the child from his grasp.
“Where are you going?” Enoch demanded petulantly. “I haven’t finished venting yet.”
Jeremy walked toward the door, a sword of fire igniting in his grasp. “You have if you don’t want to be eaten by a sea serpent,” the Nephilim said.
That shut up the wailing child.
Jeremy placed his hand on the freezing door latch and looked back to Enoch. The child sat, arms crossed, sulking.
“Thought you were going to feed me to the beast,” Enoch said in his sternest voice.
“Now would I do something mean and nasty like that?” Jeremy asked. “This shouldn’t take but a minute.” Then he stepped outside into the cold, slamming the door of the cabin closed behind him.
The serpent loomed above the cabin, its skin glistening like a rainbow in the dim light of day. Jeremy hated to admit it, but it was a beautiful sight to see.
But then the beast opened its mouth in a roar as it saw him standing there, showing off rows of milky-white, hooked teeth. He could just imagine the damage they could do whenbiting into tender flesh.
So much for beauty, Jeremy thought, sprouting his wings and flying at the beast, preparing his weapon of crackling flame to strike.
He could be pretty damaging when he wanted to be as well.
* * *
“It’s all about choices,” Tom Stanley said, his face having burned away to reveal a yellowed and charring skull.
Aaron wanted to scream and run, but he knew it would be pointless. Where was he going to go in all this darkness?
He couldn’t stand to look at his foster dad, choosing instead to focus on Lori, his foster mom. She didn’t look quite so horrible, even though her skin was burning too.
“What kind of choices?” Aaron asked. “I don’t understand.”
He wanted to believe that this was all some sort of nightmare, but no matter how hard he tried to wake himself, how hard he pinched the flesh of his arms and legs, he wasn’t waking up.
Which meant that this was somehow real.
“You’re in a bad way, Aaron,” Lori said, puffs of smoke leaking from her mouth.
“What do you mean by a ‘bad way’? I’m fine—or at least I was until I got in the elevator tonight and . . .”
“And it all disappeared,” Tom finished with a knowing nod. “That’s what we’re trying to tell you, son. None of it was real.”
Aaron just stared, dumbfounded, having no clue how to respond.
Lori stepped closer, and Aaron pulled away. He could see that his actions were hurting her feelings, but he couldn’t really help that right now. He needed to know what the hell was happening to him.
“None of this is real,” Lori said, and then sighed. “Your job, your office, your life outside this place . . .”
It was as if somebody had taken a sledgehammer to his stomach.
“My life outside . . .” He couldn’t even bring himself to finish. “This is crazy. Insane. You’re not real. You’re the figments of my imagination. . . .”
“We are,” Tom agreed. “But we’re your subconscious, here to try and help you.”
Aaron’s legs had become like rubber, and he was having a difficult time standing. “Help me? How are you helping me by telling me that everything I know and love . . .” Aaron stopped as more horror crept up on him.
“Wait,” he said. “Vilma and Jeremy . . .”
His foster parents remained silent.
“Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!” Aaron cried out, bending over in agony. “So this pain . . . isn’t real either,” he gasped.
“No,” Tom said. “The pain is very real.”
Lori reached out a flaming hand and laid it on his shoulder. “We just want to help you, Aaron.”
The pain was getting stronger. It was like he was being stabbed with a large knife—or sword.
“What—what’s happening to me . . .”
The pain was incredible, and getting stronger.
“Your body is forcing you to make up your mind,” Tom said. Most of his lower face had been reduced to bone.
Aaron fell to his knees, shivering in a
“Where are you going?” Enoch demanded petulantly. “I haven’t finished venting yet.”
Jeremy walked toward the door, a sword of fire igniting in his grasp. “You have if you don’t want to be eaten by a sea serpent,” the Nephilim said.
That shut up the wailing child.
Jeremy placed his hand on the freezing door latch and looked back to Enoch. The child sat, arms crossed, sulking.
“Thought you were going to feed me to the beast,” Enoch said in his sternest voice.
“Now would I do something mean and nasty like that?” Jeremy asked. “This shouldn’t take but a minute.” Then he stepped outside into the cold, slamming the door of the cabin closed behind him.
The serpent loomed above the cabin, its skin glistening like a rainbow in the dim light of day. Jeremy hated to admit it, but it was a beautiful sight to see.
But then the beast opened its mouth in a roar as it saw him standing there, showing off rows of milky-white, hooked teeth. He could just imagine the damage they could do whenbiting into tender flesh.
So much for beauty, Jeremy thought, sprouting his wings and flying at the beast, preparing his weapon of crackling flame to strike.
He could be pretty damaging when he wanted to be as well.
* * *
“It’s all about choices,” Tom Stanley said, his face having burned away to reveal a yellowed and charring skull.
Aaron wanted to scream and run, but he knew it would be pointless. Where was he going to go in all this darkness?
He couldn’t stand to look at his foster dad, choosing instead to focus on Lori, his foster mom. She didn’t look quite so horrible, even though her skin was burning too.
“What kind of choices?” Aaron asked. “I don’t understand.”
He wanted to believe that this was all some sort of nightmare, but no matter how hard he tried to wake himself, how hard he pinched the flesh of his arms and legs, he wasn’t waking up.
Which meant that this was somehow real.
“You’re in a bad way, Aaron,” Lori said, puffs of smoke leaking from her mouth.
“What do you mean by a ‘bad way’? I’m fine—or at least I was until I got in the elevator tonight and . . .”
“And it all disappeared,” Tom finished with a knowing nod. “That’s what we’re trying to tell you, son. None of it was real.”
Aaron just stared, dumbfounded, having no clue how to respond.
Lori stepped closer, and Aaron pulled away. He could see that his actions were hurting her feelings, but he couldn’t really help that right now. He needed to know what the hell was happening to him.
“None of this is real,” Lori said, and then sighed. “Your job, your office, your life outside this place . . .”
It was as if somebody had taken a sledgehammer to his stomach.
“My life outside . . .” He couldn’t even bring himself to finish. “This is crazy. Insane. You’re not real. You’re the figments of my imagination. . . .”
“We are,” Tom agreed. “But we’re your subconscious, here to try and help you.”
Aaron’s legs had become like rubber, and he was having a difficult time standing. “Help me? How are you helping me by telling me that everything I know and love . . .” Aaron stopped as more horror crept up on him.
“Wait,” he said. “Vilma and Jeremy . . .”
His foster parents remained silent.
“Arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh!” Aaron cried out, bending over in agony. “So this pain . . . isn’t real either,” he gasped.
“No,” Tom said. “The pain is very real.”
Lori reached out a flaming hand and laid it on his shoulder. “We just want to help you, Aaron.”
The pain was getting stronger. It was like he was being stabbed with a large knife—or sword.
“What—what’s happening to me . . .”
The pain was incredible, and getting stronger.
“Your body is forcing you to make up your mind,” Tom said. Most of his lower face had been reduced to bone.
Aaron fell to his knees, shivering in a
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