Chapter Thirty Two

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'Why are mortals so fucking heavy,' she growled under her breath, her arms tucked under John's slack ones. She dragged him nearer to the bed, snarled at the reek of his sticky armpits. With one last heave, she hefted John onto the bed and threw in a swear word for good measure. 'God, would you look at this human fate has shat on.' Of course God wasn't answering, but he couldn't stop her talking to him. She noticed John's hair had been cut and he'd shaved. Even his clothes had changed--he now wore ragged jeans and a white t-shirt. Seems he'd been in the Blink longer than she'd thought. 'Why John, you're such a handsome fellow under all that hair.' She stroked his face. Fate had been cruel, but she could be kind. The angel laid her hands on John's wound and prayed.

John murmured at her touch.

'Wake up,' she whispered in his ear when she had finished. His eyes fluttered open.

'How has he learned to Blink Sem? How?' John croaked in the dark, his eyes searching for her face and not finding it.

She shrugged even though she knew he couldn't see her. 'I have no fucking clue whatsoever John. I don't even know how you do it. But we need to stop him, I have contacted Marty. He's coming over now, so you can tell him who this bastard is.'

Semila sat on the carpet, closed her eyes, crossed her legs, thought about soft, fluffy clouds and flower petals raining around her. A light shone from the other side of her eyelids and spoiled her escape plan. John must have switched on the light. She sighed again through her nose as water tinkled into a glass and she heard John slurping at the liquid. Soon he'd come to the inevitable conclusion that they needed help, they had to wait for Marty.

'It won't save Charlie will it?' John said.

Semila opened her eyes.

'I need to go back and stop him, Sem, I have to save Charlie.' The glass clacked on the table and John swung his legs over the bed, grasping the support rail. As he stood up he flexed his toes and raised an eyebrow. 'Thanks for the help with the leg.'

Surely he was about to sigh, confess that they couldn't do this without help.

She sat unmoving, waiting for him to say it. John picked up the photograph he'd entered earlier that day and sat beside her.

'Give me your hand Sem,' he said, 'The Collector told me not to bring you along.'

His palms felt clammy, but then hers did too. She looked at him, at the photo. She opened her mouth to speak but found herself hurtling through the darkness chased by evil.

JOHN FINNIE

'Fucking imps!' Semila screamed, kicked. 'I fucking hate imps! Bloody demon wannabes!'

John guided them towards the photograph. A long clawed hand grabbed at Semila's face as they rocketed forwards, but it retracted fast as Semila transformed into a beacon of light. They streaked, a bright comet hurtling to the photo, but the dark bled closer and closer like a dark tide of shadow devouring their hopes. Was the evil in the darkness too much for one angel to push back?

John said nothing, he just concentrated as hard as he could as they weaved and bobbed their way past things he didn't have time to look at. Shapes, things gone as soon as they'd appeared. Semila held on tight, dragged along like a flag in the wind.

The photo loomed ahead almost catching John unaware, and so he punched out hard as they neared it. The sudden stop almost wrenched his arm from its socket as he rolled head over heels down a grassed bank. John was through but only Sem's arm was in, and he could see the hoard of evil behind her closing in fast.

He could see her face squashed up against an invisible barrier. 'Leave me,' she mouthed as he ran back to her and tugged at her arm.

The veins on his forehead popped out as he heaved with all his might, but she didn't budge. He looked up again and they locked eyes, Sem's voice flowed into his mind.

'Don't wait for me John, I can't get through. Save your sister, save Charlie. I'll try to take as many of these fuckers out as I can. Now leave John. Leave now.'

'The fuck I will!' He pulled harder, Sem's arm came through a few more centimetres.

A familiar rasping voice made John turn fast.

'You were told not to come back here John.' A figure walked towards him. 'You were told to leave and never return. You were told not to bring her!' The masked shadow pointed at Sem.

As he spoke a large silver sword appeared in his hands, the figure brought the sword up high and spun down towards John's head. He ducked a split second before the impact and the sword opened a rift in the photo. Semila sprawled through. John whirled around in time to see the figure ram Semila in the stomach with his shoulder, she in turn clattered into John.

They both landed heavily on the bedroom floor.

SEMILA LEANG

Semila was first to her feet. 'Who the fuck was that?' Anger rose within her at being beaten with such ease. She held her hand out and pulled John to his feet.

'I told you,' he said, 'it was him, the Collector, it's what he did last time. He punched me in the face and threw me back here, just like he did with the two of us.'

'Did you know that was even possible?' asked Sem.

