The Destroyer

JC- Jump

Landing in LA was half relieving and half nerve-wracking. We rented a car and made the almost six-hour drive to Santa Cruz. I drove most of the way since Caleb didn't know much about road laws in America. He was British after all. We got a hotel on the beach, about ten minutes from where Selene lived with her family. Then, a nap was called for.

In my dreams, I searched for my love. I started in her house, looking for any clues that might give away what part of the Void she could be. No luck. When I woke up again, Caleb was meditating on his bed. I knew better than to disturb him. I got out of bed and went to search for dinner for the both of us.

When I returned, Caleb was at the window, watching the waves below. I sat the food on the table, sitting down to eat. My friend turned around, eyeing me and then the food. He sat down across from me, not touching his food. He looked away, looking like he was deep in thought. I shrugged to myself, turning to my dinner.

“Are you sure you want to try venturing into the Void by yourself the first time?” Caleb asked.

I nodded. “I need to see if I can find Selene by myself first. I owe her that.” I took a bite of food. “And if I fail, we can try it your way.”

He nodded. “Fine. You need to be careful, JC. They'll be looking for you.”

“I know,” I said.

“You're going to be looking for a train station,” Caleb said, reaching for his chips. I raised my eyebrows at him, stopping my eating. “That's where they take criminals of time.”

“She's not a criminal of time.” I objected.

“But you are.” He said, mouth full of greasy potatoes. “They're punishing you, not her. So, if I had to take a guess as to where they would take her, it would be there.”

“What do they do there?” I asked, unsure if I really wanted to know.

“They'd put her in a time lock. That's a place where time isn't moving, but also going forward and backward. It disorientates the person to the point of insanity and, eventually, death." He told me.

I swallowed, suddenly not hungry anymore. “How long does that take?”

“Three months in the Void,” Caleb answered. “Three weeks on Earth.”

I sat back. “Then, we better get started.”

“Tomorrow.” He said. “You need your rest.”

When we woke up the next morning, we set up everything I would need to venture into the Void. I had been to the hellish place once before, and it was by accident. Caleb could open the portal to the world by himself, but he was the only one who could pass through it. For me to get through, I would need to perform the ritual to open the gate.

Caleb made a circle of black and white candles. He took a lock of my hair and placed it in the middle of the ring. My best friend drew lines in white chalk from each of the candles into the center where the strand of hair currently was. When he was finished doing this, he walked over to me, taking my hand. Out of his pocket, he pulled his knife.

“The last thing we need is your blood,” Caleb said.

“Why?” I asked.

“To link you to the portal.” He answered, pressing the knife to my skin. “Since you're going in alone, you need the portal to stay open. Nobody will be there to hold it open for you.”

“Isn't that what the hair was for?” I asked, gasping as he cut my palm.

My friend shook his head. “That's an offering, to the Void gods. Now, let your blood drip into all of the white candles."

I walked around the ritual circle, letting tiny droplets of my blood drop into the candles. There were eight of them in all. When I finished, a small blue light appeared where the strand of hair had been. I looked up at Caleb for further instructions. He had cut his own hand and was letting his blood drip into the black candles.

“What are you doing?” I asked. “You're not coming with.”

He didn't look up at me. “The ritual requires two people. One in the Void and one to anchor you to the real world.”

“Will we need a third person if you come with?” I asked.

Caleb shook his head. “That will be different.” He turned away, walking to the head of the circle. He knelt down, closing his eyes. “Prepare to jump.”

He started muttering something in some strange language. Wind from nowhere began blowing around me. The little blue light grew slowly. When I looked back at Caleb, black lines had spread across his face. Worry shot through for my friend. He opened his eyes, revealing that they were now pure white. He stared at me. No, not at me. Through me. I turned back to the portal. It had reached its full size now.

“Now!” Caleb yelled over the wind.

I jumped into the blue light. For a moment, everything when white. Then, my foot hit the ground, and I went tumbling. I rolled for a moment down what felt like a hill. When I reached the bottom, I opened my eyes again. Above me was a clear blue sky that seemed too perfect. I sat up and looked around. I was on a grassy hill overlooking a shimmering city. I scrambled to my feet, looking around.

“It's the Destroyer!” I heard someone nearby yell.

I turned to look. Five demons were running towards me. I muttered under my breath, then turned and ran back to the portal. I jumped through, landing hard on the hotel room floor. The entrance to the Void closed behind me. When I looked up, Caleb was at the table, reading.

“Demons?” He asked.

I nodded. “Yep.”

“How many?” He didn't even look at me.

“Five,” I answered, getting to my feet.

Caleb sighed, setting his book down. “They know we're coming. We'll have to try a different approach.” He rose to his full height. “Come. I have an idea.”