Page 1 of My Soul Is His

One

Marla

Jess calls my name like a soft whisper through the night.

I open my eyes, slipping out from under Sebastian’s muscular arm, and duck my head as I leave our little tunnel.

Branches cover the entrance—it’s a far cry from the house we used to live in, but this is all we have. Each moment can be ripped away, our shelter destroyed, and we will have to move on, but for now, this place is ours.

A sense of dread runs through my veins, but I ignore it and jog through the smoky haze that carries the sound of her speaking my name. I am certain I can contact her now.‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ Speed is crucial to locating her before they find me.

Her voice is as I remember it. Each morning that she calls out to me has been nothing but a trap, a way for one of my demons to capture me in their web.

This time will be different.

The path, a treacherous mix of broken grass and jagged rocks, snag at my shoes. Each stumble sends a jolt through my feet, but I press on.

The demon who has watched me for years haunts every thought I have. It’s relentless and pulls at any string of insecurity to unravel me until I’m a shell of a being.

Ducking through the branches that try to cut me, chills run through my body. It's watching me again.

I crouch down and crawl along, breaking through a barrier of tall grass, and while the haze of orange and red covers everything, a white circle of light glows through the darkness of the trees.

At the wall, I press myself against the glass and watch the different realm. The first time, I could see everyone I’ve lost in my life. Their smiling faces brought me peace. Before it was all taken from me.

I thought I'd reach Jess before they threw her back in here. This is the furthest I've gotten in a few days. Her long blonde hair is brushed out, and she’s enjoying the sunshine that blesses her.

My heart aches in a way I’ll never be able to tell Sebastian. He does everything for me, and I can never let him think I’d trade this realm for a different one.

The ability to see my grandparents and Jess through the window, to sense their presence even from a distance, is more precious than anything I ever dreamed of. They never look at me, and the subtle reflection in the pane confirms my suspicion that it’s similar to a one-way mirror.

A searing shock of pain jolts through my body, my chest constricts like a vise, and with each ragged breath, it’s as if I’m pulling shards of glass from my lungs. Every muscle tightens and my knees buckle, bringing me to the ground. I breathe throughthe tremors the way Sebastian taught me to, but nothing works, and my vision darkens.

Memories throw me into a backdrop of my trauma, and horrors play like a movie behind my eyelids. My mind fills with fog, and I know he’s here to dance. The demons never leave me alone for long. I’ve made a mistake falling for their trap again.

The air hangs thick and still as I scan my surroundings. Grey bricks encircle the space where I last glimpsed her, their rough edges blurred by the swirling smoke.

Pain throbs through my body, sharp and insistent as phantom fingers twist in my hair, yanking me back, but I don’t hesitate. I surge forward, gritting my teeth against the fire in my veins, and plunge into the suffocating haze.

I realize I shouldn’t have left our camp, but the demons lingering in my mind entice me out like a moth to a flame. Their presence is lurking nearby, a constant threat. They love to chew people up and spit them out, then allow their prey to heal before coming back once more.

Glancing over my shoulder as I run, the decrepit tree branches sway, but the camouflaged demon has advanced over the years, and I know it’ll catch me soon. It’s gotten so adept at blending in with its surroundings that some days it can be right next to me. When it's in my presence, my heart pounds like a drum, my lungs constrict, cutting off my breath, and an icy chill runs over my body.

Memories flood my mind, playing on repeat. The haunting whispers of torment, my mother’s belittlement over the years, hangs heavy in the surrounding air. A relentless soundtrack which is now part of the shadow demon.

Thorns as big as garden spades rip through my flesh as I sprint through them, leaving a trail of blood down my arms.

Decaying fingers brush my cheek, their icy coldness raising goosebumps on my skin, and I bite back the scream thatthreatens to tear from my lips. My chest burns as the thunderous footsteps rush behind me. I brace for the impact that never comes.

“My dove. Run.”

Sebastian pushes me through the maze of our world. I know he can’t see what’s hurting me, but he doesn’t stop being the armour I’ve always needed.

I glance back, and he’s running toward me with his tattooed arms spread wide. The repetition of this familiar scene, the same song and dance we’ve been doing for decades, proves I will never learn from my mistakes. I am powerless against the temptation the other realms tease me with.

A chilling dread washes over me at the prospect of failure and hurting Sebastian. Even in death he deserves more than what I can provide. Shrouded in the shadows of this place has only proven how much he loves me, and I can’t ever see it for what it is.

The tall demon, with sunken obsidian eyes and a bleeding mouth, represents the depression that lurks. The other, with its burning fingertips that scorch me at each opportunity, seems to be anxiety.

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