I Was Free Once

Chapter 15

The warmth she carried traveled through my body faster than thunder. At first, I wanted to pull away and slap her. But then, I remembered her.

I remembered everything.

She backed away from me, fearful of my reaction. I walked over to her. Her blue eyes showed a nervous look, instead of their usual calmness. I looked deep into her eyes and kissed her back. Her tension eased as her soft lips pressed against mine. I looked at her, and seeing her still crying, wiped a tear off her cheek.

“Julia, I missed you.” I felt a tear roll down my own cheek. “I thought you were dead.”

“Darien, what happened to you? I had hoped it wouldn’t come to this…”

“I never wanted you to see me like this. I never wanted to see myself like this either. Julia, I didn’t want you to know about this side of me. I wanted our love to be blissful.”

“Darien, I wanted a blissful love too, but—”

“What the fuck is going on?!” I heard a raspy voice say from behind me. I turned to see my father standing on the other side of the room. “You were supposed to be killing her!” he shouted. He walked over towards me. I shielded Julia, so he couldn’t get to her.

“Well, I changed my mind. Remembered I still had a soul…and my mother’s blood. Thanks for the option, though.” My body was thrown across the room to him. I landed on my hands and knees, as I did when I was a child.

“This isn’t an option, Darien. You already chose the way you wanted to go.” He picked me up by my neck. “Now, you’re going to have to do as I say. And, I say kill her!”

“Eat shit and die,” I struggled to say.

He threw me against the post. Immediately the shackles I had broken were fixed again, chaining me again to that post. I stood up and faced him once again, but now he was holding Julia in his one arm. He was stroking her cheek with the claw of the other arm. It was easy to tell that she was under a curse of his and was unable to move.

“Let her go, you son of a bitch!” I shouted, trying to free myself.

“I have a better idea. Why don’t I play with her hair a bit?” He took a lock of her hair and twirled it around his finger. “How do you like that, sweet pea?” he asked Julia.

“You bastard,” she replied. I struggled against the shackles, but still could not break free of them. I could see Julia trying to fight off the curse.

“Well,” continued my father, “since you both loved that so much, I think I’ll be suave.” He picked up her hand and kissed it, like a Frenchman in an old romance novel. I yelled out in fury, as he continued to go up her arm with kisses.

“You are the biggest asshole I’ve ever met,” Julia spat at him.

“That’s just my personality,” he replied.

I continued to furiously fight against the shackles. Suddenly, the pole sticking out of the ground loosened. My father hadn’t noticed it. He was too busy trying to give Julia a hickey. Letting out an indecipherable scream, I turned quickly with the pole, knocking him off his feet. His concentration broken, the shackles released my wrists and Julia crawled towards the opening of the room.

“Get as far away from here as you can,” I quickly told Julia. “I’ll take care of him.” She ran into the dark hallway and her footsteps quickly disappeared.

I turned back around to see my father staggering as if he were drunk. I saw blood running from his mouth for the first time. He looked quite weak. Not as strong as you thought, are you? I walked over to him, picking up the pole again, and bashed him over the head with it.

“Don’t you ever,” I started, while continuing to hit him with the pole, “even look at Julia that way again, you damn piece of shit, fucking son of a bitch!” I picked him up off the floor and pushed him against the wall. “Oh wait, you won’t be able to, because this is the last time you’ll see anything!” Out of complete rage I gouged out his eyes, one by one. I had hit his weak spot. Immediately, his power started draining from him. I threw him on the floor next to where Sal’s dead body was still lying.

“You fool!” he shouted, covering his eye sockets. “You don’t know what you’re doing!”

“Yes, I do. I’m killing you.” I picked up the dagger on the floor next to Sal’s feet.

“No, you’re destroying a prophecy! You get to choose which race survives until the end of time!” I paused, thinking of the vision I had had back at Sal’s house. “You can’t choose the angel side, your demon side shows. And, if you kill me, you can’t choose this side either.” I thought for a moment, considering what he had just said. “You really only have one choice.”

“So you’re telling me because of this prophecy, there’s no way I can kill you right now? That something’s going to magically stop me from avenging the death and pain I’ve suffered for so many years.” I felt my temper rising yet again.

“You have to choose one race. You’re the chosen one.” He was still sitting on the ground covering his eye sockets. I picked him up off the ground.

“What happens when I kill you?” He shook his head trying to find an answer.

“Pure chaos will erupt across the world. Eventually, a war will break out causing death until there’s no one left. Do you really want to be responsible for the apocalypse?” He let go of his eye sockets and turned his head towards me, as if he could still see me.

“After today, I’ll only feel guilty of two things: Sal’s murder and not being able to kill you sooner.” I held the dagger at the ready. “Burn in Hell.” And with that statement, I cut his throat and stabbed him straight through his cold, black heart.

A chill ran through the room, extinguishing all the torches surrounded the room. A black darkness erupted from the body of my father, covering the entire room. I couldn’t see anything for a moment, but slowly it dissipated and the torches relit.

My father’s limp body fell to the ground next to Sal’s. I removed the dagger from him and picking up Sal’s body, left the circular room.