Author's Note: Due to the fact that there's some pretty dark stuff in this one, I don't suggest reading it if you have a heart condition, are or may become pregnant, or have a pre-existing condition. But seriously, this one is a little scary. You have been forewarned.
Rayne
My cell phone vibrated against my leg. Azi glanced over from the drivers side, identified the source of the noise, and replaced his eyes on the road. I was glad that something had finally broken the silence that surrounded us like lead.
I took it out and checked the caller I.D. Sean Allen.
I flipped it open. "Bonjour?"
"Don't say anything, Rayne. Not a word." It was Sean's voice I was listening to, definitely, but the harsh hatred it held was disorientating. His voice was not meant for anger. "Are you alone? Yes or no will do."
"Sean, what's wrong-"
"Not a word." He reminded me. "Now. Are you alone?"
"No."
"Azi?"
"Yes."
A frustrated sigh blew into the phone. "Rayne, you need to listen. Carefully."
"Sean, what's going-"
"Just listen. Azi wants to hurt you, Rayray. You need to get out of the car."
What? What was going on here? Where did Sean get the idea that Azi wanted to hurt me?
"Sean, I'm fine."
Another frustrated exhalation. "Just do it. Tell him you need to use the bathroom. Go into the rest area and escape through another door. Or just jump out of the car. Just get out of there!"
"You're being ridiculous. Azi isn't-"
"Don't say his name! He'll know . . . He can't know . . ."
"Nothing's going to hurt me, Sean. You're so paranoid. Just sit tight, I'll ask Azi to swing by and pick you up on the way home."
"I'm at your house already." He hesitated for a second. "I can't tell you why, not yet. There's not enough time. Just . . . Escape and get yourself home, where we can keep an eye on you."
"We?"
"Grace and I . . ."
"Grace? That psychopath? Come on, Sean, you can't believe anything she says. You know as well as I do that she hates me. She's probably just jealous . . ."
"Rayne!" Sean was yelling now, furious. "Are you being intentionally stupid or do you have some kind of psychotic death wish?"
"Sean . . . I . . ."
"No, is that it? You want to die?" I heard the hysterical edge in his voice and it hurt. "You do. I know the answer . . . Rayne, I love you so much . . . Please . . . Just . . . get out of the car and come home . . ."
"Sean, are you . . . crying?"
"Yes. Rayne, if something happens to you . . . Something I could have stopped. Something th-that he's going to do to you . . ."
"Calm down. Everything's going to be okay. Look Azi just stopped the car, which means we're outside. I'll be in in a second, and you can see that I'm completely fine . . ."
"Rayne." Sean's words were slow, tortured, as if each were a spike that tore at his throat. "There's no car in your driveway."
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Sean
I knew that I had failed.
I turned and handed the phone back to Grace. "She didn't . . . She wouldn't . . . She . . ."
Grace nodded. "I know. Sean, I know you didn't want this but . . ."
"She didn't believe me. I told her I loved her and she still wouldn't get out of the car."
"That's hardly important at the moment." Grace handed the phone back to me. "What is important is that Azi can hear everything we're saying right now. I imagine he's got something to say to you."
She hadn't hung up the phone. A detached voice emanated from the top speaker.
"Sean. Sean. Sean."
A frightened shriek. Duct tape.
Silence.
Azi's voice. "I'm sorry."
The line went dead.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Azi
That phone call had almost ruined everything, and I knew it.
But it hadn't, and that's what mattered for now. I had managed to get Rayne to the sacred spot without much trouble; she had been on the phone the entire time, not paying attention to where we were going. The original plan had been to knock her out and make sure she didn't wake up.
This was better, I had to admit. This would hurt more than I could ever have imagined, because when I had, she had been asleep. Those eyes would look at me, afraid, sad, angry, pleading until the expression drained from them. And then, yes then I would be home.
Three pieces of duct tape had insured she wouldn't escape and I wouldn't be found. One around her ankles, her wrists, and a strip across her lips.
She did struggle as I tried to lug her out of the car; I would have been disappointed with any less. I was stronger than she was, though, and she knew it. After a couple seconds she just went limp. I had no more problems with her.
I got her to the middle of the cemetery with no problems. The above ground tomb I had prepared was ready; a strip of red cloth covered it, three black candles burned, as did three green. Salt lay scattered on the surrounding ground.
Light of the world. Salt of the earth. Red for sacrifice.
I laid her gently on the altar and looked into her eyes.
They were magnified with tears, huge and almost purple against her paper white skin.
"Rayne." I whispered into her hair. My hand strayed down to the ground and picked up a small pair of golden scissors. "I love you. Understand that."
Her black locks came away in my hands, fell to join the salt on the ground.
"Light of the world, I implore thee. Open thy gates to your humble servant."
The hair let off a pungent smell as it came into contact with the flame.
"Salt of the earth, I implore thee. Open thy gates to your humble servant."
A chunk of my hair joined hers in the flame. All but one candle flickered out. The one that had not glowed more brightly, as if it had absorbed the energy of the other five.
"Lord God in Heaven above, open thy gates to me, your humble servant Azrael, Angel of Death. I repent for my sins and repay my debt in blood."
Now came the part I dreaded. My hands shook as I grasped my Blade, called Mochov. It obediently grew to the size of a small dagger in my hand.
Rayne saw it and screamed. It came out a dull gargle.
I placed my finger against the center of her neck, where her pulse, speeding like a frightened rabbit, came up again and again to meet it. "I love you." I repeated.
The dagger replaced my fingers.
It was then, that moment of indecision that changed everything.
I felt a searing pain between my shoulders, and a cry of "RAYNE! NOOOOOOO-"
I felt as the blade, so sensitive, thrust forward.
And then I felt the bright light, and the weight of Rayne Marks in my arms as we ascended to Heaven.
