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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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Spiritocalypse Chapter 4

Sorry that I haven’t posted or updated this story in a while. I’ve been in editing hell. I decided today to try to get at least a small chapter of this written and posted for those of you who are following it.

For those new to the story you can find the other chapters below. Also, a reminder for those reading, this is a rough draft. Chapters are posted as I write them pre-editing. I will be editing them once completed and self-publishing later on.

Part One

Part Two (first half)

Part Two (second half)

Part Three

Callie Moodboard

Chapter 3

“No, I can’t promise you when she’ll wake up Agent. You’re lucky she isn’t in full on comma.”

I knew the words should bother me. I needed to wake up. There were insane things going on and I needed answers. I wanted to understand what happened to me. What doors had that crazy doctor been trying to push open. Somewhere in my mind, I understood I wasn’t fully awake. I could best describe it as the sensation right before you wake up, when you can hear things around you, but you’re still dreaming. I couldn’t shake myself all the way out though.

“Oh, no you don’t Callie. You need more rest.” Katick’s voice came loud and stern in my ears, almost fatherly.

I had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t even in the room with me. I couldn’t open my eyes to check, but my mother always told me to listen to my gut. I felt myself sink down again, the words and blurred reality fading as the dreams took me again.

“She’s going to be fine. She just needs to rest and let her mind and body heal from what she went through.”

I appreciated the familiar comforting tones of Franny’s voice when I woke up again. I wondered who she was talking too. I felt more grounded this time. The voices didn’t feel like a dream or far away.

“We saw people never wake up at all though, doctor.”

The way the woman said doctor told me exactly who it was. The Spanish tones of her words had always delighted me when we spoke online. I started to open my eyes, but I lay still a moment longer, listening.

“I understand, but she has no serious brain damage like the records show for the others. I’m so sorry that lunatic got hold of you kids before we got here.”

The empathy in Franny’s voice felt sincere to me. She had come across short tempered and almost distressed on the plane, but I had to imagine that dealing with cops and military troops were a lot different from civilians. Civilians might be more inclined to listen for all I knew.

“Many of us are not kids, doctor, but yes. It was awful. My friend Sawyer has been having nightmares since he woke up.”

“Sawyer? Is he alright Adelaide?”

The two women turned to look at me. Franny frowned, giving me similar frustrated looks to the ones on the plane. I had pressed up partway at the mention of Sawyer, but I sank back down grinning sheepishly.

“Hi. I’m awake. Thanks for taking care of me Franny. You’re the best.”

“I can see that, Callie. It’s not nice to eavesdrop you know, but yes, Sawyer is physically fine. I think everyone is having some sort of fall out mentally, but that is to be expected.”

I let out a sigh when Franny didn’t tear into me. Adelaide moved to the side of the bed, smiling and brushing my hair from my face. I smiled at her, reaching to put my arms around her. When I moved the alarms in the room began to go off, the sensors stuck to me pulling free of their leads.

My eyes cut to Franny, smiling as sweet as I could as everything blared loudly. The doctor sighed, moving to the machines. As she stepped around my bed, the door burst open, Agent Wild standing in the door. His chest heaved and his wide eyes darted around the room.

“What’s wrong?”

I buried my face in Addy’s side, trying to hide my laughter. Addy stood, letting me fall to the floor. She lifted herself off the bed, smiling as she put hand on her perfectly curved hip. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as she tossed her black hair. How did she look so perfect in a situation like this? The only thing I saw missing was her sharp winged eyeliner.

“Nothing at all now.”

Wild looked at her and began to relax, but I couldn’t help being surprised as he ignored her coming to the side of my bed. Addy didn’t seem bothered and I wondered how often she got blown off by a handsome man. I noticed she continued to frown at him and I had to reevaluate why she had stood up. Addy had always been a flirt. She flirted with everyone, so I had assumed she would do the same with Wild, but perhaps it was something else. My brain didn’t exactly feel up to par at the moment and I had been unconscious. Who knew what I had missed?

“How are you feeling?”

I hadn’t really taken stock of my body. My eyes closed as I went over aches and pains. “I’m sore. I’m still tired. My headaches, but I’m just happy to be alive.”

Wild smiled at me when I opened my eyes. “Good. That doctor is locked up. I’m not entirely sure that what she was doing here was legal. She was to test people, but not to the extreme she did. I’m sorry, Callie.”

“It’s not your fault. She’s a mental case.” I glanced around, almost expecting Katick to be lurking in a corner. “Where’s Katick?”

“He’s in a holding room. Away from everyone. Why?”

“He’s not going to hurt anyone Wild. He saved my life with the doctor. If she had kept using her test on my brain, I’m sure I would have ruptured something.”

“That doesn’t excuse all the people he’s killed, Callie.”

I shook my head. “I don’t think he did it.”

“You’re still recovering. Not thinking straight.”

I lifted my eyes to him. Did I trust him? Did I tell him what Katick told me? Did I dare open up and chance that he was a bad guy like Katick feared? My lips felt like sandpaper as I licked them.

“I am thinking straight.” I glanced at Addy and the doctor. “Could we get a moment please? I’ll be glad to be check out and visited with after Wild leaves.”

The two women exchanged a look, but turned to go. Addy pointed at her eyes with two fingers then back to Wild in a warning as she disappeared out the door.

“Alright, I’m missing something. What’s going on Callie?” Wild pulled up the solitary chair in the room, sitting down with his arms laying on the side of the bed.

I didn’t know where to start so I just dived in. “I knew that these kinds of things were happening here already Wild. The stuff the doctor did. It’s been going on a while.”

“And how would you know classified government information, Callie?”

“Because Katick has been put through all sorts of tests. He didn’t kill anyone, Wild. They framed him so that they could bring him into the government facility without anyone questioning his disappearance. Ask him about it. Ask him about the tests and the things they put him through.”

“How do you know he’s not lying?”

“Because I just went through it, Wild. She nearly electrocuted me trying to ‘open the doors in my mind’! If Katick hadn’t stepped in, I probably wouldn’t have survived her, let alone the attack afterwards.”

“Why did he not tell me this?”

“He doesn’t know if he can trust you.”

“But you do?”

I stared at him for a moment, then nodded. “I do. I think if you knew what happened at the facility where Katick was held, you’d be upset. You’d be worried they would take your sister. You don’t want her to go through what I did today, Wild.”

“Four days ago.”

“What?”

“You went through that four days ago.”

I stared at him, trying to process that I had been unconscious that long. “I was in worse shape than I thought.”

“Franny couldn’t figure out how your brain was functioning at all after the level of current the doctor put through you.” Wild reached out and took her hand. “Listen, I have to give you some bad news about some of your friends.”

I stared at him, the emotions coming off him perfectly clear to me. I’d always been somewhat empathic, but now that Katick unlocked my mind it had increased. I looked away from him down at my other hand knowing what was coming.

“Who died?”

“No one, yet. One is in comma’s though. Franny doesn’t know if they’ll ever wake up.”

“Which one?”

“Delilah, I believe her name is. In her thirties, blonde.”

I nodded. “Yes, that’s Lilah.” I leaned my head back looking at the ceiling. “Let Katick look at her.”

“You keep talking like he’s a hero, Callie. You know he’s probably lying about what happened to him.”

I looked to him sharply. “I don’t think he is. I know what he can do. He could do a lot of harm with his abilities, but he never has. Let. Katick. Help. Her. Please, Wild.”

Wild kept his eyes locked on mine. I wanted to look away, but the intensity of his gaze wouldn’t let me. “Alright. But you can’t get mad at me if he ends up hurting her.”

“I would never, Wild.” He started to stand and I held onto his hand. “I’m trusting you not to tell your superiors about what Katick told me. Check it out if you want, but please…”

I wanted to say ‘please don’t be a bad guy’, but I didn’t. Either I trusted Wild or I didn’t. I knew it was insane to trust Katick, but he had saved my life I felt like. He didn’t have to. I knew he might have done it to get me on his side, but with his abilities, he knew I would be able to read him better than most.

People had always come to me to talk and get advice, even with my young age. I was always told by my friends and family that my empathic abilities drew people in. Now that Katick had opened that door as well, I figured I should brace myself for the fall out. I would either find that people I cared for were horrible people, or I would be swamped with people wanting a friendly ear. I didn’t mind the latter so much, but the former would be very disappointing.

Wild felt no different to me, except I could tell he felt worried and nervous. I gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m fine, Wild. Go ahead. Help Lilah if you can.”

He nodded after a moment, letting go of my hand. “You rest. I’ll have Katick brought by to see you.”

“Oh, take him to see Sawyer first.”

“Should I ask why?”

“I’d rather you didn’t.”

“Fine, but you’re running out of favors, Callie.”

I smiled at him and nodded. “I know. I’ll try not to ask for anymore.”

He stopped at the door, looking back at me. “Just try not to die again and I’ll be happy.”

I smiled as he disappeared. He really needed a new line of work. He just seemed way to nice for the FBI or whatever secret agency he really worked for. I felt drained now that everyone was gone. I laid my head back, deciding to sleep until Katick arrived.

@aschenink @pheita @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @pigeonbooks @homesteadhorner @youdontneedoxegyntoburn @wildwestiewrites @romanthewriter @maxseidel @byrdwriter @pagingdrsleep @verazelinski

#Spiritocalypse #writeblr #original writing #my wips #my ocs #my characters #moodboard #character aesthetic

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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Spiritocaplyse

Alright, @pigeonbooks you asked for a sneak peak of what I’d already written on my paranormal book. This has one of those highly debated prologues and is my first official go at first person. Here you go! Also, this is just a working title so I know what I’m posting n working on lol! I’ll tag @pheita @diva-needs-a-stop-button and @wildwestiewrites since you all have all commented on my WIP post :D

Prologue:

I don’t know when it changed, but it was sweeping and it was fast. One moment I was trying to figure out how to pay my rent for the month and the next, all hell had broken lose. I’d always been different. I saw things that other people didn’t, but I never made much of a big deal out of it. It was a sort of benefit. Real life stuff was much scarier than anything in a horror movie, so everyone thought I was the cool chic. Stone cold and unshakeable as I sat through the biggest scariest horror movies that had been made without so much as a flinch. I even laughed or smirked sometimes.

A few people said I wasn’t right in the head because of it, but I laughed them off. They didn’t get it, but it didn’t matter, they didn’t have to. I understood it and I made the best of it. Now, that was all different. I wasn’t that unshakeable girl anymore. No. I’m terrified and I don’t know how to stop it. It was a small thing at first. I was seeing them more often, more clearly. Every day there were more and more of them. I was beginning to doubt that they were what I thought they were my whole life.

My mother and my grams had always said that they could harm you if you gave them the power, but I didn’t think I was in any danger because who would ever give something like this the power to hurt them willingly? Not I. That was for sure. Still they were here and there was no end to them in sight. What did you do when the dead came to take their world back? What do you do when suddenly you’re part of a small elite group of people who can see the very things that are tearing our world apart, killing people, possessing them? What do you do when you’re no longer the girl fearing to be found crazy, but one of the few that the whole world is depending on?

….

You fight.

Chapter 1

The phone rang and I ignored it. Another bill collector. They’d get it when I got it. Wasn’t much else I could do about it. They had cut hours back at work and since the new management took over it wasn’t looking like we’d be getting those hours back anytime soon. My pencil scratched over the paper I was figuring my bills on when a cold chill spilled down my back and both of my arms. Sighing, I took a deep breath and lifted my eyes. The shadow darted just out of my line of sight. Shaking my head I just kept looking ahead.

“You’re not allowed in here. I’ve told you before. Be gone!”

I could feel it fighting the order, but I repeated the 'be gone' strong and fierce even if it was just a whisper. Couldn’t have the neighbors calling the mental hospital on me after all. It took a few times, but it was gone. Laying down the pencil I headed into my bedroom and slid open the top drawer of my dresser taking out a container of salt. I tried not to burn sage when the neighbors were home, they complained. I let my mind drift off on a tangent about how people thought their mere existence made them entitled to making other people’s lives hell.

