Chereads / Becoming Karma / Chapter 14 - Lost

Chapter 14 - Lost

It doesn't take long for twilight to dwindle into complete darkness around three stationary figures. As soon as it does, a subtle hollow cry seeps past the female dark souls' ivory lips. Lazarus immediately tunes it out, to focus on his master's night time schedule, and pray she hasn't changed her habits. His thoughts become interrupted when the human's stomach growls and she tries to cover it up by kicking the rotting wooden leg of an already destroyed glass table. Dark souls and keepers completely lose the need for sustenance when their humanity is taken.

Lazarus has no trouble finding her a few feet away from him even as the curse finally begins to break. He watches her for a moment, frantically glance around, completely blinded by the lack of light, before he decides to reach out his hand. She stumbles again at the sudden shock and he has no choice besides grabbing ahold of her. She starts to scream, and he quickly clamps his hand firmly over her mouth, as the dark soul standing a few feet from them decides to lunge forward. He watches as it lashes out at where Mae had been standing only a few seconds ago. After finding nothing it decides to turn toward him. The disadvantage all dark souls have is that they are almost completely blind and rely mainly on their enhanced hearing.

Lazarus keeps one hand firmly against Mae's lips as he slowly attempts to guide both of them around the dark soul and toward the doorway. Then an idea hits him, he knows the layout of the entire building and if need be, he might be able to find his old apartment. Against his better judgement he starts to slowly navigate them toward the farthest stairwell; all they need is to make it safely up a flight of stairs and then he can easily kick them out so the soul can't follow. After what feels like several painstaking centuries later, he can feel the back heel of his boot strike against raised decaying hardwood. He gingerly takes a step up and applies pressure, to his surprise and delight the step doesn't crumble beneath him. He takes this as a good sign and removes his left hand from Mae's mouth. They begin the nerve racking rhythm of stepping up and gingerly testing each when a blood curdling scream is heard directly outside. The dark soul's head turns completely around and in the next instant it's gone. Refusing to feel relief, Lazarus, firmly grabs ahold of Mae and rushes up the remaining steps. They don't stop until he passes through a familiar door into the place he once called home.