Chapter 57: Chapter 57

“Kyle, slow down,” Ru said tripping over a branch. “Why do we have to walk so fast?”

“I want you to see the place we’re going to, Ru,” he said. Something about the tone in his voice caught her off guard. He sounded strangely serious. “I think you’ll really like it.”

“Kyle,” Ru implored, pulling on his hand a bit to make him slow down. “Seriously, I have to admit, you’re starting to scare me a little bit.”

He stopped again, turning to face her. Even though it was growing dark and shadows began to creep in around his face, Ru could see an intensity behind his eyes, which looked oddly more green than hazel in this light. “Ru, I told you, you have nothing to be afraid of. You do trust me, don’t you?”

The second time, it was not as easy to answer that question. Ru began to feel an odd sensation in her stomach, sort of like the time she’d gone to a walkthrough of a haunted house one Halloween, where all of those actors jump out and try to make people scream. That’s how she felt right now, like something was about to jump out at her. “Please, Kyle. I trust you, but I’m afraid we’re lost.”

A smile spread across his face, one Ru had never seen before. In the dim light, he looked a bit ghoulish. “We’re not lost, Ru. We’re almost home.”

“What?” Ru asked, completely confused. “What are you talking about?”

Suddenly, as if the veil had been lifted, Ru realized Kyle was not who he had said he was. Looking around her at the tangled, twisted tree trunks that reached out for her in all directions, she knew she had been here once before. Only, that time, she’d thought she was dreaming. And it wasn’t Kyle standing next to her. “Thanatos!” she shouted, releasing his hand and taking a step backward. She collided with a tree trunk and almost lost her balance, but she managed to stay on two feet.

“You don’t need to be afraid of me, Ru. You trust me. You said so yourself.”

Before her eyes, his face morphed, the changes slight, but it was enough. While Kyle did look an awful lot like the Thanatos she’d met in her dreams, he had certainly done something to alter his appearance. She wondered what other manipulation had been going on. Ru couldn’t dwell on that right now. Cutter’s words came to mind. He’d warned her not to go anywhere with Thanatos, and here she was, deep in the middle of the woods, the sun going down. And she’d gone here willingly. Was it too late for her to get away?

“Ru, I’m sorry you’re frightened. But you don’t need to be. You and I are very much alike, and you know it. Think about how comfortable you’ve been in my presence these past few days. That was me, Ru. I’m sorry I had to lie to you, to disguise myself, but I know Cutter and the other Keepers have poisoned you against me. Now, however, you’re here. And I can introduce you to your true brethren. The Reapers. Come, Ru. Come with me.”

His outstretched hand was only inches from her chest. All she had to do was reach her hand out and place it in his. She remembered his tears, how upset he’d been about the Keepers not allowing him to take Deena Jones, how he’d argued that he wasn’t really a villain, it was all in the way the Keepers portrayed him. Was it possible she really could be happy with Nat? That like her mother, she could attempt to unite the two battling sides?

She looked from his hand to his green eyes, glowing in the near darkness. While she had fallen hard for Kyle, she had to remind herself, this was not him; he didn’t exist. This person—this being—had just lied to her in order to trick her into going into the forest with him. As confusing and frustrating as Cutter was, he would never do something like that. She remembered the picture of her mother, the one Cutter had given her. Despite what Thanatos might’ve mentioned in her dream-state, Cutter promised he would help her find her mother and let her see her father. She could no longer trust anything Thanatos said.

“No,” she said, her voice weak with fear. His eyes narrowed, and her courage increased. “No! I won’t go with you. I’m not a Reaper. I’m a Keeper!”

A rage seemed to grow deep within him, taking a few moments to bubble to the surface. His face reddened, his forehead wrinkling. “Rune Raphaels Ronobes! I command you to come with me. Now!”

“No!” she shouted again, beginning to back away now, sidestepping the tree. Her hand dragged along its craggy trunk, breaking off chunks of brittle bark. “I will never go with you!”

Behind him, the darkness between the trees began to shift and move, the shadows taking form. Ru’s eyes widened in sheer horror as she realized what she was seeing. An army of Reapers stood behind Thanatos, scythes in hand, their hoods covering their faces. Each of them had to be well over six feet tall, and by their posture, Ru could tell they were angry. Outnumbered at least two dozen to one, she had no choice. Ru turned and began to run.

She heard the pounding of footsteps behind her, and though she thought Thanatos would overtake her at any moment, Ru concentrated on taking her next, best step, trying not to trip over anything. Tree branches snatched at her hair, scratched at her face, just as they had in her dream. Still, she kept running.

Unexpected noises behind her caused her to turn her head. Off in the distance, she could see she was no longer alone. How he’d known she was in trouble, Ru couldn’t say, but Cutter was there, as were the rest of his team, and as they engaged the Reapers, blue lights illuminated the darkness, the wind swirled from Lyric’s outstretched hands, blowing Reapers backward, and Ivy appeared to be deeply engaged with her powers of the Earth as well.

Ru didn’t have time to stare. She turned back around and almost face-planted into a tree trunk. It alarmed her that she had not seen Thanatos when she’d turned back. Where had he gone?

A blur to her left answered her question. Parting thin tree trunks with his wide shoulders, he flew out of the denseness of a thicket, hurling himself at her. With a scream, Ru dodged around a thick oak tree, making him miss. Thanatos tumbled to the ground. This was her only chance to escape him.

She ran on, hearing his footsteps closing in. Risking a glance over her shoulder would be too dangerous. And then, the ground gave out beneath her feet, and Ru found herself tumbling down a ravine. Unlike in her dream, she was able to throw her hands out behind her, grabbing onto the dirt and tree roots that protruded from the side of the chasm, slowing her fall. The ground rose up to meet her, and Ru’s right shoulder slammed into the earth hard, taking her breath away.

It took her a moment to recover, but when she did, she looked up to see Thanatos standing on the edge of the ravine, at least ten feet above her. He looked odd, dressed in the clothing of a normal human, one who knew nothing of the monsters that took souls in their sleep. But the menacing grin on his face revealed his intentions.