Shaking my head, I focused back on what I was doing. I walked through the house, using the salt and whatever this was that I had to clean the house. I would sound like an insane person if anyone heard me, telling spirits they weren’t allowed in the house, purging their presence from it. The floor creaked as I walked and I sighed waiting on the people downstairs to complain that I was being too noisy. I couldn’t exactly do anything about the floor and the landlord wasn’t going to rip up the flooring to fix the boards.

I sat back down at the table and felt that chill again. That was odd. I usually got a few days of peace before they busted right back in. I looked up, frowning, clearly not happy with the intrusion. This shadow didn’t run though. It stood there in the hall, using the hall light to make it’s shadowy form more noticeable. It was disconcerting to say the least. They never did this. They never stayed where I could see them. They just teased and taunted. Let me know they were there and they were watching. Maybe this one was one that wanted to tell me something.

The last story I heard about something like this from my grandmother was the a spirit walking the railroad tracks when she and her sister were jumping out of the barn on a relatives farm and into the hay bale, which just happened to have a dead body in it, or so she found out. Was this form trying to tell me something too.? I knew there were no dead bodies in my apartment. There were a handful of people that I’d love to strangle or shove out a window, but I wasn’t crazy. I’d never actually do it.

My heart was pounding, but I found myself standing up and walking from the table towards the hallway opening. “What do you want?”

There was no answer and I stepped closer. As if my moved encouraged this thing in my hall, it moved as well, rushing up into my face. All I could see were glowing eyes. These weren’t the red glowing eyes that most people associate with demons or evil things. These glowed a soft gold and were full of fear. It stole by breath, but the voice I heard cut through me.

“They’re coming. It’s breaking.”

The voice didn’t have a specific dialect or accent, then again, I might say it had all of them at once. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before. I was so shocked that it took a moment for me to realize I could still speak as those eyes gazed into mine. “Who’s coming? What… what’s breaking? Who are you?”

“They’re coming. It’s breaking. Can’t stop it.”

Those golden eyes left my face and looked over its shadowed shoulder before looking back at me terrified. It disappeared and I felt the most horrible cold chill of my life. It wouldn’t stop. I began to violently shake and stumble back towards the table. It felt like someone was squeezing my heart and I couldn’t breathe. I forced myself away from the table, sure I was having a heart attack, but something told me that doctors couldn’t help. I stumbled down the hall, gasping for air, trying to get into my bedroom...

and you gotta wait for the rest of chapter 1....lol!

#fantasy #writing #my writing #my wips #original writing #writeblr #my ocs #spiritocalypse

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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Spiritocalypse Chap. 2 Pt 1

Alright, so since I got some good reaction (some in all caps) about me posting the rough draft of this as I go, here is the first half of chapter two. i feel like I should warn you, this is my first go at first person POV too, so sorry if the rough draft slips to third sometimes.

@pigeonbooks @pheita @wildwestiewrites @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @cog-writes @aschenink @youdontneedoxegyntoburn

If anyone else wants on my tag list for this, please let me know.

When the helicopter touched down in Tuscon, I was tempted to kneel down and touch the ground. I resisted though, not wanting to look like a complete loser and an idiot. There were other black suited men waiting on us as we got out, some thankfully holding umbrellas. Agent Wild took one and then took my arm guiding me inside. Once there, he handed off the umbrella, but never let go of my arm. I glanced over at him, frowning. I was suddenly feeling like I was under arrest and that didn’t sit well with me. I’d never been in trouble with the law and I hadn’t done anything tonight to get myself in trouble either.

It didn’t help matters any when he led me into what looked like the interrogation room you saw on every television cop show. Could you really get anymore stereotypical? He let go of my arm and left without a word. Sighing, I sat down in a surprisingly comfy chair and kicked my feet up on the table.

“Miss Anders, please remove your feet from the table.”

I jerked at the sound of the voice, nearly falling out of the chair, but I put my feet down. Alright. I was being watched. Noted. The question was why? Did they expect me to do some kind of psychic trick like they saw on those fake television shows? Not likely. Most people who were sensitive were nothing like that. Quite often, in fact, we tried to hide it. Ignoring the fact that I was being watched, my mind went to thinking about who it might be that they were waiting on to join them.

I had a sinking feeling that I was going to be in for another ride in a chopper or plane. At least a plane I could shut the windows and not feel quite as exposed. There was a rattle at the door and I looked up as Agent Wild came in with a tray. It held two cups of coffee and an assortment of snacks. I had to admit, I was surprised.

“Why I told you to get your feet off the table, don’t want your feet where we’re going to have food.” He picked up one of the coffees and took a sip off it, sighing like he was getting his fix for the first time today.

I sat up in the seat, reaching for my own cup. The umbrella’s had been great, but I was still wet and chilled thanks to the rain. “No problem. So how long before you haul me outta here like some sorta criminal again?”

Agent Wild pulled out a chair and sank down, frowning at me. “You’re not being treated like a criminal. More like a valuable commodity. You’ll understand soon.”

“I’d rather understand now.” Why lie to him? I wasn’t good with this cloak and dagger stuff. I preferred people to be up front with me.

My comment actually seemed to amuse the Agent as she smiled. “I’m sure you would, but we don’t always get what we want. Let’s look at it this way. You’re going to hear it all soon, from someone more qualified than me.”

Sipping my coffee, I let my gaze linger on him before I lowered it. “I don’t do well with big words Agent Wild.”

“You don’t do well with patience either do you?”

Shaking my head no, I smiled and reached for a piece of chocolate candy on the tray, popping it in my mouth and chewing. Just as I swallowed, the door opened and good old stoneface walked in. I started to say something about chocolate being able to crack that face of his, but when he stepped to the side, another person was ushered in. This man was in cuffs. I looked at Agent Wild then back to the prisoner.

Now, I was uncomfortable. No, being a prisoner didn’t make you bad person, but he just gave off a vibe that said he was dangerous. I had never been able to read aura’s, but I got vibes off people and his was pure danger. I sank back into my seat putting as much space between the man who was being sat at the table and myself as possible.

I knew I was staring. I couldn’t help it. He had long scraggly hair that looked like it hadn’t been washed in a month, his eyes stared straight ahead at Agent Wild, but they looked distant. Something was off there. I didn’t think he was blind because he was staring so intently. As he turned those intense eyes to me, I lifted my coffee cup to my lips and looked down, away from him.

He kept staring and I finally looked over at him. I knew now why his eyes looked odd. They were the strangest color I had ever seen. They were charcoal grey with a brilliant blue line around them. Maybe they had been tattooed like that. Something told me they weren’t. The blue line reminded me of the eyes that had stared at me through Sawyer’s screen. That made me nervous again and I looked away again.

“Hello, Callie.”

I looked up sharply as he said my name and Agent Wild looked at Stoneface who shrugged. “How do you know her name?”

The man looked at the Agent and smiled. “I’ve met her before.”

I was shaking my head. “No. No we haven’t. I’ve never seen you before.”

“That’s not very nice Callie. Sawyer introduced us. This evening in fact.” He gave me a smile that sent a shiver through me. He was not sane. Not by a long shot.

“That’s not possible. Sawyer didn’t…”

He began to laugh loudly, his eyes fully flashing that blue. I gasped, spilling my coffee in the floor. “Now do you remember.”

“That’s… no… I… how? How?”

“It’s called astral projection Callie. It’s I who told our friends here about you, Sawyer and the others. You all can stop it. With my help of course.”

“Stop what?” Agent Wild and I spoke at the same time and I glanced to him with a frown.

“The end of the world of course.” Shaking his head, he smiled and leaned back in the seat. “You can undo these cuffs, I don’t want to leave. This show is going to be too good.”

Agent Wild chuckled, "Not happening. I've seen your psych profile and your criminal record. I will chain you to the table though."

I watched, shaken as Wild moved forward and readjusted the prisoners bonds, giving him a bit more space to move. It seemed like he planned on the man being in that chair for a while. Astral projection was just a fairy tale. Even people like me, who could see the dead and other spirits were known to chuckle at such things.

How was I supposed to explain it away? He knew my name. He knew Sawyer. He knew what had happened in Sawyer's apartment. It was too many factors to be chance. He couldn't have overheard. I hadn't said Sawyer's name or my own since I was in this room. I realized I was staring at him and looked away. When the man chuckled, I blushed. He was enjoying my confusion and discomfort.

"Do I have to stay in here with him?" I already knew if that was an option, Wild wouldn't have brought him here in the first place.

"Sorry, Callie. Limited room."

The prisoner laughed. "Come now, Callie we can become good friends. Aren't you even going to ask my name?"

"No, I'm not. I don't care to know you." I looked over now, trying to be brave. "I don't associate with criminals."

My attempt at badassery resulted in the dirty, scruffy man, doubling over in laughter at my comments. My cheeks blushed redder and I couldn't look Agent Wild in the eye either. This was embarrassing. I should have just ignored him. I always did this. Got pulled in when I was trying to be the bigger person. I always ended up looking like an idiot too.

Agent Wild smacked the table, getting the man to stop laughing. "Unless you wanna make this trip in a hood and gag, you'll leave the young woman alone Katick."

I couldn't help but look up then, eyes wide. Katick? I knew that name from the news. "James Katick? The mass murderer Katick?" Blushing was no longer an issue as all the blood had drained from my body.

Agent Wild looked at me, sighing. "Yes, but he can't and won't harm you. He's got too much on the line with this. All of us do. Ain't that right Katick?"

James Katick gave him a cold smile. "You far more than I, Agent." His eyes moved to me and he inclined his head. "Nice to be known by you Callie, but… you forget. I pleaded not guilty. Innocent as the day is long." The smile he gave me was cold and I couldn't help the shiver that went down my spine. "Of that at least."

"Shut up Katick. You're not here to socialize. Don't speak unless its needed." Wild turned to me, but I was still staring at the murdered sitting just a few feet from me. "I'm going to have to step out. Just say out of his reach alright?"

I nodded without a word, eyes dropping to the chains. I shrank back in my chair, heart speeding a bit still. Katick just sat there, smiling at me, clearly enjoying my discomfort. I forced myself to look away, staring anywhere but at the man at the table. My mind began to wander to the others. Were they going through the same thing in different parts of the world? Where they all coming here then going somewhere else? Would I not see them until we got to the central location?

They had said not to bring phones, but I felt mine down in the bottom of my purse. The familiar lump gave it away, though it likely was dead, or close to it. I hadn't intentionally brought it. I'd just forgotten to leave it at home. It was sort of a relief to know that if things got insane, I might be able to call for help. At least let my mom know that I was alive and alright. I took a deep breath and was able to relax a little. I felt a little less adrift.

The silence seemed to go on and on as Agent Wild was gone. It left me with too much time to think and worry. What exactly was going on? It surprised me that if the veil was broken that the government would be involved. Didn't they spend a lot of money and time to shoot down ideas that the metaphysical and spiritual was a load of bull? I shook my head, hating to think that the conspiracy theorist were right about things. Surely this was a last minute scramble for the protective services of the world to try to put together a battle plan against an enemy that you couldn't fight and most couldn't even see.

"You're going to hurt your brain, Callie."

I glanced over with a frown at Katick. "Would you please leave me alone? I'm not comfortable talking to you."

"Ah, but without me, you'd be clueless and still sitting at home thinking you were going crazy as more and more spirits tried to warn you." He leaned forward on the table. "Or worse yet, tried to possess you."

"Bullshit, they'd have to be demons to do that." Of course I knew my lore. I wasn't some little kid who had never read or heard anything about spirits before.

Katick looked at me like I was the insane one, then began to laugh. "You are such a sweet girl. So naïve. That was before the veil was torn asunder. I was so hoping you'd be smarter than this, Callie. Hopefully your friends will make up for your ignorance."

"How am I supposed to know how spirits change when the veil is torn? It's never happened before!"

I stood up and walked over to the door, peeking out the little window. I didn't want to be in here with him. If regular spirits were now able to do what demons could do, they were all in trouble. I couldn't stand still, fidgeting constantly as I peeked out the window.

"You can't run away from it Callie. You might as well sit down and listen to me." The chair scraped over the floor, causing me to turn back to him.

