“We’ll be there today,” I told him.
“Now, listen. If this is the advanced stages of possession, then the entity will try to take over a body permanently, which means killing the soul of the rightful owner of that body. Be on the lookout for it to come to the surface. They have abilities - telekinesis, throwing fire, conjuring hallucinations. You name it, a demon can do it.”
“Got it. Super powers, great,” I muttered.
“Now, listen. This is very important. Do not leave him alone,” he stated. “If a demon is found out, they’ll kill the person instead of the soul. And they’ll do as much damage as they can on the way out.”
“He ran off,” I admitted, my stomach knots growing knots.
“Find him and get him here. We’ll examine him when he arrives,” he told me.
“We will.” I hung up and turned to the others. “Not good. We need to find him, now. It’s going to try to kill him.” I turned to Miles. “We need something to knock him out.”
Miles nodded. “I’ll take care of the plane, Hades, and the medication. You guys find him.”
Everyone split up. When I started the Blazer my hands were trembling. I took deep breaths and let them out slowly.
We had to find him. There was no other option. We had to.
Ethan
I didn't even stop for the stop sign at the intersection. There were no cars, so I just drove through. My heart was racing in my chest. My clammy hands gripped the wheel. It was a job just to breathe.
"Ethan, calm down. We aren't going to help him if we're in another accident,” Miles announced, reminding me he was in the car.
I cursed as I slowed down to only five miles over the speed limit. "He's going to..." Bile rose in my throat. I couldn't even say it.
"We'll find him,” he reassured me.
"Yeah, how?" I snapped as I turned the wheel. "We don't know everyone he knows!" I hit the brakes hard. The car screeched to a halt at the stop light. I couldn't lose him too. I couldn't seem to breathe. Taking deep breaths, my chest ached as if it were replaced with a deep, burning pit. My control was paper thin. Everything I was, shook. I couldn't do it again...
"Deep breaths," Miles ordered.
I did as he said.
"Now, Zeke and Asher are out looking too. So is Lexie. We'll find him,” he promised. I swallowed hard and nodded as my eyes burned. I just... couldn't...
Lexie
We spent the next two hours looking for him. We were running out of time. The knot in my chest was pulling tighter and tighter. The longer it took, the harder it was to breathe. My phone rang. I looked at it in the holder and hit the button as I pulled off the highway.
“Cookie Monster?”
“Lexie…” Isaac’s voice was so strained I couldn’t take it.
“Where are you?” I asked, running my hand through my hair.
“I need you,” he whispered, his voice shaking.
“You got me,” I said instantly. “Tell me where you are and I’ll come to you.”
“The scenic overlook off ninety-three north. It’s about three miles outside of town,” he said absently. I wasn’t even a mile away. “Hurry.” The phone went dead. I floored it. My heart raced as I sped out to the overlook. I hit my speed dial.
“Did you find him?” Zeke demanded.
“He called me. He’s at the overlook off ninety-three north. Three miles outside of town. He asked me to come,” I practically shouted into the phone.
“Not alone!” Zeke shouted.
“Then follow! I’m already here.” I hit the brakes and skidded to a stop in the almost empty parking lot. My eyes were on Isaac, standing on the other side of the railing, five feet out at the edge of the cliff. “Hurry.”
I left my phone and jumped out of the truck, not even bothering to shut it off. I ran to the railing, climbed over, and went straight to him.
“Isaac,” I called gently as I walked slowly towards him. That black shadow covered him, moving constantly over his skin as he looked down at the floor of the valley, over three hundred feet down. I got no response. I moved closer. “Cookie Monster.” I kept my voice soft.
“Lexie.” His voice cracked. My throat grew tight at the sound.
“I’m here.” I swallowed hard as I eyed the edge. “What are you doing?”
He shook his head hard. The shadows moved away from his face.
“I want it over, Lexie,” he whispered. My heart stopped. “I can’t take it anymore.”
“Talk to me,” I begged.
“I killed her.” His voice was so quiet I barely heard him. “It’s my fault she’s dead.” My heart shattered. Isaac…
“No, you didn’t,” I told him firmly. He looked at me over his shoulder.
“I could have left the car,” he growled, his eyes tinged red. “I could have gotten help.” I shook my head.
“The accident was still happening, Isaac. You would have been killed too,” I pointed out. He looked back down at the valley floor. “With her injuries, there was nothing you could have done except be with her.”
“I smothered her!” he growled. His hands moved to his head, his fingers digging into his scalp. He closed his eyes tight and shook his head. Tears fell down his face.
“What?” I couldn’t believe he said that. “No, you didn’t…”
His tortured eyes met mine. “I smothered her. I remember doing it.”
“No, you didn’t, Isaac. You made sure that in her last moments she knew she was loved and treasured,” I assured him, my eyes burning. “That’s what she told me before she crossed. You made it so she wasn’t scared to die. You have no idea how much that meant to her. That was all you did. It was all you could do.”
The black shadow moved over his head again. This time I heard the whispering.
“Don’t listen to the voice telling you that it’s your fault. That’s not you, Isaac!” My hands shook.
“Bullshit.” He turned to glare at me, his hands dropping from his head. “It’s been there since the day she died.”
“But now there’s a new one, right?” I asked, carefully stepping closer. “This one is worse, telling you that you should leave the people who love you.” I looked down at the cliff. “Telling you to do something that you know you will kill all of us.” Isaac shook his head, blinking hard.
“It’s loud,” he said softly.
“That’s not you, Cookie Monster,” I told him adamantly. “That’s why we’ve been looking for you since you ran off.” The shadow fell back down his neck. “It’s the demon from Cara’s house. It latched onto you and I didn’t see it. It’s trying to kill you.”
He chuckled darkly; the shadow moved up his neck again.
“I’ve been trying for a long time,” he admitted, looking down at the valley a thousand feet below. “Maybe it’s time.”
“No.” I strode towards him. The shadows darkened. Isaac warned me off with his hand out. I stopped a couple feet away.
“Don’t come any closer, Red,” he snarled. “I want to hurt you. To pound my fist into your face until you stop talking.” Tears fell down his face faster. “Don’t let me… please…”
Isaac looked like he was listening to the voice again. The black shadow surged over his face.
“It’s right,” he whispered. “I’m the piece of shit that let her die. I hurt you and I wanted to do it.”
“Isaac, I can’t imagine this world without you,” I said desperately, my voice cracking. Fresh tears started falling down my face at just the thought.
“I don’t deserve to live,” he said softly as he looked out at the drop again. I slowly stepped closer.
“That’s not you, Isaac,” I told him vehemently. “You’re my Cookie Monster.”
I stepped even closer.
“You enjoy the little things. You sing a song every time you have tuna for lunch.”
The black shadow lightened over his head.
“You love pranks, silly string, and using me as a shield when you run away from the guys.”
His entire body went rigid. The shadow surged over his head.
“Isaac, you don’t have to hide from me. You never have to hide from me.”
“I let her die. I killed her....” he rasped, his entire body shaking.
“You didn't smother her. You didn't cause the wreck,” I told him.