13 Heavy Rain

A place so lively where silence only visits when the doors are locked was once again alive to its full extent, only the squeaking of shoes and resounding laughters were of running footsteps and frantic shouting instead. Ramsey was the first one to get to the first floor, followed by the others. When he instructed that everyone should part ways to try and find the missing child, he ignored the pounding of his temples, the deafening drumming in his ears, and the question as to why the walls felt like they were closing around him. Hiding anything that hinted distress in his face was his talent. Everyone but Matteo didn't notice how agitated and worried he was.

"Ramsey, are you okay, man?" Matteo, who was already perspiring, gives a firm pat on Ramsey's back. He was pushed aside by Penny before he could even open his twitching mouth.

"Move, now." For a second, Ramsey didn't recognize Penny's voice. She didn't sound like the soft, bubbly girl that she was. Her voice at present was as sharp as an iron sword, piercing through Ramsey and Matteo's heads. She was determined to find Elaine.

Emelie was waiting for the others outside the mall, looking at the dark sky above her. Hearing the faint peal of thunder from the distance, she closed her eyes. Please, Doug. We need you.

It was the soothing whispers that led Elaine towards wherever she was at now. She could still hear them even when the rain was pouring hard. Her short legs almost seemed like they were moving on their own--an unexplainable feeling was pulling her, like a rope tied around her body, but she didn't struggle to free from it, instead, she embraced it. She gasped when she distinguished the familiar scene in front of her. It was the cliff that she always saw in her dream. Beyond the steep cliff was only darkness. She concluded that this must be a dream, only that it was different from the previous ones.

She lifted her feet above spongy mud, walked towards the edge, and peered down carefully, seeing nothing below. Vague, gibberish chanting echoed, floating thick around her. Little by little, the sound of the rain was growing tranquil, until she could hear it no more. Looking around, she wasn't sure what to think of the situation anymore. It felt too real to become a dream. Her thoughts were interrupted when a glowing white figure appeared. The chanting had stopped.

"Mommy?"

It couldn't be, she realized. She watched her mother pass away in a hospital bed while holding her bony hand. She was sure of it. Wiping the raindrops from her eyes, she looked at the figure from top to bottom. It was impossible to disregard the same features that her mother had--her signature closed lip smile, her ebony skin, and a dot of mole on her pointy chin.

Elaine ignored the drops of rain landing on her tongue as her mouth was locked agape. She wanted to run towards whatever that looked like her mother, and hug her, yet she froze in place. The figure smiled warmly and floated towards her, a hand reached out. Elaine didn't feel anything when she took her mother's hand.

The figure hummed gingerly as it floated past her, never laying her stiff eyes off Elaine. The teary-eyed child turned her body towards her ghostly mother, who was now floating a few inches beyond the cliff.

Finally, her mother slowly opened her mouth to speak, "Come with me, my child. We shall enter the doors that lead to wonders. You will see past the glowing holes in the sky--the light that emits is from the radiance of paradise, where no worries and no barriers are at hand," her voice was quiet, "We will never part from each other anymore. You will never go back to any foster home."

Elaine blinked back her tears as she sniffed. She remembered Henry's question before: 'why do you call your dreams beautiful when they're about jumping off?' She couldn't answer him back then, but if he was here with her at this moment, she knew her response--because her mother was here, it was always her mother leading her here. With a mellow heart, she slowly walked towards the edge again, smiling back at her mother. When she was only inches away from the non existing surface of the cliff, a strong grip was felt on both of her arms, pulling her away from both the edge and her mother, who disappeared out of thin air. Suddenly, she could hear the rain again.

"Elaine! What the hell are you doing out here?" Matteo choked out, pulling wet strands of hair away from Elaine's distraught face. She looked over her shoulder, hoping that her mother was still there. "Come on," Matteo groaned out loud, wiping his face before standing up.

"What are you doing in my dream, Mat?" her stuttering little voice squeaked.

"This ain't a dream, El! What were you thinking going out here?" he shouted at her, wondering what was wrong with the child. When he pulled her hand, Elaine didn't budge. "Elaine, come on, let's go!"

Elaine shook her head, looking up at him with closed eyes, "No, Mat. I want to go to mommy."

Matteo stared down at her in horror. He knew what had happened with Elaine's mother, he overheard Penny and Elaine talking a few months back. When he crouched down and carried her, the chanting was slowly getting audible again, getting louder by the second.