"Why not save your breath for when we're all together?" I didn't want to talk to him. I didn't want to think about this. Still, I asked the question that rose in my mind. "How do you know what the spirits can do with the veil torn? You can't have experienced it."

"Oh, but I can." Katick's sick smile spread over his lips again. "I've seen it. Small tears. Just one or two spirits slipping through before whatever controls the veil or the other side sealed it again. They happen all the time."

I didn't know what to say. I just leaned against the wall and slid down it, arms on my knees. "God above…"

"It's not God you have to worry about, Callie. It's the devil." Katick began to laugh uncontrollably as if a fit of insanity had taken him. Or perhaps his moment of sanity had fled him.

"The devil is just a symbol for evil." At least that was what I wanted to believe, in this moment at least. It was less terrifying. I wasn't a police officer or someone in the military. I wasn't trained to be brave in these situations. I wanted to be, but I was scared.

The laughing stopped and Katick stared at me intently enough that I tried to shrink into the wall. "No he isn't. He might not be what the bible says after all the translations have gotten screwed up, but he's very real. You're going to have to face your fears, Callie. You're going to be a soldier in this war, just like me. I might be crazy, but I'd rather be me and be crazy, than be possessed by God only knows what and out of control."

I had to admit, I agreed. I'd rather be here terrified and fighting than giving up and just become some toy for a dead person. Did that count as necrophilia of any sort? I shivered at the though and then shook my head at myself for such insane thoughts at a time like this. "You have a point. Did you have something to do with them picking us?"

"Not specifically, but I've known this was happening for a few weeks now. Me and a few others they keep under lock and key. I've been astral traveling, looking for people with the spark. Your little group showed some potential so I pointed you out. It was up to Agent Wild's bosses who they picked up." The smile he gave her wasn't as unsettling as before. "Your lucky day I guess."

"You've known for weeks? Why would the government believe you when you told them?"

"That's a story for a different time, Callie. Now, it's time to go." He looked towards the door and my eyes followed him, head tilted up as to see who was entering. I never even thought to second guess that someone was coming.

Agent Wild stepped in, looking confused for a moment. "Callie?" He turned seeing me in the floor but his frown deepened. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just on edge." I stood up, dusting myself off. "Company doesn't help much with that, but he's not too bad."

Katick gave a toothy grin and held his hands up. "I'm ready to for my first class flight, Agent."

Wild sighed and shook his head. "I'm taking Callie first."

He held his hand out to me and I took it, surprised to feel it was a bit sweaty. It hadn't occurred to me that this situation might unsettle or scare an FBI agent. I didn't say anything out loud, but I gave him a smile. "Good to know the FBI has manners, Wild."

He chuckled at me and shook his head. "Surprised you're so snarky in a situation like this."

Opening the door, he motioned me out and I grabbed my things hurrying out with him before I answered. "It's a defense mechanism. If I can deflect, I don't freak out so bad. I use it on a daily basis. I have… some issues."

Wild didn't say anything in response, keeping his eyes straight ahead, as we walked. I wished in this moment that I could read his mind. To know the thoughts that he was keeping from me. No, I'm not a mind reader, but I have learned to read people. When you've got social anxiety, which thankfully I took my meds for today, a bit shy, and introverted, you found new ways to learn about people. Reading their body language, the look in their eyes, the way their muscles bunched around their eyes, gave me a good window into a person's mind. Also, I just got these gut feelings when I looked at someone. Sawyer said I was a bit empathic, but I never thought much about it.

"Something is bothering you, Agent Wild. I know I don't know you, but… I'm glad to listen." Listening was something I could honestly say I was good at.

He finally looked at me, smiling faintly. "You're not authorized for this level of troubling thoughts. Sorry, Callie." He patted my shoulder. "Nice of you to offer though. Do you need anything before we go."

A thought hit me and I opened my purse digging inside it. No meds. I wasn't thinking about this long a trip and they said no phone, just my identification. "I have medicines I take. If I’m not going to be home tomorrow… I'll need them."

"That can be arranged. We have medical on site where we're going. Anything else? Because you won't be home tomorrow. I can't guarantee next week or next month. Your family will be contacted tomorrow, but is there anyone else that needs contacted?"

I was staring at him. My mind hadn't processed past tomorrow. He couldn't guarantee next month. I couldn't work. I couldn't pay my rent. I'd be homeless. Oh holy fuck. I began to breathe a bit harder and he looked at him. Anxiety was crawling all over me and I crossed my arms. I began to pace a bit, working this out in my head. "I can have my mom clean out my apartment. I can leave a notice at my work…"

"Woah, woah… I'll do all that. Or have someone do it. I can't let you contact anyone. This is too sensitive." He stopped and looked around, then took my arm guiding me to a desk further down the hall.

The whole sterile look of the place, the grey walls, the limited furniture, and what there was being metal, made me think military or medical facility. The desk area even reminded me of a nurses desk. Wild picked up a pad of paper. "Here, write down everyone you need to contact. Bills, rent, landlords, anything that needs to be maintained to avoid notice of you being gone. You'll quit your job of course."

"Quit? How the hell am I supposed to pay my bills if I quit?" I had taken the pad and a pen off the desk writing down my needs, but that had me stopping and looking at him like he was insane.

"We'll pay you and your upkeep. Consider it compensation for your assistance in this matter, Callie. Any pay will be put into a new federal bank account for your use once this is over. Until then, you're a ward of the government and we will furnish food, clothes, spending money as needed, and any supplies to accomplish your work, which in this case includes your rent and bills." Wild smiled at her. "I feel for all you kids jerked up out of nothing. You kind of remind me of my sister. She's a few years younger than me. Snarky and has issues dealing with people."

"I hope she's not sensitive or they might recruit her too." I had gone back to writing, but the sharp inhale of made me look up. "Oh… no. Is she?"

"I, well… I mean… I shouldn't be discussing this stuff with you. I'd be telling you the parameter's that we used to pick our groups. I'm sure she's safe." He gave me a smile, trying to soften the blow of cutting me off. "You're safe. I hope you know that. I mean, not everyone is going to be as nice to you as I am, but I've always gotten docked on my reviews for my personality flaws." Wild chuckled and shrugged. "I get the job done. That's what matters."

Hearing him open up, just that tiny bit, did make me feel safer. I felt like someone in this organization would care if something happened to those of us being picked up. "I've felt safe so far… except for when we were flying. Flying doesn't make me feel safe." I chuckled softly and wrote down the name of my landlord, his phone number, my work information, and anything else I thought might need addressed in my absence. "I wasn't expecting for this to be so involved. I figured I'd be home tomorrow after some excitement."

"That would be wonderful, but I doubt everyone will even be gathered by tomorrow, Callie." He took the list I gave him and pulled the radio off his hip. He called for another agent. When they arrived, he gave him the list. The two men spoke for a few long moments and then he rejoined me. "All handled. Ready now, Callie?

I nodded and started to walk with him, much calmer now. "I have another question."

"I can't tell you where we're going."

"No, what's your name? I know your first name isn't Agent."

"Oh…" Wild didn't answer me right away, but after a few moments of debating, his dark eyes turned to me. "Antonio, but I prefer Tone or Tony. You should stick to Agent Wild for now. If any of my superiors think I'm favoring you then it won't be good for either of us."

"Right, no. I get it. Wild is fine. I was just curious." I couldn't help but wonder how much harder he had to work to get where he was compared to the white agents I had met today. I was sure it was a lot. I had it hard, paying my bills and things, but I still knew I was privileged in the grand scheme of things. "Will my other friends from the chat room be at this place we're going?"

"Eventually. Depends on flight time and weather of course." Wild pointed to a hallway up on the left. "That way."

I knew we were going to another aircraft of some sort, but I didn't like it. I could use something to calm my anxiety or else Wild was going without his coat again. "Is it a long flight?"

"Longer than the last one." He motioned for me to go as I had stopped when I got to the hallway. "It's a plane, not a chopper. It won't be so bad."

"That's what you think," I grumbled before sighing and heading down the hall.

Wild chuckled softly as we walked. "I can't be as… friendly, on the plane. There will be more than me and my partner and they want us being professional."

"Then why have you been so nice to me so far?" I knew he wasn't acting like the stereotypical agent. At least not like what I had seen on television.

"I am a human being, Callie. I'm not stone cold. Besides, like I said, you remind me of my sister in some ways. There are very few agents who can honestly pull off the tv trope version of an agent, but they don't expect us to be 'chatty' with the people we're responsible for."

"I guess that makes sense. It makes it harder for you to be objective if you've made close friendships with the people you're protecting. Then again, I guess it could have some upsides." We had reached the door that I guessed would lead outside to the airfield or wherever for getting on the plane.

"Upsides? Like what?" Wild opened the door and motioned me out. "C'mon. You can't put it off. I don't want to cuff you and force you into the plane."

"I don't want that either." I took a deep breath and headed through the door. It was another hallway, but narrow with very sterile, but yellow tinted lighting. It was like a hallway I'd expect to see in an old World War 2 movie. It didn't make me feel any better about what was coming either.

"You didn't answer my question." Wild's voice echoed about me a bit from the way the hallway was built and stretched far ahead.

I glanced back at him. "Sorry, my mind is on the plane. Upsides, like… having people trust you, or reading people. It's always easier to read people you're friends with or connected to instead of strangers, but it is possible to read strangers."

Wild was quiet for a moment and I could just imagine him nodding behind me. "I guess you have a point. Not that my bosses will care, but just don't get angry if I can't talk to you much or answer your questions."

"No, I get it. I won't get mad. Just… I hope the others can be as patient as you are with my flying freak out." There was another door coming into view at the end of the hall and I sighed. "That one goes outside doesn't it?"

"The girls a genius." Wild stepped past me and put one hand on the bar and one on my upper back. "C'mon. Standing here dwelling won't help."

I took a deep breath and nodded, stepping outside. For some reason, I had been expecting a jet or at most a standard plane. What was sitting on the runway was a huge military plane. There were dozens of people milling about, moving boxes, reading clip boards and barking orders. I was so surprised that I managed to keep walking. I was curious now. There were military bases all over the desert. It wasn't unusual to see military planes fly over, but I'd never been close to one.

I glanced at Wild, eyes a little wide. "All of this to escort me and Katick to an unknown location?"

"No, that's only part of our mission." Wild sighed and pulled me to the side, keeping his voice low. "If what Katick has seen is true, then there's a huge disaster ahead. We're prepping for all eventualities. All levels of government and law enforcement are working together on this."

I frowned, glancing back at the plane. "Then why hasn't there been a national alert sent out? Don't they do that?"

"Because we don't know yet what to warn for. We don't know that everyday people can defend against what's coming. That’s why we've reached out to people like you. People like your friends. You may be the only defense we have."

There was a sudden weight on my shoulders. A sudden pressure of a responsibility that I hadn't dreamed could exist. Defense? How were we supposed to defend against the veil between the living and dead breaking? "But we don't know how…"

"That's why we've got to hurry. We don't have much time for you and the others to figure it out." He motioned back to the plane. "We need to go."

I felt silly now, being afraid of the plane, when there was so much on the line. "Right. Yeah. Of course."

I followed Wild up the big wide platform and into the strange looking seats with lots of straps and belts. "Well, I won't fall out."

Wild chuckled. "No, no you won't. That is true."

"Wild is this the girl? Has she had her medical?"

Wild and I both looked over at the woman who was speaking. I looked over at my eye level naturally, but found myself looking down a bit lower. The woman was looking at the tablet in her hand, scribbling down things rapidly on the screen. Her mousy brown hair was tied up with a zip tie, clearly having pulled it up in a hurry. She looked up at Wild with a frustrated gaze in her grey eyes and lifted a brow, clearly expecting an answer.

"Sorry, Franny, she's not had time. We're fast tracking this."

"I don't care if you're super-fast tracking it. This plane isn't taking off without at least a brief exam and I'm pulling up her medical files now. I'll send all medication to the facility so it should be in your quarters waiting when you arrive." Franny looked to me and then looked around, motioning to a large metal crate. "Sit."

