The Psychic Legacy

Preface

The dark is cold.

I'm still alive.

The fall hadn't been enough.

Shit.

Water crests over my head. It's cold, sharp, cutting through my thin pajamas. My breath seizes in my chest. I gasp, just in time for another wave to push its way into my open mouth, choking me. The salt stings my throat. My body tries to cough it up, only for more water to rush in.

Another wave hits, this one pulling me down. Beneath the surface, all is dark. The moonlight isn't enough to break through the black waters beneath the bridge. I flail, helpless... With no light, I can't tell which way is up.

It feels like swimming in oblivion.

I'm going to die here.

My limbs continue to struggle, even though it's pointless. Even if I could save myself, I know that I don't want to be saved. This is the whole reason I'm here.

I came here to die.

Of course, this isn't how I wanted to go. I hoped it would be quick, that the fall would be enough, but... Oh well. Drowning will do just fine. What matters is that I die.

And that it will die with me.

    My limbs tire and finally go limp, floating uselessly in the water. My every vein and cell ache from the lack of oxygen, but I can handle that. It'll be over soon. My body is weakening. I close my eyes and try to let everything go...

Something slithers by in the darkness, against the back of my leg. I thrash to turn myself in the water, but there's no point. It's all black. Nothing to see.

It slides by again, brushing against my back where my pajama top has floated up. I spin again, but there's nothing but the darkness. Not that I need to see it. I can already guess what it is. Even under the water, I can hear its hiss. Low and spitting, like water hitting hot metal.

It followed us.

Something stirs inside me. The other half. It wants to be free.

It wants to be whole.

No.

I won't allow it.

I fight against pure instinct and open my mouth. What was left of my air escapes in an explosion of bubbles. Water hurries to take its place. My chest is on fire but I push through it. All I can think is, Kill me. Kill me quick.

The thing inside me fights. It knows what I'm trying to do.

As my body weakens, it sees its chance. It takes hold, right at the base of my spine. Then it begins crawling, gnawing, burning through me. Burning through the seal I carved into my skin, burning through my organs, through my bones. Consuming me.

No!

It's too much... I barely notice the slimy thing that takes hold of my ankle and drags me down deeper...

The hissing has changed. It's a voice now. I can hear it. The voice is inside me... In my head. I can hear it whispering...

Whispering...

He's mine.

Mine.

MINE.