Page 3 of The Other Side

My body ached as I groaned, rolling to my feet as the alligator positioned itself between us, standing nearly as high as my waist, hissing at the men.

I stood there, soaking wet and covered in mud, as I watched the fearsome beast attack with no hesitation. It lunged, charging at Ray with its jaw wide. Its teeth gripped the man’s leg, clamping down as his bones snapped, causing me to flinch at the echoing of it. Blood poured from the alligator’s mouth as Ray screamed in horror, falling limp to the ground as the beast swung its head back and forth, slowly moving back into thewater. Ray desperately clawed at the mud, digging his burned fingers deep as his nails tore from his flesh. He pleaded for his friend. Louis, paralyzed, had to shake his fear aside before jumping, grabbing Ray’s bloodied and burned hands as he tried to pull him free, despite the creature’s teeth buried deep in Ray’s leg. Blood poured from Ray’s limb as Louis desperately tried to hold on to his friend, miserably failing as Ray’s hands slipped through his. He fell onto his backside, watching in absolute horror as the beast dipped back beneath the water, dragging Ray down with him. The dirty swamp water bubbled as they disappeared, and the world fell eerily silent.

I stared in disbelief, realizing this was the same silent show I had witnessed. Their fates, doomed…but it wasn’t over.

“Louis!” Ray screamed as he looked at me, tears and terror burning in his eyes as his body began to reach the water. “Help me!” The corner of my lips curled upwards as I silently watched, shaking my head. Louis groaned, frantically crawling to his friend’s aide, but it was too late. Ray had disappeared into the rippled darkness below.

“Ray?” Louis stood, wiping his eyes as he cautiously stepped toward the water’s edge. “Ray? Ray!” Stray bubbles rose to the surface as he stared in shock. “Oh, fu—” His hands ran through his hair as he turned to face me, frantic and fuming. “You.” He pointed. “This is your fault!” He swung his arm as his open palm met my face, the strength of his backhand knocking me to my knees. Panting, he yanked his belt from his pants, his breath fogging around his face as he wiped the rain from his eyes, slowly stalking towards me. “You filthy little witch. I’m going to—”

His croaky voice was cut short as I watched the same beast from before lunged from the depths of the swamp, its mouth wide. Its enormous jaws clamped around the man’s torso, chomping with little effort as his screams morphed into thesound of breaking bones, snapping beneath the alligator’s teeth. The creature wasted no time before it consumed him entirely, leaving nothing but puddles of his blood. It slowly turned to face me then, with a gurgled, menacing growl. Lightning cracked again, quickly followed by booming thunder as the massive alligator stalked in my direction, his eyes locked onto me. Trying to back away, I tripped, falling onto my backside as my hands sank into the mud. I tried to cautiously crawl backwards, but it only drew closer. The alligator hissed gently, those cloudy blue eyes nearly glowing in the night as it shadowed over me.

“P-please,” I begged as my back met the base of a tree. “Please, I-I mean you no harm.” The alligator began to open its mouth as I raised my arm, weakened sparks flickering from my palm in defense. I closed my eyes as I prepared for my death—but nothing happened.

What?

My breathing and rapid heartbeat filled my ears, nearly drowning out the sound of the storm as I slowly lifted one of my eyelids, taken aback at what I saw. The alligator had stopped, inches away from me, its body towering over mine while it simply stared down at me, the color of its eyes swirling as if blue fire dancing behind them. Within the blink of an eye, the fire began to seep from its body and drip down at my feet. A strange sensation overcame me as the flames surrounded me. My limbs fell numb, my arm dropping to my side as a sleepy blanket draped over my nerves. Clouds fogged my irises as a gentle, enticing hum slowly filled the night air. My consciousness drifted away into a dark abyss as it clung to the strange sounds, following it deeper into the unknown while a voice whispered inside my mind.

Come to me, Iris-Marie. Come to the other side.