I glanced at Wild not sure about this new person in the fragile dynamic I'd built with him to keep myself calm. He nodded and I went to sit down. I didn't know Wild, but I felt I could trust him. He'd opened up a bit as we walked and I appreciated that, but it wasn't enough to really say I could trust him. I was following my gut and I hope it didn't end me in big trouble.

"What's the exam for, Dr…." I was guessing she was a doctor, but she hadn't given me her name at all.

"Ah, manners. Wild hasn't corrupted you." She took a moment to glance at me before she laid the tablet down. "Dr. Francis Peters, Franny to those who enjoy annoying me." The doctor began to listen to my heart and give me a general look over.

"Well nice to meet you, Dr. Peters. You didn't answer my question though."

Franny looked up at her, then glanced at Wild. He shrugged. "She won't let up. It's her coping mechanism."

Shaking her head, she checked my pulse then looked at my files. "It's to make sure you're not going to drop dead under stress, Ms. Anders." Franny frowned a bit, scrolling through, then sat the tablet back down. "You have slight sugar issues, a little overweight but not much, but otherwise healthy. Good. Wild will probably run any weight off you and you'll be eating a military diet. No extra sugar or salt. Wild… she's all yours."

Before I could say anything in reply, she was walking off. I hopped off the crate and looked down at myself. "So much for my self-esteem."

"Oh, I'm not getting into that conversation. I know I'd just put my foot in my mouth."

I couldn't help but laugh at him. It was a dangerous topic. If he said I wasn't fat, then I might take it as flirting, or if he didn't say it I might get upset that he was calling me fat and ugly. I wouldn't do either, but he didn't know that. I shook my head at him and didn't say anything, picking up my purse again.

As we walked up to the front of the plane, he kept checking his phone. "No one is going to text you what you should say to me about my looks. You're all alone."

Wild chuckled then. "Oh, no. I don't need help with that. This is business. No comments required or needed." He gave me a smile and motions to the seats. "Take your pick."

"I'm not sure how to take that." I gave him a smile and picked a seat where I'd have someone on either side. It made me feel safer. "Don't worry though. I'm ok with how I look. I'm happy."

"Good to hear that. This isn't a dating service, so not sure that it will matter. These things may not take looks into account." Wild sat down next to me, showing me how to do the multiple straps.

"Aww, but I was hoping to charm them, maybe get a date. Never know… could be a husband or a wife in it for me."

Wild looked up at me from the straps, clearly not sure how to take me in the moment. "Getting more nervous aren't you?"

I gave him a sheepish grin, my long dark hair getting nervously tucked behind my ear. "That obvious huh?"

"You spitting out your sexual orientation and that you're single in the middle of a stressful situation sort of gave it away, Callie." He shook his head and smiled. "You're gonna be fine. Trust me, this flight is going to be nothing compared to what's to come."

"I know that's meant to be comforting, but it's not. Not at all."

"Sorry, it's the truth though. Wouldn't you rather I be honest?"

"I guess so… still doesn't help my nerves either way." I finished strapping in and leaned my head back with a sigh. "Go do what you need to. The chubby nervous girl is fine for now. I'm not going to run away."

Wild smiled and put his hand on my shoulder squeezing it. "Good, I'll be back soon. Got to escort Katick out." He hung a tag around my neck. I looked at my driver's license picture and groaned. "Don't complain, we didn't have time for a photoshoot and you don't want shot on sight for trespassing."

"No, though this picture makes it seem like a good alternative." Sighing, I looked up, watching him go before glancing back to the picture. I was only 18 when it was taken. It seemed a lifetime ago. I was fresh out of high school, where I had never fit in. I hadn't gone to college since I couldn't afford it, but I had taken some online classes and gotten an associate's degree in business. I wasn't totally uneducated. I'd even made the dean's list for the place, not that an online college had the same prestige of a traditional school.

I stared for a moment longer, momentarily pondering what had made me think green frames on my glasses had been a good idea. "Ah, being a teenager." I finally dropped the picture and leaned my head back. It was getting late by now and my body said I should have fed it proper food and put it in bed by now. I didn't see myself doing either of those for a while though. My eyes weren't just tired though, they were filling gritty, so I dug in my purse and got my eye drops out.

I was glad I'd had that Lasik eye surgery because dealing with contacts or glasses in this situation would be near impossible. I would have been blind otherwise. I glanced around, seeing I was finally all alone for the first time in a while. I let out a sigh and tried to relax. My muscles were tense, which was normal enough for me and my stress levels, but alone time helped me relax. It looked like it was going to be a rare thing.

What had I gotten mixed up with? It wasn't like I'd gone looking to join a mass effort by the government to save the world from the dead, but look at me now. Wouldn't my mom be proud? God, mom was going to freak if I didn't call her in the next couple of days. I had to wonder if the government realized what a headache they were causing for everyday people by jerking us out of our lives like this. Sure, Wild seemed like a decent person, but the idea that everyone I was going to deal with would be like that was beyond insane. I was many things, but it was quickly dawning on me that insane wasn't one of them.

I wasn't sure if I was relieved by that or stressed. Was the government going to keep this situation out of the news? Would anyone know it happened? If not then everyone would still think she was the crazy girl who saw ghosts. Ghost shows were super popular on television, but that didn't stop individuals from not believing or thinking people who said they were sensitive were liars or insane.

What were the others going through? I doubted that other countries would be in such… turmoil. America seemed like the last ones to get on the 'spirits are real' bandwagon. Even though I can see them, I never imagined something like this could ever happen. What had torn the veil? Why were the dead wanting to come back? Wasn't death supposed to be peaceful? I could ask one, but I wasn't sure I wanted to know. What if they told her it was horrible and not at all what they were taught?

I felt my stomach tightening from the train of thought I was on, so I decided to change directions. I opened my eyes and looked down the plane towards the opening at the back. There were still dozens of soldiers moving around, but there were also bunches of crates now filling the back of the plane. I couldn't see the entire opening now. Though I did see a flash of orange coming up the ramp. Ah, Wild had gone and gotten Katick. Great. More play time with the murderer.

Katick looked right at me and grinned when he got close. "Hello again, Callie. Ready for play time?"

I couldn't help but narrow my eyes at him. "Alright… just what is your flavor of, I don't know the correct term for it, mental abnormality? Telepathic? Clairvoyant? A mixed bag? Cause you didn't pick that choice of words by chance."

"I didn't?" He chuckled, lifting his hands to let Wild strap him in. "If you say so, Callie."

I sighed, realizing he wasn't going to answer me. I stared at him intently for a moment thinking at him to stay out of my head, but he just started laughing. I wasn't sure if he was laughing at my words or my stare. Maybe both. I probably looked a little insane. I looked away with a sigh, glancing at Wild. "So how long is the flight?"

"A while. More than 4 hours. Less than 10." He gave her a nod, glancing back as more suits walked up and began to settle in. I knew he was telling me that talking would be limited now. I sighed, but was glad when he sat down next to me.

I glanced around, then whispered to him. "I should have asked Franny for something for my nerves."

"That would have been good, Miss Anders, but just try to stay calm."

"Easier said than done." I sighed and leaned my head back staring at the ceiling. At least once the ramp in the back of the military plane was up, there weren't any windows I could see out of.

Katick leaned forward as far as he could and smiled. "They aren't going to make this flight easy. They're starting to increase in numbers." Looking around at the agents, he locked eyes on Callie. "I can help with your fears of flying, Callie. Just… let me in."

"Ohhh but fuck no. I'd rather be terrified shitless than let you anywhere near my mind."

"Callie… such language from a lady." Katick laughed and sat back. He was clearly impressed with himself.

One of the new agents, a silver haired man with a frown deep set on his face, grabbed Katick and jerked him back into the seat. "Shut your mouth. We don't even know if any of nonsense is real. Even if it is, ghost can't mess with a plane. Leave the girl alone or you'll find yourself muzzled."

"Oh, kinky. Cuffs and gags. You're getting me excited, Agent." The prisoner laughed as the man rolled his eyes.

I was looking around between them, more fixated on what the agent had said. "What do you mean you don't know if it's real or not? We saw them. We heard the warnings. How can it not be real?" I looked to Wild, not understanding why they would bring sensitives in if they weren't sure or ready to believe.

"I don't believe in all this mumbo jumbo. Just because our research team's been working on it for decades don't make it real. I'll worry when I see some proof." He seemed determined and the more I watched him, I knew he was scared.

I leaned back, a thoughtful expression on my face. How could I, a 23 year old woman, be less afraid of what was coming than this well trained government agent? I looked back at him and he looked away, clearly not liking the attention. I wanted to tell him it was alright. That it was normal to be afraid of something you couldn't see or couldn't physically fight. That introverted part of me stopped the words dead in my throat. There were more people in the plane and close than I cared for. It felt like they were draining my energy, so I pulled out my note pad taking notes about the people I was meeting.

I didn't know the agents name, but he would be Silver in my note pad. I jotted down what I knew about him. He was a non-believer, scared of the paranormal, very closed minded, angry, and frustrated. I glanced to my left at Wild, who happened to be looking at me curiously. I gave him a smile and went back to writing.

Agent Wild was an easier entry. Handsome, confident, open minded, gentle in his own way, open minded, and willing to listen. Good ol' stoneface was sitting next to him and after I wrote stoneface on the paper, I just put a question mark. He'd not said or done anything, but after a moment, I marked out the question mark and put down observant. He was always watching. There was nothing wrong with that, but it could be a bit unnerving. I didn't know the other four agents sitting down the row, but I had a feeling they would be the first of many I met.

I began to write down Katick's name and he chuckled. I looked up and flipped him off. I thought at him to stay out of my head again and tried to remember how to raise a barrier like my friend had taught me. I visualized it around my mind and began to write again, hoping it would work. Katick's list was simple. He was insane and dangerous. I did note that he may be telepathic, clairvoyant, and could do astral projection.

I could write down all my friends, but if my barrier didn't work, I didn't want Katick seeing about them. Though, he already seemed to know of us if nothing else. I became curious and didn't know if I'd get yelled at, but I looked up at Katick. "Why Sawyer?"

Katick lifted a brow. "Finally, a smart question. Sawyer is an open book. He has no barriers and no protections. It's why he's so introverted and shy. People overwhelm him. You could try to teach him that trick you're doing with your mind. It's very frustrating." Katick smirked at me. "Besides, Sawyer is my nephew."

The shock must have been clear on my face. "What? No. There's no way. He lives in Argentina. Has all his life. He has no family in the states."

"My parents split when we were kids. Dad took my sister to Argentina. He's my sisters son. My family is gifted, but they refuse to use their gifts. Sawyer doesn't. He's scared, but he'll stand up when he needs too." Leaning back, Katick looked at the agents. "Surprise."

Silver was already ranting that this whole thing was an escape attempt and that they were all being played. Wild took a deep breath and looked at me. "Put your notes away, please." He then turned his attention to Silver. "Shut the hell up. The notification came from the upper levels. We were going to talk with Katick long before he reached out to us. Just relax."

I was just starting to wonder how long they had been aware

I was just starting to wonder how long they had been aware of the issue with the veil and was going to ask, but the plane chose that moment to start taking off and I gasped grabbing the arm of the seat. "Ohhh, this can't be over fast enough."

Stoneface leaned around Wild looking at me. "Once we're leveled out, Franny is in the lower deck checking over troops. I can tell her you need something."

I stared at him surprised. He could speak. I realized he was awaiting an answer and I nodded. "Yes, please. Thank you." See, he was observant. He remembered the chopper trip and knew I was afraid. Maybe he wasn't so bad.

It didn't take long for the flight to be leveled out. The agents started unbuckling, leaving just me and Katick strapped in. I knew I could, but I didn't want too. I watched Stoneface disappear and I leaned towards Wild. "What's his name?"

"Ask him yourself, Ms. Anders." He was clearly amused, knowing I wanted it for my little note pad.

"You're no fun, Wild." Sighing, I sat back, trying to take deep breaths and relax.

Franny came up the ramp, looking through a bag. "Why didn't you tell me you were afraid of flying?" She pulled out a bottle and handed me a pill, then a bottle of water. "Take that. It will probably make you sleepy. Not so sleepy you can't be woken up if need be."