"Whatever that is," he gulped, "I'm sure those are only voices." He was saying that to comfort Elaine, but he knew to himself that it was to calm his racing heartbeat. Goosebumps were appearing on his arms and legs when he couldn't tell where the ear-splitting voices were coming from, and the fact that he couldn't see clearly from the heavy rain.

When he decided to take a run for it, his body was thrown forcefully to the side, his back hitting a tree. Elaine let out a scream as she flew out of Matteo's arms and landed on the mud. Matteo cursed under his breath as he crawled towards Elaine as quick as he could, ignoring the agonizing pain on both his upper and lower back.

"El. . .Elaine, please stand up," his voice was deep and hoarse, overpowering the continuous chanting, "Please, let's just go!"

"You go then!" Elaine cried out at the sight of Matteo wincing in pain. "Leave me! I don't want you getting hurt!"

Matteo held back a cry when he forced himself to stand up. With heavy breaths, he pulled Elaine up, but he immediately released her hand when he felt needle-piercing stabs on his lower neck. He held his breath when he turned around. A 7-feet tall creature stood before him: its eyes were blazing white, multiple, sharp-pointed teeth painted with his blood were seen inside its wide, stretching mouth with a long tongue moving restlessly. Familiar black smoke surrounded them and he realized that it wasn't the only one. Several more circled around him and Elaine.

He hugged Elaine close and tight, not knowing what creature to look at. He tried to look for gaps between the chernos that were slowly closing in around them. They could make a run for it-- no, he thought. His back would hurt too much, and that would slow the both of them down, as Elaine isn't a runner either. He swiftly looked around, trying to look for any weapon of some sort but there was none. It would be impossible to distract the chernos--they were too many. He counted five chernos around, but he gulped when he knew the possibility that there could be more lurking in the dark.

"Matteo!" Elaine's high-pitched scream snapped him back to reality. She was sobbing, her flowing tears mixed with the pouring rain. "Your neck is bleeding!"

Matteo touched his neck and felt thick liquid oozing out of his skin. He had forgotten about the bite.

"Give us the child," the chernos licked its teeth, "And you will live."

Matteo clenched his fist, "Go to hell!" His words pushed through his gritted teeth. He didn't know this kind of fear had existed, and he felt like his legs could collapse any moment now, but he felt weight against it, the weight from Elaine's trembling body. Saving her was the only thing that mattered now, and so was Penny's happiness. He blinked. Penny. Why was he thinking about her in a situation like this? Would she weep for him if he were to die? He thought for a moment, but buried his thoughts deep within his mind.

Within a second, Elaine was in Matteo's arms once again as he made a run for it, seeing a gap between two chernos.

"Fool!" A cherno roared and rushed to him, followed by another. Matteo's leg was pulled aggressively, sending him to the ground, his ribs crashing against a jagged rock. He gasped in pain as he looked over at Elaine, who stood up, wailing.

"Mat, they want me! Go!" She yells, her lower lip arched as she continued to sob. The chernos were behind her, waiting to attack.

With a loud grunt, Matteo stood up and ran towards Elaine, who repeatedly shook her head. "No, Matteo, no!"

He stopped when darkness engulfed him. He tried to call out for Elaine, but nothing came out of his mouth, not even a scream of pain when something bites his arm, his leg, and his shoulder all at once. It didn't feel like multiple needles anymore, as the teeth that went through his skin were wider this time, and for a second, he thought that he had lost an arm. He dared to not look over his shoulder, he wouldn't be able to handle his fear.

He started to hyperventilate and had forgotten how to slow his breaths down when he felt another bite on his foot. Slowly peering down, this time, he screamed.

Like a candle in the night, there was a voice that seemed to pull Matteo from the dark. He found himself in the arms of someone, and was met with an unfamiliar face--wet, blonde hair and downslope, blue eyes. He looked human, but the familiar smoke around him said otherwise.

"Doug, there's more!" The man warned, gently putting Matteo on the ground sitting up, his back resting against a boulder.

"Who. . ." Matteo stuttered out, unable to control his breaths.

The man grinned at him, "Johnny's the name."

Doug grumbled to himself when he saw the condition that Matteo was in. If he came sooner, Matteo's left foot wouldn't be dangling off his leg. Removing his wet, heavy coat, his human figure morphed into something else. Something more taller, with a sloped spine that curved all the way down to his absent stomach, the flesh on his face folded back, revealing a bony structure of a human face. The empty sockets where his eyes once were glowed emerald green. Like a cherno, he levitated and plunged towards the chernos, who stood their ground.

