Authors: Apryl Baker
“My heart hurts sooo much. “You have to fight it, Dan,” I whisper. “Please.”
“It’s so beautiful, Mattie. It feels…”
Dan begins.
NO! “I don’t care how it feels!” I yell, not caring that everyone is staring at me. “If you go into that light, you’re gone. Don’t leave me, Dan.
Please
, don’t leave me.”
“Squirt…”
He takes a step closer to the light. I can feel the pull it has on him because I can feel
him
. The background noise of the EMTs working dims. All I hear and see is Dan.
“Please, Dan, please don’t go. You
promised
me. You said you were in it for the long haul. Don’t lie to me again. Please, please stay here with me. Please…” The last word breaks on a sob.
“I’m trying, Mattie, I swear I’m trying, but the light, it’s pulling me into it. I can’t move away from the light.”
Whatever is in that light is going to bugger off. Dan belongs to me. I concentrate on the doorway of light. I’ve never tried to see into it before, but I need to know how to fight this. I dig deep and find the place where my Reaping abilities stay hidden most of the time. In my mind, it’s a dark and murky lake. I imagine myself falling into it, immersing myself in those cold dark waters. When I break free to the surface, I
am
the lake. I am the Reaper and this time…when I look into the light, I can
see
.
There is joy and love in that light. A thin net leaks out from the light, much like a spider’s web. On the other side, I can see the Reaper standing there, waiting to lead Dan through The Between. He stares at me from his side of the light with eyes full of sorrow. That sorrow is for me, and pity.
Don’t ever pity Mattie Hathaway.
I reach out with my own little web of light, and wrap it tightly around Dan. The
Reaper frowns and shakes his head. I can hear him within.
“What are you doing? It is his time,”
the stern voice states.
“No, it’s NOT his time!”
I mentally shout.
“He belongs to me and you can’t have him.”
The monitor in the background is still flat-lining. Now they’re using the portable
defibrillator, trying to restart his heart.
“He’s dying, child. You need to let him go. If he doesn’t come, then you cause the natural cycle of life to tilt, to change. He’s supposed to come with me now.”
The Reaper is stronger than I am, his pull much more forceful. He’s a full Reaper and I’m not. My abilities are new, untrained, and I can’t hold Dan. I can feel him fight, struggle to stay with me, but it’s not working.
“SILAS!” I scream.
“Where?” Mr. Malone is at my side in an instant.
“Be quiet,” I hiss. Sweat breaks out across my forehead as I struggle to hold onto Dan. “SILAS!”
Silas pops into the room. His eyes sweep the scene. “You rang?”
“I need your help,” I tell him, ignoring Mr. Malone, who takes a step away from Silas. The EMTs are too busy with Dan to pay attention to us.
“I can see that,” he purrs. “What will you give me in return?”
“You said I had a freebie,” I snarl. “This is my freebie since
you
caused this!”
Silas cocks his head, studying me. “I never said which freebie I would grant. He is just a chess piece on the elaborate board we are moving on, Emma Rose.
His death does not matter in the grand scheme of things.”
That rage I felt before is back in an instant, and sears every cell in my body. Then I plunge into that place inside that scares me, the place where I
can kill without a moment’s thought. I close my eyes, letting my mind settle into the cold, white light. When I open them, Mr. Malone
and
Silas step back, slowly sliding away from me.
Little does Silas know that I am only getting started. “
You
are the one responsible for this, Silas. Do you think I won’t find a way to destroy you if he dies? First, I will string you up, flay every speck of skin from
your
pathetic bones, and laugh while I do it. Second, I will drain you dry and use it to immortalize you in
my
work, making sure you feel the agony of your own death for as long as I choose. Do you really understand what I will do to you if you let him take Dan from me?”
Silas watches my face, gauging how serious I am.
I growl and take a step toward him. He flinches back. “I will kill you if he dies, Silas. I swear it.”
Silas stands straighter, his decision made. He doesn’t get close to me, however. I think he truly knows in this moment I will kill him no matter the cost to me.
“Your eyes are black, my darling girl. You’ve found that part of yourself I need. You’ve pleased me so much, my sweet child, I will help your Officer Dan.”
Silas turns and stares into the light. The
Reaper on the other side gasps and then the web of light holding Dan disintegrates. Silas nods. “
You
must release him as well, Emma Rose.”
Once I let him go, Silas starts to speak in a language I’ve never even come close to hearing. It’s old
, beautiful, and hauntingly familiar.
The monitor starts to
beep slowly behind me. They’ve found a pulse. I hear them rushing to lay Dan onto a gurney so they can load him up and get him to the hospital in a big hurry. He’s alive. I turn to see…nothing.
“Where is he?” The fear in my voice is hard to mask, and I don’t care.
“He’s still here, dear girl,” Silas says soothingly. “I had to hide him from the Reapers and that includes
you
. You can’t see him, but he’s here and can hear every word you say. The choice to live or die is truly up to him now.”
I nod. At least he’s safe from the Reapers.
“You must stay close to him, Emma Rose. I tethered his soul to yours, and if you have any hope of returning it, you can’t stray too far from his body. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” I whisper. “He won’t leave me.”
“Mattie…”
“No!” I glare at Silas. “He won’t leave me.” Please, please don’t leave me. My vision blurs and I sway, falling to my knees. Dan can’t die, he can’t leave me alone.
Please, God, please don’t take him from me.
Then the world goes black.
Three days.
“She hasn’t said a word since we got here,” Mr. Malone says.
It takes three days for the soul to complete its journey from here to the next plane of existence. I don’t know how I know, I just do.