"Sorry, I didn't think about it. I figured you were busy." I took the pill and the water, glancing at Katick and back to Wild. "Thank you."

"I was busy, but taking care of you people is my job. Hurry up, so I can get back to checking out those downstairs."

I downed the pill and sighed. "All gone." I looked at Wild again. "If I fall asleep, I don't want to be alone with him."

"Not to worry. You won't be alone with him anyway Ms. Anders. Asleep or not. You can relax about that." Wild gave me a nod, that sparkle of friendliness in his eyes if not his expression.

I nodded and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Agent. I appreciate that." I drank more of the water before lidding it. There might not be a bathroom on this thing, better not fill up. The pill was quick working and I blinked a few times feeling my eyes get heavy as I yawned. I closed them, not quite asleep, but not awake either.

Blue eyes filled my minds eye and I suddenly couldn't breathe. I knew who it was. I tried to push him out, but the drugs made it impossible. His voice seemed to echo inside my head.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Callie. I want to stop this, but don't trust the government. They have plans and they aren't good for any of us. I've not been in a regular jail. I've been in a government testing facility having my gifts tested to see if they could be weaponized. Stopping the rip in the veil is paramount, but they won't let you go after this. Wild might seem nice, but I can't get in his mind. I don't know if he's aware of what the end goal is here. Trust me just a bit Callie. We're all in danger."

I couldn't answer, my drugged brain not making words as sleep stole me away from his words. The drugs pulled me into that deep dreamless sleep that didn't let you solve any of your problems or work out scenarios.

#original writing #my wip #rough draft #Spiritocalypse #my ocs #geez this is long #sorry for the super longness #Callie Anders #Agent Wild #James Katick

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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OC Runway

I was tagged by @micastarsandmirrors. Thank you lovely!

Rules: Pick three of your characters. Show off one picture/drawing/gif, for each, that you’ve chosen as their full appearance – or maybe a photo of something that shows a physical trait (hair color/style, eye color, freckles, tattoos, etc). And then tag those writeblrs with awesome WIPs!

I’m going to do Spiritocalypse. I think everyone would appreciate a break from Thief characters.

Callie Anders - Main protag- (Faceclaim- Tara Lynn)

James Katick - The scary man Callie isn’t sure she can trust - (Faceclaim- Jackson Rathbone)

Agent Wild - Advanced Special Agent - (Face Claim: Ricky Whittle)

I’m not tagging anyone. If you want to jump in, please do! Tag me so I can see what you do!!!! <3

#tag game #my wips #Spiritocalypse #my ocs

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eternalwritingstudent · 3 years

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Planned WIP Updates

I have an old list of untilted wips that I plan, someday, to write. I thought I’d refresh and update that. Some of them do have titles, so the previous list and this will be tagged ‘untiltled wip’ just to keep the tags together. If anyone has questions on any of these, let me know. Soul of Iddia is actually written, but I didn’t like it, so I’m gonna redo it, so it stays on this ‘to do’ list.

-The Queen of the Scourge (Horror/Paranormal) - Drusa is the demon queen of New York. She has been here since the new world was settled and has a deep power structure in place. She was thrown from Heaven with Lucifer, so she’s extremely old and doesn’t take anyone messing with HER town lightly. Another demon moves into the city after the hell mouth that exists under New York. Drusa has to fight to keep her city from being destroyed and outing the existence to demons to the world.

-Spiritocalypse (Paranormal) - In 2018 it wasn’t uncommon for people to see ghosts, or even make a living off of being able to commune with the dead. There were still those who didn’t believe and thought these people were insane, liars, or just looking for attention. Callie finds refuge from those people and the stress of life in her online friends scattered around the world with similar abilities. The spirits she normally sees and can drive from her home easily are appearing more and more. Everything changes when one speaks to her late one evening. Her messages go crazy with her friends all experiencing the same situation. The veil between the living and the dead is breaking. It seems like a bad dream until the a secret branch of the FBI knocks on Callie’s door and turns her world upside down. Could she help keep the world from being torn apart?

-Untitled Post-Apoc/Alt History Novel - The world has fallen to war. People fight like animals for food outside of the few remaining cities. If you lived outside of the cities run by what was left of the United Nations, you could only hope you survived another day. There were people trying to change the world in both areas but by far different means. Aria’s fiance worked at a research facility for the government. He claimed to be working on the project that would change their lives forever. Aria didn’t realize that he meant literally until she felt the needle break her skin, injecting her with the syrum he had been creating. Aria forced from her only safe place is thrown into the dangerous outside world, while faced with her body going through these unstoppable changes.

-Untitled Steampunky/Sci-fi? Novel - In the near future, the debate between what is too much technology and what should be furthered and improved. Once the conflict turns to war, a driven rebellious faction creates The World Ender. The machine, driven by three keys, brings and end to all technology on the planet. The rebels refuse to restore event he most basic services until an agreement is reach for peace. Now, the ‘key’s that powered the machine have been removed, a modicum of technology return and heavily regulated to prevent abuse. They keys were stolen from the rebel faction, now they are fighting to get them back in order to keep their control over the world. The problem, the keys are three living young woman who were engineered to power the machine with their bodies. They were last held by the rebels when they were 12. Now grown woman, they are trying to build new lives, hunted unknowingly by the government.

- What is Human - Biopunk/Scifi - (Plot incomplete) When a new way is found to create humans that makes them smarter, stronger, faster, and more logical, the human population of Mars riots, putting the doctors who created the BioSynth Program on the run to attempt o keep Lindy, the first successful BioSynth creation alive and safe.

- Veiled Loyalty (Urban Fantasy-ish) - High above the world sits The Veil, a cloud shrouded city that is home to the gods. The gods ‘watch over humanity’ from The Veil, guiding, teaching, and blessing their loyal followers. Everyone falls in line, lives the life their god gives them, and rejoices in it. Or do they?

- Road of Choices - 16 year old Alys’s home is attacked and her parents killed. With help of a family friend and teacher, Alys escapes south with little supplies or funds towards the capital to beseech the king for help taking her home back and avenging her family. Her plan doesn’t go as she expected when she meets the twins Gabrielle and Garrett. The pair convince her to come with them to resupply and prepare for the oncoming winter in Seanoren. Seanoren is hope to the temple of the Goddess Lyota, who is responsible for giving humans their gifts. Gaby and Garrett are destined for the temple to finish their training of their gifts. Most people are tested and trained in their gifts from a young age. Alys tested negative as a child, but surprises await her inside the temple. Surprises that will change her plans, her path, and her future as well as her friends.

- Biting Crown - When Natalia Prince and her crew The Sheriff’s attack the settlement of Nott, Brie watches her parents cut down in front of her. Distraught, Brie attacks Prince, putting Brie and her group of hunters on the run. Breaking for what remains of the Olympic National Forest, the group puts plans in motion for survival and vengeance, determined not to let Prince enslave their settlement like she has so many others. The forest becomes their sanctuary and their battleground as they fight to save their people and their home.

- The Soul of Iddia - When a good deed for a little coin goes wrong, Vilanna finds herself thrust into the middle of turmoil that will soon grip all of Iddia itself. Her decisions will decide the fate of the entire world, a responsibility she has no desire to be given.

I think that’s everything.... I think.

#untitled wips #writeblr #my wips #original writing

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eternalwritingstudent · 4 years

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WIP Tag Game

I was tagged by @pheita. (I feel like you’re punishing me for teasing you LOL) Rules: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Send me an ask with the title that most intrigues you and interests you and I’ll post a little snippet of it or tell you something about it! Note: I’m not listing all the versions I have of the same story, cause they’re literally the same book, just different levels of editing.

BobbyJoe Vision

Demon Story

Dragon Book - Maybe

Random Book

Spiritocalypse

Shot

The Initiation

What Is Human

TWFRedo

Blood Moss Gates

Freedom and Natalia

Rebel Rose

ROC Redo 2020

Apoc Scifi Idea

Fae Short Story

Magic Thief

Robin Hood Retelling

Werewolf

Creating The Paranormal

Westbridge

Magic Cat Princess E-N

Statue Idea

Vampire Asshole

Upside Down

Mage Cane

Gods Come Down

Doc Moreau redo

Winters a Bitch

Vigil

Video Game

I’ll tag @ardawyn @radley-writes @ravenpuffwriter @ellatholmes

#tag game #wips #some of these I don't remember what they are #some are ten or more years old #my writing

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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Masterpost of WIPs for Mobile

Since the mobile links I put in my description don’t seem to be working no matter what I do to fix them, here is a masterpost of my WIPS and important pages. The links for the sideblogs seem to be working but I’m still including them here.

My WIPS:

Thief Without Faith

The Soul of Iddia

Veiled Loyalty

I have a few WIPS that don’t have their own sideblogs. Those links are here.

Spiritocalypse

Queen of The Scourge

My tag list can be found here (only works in browser it appears): Tag List

The tag list will be updated from time to time as tags are added or adjusted!

#masterpost #list of links #writeblr #me #rambling #i'll put this link in my description for mobile users #maybe it will work #grumbles

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

Note

1,6,18,28 ,45 for the OC questions

1. Your first OC ever?My first OC ever... god, uhm... it was a girl named Andrea. I made her when I was like 11. She had magic she didn’t know about and was choosen. You know, all the tropes lol. She got forced to go to magic school and train. I’ll show my age and say this was long before JKR had Hogwarts, though my magic school wasn’t as cool. It was more religious based. 6. Two OCs of yours that look alike despite not being related?Actually, Freedom and Valric look a lot alike, if you ignore their ears that is. They’re both dark haired, light eyed, tall, and fighters. I don’t have anyone else that comes close.18. Any OC crackships? Hmmmm.... It will sound crazy, but Freedom and her horse Midnight, if Midnight was human that is. There are things to be revealed about Midnight, but I’ll leave it at that. 28. Your most dangerous OC? If I stick to my WIPs here on Tumblr, I would have to say Katick from Spiritocalypse. He has the ability to get inside your mind and that is always a dangerous thing. 45. A character you no longer use?Oh but now that you asked, I want to use them. I had a Satyr that name Iairos. He was asked by Aphrodite to remove all the women who challenged her beauty from the world. He was given a bracelet that made him look fully human. She didn’t force him to kill people, but he had to remove them from the public eye, so he started a human trafficking ring. He has the ability to charm with music, make any drink alcoholic, and a few other things, besides being very handsome, which drew some women and men in on its own. Yep. Gonna have to find a use for him. I miss him now.

#pheita #sorry for taking so long #I was late getting on the computer #my ocs #The Soul of Iddia #On Shadow's Edge

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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Update

So I know I haven’t updated the Thief Without Faith AU in a while or added more to Spiricoalypse. I’ve been super busy editing the original Thief and working on the details of book 2 for the series. I am hoping after my doctors appointments for the week are done, I can get one or both of these updated for you guys. Or perhaps both depending on my focus and my inspiration.

If anyone has missed parts of the TWF AU you can read it here: TWF AU

Spiritocalypse’s first three chapters can be found here: Spiritocalypse

#writeblr #original writing #my ocs #my wips #Spiriocalypse #On Shadow's Edge

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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Fair warning. I’m just a few thousand words from finishing up this draft of Thief Without Faith’s edits. I was debating having people beta read for some specific things, but I might wait until I do one more pass through it. Anyway, back to the point of this, I’m almost done with that, so you all will start seeing a lot more Soul of Iddia excerpts as I edit that and hopefully I can get up the next part of the AU and Spiritocalypse. So... be preparedddd!

#The Soul of Iddiia #original writing #my wips #writeblr #my ocs #fantasy #writing #my writing #On Shadow's Edge

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eternalwritingstudent · 6 years

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Spiritocalypse Chapter 3

I got on a roll writing on this wip, so here is another chapter sooner than expected. This is a very long chapter, but I hope you all don’t mind. I’m actually a bit nervous to post it since it’s so long, but enjoy! As always, this is rough draft, so apologies for typos and the like.