A Deal To Be Made

IRIS-MARIE

The hazy fog of the strange spell that overtook me began to clear, the feeling and sensation of my nerves returning to life. It was as if I had held my breath for too long, my lungs gasping as my eyes blinked the clouds away. My consciousness quickly returned with the feeling in my limbs. I frantically began to panic and take in my surroundings, overwhelmed and frightened by the eerie ambience.

I was no longer in the bayou, but instead, standing in an ungodly large cave, the walls reaching so high, my neck hurt to gaze up at them. The cave stretched far on either side of me, drifting into what appeared to be an endless tunnel of continuing darkness. The cave walls glistened, twinkling, as if tiny blue-slack stars were carved straight into the stoney structure. Soft drops of water fell from the crystalized stalactites hanging from the ceiling. As I gazed around me, I realized I was standing in a waist deep pool of water. But not just any water…glowing blue water. Only, it didn’t behave like water. It behaved and resembled something else. Something like…fire. Liquid fire.

This is no ordinary fire. This is hellfire.

A slight panic overcame me as I stumbled back, fearing the flame-like liquid, half expecting it to burn my skin. I nearlytripped, bumping into the same beast as before. The alligator had appeared out of thin air as it growled a warning. I shuffled away from it as the beast stared back at me with those unnatural eyes, the color blending perfectly with the water around us.

Its eyes… They’re hellfire as well.

The creature hissed once more as I gasped. It roughly nudged me as I fell onto my backside, the fire splashing all over my dark skin and locs as I stared at the beast, the two of us stuck in an odd curiosity of one another. Something in my core told me it meant me no real harm, but why?

I forcefully broke eye contact as I raised my arm and admired the dancing blue flames. They dripped along my body into the sea of hellfire. It was mesmerizing, watching it behave in such an unnatural way, but it seemed I was in place nature didn’t exist.

The alligator growled a second time, swimming past me. My eyes followed as I watched it slither through the water before approaching what appeared to be a large stone dais. The rocky structure birthed from the pool and rose high. A menacing throne was perched on top of it, positioned in front of a silent waterfall of the vibrant blue hellfire. It was unlike anything I’d have ever seen before.

The alligator crawled up the stoney steps, circling the menacing throne as it watched me closely with its eerie eyes.

“How strange,” I whispered quietly to myself, standing.

“It seems my dear Bastien has brought me a new soul.” The strange, sultry feminine voice echoed through the cave, startling me. My eyes searched the endless watery pit, looking for the owner of the voice, but found nothing but darkness. “You need not fear me, Iris-Marie. I don’t bite…much.”

They knew my name. How did they know my name?

“W-who are you?” I called out. “Where am I? H-how did I get here?” I glanced back at my hand as the fire dripped from my skin and into the water around me. It swirled in the pool,forming a distorted female’s face that stared back at me, her eyes blazing bright. I gasped, shuffling backwards as it rippled from existence, followed by the same feminine voice and her distorted laughter.

“You ask so many questions. Such raw curiosity. I can’t tell if you’re brave—” the woman’s voice echoed around me like a gust of wind, “or just another stupid, defenseless human.” I could feel something tugging on my locs.

“I amnotdefenseless,” I grumbled, my hands slightly sparking with magic as I glared into the empty space around me, searching for this mysterious woman. I didn’t like the idea of being toyed with, regardless of whatever she was.

“My, what a fiery temper. Do you think your little magic tricks scare me?” Her laughter echoed all around me, layering itself as it vibrated my bones. “Tell me—” I felt a tingle in my spine as I stood, the water gently waving around me. “If your magic is so powerful, how come it did not stop those men in the swamp?”

How did she know about that?

“Do you think you could also stop death herself with your magic tricks?” The question was whispered perfectly along my ear, as if the person this voice belonged to was standing directly next to me. I whipped around, inhaling sharply to find the space next to me empty, same as before. Fear began to fill my veins as I realized the woman must be something more than an ordinary human—maybe even a witch such as myself. But whatever she was, she was powerful, and there was no escaping this entity that taunted me.

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