John shook his head. 'I know little about what I can do; apart from that I can do it.' He kicked out at a chest of drawers in frustration and bent to grab the photo from the floor.

'Let's go back now, he won't expect that.' John held out his hand.

Semila cocked her head and gave him the gold toothed crooked smile that would melt the heart of the coldest man --'You're one crazy bastard John Finnie'-- and grabbed his hand.

John smiled back. 'Yeah, you're not exactly fully hinged yourself.'

Neither of them noticed the smoke rising from the box of photos Samantha had taken all those years ago. John pulled Semila closer. Then they were back in the darkness.

Semila was ready this time, the light that glowed from her body lit the darkness for miles around them. The evil creatures surrounded them from all sides but burst into flames when they got too near. Still there were many.

John slowed as he reached the translucent film of the photo. 'We should go in slow,' he said, 'push through slow and together. Are you ready?'

Semila turned and nodded. 'Hurry though John, I'm not sure how long I can keep this up.' They pushed through the film and walked to the other side. Both pairs of feet stood on grass outside the hospital. The sun beat down hot on their faces complimented by a cool, subtle breeze. The photo was healing itself, just as it had when John was younger.

He turned back and patted Semila on the shoulder. 'See, I told you he wouldn't be expect--'

The kick caught him clean in the chest. John flew backwards as the figure grabbed him and threw him through the photo wall.

Semila backed off a little. 'Show your face wretched one, you have seen mine. We should fight as equals.' She circled the man. Her knife appeared in her hand, which she pushed flat against her arm. She could see the figure smile beneath the skull mask he wore as he shook his head.

'Okay fucker.' She cracked her knuckles. 'You asked for this.'

Like lightning she kicked out to catch the attacker in the head. He dodged the kick with ease and moved to her side. She steadied herself and reset, feeling a little pissed as she met his eyes. The fucker was still smiling.

A double kick, two punches, a knife slash and a spinning kick all in under a second, all missed, yet again the attacker deftly moved to the side. Infuriating Semila more, the attacker wagged his finger at her as one would an insolent child. This time she attacked with everything she had, but her opponent parried, dodged, spun, and ducked clear. He even pulled her hair once then slapped her arse as she rolled away from him. Breathing heavy and more curious than anything else, Semila circled her opponent, giving him a respectful distance as she matched her steps with his. 'Who are you?' she asked.

The attacker bowed and removed his mask.

JOHN FINNIE

John landed heavy on the floor for the third time that day, he scrabbled about in the dark, looking for the photo.

'We have to go back Sem,' he said as his hands closed around the small photo.

He moved over to the wall and switched on the light. 'Sem?' Carpet, bed, window, door. No Semila. 'Shit! She's still inside.' Blink back into the photo, he told himself as he squinted at it, closed his eyes, focused. But when he opened his eyes he was still in his bedroom. The photo disintegrated to nothing in his hand. Ash floating to the carpet in a tiny anthill. John rushed to the box which held the rest but found ash. The photos, each and every one, had disintegrated.

'Sem! No!' He looked up out of the window. 'Please God,' he whispered, 'don't let me lose her again.'

SEMILA LEANG

'You!' Semila shouted.

The man smiled but profound sadness tainted his eyes. 'Yes,' he said, 'It's me Sem.'

She cocked her head to one side, scrutinised the grey streaks in his hair, the wrinkles cutting the skin around his mouth, between his brows. 'You look older John.' The grey streaks suited him, but the wrinkles spoke of sorrow. She walked up to him and hugged him.

John laughed as he hugged her back. 'I am older Sem, I may be able to travel in time, but I still age.'

Semila pushed him away. 'You may be older but you move well. What's your secret?'

'He is being taught by the fucking best,' said another voiceaaaa from the side.

Semila turned to see herself grinning from ear to ear, Future Semila wore a full leather black catsuit with white marble markings. Semila looked from John to herself and back again.

'Looking fucking good Semila, nice garb,' she said to her future self.

Future Semila didn't answer she just looked up to the sky which was turning a thunderous grey. 'We don't have long John, it's happening again, they are almost upon us.' A worried look crossed her face. 'Tell her.'

John looked up and the smile left his face. 'Semila please listen to me now, we don't have much time. We've waited too long for you to arrive. You need to convince John not to try to save Charlie, he needs to get the idea out of his head. He needs to think bigger. We saved Charlie, but it wasn't enough. We got her back but Blake got to Dad and Marty, he killed them Sem. He killed them and burned everything, and then he disappeared, just vanished into thin air for about three years. We tried to Blink back, but we couldn't stop him...Something kept preventing us. When he returned Sem...Oh God, Sem, when he returned...' John's voice cracked.