Any one who wants to start with part one/chapter one can find it and part 2 in the links below

Part One

Part Two (first half)

Part Two (second half)

Moodboard: Callie

@pigeonbooks @pheita @homesteadhorner @cogwrites @aschenink @ramblingsofabourbondrinker @youdontneedoxegyntoburn @moonsilksworld @wildwestiewrites

Once I finished my food, I looked around for a place to set the empty MRE, but a passing agent took it, heading to the back of the plane.

"Oh, thanks…" They didn't react to my surprised thank you and kept walking. Well, I tried.

I sank back in the seat, still feeling drained but not as bad. I wanted to talk to Katick, but there was no way to do that unless I let him in my head. I was a shy introvert. I had trouble dealing with people in my personal space, let alone someone in my head. I'd just have to wait.

"Do you want another pill, Callie?"

Wild's voice drew me from my thoughts and I frowned, considering. "How much longer?"

"I'd say a few hours yet. Do you need something to help you stay calm again?" He leaned forward as he spoke, so I could see him better.

Callie nodded. "No. That's alright. I'm not as jumpy on the plane as the chopper. It feels more stable and I think everything is paling a bit in comparison to what happened earlier. I'll tell you if it changes."

"You sure you're feeling alright?" The look of concern on his face seemed sincere as he gazed at her.

"Still a bit tired, but overall, yeah. I am." I gave him a soft smile, not really having the energy for more.

"Alright, I have to meet with some of the other agents. I can hear you if you yell though. Try to rest." Wild looked over at Katick, giving him a pointed look before walking away.

"I'm not lying."

I sighed, looking over at Katick. "I didn't say you were, but that doesn't mean that Wild is involved."

"Doesn't mean he's not." He gave a shrug, clearly not as trusting as I was.

"I'm going to wait to pass judgement if you don't mind." I frowned at him, shifting in the hard seat to try to get more comfortable.

"It's your life. I don't care what you do with it, but you get Sawyer caught up in your 'waiting' bullshit and they can add another casualty to my weapons testing." The glint in his eyes had gone from curious to hard.

"I'm not going get Sawyer involved in anything." If I thought about it, it made sense now that Katick's apparition had appeared in Sawyer's place.

"I've been trying to keep any eye on him since all this started. I knew he'd be a target. He's been showing signs of his gift since he was small. It's one reason he's so shy and keeps to himself." Katick was still giving me that hard gaze, but I didn't look away.

"I'll do everything I can to keep him safe. I didn't expect any of this."

"No one did. Except whoever planned it." Katick looked towards one of the windows. "I'm not sure they're on this side of the veil to stop."

I frowned at him, confused by that comment. How could someone be causing this if they were dead? Spirits were powerful, but this seemed a bit much. Katick continued, telling me that the confusion was clear on my face.

"If there is a spirit or entity on the other side, that has been able to consume, or otherwise absorb power from other spirits, it could have become strong enough to organize."

"That just seems so far-fetched though. Is it possible it might not be a human spirit?" I was just having too much trouble wrapping my mind around his theory.

"I never said it had to be human to begin with. Or did you miss that?" Katick smirked at me and I rolled my eyes.

"This is all new to me. I'm a little slow on the uptake alright?" I didn't like being patronized.

"You better get faster." His eerie blue eyes darted to the side and I followed his gaze, spotting Wild coming back from the other end of the plane.

I knew our conversation would have to wait until later, so I leaned my head back trying to pretend to rest. I did half doze for a while, but my thoughts would let me fully sink away into sleep. My head was pounding anyway. There had been so much happen in just a few hours that I was having trouble processing it.

If I was able to use this Nether that Katick had mentioned and destroy spirits that was a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. It was also a lot of guilt. I was not a murderer. That seemed something more in Katick's wheelhouse than mine. It had kept them safe though. If that was what had happened, but I had no way of knowing unless I repeated the process and someone could tell me what they saw happen.

Wild's footsteps had reached my ears a bit later, but I didn't open my eyes. After a moment, he took another step, I assumed to his seat. I actually did manage to quiet my thoughts and doze off for the last bit of the flight, though I hadn't meant too. The few quiet moments I had to think and figure things out were missed. I felt frustrated as Wild shook me awake.

"Let's go." He handed me a raincoat with a hood, thickly lined. "Storming and it's a bit of a walk across the air field."

I nodded, putting my purse over my head and pulling the coat on. I was surprised they had one in my size. I wasn't that big, but I wasn't a size large or medium either. As I did up the zipper, I watched Wild get Katick up out of his seat, checking his restraints and putting a coat on him too.

"No funny business Katick. Everyone outside of this plane is armed, as I'm sure you know."

"Wild, you and your agents are the least of my worries. There is something way bigger and badder than you out there." He began to shuffle forward towards the now open hanger bay of the plane.

I fell in behind them, hands shoved in the coat pocket. For someone who the law enforcement and news said was mentally unbalanced, he seemed completely sound to me. Yes, he seemed to be a dick and enjoyed pushing buttons, but he didn't seem insane at all. I had to admit, it was giving me reason to give his story some credit.

The moment the wind hit me, I gasped. I expected to have landed in a typical city and military base. There should have been hangers and off to one side the houses for the military families and the like. I didn't see anything like that. There were mountains to the north and snow. I groaned. I hated snow. That was one reason I lived in the Southwest. No snow.

"What's wrong, Callie?" Wild's voice was barely audible, the wind trying to whip it away.

"Snow. I hate snow!"

Wild chuckled and motioned her forward. "Sorry, nothing I can do about that except get you inside quick."

"Quick is good. What is this place?"

"You know I can't tell you that Callie, but for now you can call it home." He glanced over to Katick I assumed to make sure he wasn't causing trouble then pointed me to a large grey door in the building ahead.

The idea of this place being 'home' made my stomach knot. I didn't want to be here long enough for it to be home. I wanted this to be an easy fix, make some money from it, and get back to my humdrum life. I never thought I'd see the day where I wanted the life I had, but here it was.

I headed towards the door, ready to be inside out of the cold and rain. I stepped inside only to be faced by a group of people with clipboards and white coats. I back peddled a bit to keep from running into anyone, looking from one face to another. Wild's hand on my back kept me from going all the way out the door.

"Dr. Lizen, can I help you?" Wild frowned a bit looking over the group.

The woman on the end nodded, her bun so tight it didn't even try to move with the motion. "Yes, Agent. We need to take the subject to the testing area to determine her classification."

"Determine her… right. No. No one that is being brought in tonight is for your little experiment, Dr. Lizen. These people are here to help us with the problem. They are to be debriefed and then prepared for their mission." He pushed me forward a bit, trying to use me to split the crowd.

"What? But we only do intakes here, Agent. The rest of the groups that have come in are already in processing. We must take her."

"Woah, lady. No one is taking me anywhere, unless its back home or maybe out to dinner." I looked at Wild, confused. "I didn't sign on to be a science experiment. I'm helping with the tears. Nothing else."

"Anyone who has been brought in by my division is to be released into our agents care, Dr. Lizen. We have clearance and will be taking over this facility. If you have a problem with it…tough." Wild urged me forward again and this time I went.

Dr. Lizen huffed and walked over to phone on a nearby desk, calling back the orders Wild had given her I assumed. It made me think back to what Katick had said about the governments testing and weaponizing. Maybe he wasn't lying.

"So they locked my friends up?" I didn't like that.

"I wouldn't imagine locked up. They're probably in rooms sitting and waiting.

"Agent! Agent!" Dr. Lizen was hurrying towards them

I sighed and shook my head. "Here we go again."

Wild turned towards her and I turned with him, curious what was happening as the doctor caught up. "What is it doctor?"

"If we're not doing intake, we still need to document their abilities for this missions records. Or so I was just informed by my supervisor. It'll just be a routine exam and notation."

Dr. Lizen looked far too excited to test them and document their abilities. I immediately started to wonder if this was how criminals felt or anyone who had ever been processed through a medical facility. This doctor was making me feel like science experiment that had escaped.

Wild looked at Callie and back at the doctor. "You have half an hour, then she needs to be returned here. Understand?"

The doctor nodded and motioned for Callie to follow her. I turned to look at Wild. I was not happy about this. I pointed at him, eyes narrowed, but he lifted his hands acting like it was out of his control. I turned following this far too eager doctor back to an exam room.

"Please, just have a seat. I'm going to put some electrodes on your temples so we can measure brain activity." She began to peel them back, prepping to stick them to me.

"You know, you should ask my name. You should tell me what the hell is going on, before you stick anything to me." I crossed my arms, ready to duck or dodge as needed.

The doctor looked up, surprised by her comments. "Oh."

"I'm not sure how you're used to doing things, but I'm not a prisoner. I'm a volunteer. I'm also highly stressed and nervous so, I'd handle me with care."

The doctor stopped, picking up her clipboard, marking something out. "What is your name please?"

"Callie Anders. I'm twenty-three and yes, I can see spirits. No, I am not insane. Can I go now?"

"I'm afraid not, Ms. Anders. I have to see what you can do besides see spirits. I've yet to meet someone with mental abilities that have only one. We'll have to do some tests. They'll be painless I promise." She laid the clipboard down and picked up the electrodes again. "Now, I'll just get these on."

I held still letting her stick them on my face. This was insane. What kind of test could they do in order to measure abilities like hers? They hadn't come up with any that I had heard of that could measure it.

"Alright, Ms. Anders. If you'll lay back, I'll step in the other room and start the tests. You'll be stimulated with various images and stimuli. Just react naturally." She turned hurrying out before I could stop her.

I sighed and laid back on the bed. This was stupid. I was looking around at the generic doctor's office printed art on the walls, waiting for something to happen. There was a sharp shocking pain in my head and I cried out grabbing it.

"OW! You said these measure don't hurt! Stop it!" I started to jerk them off but it stopped.

"Please do not remove the devices or we will have to restrain you Ms. Anders."

Restrain me? Oh, this was crazy. Wild was going to get an earful for letting this happen. I was not a lab rat!

"Don't do that again then." I was breathing hard, head aching from whatever they had done.

There was no response and I tried to relax again. I blinked and noticed black spots in my vision. I rubbed my eyes and shook my head, but they didn't go away. They started to merge, starting to form a shape.

"What the…" As I watched it form the vague outline of someone. "Is this part of the test?"

"Is what part of the test Ms. Anders?"

A soft male voice laughed and I knew who it was. I rolled my eyes, but I heard his voice in my head. "I told you this was going on. Let me help you open your mind before they do it the painful way. Wild doesn’t have a clue what they're doing to you and you're going to be in bad shape when you come out if you don't."

I caught myself before I spoke aloud. Instead, I focused and thought my question to him. "How do I know you're telling me the truth?"

"I warned you about this bullshit didn't I? What have I got to gain by lying?"

"Good point. Points… whatever." Before I could answer him the shock came again and I screamed arching up off the table, until it stopped.

I was breathing hard and shaking as I tried to recover. "What are you… doing… to me?"

"We're attempting to open your mind. These frequencies will cause any latent abilities to stir in self-defense. Please don't fight."

"Look here, bitch…"

"I will sedate you if you do not cooperate." Dr. Lizen sounded frustrated.

I turned my eyes towards the door she went out. "If Agent Wild finds out what you're doing, you'll be in trouble."

The shock came again and I felt something warm on my upper lip. I reached up, hand shaking to find my nose bleeding. The room was full of odd colors, as if I was standing in a rainbow. My eyes found the shadow form of Katick and nodded.

"This won't be pleasant Callie, but more than what they're doing to you and they won’t get to wipe your mind. I'm going to start."

I closed my eyes and held onto the bed. I was covered in a cold sweat, my stomach feeling sick. Had they done this to my friends? This was awful. I had to tell Wild. This couldn't go on.

I felt Katick enter my mind. He wasn't trying to be subtle. He felt like he was taking a sledgehammer hitting things in my mind. I groaned a bit from the feeling of it, but like he said, it was much more manageable than what the doctor was doing. The lights in the room began to move. It was slow at first. The yellows disappeared altogether, while the reds and blues merged into two lines with a band of black between them.

