The Five Dimensions Part 1: Shadow World

Chapter 57

Hailey shot up, panting heavily. She came eye to eye with Ash and she realized she must've been lying on his lap while she had the strange vision. Immediately, she felt the urge to tell him everything. Especially the realization that she had at the very end. She knew it was crucial that Ash knew. But she could hardly breathe, let alone speak.

Hailey turned to Alex, but he was worse. His eyes were blank. She had never felt so disconnected from Alex as she did now. It was strange because she still felt the connection of their minds, but she had no idea what was happening in Alex's head. All she could feel was numbness. Whatever he was feeling or thinking, he wasn't processing it well. He was so overwhelmed that now he was just completely blank. He wouldn't be any help with explaining.

"Tell me," Ash pleaded.

He turned from Hailey to Alex and back to Hailey again. Ash was nearly as anxious as the both of them. She knew that not knowing what had happened was probably worse than hearing about the vision, but Hailey couldn't get her voice to work. She opened her mouth half a dozen times without success. Her heart was beating so loudly she could feel it in her throat, and it was like her vocal cords were rendered useless by the pounding.

All she could do was look at Ash intently and hope that something in her eyes would convey what both she and Alex had just seen. Ash still looked troubled, but he seemed to recognize something in her eyes. Softly, he put his hands on Hailey's shoulders. She realized she was shaking. Ash's touch was comforting enough to get her body to calm. For a moment, she thought Ash was going to pull her closer to him. But then the carriage came to a screeching stop.

The horses let out sounds of pain that hurt Hailey just to hear, despite her dislike of the animals. Ash pulled Hailey up and out of the carriage quicker than humanly possible. Alex followed them slowly, still looking shell-shocked. Hailey looked around to see where they were. All she saw were some trees. She didn't hear any odd sounds. Yet, she could feel something in the air.

"They're here," she whispered, just loud enough for Ash and Alex to hear. Then the most horrible, completely inhumane scream cut through the air. Hailey winched, frantically looking around for the source of the terrifying cry. Even Ash shuddered. It was the sound of pure darkness, of blood and pain and death. And it was close.

§

"Get the weapons beneath the benches. Get ready," Ash said while keeping his eyes focused on something up the road. Hailey sprang into action immediately, but Alex didn't move. He hadn't reacted at all to the demonic screams. It was as if he was paralyzed.

When Ash noticed that his brother wasn't following his order, he whipped around and grabbed Alex's shoulders. He shook him forcefully but still Alex's gaze wouldn't focus.

"I was talking to you too. If you don't wake up now, we're all going to die," Ash yelled, both with desperation and anger. It must've hurt Alex's ears because Ash was right in his face. But still, he reacted very slowly. He turned his head and looked at Ash as if surprised to see him.

"We are all dying anyway," he said. His voice was soft, but it wasn't shaky, it was actually unusually stable. It unnerved Hailey more than the words themselves.

She was sitting on her knees on the floor of the carriage, and she put her hands underneath the bench to push it open. She halted for only half a second at the sound of Alex's voice. She could not allow the way Alex was thinking to get to her. Hailey was in action mode now and that didn't leave much room for thinking. Ash was more shocked by Alex's words. He hadn't seen what she had seen Alex had. He didn't understand what his brother was talking about.

"No. We're not. I'm not dying before I get back home. Understood?" Hailey said firmly, knowing she had the ability to get to Alex if she tried. He looked at her and his eyes were filled with an inexplicable sadness. Hailey hadn't gotten her answer yet, though, so she repeated, "Understood?"

"Yes," Alex replied simply. At least he sounded less burdened.

"We're Soul Hunters. We don't give up without a fight," Ash chanted as if these were words that he had said many times before. His tone was less emotional and more guarded than before, which Hailey found unusual. It was as if Ash was resorting to a script. Alex nodded decisively. The words clearly meant something to him. He got to his knees next to Hailey and started pulling out weapons from beneath the benches.

They changed into their fighting gear, made of thick leather. It was lighter and much more flexible than her ball dress. Besides being more comfortable than she would've expected, it would also protect her. She could feel the material was strong. But she had the feeling she would soon be facing worse than what this protective material could endure. At least she felt relieved to be wearing pants again.

Ash was already in full gear, so he took off, muttering something about a look out. Hailey's eyes followed him as he swiftly moved into the trees and out of sight. Her gaze stayed fixed on the place where he disappeared.

"You care about him deeply, am I correct?" Alex asked guilelessly. Hailey was pulled out of her focus and she stared at Alex instead, feeling slightly confused.

"What?" she said, not knowing how else to react.

"I can sense it. Even if you will not admit it. It is just... you cannot feel that way about him." Alex didn't look at her. He fixed his eyes instead on the weapons he was fastening to different parts of his gear. He looked like a soldier. It was a part of him that Hailey hadn't seen before and had never expected to see. Apparently, even Alex couldn't avoid his Soul Hunter nature completely.

"I don't... I don't get it..." Hailey mumbled, lost in her own words. Absent-mindedly, she put daggers into her boots. There were more weapons in the carriage that the three of them together could carry. She was lucky to find some blades that she was familiar with. As she felt the weight and balance of the daggers, she felt her instincts taking over. Her years of training were built into the very memory of the muscles.

"I do not mean to offend you. It is not because you are a human and he a Soul Hunter. There are other reasons, more complex circumstances, which mean only pain can come from you two becoming too close." Alex talked very fast. He seemed to be in a hurry to get the words out. When he fastened the last strap on his weapons belt, he picked up a spear.

"I honestly have no idea how I feel." Hailey was feeling irritated. This didn't seem to be the right moment to discuss any of this. And not just because they were about the fight for their life, but also because Hailey was still annoyed with herself. She couldn't figure out what Ash was doing to her. The way her mind reacted to him, the way her body did... It was all so confusing. She was getting so worked up with herself, that she couldn't manage to tighten her own weapons belt properly.

"Let me help you," Alex said. He put the spear against the side of the carriage and then he put his hand on Hailey's. She gave him a stern look but then let him do it for her. "You have to figure it out and quickly, because if you do not, you will not be one hundred percent focused and that will get you killed."

"Thanks for the pep talk," Hailey replied sarcastically. She didn't want to admit how right Alex was. Maybe he even understood what she was feeling better than she did herself.

"Done. Time to go." Alex closed the carriage door. He looked around and ran off to where Hailey thought Ash should be. Before following, she slung a bow and a quiver of arrows on her shoulder.

She walked to the edge of the forest and stopped to take a deep breath, waiting for Alex and Ash to come back. Alex's words were echoing through her head. Hailey knew what she had to do but she couldn't do it yet. She couldn't admit to anything just now. She decided that forgetting about it all, even just for a little while, was the best course of action. That shouldn't be too difficult to manage.

Then she saw two familiar shapes moving towards her and she knew she was out of time.