“Has she eaten anything?” Nancy asks.
He looks so pale and helpless lying there.
“Maybe we should make her go home?” Mrs. Cross suggests.
Why won’t he wake up?
“No,” Mr. Malone says. “That might make it worse if you force her to leave.”
Massive head trauma with a brain bleed.
“Dan didn’t leave her the entire time after…well, he stayed by her side,” Mr. Richards murmurs. “If she wants to stay with him, then she can.”
The longer he stays in his coma, the less likely it is he’ll wake up.
“She needs to eat,” Nancy worries.
Three days…is he giving up?
“I’ll make sure she eats and takes a shower,” Eli promises. “Just, Mr. Richards, I know Dan’s mom doesn’t want her here…could you let me know when you’re bringing her by so I can try to keep Mattie out of her crosshairs?”
Dan’s mom blames me and she’s right. This,
this
really is my fault.
“Of course
.” Mr. Richards sighs. “I’m not bringing her back until tomorrow so you’re good for the rest of the night.”
I just want him to open his eyes again.
“Son, I’m taking your mother and Benny home,” Mr. Malone says, his voice quiet. “Caleb and Ava are in the waiting room if you need anything.”
Please, please, open your eyes.
Eli shuffles over to me. “I’m going to go grab something for us to eat in the cafeteria, Hilda. I’ll be back in just a bit.” His lips feel so warm against my cold skin.
The door swishes shut and it gets so quiet, all I hear is the steady sound of the machines and my own heart pounding in my ears. My hands release Dan’s and I brush the hair back from his forehead. The bandage wrapped around his head is a glaring white against all his chocolate brown hair.
~~~~~~
DAN ~~~~~~
“What if I promise to forgive Meg and be nice to her again?” She leans up to my ear and whispers, “Will you wake up for me then?”
I want to wake up…but I can’t!
I’ve screamed, shouted, begged, but she can’t hear me, can’t see me.
No one can.
I can only watch and listen while the people I love suffer. If I could just let them know I’m here, that I’m trying to come back…I turn and slam my fist into the wall. It goes straight through. It doesn’t hurt, doesn’t relieve any of the anger and frustration inside.
Mattie climbs up into the bed with me and curls into my side. Tears fall from her eyes. I’ve tried to touch her, to let her know I’m here, but I can’t get near her. It’s like there’s a brick wall between us and no matter what I do, I can’t climb over it.
“Don’t give up on me,” she whispers, her voice broken and bruised. “Please, Dan, don’t give up. I need you.”
I hurt so much for her, and I’m not giving up. I just don’t know how to come back. I move to the other side of the bed and watch helplessly as silent sobs shake my Mattie. She’s hurting and I can’t help her. It’s killing me. She’s begged me since she hit my bedside to wake up, to not say good-bye.
Good-bye. It feels like I
should
say that word. Everything in me says to give in and say good-bye, but then I see my little Squirt and I can’t do it. I won’t do it. I will
never
say good-bye to her.
My mom was here earlier. She told me it was okay to say good-bye, to let go.
Mattie went after her like a banshee.
If Dad hadn’t been here, I’m not sure what might have happened. He rushed her out about the time Mattie broke free of Eli’s grasp. It’s the only time
any of the rest of them have seen her move. When the others aren’t here, she talks to me, whispers to me. I can feel her breath tickle my ear when she does that. Like right now, I can feel her pressed against my side. I just wish I knew how to let her know I’m here, that I can feel her, hear her pleas.
She hiccups and buries her face into my chest. I feel the wetness of her tears soak my shirt. Her pain and grief cut straight through me. I feel it all. I have a direct link to her feelings. Her guilt, her pain, her anger, her fear…it settles in my chest.
The only thing I want to do is tell her it’ll be okay, to touch her, to let her know she’s not alone.
“Hey, sweetheart, you shouldn’t be there. The nurse will have a fit.” Eli sets the food he’s brought up on the small table in the room. “How about a shower, hmm? Do you really think Dan’s appreciating the smell right about now?” He pulls her up and guides her towards the bathroom. “Mary brought you some fresh clothes and your shampoo.”
Mattie glances back at the bed, at me, panic on her face.
“Shhh, I’ll sit with him, get cleaned up. When you’re done, you can eat the burger I brought you. If you collapse from lack of food, it’s not going to do Dan a bit of good. Now go on.” He pushes her into the bathroom and closes the door.
When he falls into the chair by the bed, I move a little to the side. My brother looks haggard, worn, and tired. Mattie is scaring him. She’s scaring me, too. I wish I could tell him how worried I am about her.
“I don’t know if you can hear me or not,” Eli whispers, staring at my body lying on the bed. “I hope you can. I wanted to tell you I was sorry. I shouldn’t have turned in your mom like I did. It was wrong. You need to know I’m sorry, that I regret it.”
He sighs and leans forward, his elbows on his knees, his face in his hands. “I know I’ve been an ass, but that’s me. I want you to wake up, man. I need you to. You’re my brother and that means something to me.”
He brushes a tear out of his eyes and I swallow. I didn’t expect tears from him. Ava’s already broken down and pleaded with me. Eli
, though? His caring is a surprise. It unnerves me. I reach out, but stop. I can’t touch him.
“Wake up so I can try to make it up to you. Wake up so I can be your brother. I miss you calling me little brother, ya know? I loved that you did that, that you tried despite what I did to your family. You
were trying and I wasn’t. I promise I’ll try, Dan. I swear to God, I’ll try if you just wake up. Please.”