautiously approached, the only sound heard was the crushing of my boots against the desert floor. The air was thick with a magical energy, as if the very essence of the desert held its own secrets.
The door of the seer's cottage creaked open, revealing Elara standing in the dim light. Her eyes, ageless and penetrating, met mine with a knowing gaze. I froze, and there was a silence that spoke volumes, and I held my breath in anticipation.
I already knew what was coming. Elara was a woman of Native American descent, and like all her people, her presence spoke of a wisdom that had been carried from generation to generation. Her skin had a richness of earthy tones to it, deep lines penetrated the corners of her eyes, and her eyes spoke of a deep connection to the land and the spirits that dwelled there. The desert wind whispered through her dark hair, as she slowly made her way down the porch steps.
“I was wondering when you’d come by. Come in,” she gestured to the doorway.
I looked at the entrance, the house stood very still, as if it was its own entity. I swallowed hard, remembering Exorcists instructions.
“There are three things you need to remember, brother. First, you have to understand that you’re entering a sacred space and that there’s energies in there so ancient, they deserve your respect. So you need to enter with humility or don’t even bother, those energies will freak you the fuck out. Second, you wait at that entrance until the desert speaks to you.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Just listen, dammit. You stand out there and listen to the wind, the spirits know you’re there, they’ll let you in.”
“Okay,” I murmured, slowly writing it down.
“Make sure you state your purpose as you enter. And let them know your intention is not to hurt Elara, you’re just wanting guidance.”
“Yeah, I could do that.”
“And lastly, you enter silently and with a humble heart. That house…it’s a conduit between us and the spirit world. You let Elara lead you where she wants you as soon as you enter.”
“You sure this is gonna work?”
“You follow my instructions and you’ll be golden, Pony Boy.”
I held my breath as I did what Exorcist had instructed. As I approached the entrance, I stilled, and the wind swept around me. Suddenly there was whispering around me, so many voices. I shut my eyes, trying to concentrate on one, when suddenly a soft voice whispered in my ear.
“Enter.”
I step through the door and I stated I wasn’t there to hurt anyone. Suddenly the whispers quieted and when I turned, Elara was standing at the doorway smiling.
“I apologize. My ancestors don’t trust easily. But I see my Reapers have taught you well.”
I followed her into the back of the house which was a lot more normal than I thought it would be. Indigenous relics decorated the house, and soft quilts with colorful patterns brought warmth to it. The rays of the sun filtered through the windows giving it a warm glow.