Matteo watched in horror. There was no doubt that Doug was a cherno. With a blurry vision, he looked around for Elaine, who was standing on the edge of the cliff. "Elaine," he whimpered. Johnny's eyes diverted towards where Matteo was looking at, and he understood immediately. He quickly glided towards her, but stopped when another cherno groped his arm.

"You are a disgrace to our kind," it growled at him.

"Our whole kind is a disgrace," he replied as his lips peeled back and pointed teeth slowly spurted out from his blackening gums, black smoke coming out of his mouth.

It usually wasn't difficult for Doug to fight multiple chernos all at once. His sight couldn't keep up with more chernos charging towards him, and for the first time on Earth, he felt uneasy. If the chernos would keep on showing, it wouldn't matter how many chernos he would kill. If this will continue to happen, his existence on Earth would shorten drastically, maybe even sending him back to where he came from any second now. He gripped the weapon in his hand, unsure if he needed to use it.

Johnny, on the other hand, was horrified at what he did. He had killed one of his kind. His boss wouldn't take it lightly. He shook his head. Chernabog wasn't his boss anymore. It was Doug who he wanted to serve now, but there's still some loyalty for Chernabog lingering in his mind, and he couldn't get rid of it. He flicked his head towards the cliff when he remembered about the child. Stroking his damp hair upwards, he hoped that Doug wouldn't get mad at him.

When Doug was about to pull out his weapon, the chernos slowly backed away from him while sneering and chuckling in rhythm. Chanting again in a soft tone, they disappeared one-by-one. When Doug knew why, he inhaled and altered back to his human form slowly, starting from his feet. The rain had instantly stopped.

"Doug, I--" Johnny explained, avoiding eye contact, "--I tried, I really did, sir. I am so sorry I failed you. You may punish me, if you will." Black smoke was still appearing from his back.

Doug looked at him with his empty, soulless eye. The green orb inside his socket was slowly dying out, and eventually, the human eye reappeared. "No," the bone of his jaw was seen moving, while half of his teeth were gradually getting its gums and flesh back. "You are forgiven." Doug couldn't blame anyone but himself. When he was back to his human form, he walked towards Matteo, who was bathed in blood. He watched his chest ever so slightly heave up and down.

"Doug. . ." Matteo choked out from his bloody mouth. "Where's Elaine?" His senses were slowly failing him.

Johnny turned away after hearing this.

Doug didn't answer, but instead crouched down next to him.

Matteo managed to stretch his busted lips, smiling as he said, "I think. . . I think I know who you are now."

"How smart of you," Doug smiled at him.

It took everything in Matteo to lift his shaking hand, "Please tell the others that I'm sorry." With tears falling down his chin, an image of his wife appeared in his head. He started to sob when he realized he had forgotten what she had exactly looked like, because the features of her face were of Penny's instead. He had lost his wife in a car accident before all this happened, and he had never loved again, but Penny always reminded him of his wife, in every way possible. He thought that it was wrong and selfish for him to love another, and so he kept his distance from Penny ever since.

There were times when he was happy for a while; he had loved, he had ached, and he had lived. Though he did not live his life to the fullest, he was contented with everything that had happened, because the end is inevitable. He was always prepared to die, because he always thought that dying was part of life.

Doug took his twitching hand, "You have nothing to apologize for."

Matteo wanted to grip Doug's cold hand tightly, but only managed to move his fingers so slightly. He said his name again, and wanted to say something, although no voice came out of his straining throat.

Doug knew what was inside Matteo's head. He saw his wife and the group, but it was Penny who was still painted in his mind until now. He examined his body; half of his body was filled with bite marks, especially on his neck and arms. Blood was still flowing from his leg, from where his foot was detached.

"Doug," he coughed, like he had read Doug's mind as well, "I'm practically dead, mate," he forced out a weak, dry chuckle. When he couldn't see clearly anymore, he closed his eyes.

Doug held Matteo's hand with both of his hands now, comforting him until he took his last breath.

"Get the hell away from him!" Ramsey's voice boomed from a distance. When Doug looked at him, he pumped his shotgun, aiming at him once again.

"Johnny--" he called, but rolled his eyes when he saw that Johnny was levitating, black smoke was still appearing from him. When he saw Ramsey and the group, he immediately landed on his feet and swished the smoke away with his arm. The scene looked exactly like what Ramsey had always expected. "Johnny. . ." Doug growled angrily.

"You can't lie anymore, you bastard!" Ramsey shouted, saliva flying out of his mouth.