'When he returned he came back as something else,' Future Semila finished for him.

John nodded and walked over to Future Sem. 'Evil was watching us Sem, watching and waiting for the right time to come in. This evil that walked back in Blake's body was unbelievably powerful. It opened a rift and now demons walk the Earth Sem, we--me and you--are outlaws. Sentenced to death, and it seems' --He looked up at the sky-- 'They have found us for the final time. We didn't save them all Sem, but you two can. Nobody knows where he buried the bodies, it's all to do with the photos. You need to save Dad and Marty, and kill Blake; if you do that we stand a fighting chance.'

Semila looked back at her future self as she spoke to John. 'A fighting chance at what?'

John met Future Semila's eyes, and she nodded. 'We may have a fighting chance at saving the world.'

A dark shadow appeared over them and the world turned red as fire appeared in the sky. 'You have to go Sem, you have to trust me.' A burning hot wind rose from nowhere, embers swirled around them as he spoke. 'I know what it all means now Sem. Save one, save them all!' he screamed as his trousers caught fire.

'This future doesn't happen if you succeed Sem, it's all up to you and John now, don't let us die for nothing!' Future John shoved an envelope in her pocket and pushed her through the photo wall. She hung in the nothingness as she watched John and Future Semila fall to the ground, writhing in agony and crumbling to dust. As she hung in the darkness the photo before her dissolved and blew away on an unfelt wind. A tear cut her cheek.

The breath rushed from her. She landed on the bedroom floor, gasping as smoke rose from her clothes. The heat had gotten to her, stung her eyes, burned her skin which looked red as lava.

'Sem!' John burst through the door. 'Are you okay?'

Sem's eyes were closed but she nodded. She held out her hand and John tried to pull her to her feet, but he let go fast--she was hot.

'Bloody hell Sem, you're roasting!'

'Not as roasting as some.' Slowly, Semila got to her feet, eyes closed in concentration. The air around her cooled, the simmering turned to ice, her skin took on normal hues. Inspecting her arms, she nodded.

'What happened?'

Instead of answering, she handed him the letter Future John had given her. Speaking now would break her, and to finish this John needed her to be strong. No tears, no fear. On the front of the envelope it said, 'John must read this first'.

As John read, his eyes widened. His face whitened, a half smile twitched his cheek, and some colour seemed to bleed back as his eyebrows raised. What was he reading? Damn, she was curious. Without a word, John passed the letter to her.

Hello John,

If you are reading this, then we are dead. But don't worry, it's a good thing. I know what you are feeling right now, and the need to save Charlie is strong, but you have to believe what I am telling you. The fate of the world depends on it.

I am from the year 2034, we have been on the run now for over fifteen years. You already know that Blake is the killer who murdered all those children, but what you didn't know is that he took photos of them all. Right from the start, he kept them like trophies. In my time Blake burns the photos and kills Dad and Marty, it's all because I wanted to save Charlie, just as you do now. You'll succeed too, but it comes at a terrible price.

Save one save them all.

It makes perfect sense now. If you and Semila can save Dad and Marty, you may be able to get Blake's photos. If you can get to them first, well I have dreamed of that for an age. If you can get to the first photo you can save us all, not just the girls, not just Charlie. You can save the world John. It's a big ask, and a lot of weight upon your shoulders, but you have Sem.

The evil is already making an entry into the world. We are dead because we stayed in a point of time for too long, but we needed to speak to Sem. You could say we cheated a little, but the evil isn't playing by any rules so why should we? I have given her a present, I'm thinking she will like it, I know the Semila in my world does. She will read this, there is no doubt...Check out your knife, Sem!

The evil ones are burning the photos John. I don't know how but if you get caught in one, you're dead. I assume that Samantha's photos are already gone. You need to get Blake's, they are the key.

You will learn to control the Blink in ways you never thought possible. It will take time. Trust only a select few, you know who they are. I will not name them for fear of revenge towards them.

Good luck kid.

John

She passed it back to John. 'A present eh?' Semila summoned her knife, but instead of the knife appearing in her hands was a huge silver sword. Upon her shoulders armour appeared, and gauntlets shielded her hands. She swiped the sword left and right, it hummed as it cut through the air. The inscription on the blade's edge read, 'GOD'S JUSTICE'.

'Well,' she said as she read the inscription again, cut the air, smiled. Almost unable to take her eyes off her new toy. 'I guess it's time to take on the bad guys.'

'And this time,' said John, 'we're going to fucking win.'



© Steve Ford and Joy Cronjé 2018


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