I had never thought about colors being a part of any sort of mental abilities. I supposed it made sense since people could see aura's, but it had never been one of my gifts. The reds and blues began to move, blending, and pushing the black to one side. I didn't understand what Katick was doing in my head, but no more shocks had occurred.

"Ms. Anders how are you feeling? I'm showing changes in your mental state in the display."

I couldn't resist her giving me an opening since my defenses were on high alert. "I feel like my fried is brained."

There was a long moment of silence before she spoke again. "I'm sorry, you feel what?"

I tried not to smile. She was too easy. Katick chuckled in my mind, appreciative of me messing with her. "I said, I brained like my feel is fried."

"I see…"

I couldn't see her in the other room, but I just knew she was in a panic. There were no more questions but no more shocks. I was distracted now by the change in my vision, everything was going dark, causing my heart to start to pound.

"Relax, Callie. It'll pass in a moment. This is the last… door so to speak."

I couldn't help but wonder how many doors he'd opened, but I didn’t ask cause I didn't really want to know. The darkness suddenly turned to a blinding white and I couldn't help but grab my head with a cry of pain.

"Welcome to your new world, Callie. I'm sorry. She'll do more tests now, but the pain will be gone."

I was blinking, trying to get my vision back, but Katick was visibly gone from the room now. The doctor was standing in front of me, shaking me a bit. "What? I didn't hear you."

"I asked if you were alright."

"Of course I'm not alright. You tried to electrocute me. Wait till Wild hears about this. It'll be your ass, doc."

"I'm just doing my job, Ms. Anders. We'll resume. I'll get you something for the headache afterwards." She turned to go back through the door.

The room suddenly changed. It turned dark, and the walls disappeared, leaving me in what appeared to be a large open field under a full moon. I reached out to feel for the wall near the bed, which happened to still be there. I couldn't feel them and I assumed it was some sort of mind manipulation. I was probably still lying on the bed not moving.

It felt like someone was trying to get in my mind again, but Katick had just left. There shouldn't be anyone trying. I stood up and the bed disappeared. I reached back to feel for it, but my hand went through air. I didn't like this. I didn't like it at all.

I looked around for a door or anything to indicate where I was supposed to go, but there was nothing. I couldn't just stand here. That didn't seem conducive to getting this test over with. I started to walk through the trees, finding myself standing on the side of a foggy road.

I could just make out a church in the distance. The closer I walked, I realized it wasn't a church, but an older house with a chimney. I had thought the chimney was a cross. I wasn't sure why, but I felt disappointed at not finding a church ahead.

Everything about this place felt eerie. The fog muffled all the sound and there was no traffic. This place couldn't be real. Perhaps they just didn't want to deal with the fall out of me thinking I got ran over and killed inside my own mind.

"Callie!"

I looked around for Katick hearing his voice. He sounded scared. He knew the tests were happening, why would he be worried? That made me worry.

"Katick? Where are you?"

There was no answer, but there was a growing pressure in my mind. It felt like I was high in the mountains and the altitude was putting pressure on my ear drums. I held my nose and blew trying to get them to pop, but it didn't work. The pressure was moving behind my eyes now.

"Callie…er… ru… not p…"

I turned around again looking for Katick. I could hear him, but the words were broken and didn't make sense. I was getting nervous now. He was trying to tell me something and he was being blocked.

Nothing about this felt right. There was no way that those two little electrodes on my temples were causing me to hallucinate this. Did this have something to do with what Katick had done messing in my head? I could feel my heart racing, so I wasn't dreaming. I wasn't dreaming in a traditional manner at least.

I couldn't just stand here in the fog and wait for something to happen. I began to walk again, going towards the house. It was the only thing in sight besides light poles and stop signs barely visible in the fog.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself and ended up coughing. The air smelled stale, stagnant. I stopped walking, a cold chill making the hair on my arms stand up. It smelled like death. God knew I had seen enough of it as a kid. I'd gone to a funeral almost every year from the time I was small until I was ten or so. It was a sad smell. One that stirred memories that I didn't like to think about.

"Alright, Cal. Get it together. Go knock on the door, do this silly test for the doctor so you can get the hell outta here."

I took another breath, despite the scent on the air and began moving again. Something darted off to my left, but when I turned to look at it, there was nothing there. This was not a fun game. I didn't want to play. I picked up my pace. If I could get into the house at least I could put a wall at my back and have a better chance of staying safe.

The fog rolled back a little as I moved through it, but it wouldn't lift totally. It felt silly to me, but I couldn't help but think that it felt alive almost. The fog was visibly moving with me, letting me see what it wanted me to see, nothing more. The right side of the road began to clear a bit and I could see an old cemetery off through the trees. That wasn't ominous at all.

"Callie… hear… n… ut."

Katick's voice sounded further away. The only thing I could make out were a few words. I shook my head and sighed. I doubted he could hear me, but if there was a chance he could. I didn't want to worry him.

"I'm fine, Katick. Just walking around in the fog."

The moment I said it out loud, things felt creepier. This was not fun. I thought about what I could do to defend myself, but I had no weapons and no fighting skills. What was I worrying about? This was just something that that doctor had done to me. They weren't going to let me get hurt.

There was another flash of black, but this time it was above me. I looked up, but there was nothing there. As I looked up, my shin slammed into something. I cursed, grabbing my leg and glancing down. I had walked into a tombstone.

My stomach knotted and dropped to my feet. The graveyard had been yards off in the other direction. I looked that way, but the fog had claimed it again. My eyes moved to look back towards the house, but I couldn't see it now. The fog seemed to be getting thicker as I stood there, as if it was stalking me, closing in.

I started to breathe a bit faster, fear eating at the edges of my mind. What if this wasn't something the doctor had done? What if something had gone wrong? Was that why Katick kept trying to reach me?

"Katick?! Katick! If you can hear me, I don't like this. I want out! Make the doctor let me out."

There was no response. The sound of him calling my name from a distance would be a comfort right now. I knew I needed to move, so I bent forward, keeping my hands out to feel for the short cross-shaped tombstone crosses. I didn't want to run into anymore. My shin was still throbbing. It made me worry that I could feel pain here.

The rows of tombstones seemed never ending, but I finally seemed to run into a low wall. This was not the one I'd seen through the distance before. I didn't recall a wall around it. As if rising up from now where the moment I stepped over the wall, the distant house I'd see was suddenly in front of me.

It didn't look as reassuring as it had from a distance. The idea I'd had about going in to see what was there didn't seem like such a good idea. I turned to look around for other options as the door swung open on the house. I turned slowly to look at it.

"Ah, hell. This is like a freaking horror movie. If I go in there, someone will try to kill me. I'll freak out, run upstairs instead of back to the door and die from something stupid."

I began to back away from the door, but the moment I did I felt something behind me. It turned slowly seeing a large black mass. As I watched a hand reached out from the darkness, hand shrouded in blue ethereal flames. I gasped and darted back, but the flames danced over my hand.

"Hey! Keep your nasty hands to yourself." A soft glow came up around me, startling me.

The thing swiped at me again, but when it touched the shield, it drew back with a strangled cry of pain. I had always visualized a shield when something spiritual was bothering me, but I hadn't even thought about it this time. It just… happened.

"That's new…"

I was thankful for it though. That blue fire was nasty. I looked down at my hand, seeing a dark bloody burn on my hand. That was not something I wanted to tangle with if at all possible. As I stood staring at my hand like an idiot, the form started to press forward out of the darkness, but it was distorted by the blue flames. It drew back and all I could think to do was run.

I was shielded, but I didn't know how long it would hold. I focused on the shield trying to keep it strong as the flame raced to engulf me. The shield held in most places, but the flame broke through in one or two. It hit the ground in front of me like a lightning strike. It sent up rock and dirt causing me to stumble, hitting my knees. The tiny rocks cut at my face and arms as I lifted them to shield me.

I made the mistake of looking back before I got up. The mass of darkness behind me seemed to be several spirts combined into one horrid mass. The thing had eyes in places it had no right having them. Its arms writhed and it moved on all fours, no fours wasn't right. There were too many legs and arms for that. I thought I might be sick with the fear sitting like lead in my stomach, but I stumbled to my feet, running towards the house. It was scary, but this was terrifying.

I fell twice more trying to get through the hole in the ground the spirit had made and tripping over my own clumsy feet. It took far longer than I liked to get in the house and slam the door shut. I immediately spread my shield out to encompass the house. I'd be exhausted, but hopefully it would discourage whatever that thing was to go away.

I could feel it pounding on the shield. My ears began to ring with the shrill scream that the thing was making. I put my hands up, trying to block it out, but it didn't help. There could be anything moving in this house and I wouldn't be able to hear it. I turned slowly, knowing that as long as I had my back to the door, I should be all right.

The room that I turned to face was full of old Victorian furniture. I couldn't quite make out the colors because the light coming in the windows was pale and made everything washed out. I thought it might be a blue of some sort, or maybe it was red and the light was just messing with my eyes, like that dress thing that had gone around on twitter a while back.

I wanted to move from the door and explore this house, but I didn't know if it was any safer than it was outside. Something hit he door hard behind me and I yelped, jumping away from it. I picked up a book that was covered in dust on the table and threw it at the door.

"Don't do that!"

I put my hand to my chest, heart pounding. I walked to a window, carefully staying to one side so I could peek around and see what was outside still. My heart leapt in my throat as I saw that mass of arms, legs, and eyes seemed to be growing. The blue fire was lapping at the trees around the house, the ground scorched black where it stood. How long was my shield going to hold out against that?

It seemed focused on where I had been or perhaps where I disappeared. I ran over to one of the heavy ornate couches and began to slide it against the door. I had some semblance of a plan building in my head, but my hand was throbbing in pain making my thoughts jump around.

"This isn't real. Why does it hurt so much?" I looked down at my hand, the blood had run down my fingers and dried there, the burn scabbing over quickly, but every time I moved my hand or fingers, it cracked open and the burn started seeping blood again. It shouldn't have been such a deep wound, but this wasn't a normal place. That fire wasn't normal. None of this was normal.

"I want out of this place doc! Let me go! I'm gonna make sure Wild has you up on charges so deep you'll never get out from under them!"

I knew deep down that yelling wasn't going to fix anything. I doubted the woman could even hear her. I crept away from the door, doing her best to stay where the thing outside couldn't see her through the windows. It was slow going and involved a lot of ducking, but I made it through the door that lead from this entryway living area.

There was a narrow hall with another door right across from this one. The doors were closed to it and something tugged at my mind. I needed to open those doors. I stepped forward and took hold of the brass knobs. They were cold under my hand, far colder than they should have been as I turned them. The doors didn't want to move.

"Ca… push!"

I let go of the doors, spinning out of habit to look for the voice. This ability Katick had to get in my head was no the normal thing for me. It still startled me. I took a deep breath and looked back at the door. He wanted me to push? Was he here somewhere watching me? I glanced around again, but pushed the door. It still wouldn't move.

Why did I need to go through this door? I recalled Katick saying something about opening doors in her mind, but this wasn't my mind. My mind wouldn't attack me. Would it? That didn't make sense. The mind protected itself. It didn't attack itself.

I took a deep breath and focused. What had Katick said I had used in the plane? Nether? If he was right and I had some other ability, maybe I could use it to help me here. I stared at the slim slit between the two doors, imagining them flying open under my gaze.

They didn't move though. I cursed softly and stepped back, planting my foot right below the knobs. They moved then. I felt heat rush to my cheeks. This wasn't a metaphysical thing; it was something blocking the door. I could hear it screech as I pushed. Someone had blocked this door, but why?

I put my shoulder into it and began to push harder. The item blocking the door shifted to the side and I stumbled through, catching myself on a dusty piano. It made an off key not as I shook the cords strung inside it. The sound of the cords vibrating began to grow. My eyes began to flutter uncontrollably, eyes rolling back as well.

There was a roar under the sound of the cords. It was high pitched and I wondered for a moment if this was how dogs felt with when someone blew a dog whistle. I gripped the side of my head, stumbling away from the piano, hoping it would ease the sound or the pain, but it didn't. I sank down on the split, dry rotted leather of the piano bench. I kept my hand over my hears rocking back and forth a bit.

