Limbo; the lost spirits of the realm between immortals and man. Was the lair of many spirits whom the world had cast aside and refused to see their worth. Spirits that laid lost. Spirits that lingered to replay their death. Spirits that no longer understood right from reason. These pitiful souls were once either humans that suffered greatly or gods that were killed by other deities. It is the realm of chaos. And it is my duty to assist them with passing to the next realm. At least, now it is.
The fog was thick. And the screeches grew louder with each step that I took. The loud gushing sounds beneath my feet didn't make it any better. Banshees are not common in the mortal world and need to be returned to the hellish realm they've come from. Unfortunately for me, this one decided to lurk within the black swamp. I was finally able to see her. The woman was practically dead. She was drenched from head to toe; her body was wrinkled, pale, and swollen as if she had drowned in the small lakes surrounding her. Her black eyes pierced toward me through her long black hair. She was gripping what looked like her chest and before belching another stinging sound, she gripped what seemed like her bare breast, with her long talon-like nails I can notice a black ooze ripple down her forearms. Blood. Unclenching herself this time it was clear what she was doing to herself. Whatever was left of her chest was but streams of flesh now. Her bladed fingers were more than stained black. Let's not speak of the rotten smell that lingered in her presence. She looked lost and in pain, I thought to myself. Striding closer to the mythical being, she had then fallen to her knees. Watching me with awe, maybe she knew who I was at that moment, and why I came for her. With a better view of her hands that now rested on her lap, It was clear she had a small infant in her palms. Too small for her to grip and hold with her large hands. "Have you lost your child?" I finally ask in a soft voice. It didn't look fully developed. The weeping being stared at the blood covered fetus in her palms, and before she could cry out once more, with a swift stroke of my hand to her scalp; I returned her to her rightful place. With a thud to the mud, her body in this realm was cleansed. "This doesn't get any easier…" I remind myself with a sigh. I brushed my bloodied fingers through my hair and watched as the possessed body returned to its original form. Though the monster was gone, the human that laid in her shadow; unchanged from the damage that was done from the previous owner. If I had made it sooner, would she had made it? The blood lost from her possession was already too much for a single human. The corpse slowly began to sink into the marsh. Kneeling down now, I paid my respects to the innocent woman. "May you find peace," I glanced at the woman's palms again and continue, "May you find joy and happiness in the afterlife." Once I finished. I rose to my feet and turned to continue my journey but stopped for a moment. Still unsure what lurked beyond the mortal realm.
Earlier that day
A young man poured a cup of tea and served it to the familiar looking woman, "green tea, enjoy." The woman thanked him and left the shop carrying a bundle within her belly and a couple of shopping bags in her arms. 'She should pop any day now,' the boy thought as he cleaned a glass in preparation for the late night shift. An annoyed sigh left his lips. Ever since him and his sister have moved to the country side, he hasn't gotten used to the quiet town. It had actually put him more on edge. He wasn't used to it being so quiet for so long, and although he yearned for silence back in the city, he soon regretted his wishes now that he was here. "Come with me to china," he mocked, recalling his sisters speech that brought him here. "We can be closer to mom and dad." He stopped before loosing himself. Placing down the glass cup and laying his hands on the bar table. He took a deep breathe. He was eager to do something. He arose and walked to the back of the shop for a smoke break. It has only been him and his sister for years now. Their parents had died in a car accident when he was 8. His sister was left to take care of him for the next 20 years. And even then, he couldn't bring himself to come back here to see their graves. He lights his pre wrapped blunt, 'I just need to calm the nerves..' he thought to himself. "Rio! I didn't know you smoked," the man turned to his coworker. A teenage girl with blond hair and brown eyes, he was assigned to train her for the night shift. He smudged his roach with a sigh. "Fuck, you weren't supposed to see that." He mumbled. "Your rather early aren't you?" Rio said, looking at his watch. "Aren't you supposed to be here at 6 or something?" The man combs his white hair with his fingers and turns to return to the shop. "I needed more hours so I'm picking up Abbeys shift today," the girls cheeks started to redden, and her colorful nails hid behind her back clicking against one another, "besides, I figured you could teach me a few things before it gets busy tonight," Rio took a breath and restored his composure. "Alright, what do you need?" The rest of the evening was slow and Rio left Lu with the customers to finally go back outside for his smoke break. He drew his lighter up to his cigarette and took in a huff of smoke into his lungs. "Man I needed that," he leaned his head back against the building. Suddenly he heard a twig snap from the brush farther out behind the building. He looked over to see a pair of crimson red eyes staring back at him from the bushes. He wasn't sure what to make of it. Maybe just another wild animal looking for scraps from the garbage. He took in another puff of smoke and picked up a stone. He was hoping to just scare it off. He tossed the rock close to the animal and the pair of eyes stayed fixated. Unwavering to his attempt. "Huh," he was surprised that the animal didn't even blink. He looked back down for another rock, but by the time he looked back up to toss the stone, the eyes were gone. He dropped the stone back down and figured it ran off. He then burned out his cigarette and tossed it in the trash before returning to finish the night.
This was the last place I had smelled that banshees whereabouts. I was hoping to see if there were more beings here. But I just stumbled upon a small building. It is best to keep a distance from the humans, I reminded myself. I heard a loud clanking sound. And I instinctively hid in a bush. I peeked to see a young man in an apron, lighting a stick to his lips. He set it ablaze and yet it didn't catch fire. That was odd. He smoked it like a pipe. Humans must have made it more compact? The man's figure was lean and fit. His glasses reflected his emerald green eyes and I was transfixed. Are there humans that look this way? I slowly pulled back to to leave when I stepped on a branch. It was then that our gazes met. I froze at that instant. He wasn't human either.