Awakening The Storm

KASSIDY

__________

Seven months after Kassidy's death. . .

Plotting our escape was easier said than done. Stylo had actually found out a way to stop the flow of his power to go into the World of the Living and into his father.

With some help of course.

It was actually easier than we'd expected to be, but with every easy thing, there's always a conflict. In order for us to make it back to the World of the Living, Anais would have to draw power from someone else and use her own powers too. That's a problem since she's bringing back three people, it'll be even more risky for her to go through with it.

Not only would it damage and hurt her, but it would hurt the people she'd bring back. Those people being me, Noah, and Stylo.

Necromancy isn't an easy thing to do.

"Are you sure that everything is ready?" Noah asked. Stylo nodded and pushed his raven hair from his face. Noah nodded to himself and pulled a cigarette out from his pocket and motioned me over.

We were still in the cabin. In the living room to be exact. Noah was standing as usual, I was sitting on one side of a comfortable couch with Stylo on the other side.

"How are you smoking right now, you're dead?" I asked curiously. The question has always been on my mind ever since I had noticed his smoking habits. Stylo laughed and then excused himself down to the basement.

"Since I died with a pack on me, I guess the pack went with me," he shrugged. "The pack refills itself even when it's empty. I don't who does it, but I wanna thank 'em for it. If I didn't have the cigarettes on me I would have went on a rampage," he paused. "We don't want that, now do we?" He asked with a weird smirk. I shook my head and he nodded.

"Are you really sure you wanna go through with this, Noah?" I asked him. He sighed.

"Why wouldn't I be? I get to be reunited with my family and you guys again. I wouldn't give up that chance for anything." He gave a sad smile. "But I don't think I'm ready to see the Buttercup again." His eyes looked out into the horizon.

"She misses you, you know? Even though she always said she hated your face and whatnot." He smirked and gave a dry chuckle.

"I bet she did. What's there not to miss?" He gestures to his face and body. "I'm fucking gorgeous." I rolled my eyes and laughed at him.

"Of course you are." I say with a small chuckle. He smirked and took a puff from the death stick.

"Careful, we don't want Wren thinking I'm trying to take his girl," he snickered to himself. I smacked his shoulder and he tipped over a bit. "Hey, what was that for?" His face flushed and his jaw ticked.

"For being stupid," I say and roll my eyes again and walked away. His footsteps trail behind me as I stepped to the threshold of the front door.

"Stylo!" Noah called out. We're crunched for time, and when Noah's ready to go, he's ready to go.

"I'm ready." Stylo called out from the bottom of the basement stairs.

With a handful of supplies, he marched up the stairs. Noah looked to me, then to Stylo, then walked out the door and off the porch. I followed behind with Stylo on my heels.

This was it.

We were coming home.

The box that Stylo was carrying made clanking noises as we trudged through the forest. My ears twitched as they picked up sound of the Creek, not too far from here.

"So what's the game plan?" Noah asked looking over his shoulders at Stylo.

Stylo shrugged and rearranged the box in his flimsy arms. "We get to the other side of that cave you went through and then start the ritual." He simply says. Noah and I nodded and kept going.

As we neared the rushing current of the Creek, sound of twigs snapping grabbed all of our attention. Noah's fangs dipped out of his mouth as the whites of his eyes darkened into a crimson red.

My nose twitched as the smell of rotting flesh hit the air.

"Who's there?" Stylo called out. The sounds of leaves rustling and twigs snapping filled the forest. Hushed whispers flowed through the wind and reached all of our ears.

They were taunting us.

"Alright, come on out." Noah called out. His spine straightened out and his nails lengthened and sharpened. He stood in front of me in a protective stance and placed his arms in front of me. I tried looking around his shoulders but couldn't.

Why did I have to be short?

Stylo clutched the materials tightly against his body and inches closer to me.

"I might be malnourished and sick, but I still have my powers and will protect you, Kassi." He whispered close to my ear. I nodded and listened in to the dead world around us. A blur flew behind some nearby trees. Then everything stopped.

The trees stopped rustling and the whispers stopped.

"Hey, guys." An unfamiliar voice called out. I snapped my head to the direction the voice came from.

It was a man.

He stood naked and covered almost head to toe in filth. Some pieces of his skin was missing and he smelled like a corpse.

"Who the hell are you?" Noah growled out. The man gave a small, sad smile and scratched the back of his head.

"I'm one of the rogues Styloneus had sent. My name is Milo." The man held out his hand to shake with Noah's, after seeing that Noah wasn't going to budge, he let his hand fall limply to his side.

"What are doing here?" Stylo asked from behind me. The man looked apprehensive about his next answer and sighed.

"I'm here to warn you guys." The man answered. We all have him a questioning look. He sighed again and continued. "Stylo isn't your true enemy." He finally said.

The pit of my stomach began to churn and twist all around.

I looked at Stylo. His face was scrunched up and looked like he was still processing what was happening.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" Noah asked, well, growled. His stance began to calm down, but his shoulders were still taut and ready to pounce any second.

"Stylo isn't the one pulling the strings around here. The Alpha has that man by the short and curlies." The rogue explained.

My poor heart can't take anymore surprises at this point.

"What?" Stylo spoke up this time. The man looked at him and gave him a funny look.

"You're his son aren't you?" He asked. Stylo nodded sadly and the man nodded to himself.

We all go quiet for a while.

"I hope you know what you're doing because you're starting to run out of time." The man suddenly says.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

The man shook his head and stepped a bit closer to us. Noah put himself in front of me and gave a low warning growl.

"All I'm saying is that you kids need to hurry back. That Alpha has some big plans and it seems that they're already going into fruition." The man explains. "I'll let you go on now, but please be careful, especially you, Kassidy." He said before he just vanished into thin air.

"Where did he go?" Stylo asked. I shook my head and moved from behind Noah.

"Come on, boys." I started to walk in front of them. A while later, we ended up at the The mouth of the cave.

"Ready, Sugar?" Noah looked down at me. I sighed and nodded my head. My nerves were on steroids at the thought of being back home.

But who knows what I'll be coming back to.

"Alright, guys. Let's get this started." Stylo walked through the cave first, with Noah and I following after.

As we walked deeper into the cave a bright white light bursted in front of our eyes. My arms went to cover my eyes from the bright rays but the light disappeared soon after it's appearance.

By the smell and sound, we're in the Afterlife Plain. I looked all around and let my eyes take in the sights around me. We were in the same place when we were in Purgatory. I turned all around and noticed that something was missing.

Where were Noah and Stylo?

"Noah? Stylo?" I called out. In the distance I heard some rustling and someone tripping.

"Damn bushes." Noah grumbled as he popped out of a berry bush. Sticks and berries were squished and stuck in his head. His head snapped up and looked at me.

"What—" I opened my mouth to continue but the sound of another body dropping and falling filled my ears as I looked in the distance to see Stylo tripping over dead tree limbs and leaves.

"Ugh." He groaned and walked into our direction. "We were separated in the cave." He stated.

Noah sighed and rolled his eyes. "No shit, Sherlock. Now can we start this already, I'm ready to be alive again." He complained. I laughed and shook my head at him.

"Yea," Stylo said as he looked to me. "Tell Wren it's go time." He said. I nodded and felt around the back of mind for the bond Wren and I shared.

I'm finally coming back, let’s just hope it's for good.

__________

Vote. Comment. & Share.