The sound shifted from inside my head to filling the room and I sighed. That was still bad, but it was a bit of relief. I lifted my head, covered in a cold sweat. The light in the room was changing. It was turning a warm gold color, as if the sun was rising on a warm summer day. I looked towards the door, but the room and hall beyond were still that dull almost colorless tone.

I blinked a few times. Maybe my mind was fracturing due to the stress it was under right now. I really didn't want to give people with my gifts a name for being unstable. People thought that often enough already. The light began to grow, but now the room itself was fading. Where the piano had been the light began to swirl. I couldn't help but stare into the light. It seemed like the light began to expand out, but it was more varied in color. There were reds, purples, and yellows.

There were little specks of light mixed in to the colors. I almost felt like I was staring at an artist's rendering of a faraway galaxy. I lifted my hand, wanting to make the colors swirl. I didn't expect anything to happen, but my hand blurring a bit as it trailed in front of the light. My hand froze a moment after I lifted it. Where my hand moved, the lights seemed to gather around it and trail along.

This was too strange. I was manipulating this… I didn't even know what to call it. Matter? Light? Was it some metaphysical manifestation from the other side of the veil? I pulled my hand back and everything returned to the glow in the middle of the room. I didn't know why, but I stood up, stepping up on the closed keys of the piano.

I hoped for a moment that the rotting wood would hold me, but it felt strong as I stepped up and then stepped again to be on top of it. I took two more steps putting myself in the middle of this strange vision. When I stepped into it, I gasped. It was warm. I hadn't felt that as it moved to my hand, but now that I was fully in it I noticed.

I turned a bit, but the colors didn't go with me. Nothing happened for a moment and I started to turn back to the piano. It changed in a rush. As I turned, the light all seemed to dive inside me. I couldn't help but cry out as my body flooded with this warmth. I held my hands up to see what was happening to my body.

I knew somewhere in my confused mind this wasn't my real body, but at the same time it was. I knew whatever was happening to me in this place was also happening to me in that room in the military base. The idea that the doctor was doing this had long ago left me. There was no way she was doing this.

The question was, what was? I was almost afraid to find out as I watched my skin glow with those colors and the stars. It looked like I had a galaxy trapped under my skin. I was still getting warmer and I wondered if I was going to catch fire from the inside. I closed my eyes and everything jerked.

I was suddenly outside. I was all around the house. My perspective was as if I was my shield. I could feel the spots where the shadowed form outside had weakened it. I don't know why I did, but I took that light filling me and poured it into those spots making them strong again.

As I did, a solitary, vibrating word echoed through my head. "Nether…"

The memory of Katick saying it on the plane came back and I knew I was on the verge of making some sort of connection. I had said I was a bit slow on the uptake, but this was more than my mind was prepared to handle. I pushed the shield out further to the wall that surrounded the house, watching that shadowed monstrosity back away from it, hissing in anger. I pulled my vision back to the room, but the light was gone.

No, it wasn't gone. It was still here, but I knew I could reach it inside myself anytime I wanted too. I had accepted whatever was inside the door that Katick had opened. I still didn't think I was inside my mind. However, wherever I was, I was thinking my mind was taking advantage of it.

I moved back to the hallway. I still had a plan to get away from that thing outside. I just had to act on it. I didn't know if there were more doors and Katick didn't seem to be able to get through to help me. The hallway seemed long and barren as I walked. The wall paper was faded and falling of the wall. The flowers printed on it seemed to be dark and withered like real flowers, but I brushed it off as a play of the light.

I finally found another break in the hallway, but it was a stairway. There a set going up and set going down, but I ignored it and kept walking. I wasn't going to horror movie this situation. I had to hope that either I'd get out, or Wild come to find me after that half hour mark. It felt like I had been in here for more than half an hour already.

I moved on down the hall, fingers trailing over the ripped and torn wallpaper. Another door appeared in the hall way and I peeked in. It was a kitchen. I frowned. That was the last thing I needed. I started to turn to keep walking, but I stopped realizing there might be something to use as a weapon inside.

I started opening the cabinets, feeling the thing outside beating on my shield. It was stronger than before, but it was taking damage. I didn't have eternity to make my move, new trick or not. I opened all of the cabinets, but they were barren. I frowned and moved to the drawers hoping for something, but they were all empty. I sighed, putting my hands on the wooden counter tops.

I was getting tired. The shield was starting to wear on me. I opened the top drawer again, still nothing. What did I expect? I didn't know, but I slammed it shut hard. The metal knobs rattled as I did. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus. As I stood there weighing my options, wishing with all my heart for just a kitchen knife, the drawer began to glow.

I lifted a brow at the light. This was starting to get a bit much. I reached out, my hand shaking a bit, and slid the drawer open. There was a knife in the drawer now, but it was made of light. The light was a dim soft blue. I assumed it would disappear when I reached for it, but it didn't. I wrapped my fingers around it and lifted it out.

The moment I made contact with it, it felt like an extension of my hand. I didn't know how this was happening, but I didn't count on being able to do it again. I laid it down on the counter and it didn't disappear. That was good, so I picked it back up and tucked it into my belt.

A weapon did make me feel better, but I still needed a backdoor. I turned walking through the kitchen. There was another door towards the end of the far wall and I made my way that way. It moved into a dining room, but there was no door outside. What kind of home didn't have a back door? There were no rooms beyond this. I was at the end of the house.

I knew I'd have to go back to those stairs. I lingered for a moment in the empty dining room with its broken table and crushed china. I feared that if I didn't find a way out of here soon, I'd just be another broken piece on the floor. I shook myself and stood up tall.

"That's enough of that. I'm getting out of here."

I knew there was no one to hear what I said, but it made me feel better. I turned out of the dining room and marched purposely to the set of stairs. I gazed up, but knew that even if I got a window open, I wouldn't be able to jump. The windows on the lower level were boarded over, so I hadn't even tried.

That left downward as my only option. I touched the faintly glowing knife in my belt and stepped on the stairs carefully. I expected them to give way under me. This house had seen better days after all. They creaked and sagged, but held up. I hoped this house was old enough to have a cellar exit. I focused on it. People said if you believed in something enough it might manifest itself. I wasn't sure if I believe that, but it couldn't hurt to try. It wasn't going to make things worse.

As I made my way down the stairs, I checked on my shield. It was going to break in the next few minutes. If I poured more energy into it, I'd be lying passed out on the floor soon. There was no light in the cellar, so I pulled the knife, holding it up like a glow stick. The blue light didn't go far, but it kept me from breaking my neck.

I didn't know if dying in whatever this place was would kill me in real life, but I wasn't chancing it. I stepped off the last step onto dirt. There were empty shelves along the walls, so I didn't bother looking at them. The table in the middle of the room had empty canning jars and some that were full of stuff that had gone bad so long ago I couldn't tell what it had been.

I kept walking slowly, pulling my shield in towards the house a bit to strengthen the thin spots. It was a short-term fix, but it was a fix. I turned around a corner in the wall. There ahead appeared to be a thin shaft of light. I crept closer, putting the knife away. Three small steps led to the door.

There was only a latch holding the door shut. There was no lock or chain of any sort. I was glad I found it before that thing at the front of the house did. I reached up, taking hold of the metal latch. I didn't move it right away. I was scared. I knew if I lifted it I had to run as fast as I could and I wasn't that fast. I could keep my shield up around the house and make that thing think I was still there until I had a good lead, then move it to herself.

My hands were sweaty and sticky. I couldn't afford to drop the door or anything go wrong when I bolted so I took a moment to dry them on my jeans. I moved the door as slow as I could to prevent the hinges from screaming out her location. I pressed up until I could squeeze out then let the door back down. I froze where I was listening for a moment. The thing at the front of the house screamed in frustration, but didn't seem to be getting closer.

I couldn't see very much around me. The fog had closed in while I was inside. I didn't think this was regular fog, but I didn't think any of the things I had learned to do here would move the fog. It was now or never. I took off at a run, wishing I was in better shape as my heart immediately began to pound.

I had been running for just a minute or two, but I was already short of breath. If I survived this, I'd have to do something about that. The scream of the creature echoed behind me and I made the mistake of looking back. The thing was coming around the house at a full run with all its legs. There was no way I could stay ahead of it. I pulled my shield around myself abandoning the house. At least that would give me some protection from that thing.

I was going to have nightmares for a month about this situation. As I ran, I could feel myself slowing, but I was trying to keep pushing. The thing let out another bolt of that blue fire as I topped a hill. The ground exploded sending me down the hill in a tumble. I landed at the bottom hard, the wind knocked from me. I struggled to get up and get going again, but my head was spinning from smacking it on the ground.

I turned as it closed the distance, pulling the knife that thankfully hadn't stabbed me on my tumble, and held it up. As I held it up, it grew into a sword. I stared at it in shock, but I had no time to wonder what was happening. The thing charge me and I swung wildly. The black mass was so large that it would be hard not to hit it. When I did it screamed, but this sounded different. It was fully of pain, not anger. The black that made it up seemed to be leaking out like smoke from where I had struck.

It threw fire at me, but the shield kept it back, but just barely. I could feel the heat off it as it licked over the white glow. My stomach twisted and I tried to swing again. It dodged this time, but I got one of the things arms. It screamed again, backing away quickly. I wondered if I'd scared it enough to make it run. I lifted the blade and charged it with a scream.

The many limps and arms flailed wildly trying to back up from me. As I watched, it rolled into a ball on itself and disappeared. I stood there staring where it had been for a long moment. The sound of wood cracking and popping sounded next to me and I looked over to see the house doing the same thing.

"Oh god…" This place couldn't collapse with me in it. I didn't have dying high on my to do list.

I began to run again, covered in blood from my fall. There had to be a way out. I stumbled a few times in the thick fog, but kept imagining I'd find a door somewhere. The fog parted a bit and there was someone standing up ahead. I frowned, slowing down.

"Callie don't stop! Run!"

It was Katick. I felt a sense of relief wash over me as I started to run again. He held his hand out for me and I grabbed it. The moment I did, there was a hard jerk and I was sitting up on the table in the exam room. I looked around wide-eyed. The doctor was standing there in front of me, looking panicked. Wild was yelling something at her, but I couldn't hear it. My ears were ringing with that sound I'd heard in the piano room. I didn't have the same control here as I did in that other place.

I locked eyes with the doctor, a rage flaring up inside me. I didn't think, I just drew back and slammed my fist right into her mouth. She screamed and so did I as her teeth tore into the flesh on my knuckles. I grabbed my hand cursing and shaking it.

"I don't know what you did to me, but if you did it to my friends, I'll do worse than punch you!"

Wild stepped between the two women. "Hey… hey… Callie. Breathe. I've got this. Let's get you to the infirmary."

"Infirmary? I'm fine except for her teeth." I looked at my other hand and knew I was wrong. Every bump and bruise I'd gotten at that place had carried through with me.

I leaned past Wild to look at Katick. "Where was I?"

"The other side of the veil. When the stupid doctor here tried to force your doors open, it opened you to attack. What happens there is as real as what happens here."

"Was I physically there?" I was staring at the horrid burn on my hand.

Wild spoke up then. "You were here, but you weren't here. Your skin was so pale I could almost see through you."

The doctor was getting up, her lab coat pressed to her face. "This is my facility. I'm charged with testing and documenting people like her. I was doing my work."

Wild spun on her, grabbing her shirt and pulling her close. "Dr. Lizen, I told you when I arrived we were taking over this location. That means all previous orders halt until we leave. If you're doing this to people I'll see you shut down anyway."

When he let go, Dr. Lizen stumbled back. "Fine! I'm filing a complaint about this." She motioned to me and I just smiled at her.

It took a lot to rile up my temper, but near death experiences would do it. I was sore and bruised from head to toe. My clothes were ripped and torn from the fall I'd taken. I was also exhausted. Once the doctor left, I tapped Wild's arm. The exhaustion was hitting me hard.

"Thanks for that. Can I go see that infir-" That was all I got out as everything went black.

#Spiritocalypse #original writing #my wips #my ocs #my writing #writeblr

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