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Chapter 56
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2021-04-17 08:41:32Ru inhaled deeply. It was easy to forget all of this when she was at school or at her own home. When she’d been with Kyle, she didn’t even think about being a Keeper or fighting to save souls. Talking to Thanatos had confused her, and Cutter’s explanations weren’t helping any. She ran a hand through her hair, wondering if any of it would ever make sense.
“I know it’s a lot to take in,” Cutter said, quietly. “Maybe that’s enough for now. But Ru… Nat still has his eyes on you. He’s not done, and he won’t be until he gets what he wants. I know you’re hoping this will all go away, but I’m sad to say that it won’t. And not only have they been hunting you this whole time, they’re hunting her, too. Sera’s been in hiding for many years. Who knows how much longer she can stay hidden.”
“How have I stayed hidden for so long?” Ru asked, turning to meet his eyes.
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Most of the way back to her house, they were silent. Ru had no idea what to say to him, and he seemed to be giving her some space. Once they reached town, Cutter said, “I hope we didn’t overwhelm you.”Ru guffawed. “How could you avoid it? There’s so much to think about.”“I know. And I wish we had more time to feed it to you slowly. But the Reapers are even more agitated now that we’ve taken Zu. We’ll likely all go out tonight to try to see if we can capture any more of them.”“How many do you think there are in the area?” Ru asked, assuming they needed to be close by in order for the Keepers to track them.“We’re not sure, but usually Nat has at least a couple dozen with him. Sometimes more.”Ru was surprised. “Why aren’t there more dead then?”Even in the dim light, she could see him shrug. “He’s had them searching for y
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Lyric was sitting on the front porch swing when Cutter arrived back at the house. She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and he almost hated to interrupt whatever she was concentrating on. But as he approached the steps, she asked, “How did that go?”With a sigh, Cutter sauntered over and dropped down next to her before answering. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Clearly, there’s still a wall between us. I have no idea what to do about it. And this new guy—Kyle….” Cutter couldn’t finish the sentence.“Yeah, about that,” Lyric began, looking at him sideways. “I’m not sure I trust this guy.”Cutter raised an eyebrow and narrowed in on her eyes, trying to read where she was coming from. “What do you mean?” Despite what Lyric had already mentioned to him, he had thought he was the only one who was suspicious of K
Last Updated : 2021-04-17Reaper's Hollow Chapter 59
The day had dragged by, and even though Ru had gotten a lot of work done for school, she was constantly looking at the clock. Finally, at 3:00, she allowed herself to go get ready for her date. Kyle was supposed to be there in an hour, and she wanted to look as good as she possibly could, considering they were going on a date that involved hiking through the woods.At first, she’d thought it was a little odd that he wanted to leave so late in the afternoon since it would be dark in a few hours, but he said he had to help Jess with some stuff in her classroom and that would take most of the day. So, even though she wasn’t really one for strolling through the forest in the dark, she hoped that would mean they wouldn’t be walking long, and then maybe they could go do something more fun. Ru had a few ideas….She showered and dressed in an older pair of jeans that still looked good. She put on a long-sleeved T-shirt and a sweater that would fit unde
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“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
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“Stop!” Ru shouted, clambering to her feet, despite the pain in her shoulder and a new, sharp ache in her ankle. “I told you, I don’t wish to go with you! And I know I have to choose!”“Who told you that?” he asked, folding his arms and laughing. “Cutter? He’s an imbecile. I will take you, Rune. I have to. You’re the only one who can do what needs to be done.”“No!” she screamed again. “I won’t go with you! I won’t do what you want me to do!”“Rune, think of your father! He’s locked away in constant torture. You’re the only person who can set him free.”She began to shake her head, trying to keep thoughts of what Larkin must be going through out of her head.“Your mother has been in hiding for over twenty years because of what those people,” he pointed over his shoulder, “threatened to do to her!”
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VOLUME II: RUIN'S PROMISERu took a deep breath and surveyed the little faces sitting on the carpet in front of her. She sat on the chair from which she’d read dozens of stories already in just the two months that school had been in session. She thought back to how optimistic she’d been back then, thinking this would be the best class she’d ever had, and she would teach them so much before the end of the school year. Now, it was only eight weeks later, and she was preparing to tell them goodbye. The tears stung her eyes and threatened to spill over; she only hoped she could manage to get her message out before the dam gave way.Cutter had told his class last Friday and had been gone for an entire week now. His replacement, Kristin Collins, was sweet, and Ru had assured him they were in good hands. Now, it was her turn. Never in a million years had she envisioned herself leaving her classroom, her profession, but she had important
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“How did it go?” Cutter Michaels asked, almost as soon as she walked in the door. Her face must have told him everything because he opened his arms, and she buried her face in his shoulder, the tears resurfacing. He hugged her gently, careful not to put too much pressure on her shoulder which was healing from the fall she’d taken in the woods a few weeks ago. Luckily, it had only been dislocated and not broken. “I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, stroking her hair. “It’ll get better. In a few days, it won’t hurt nearly as much.”She realized he knew because he’d just told his class goodbye as well, but he wasn’t really a teacher, so she had no way of knowing if he really cared for his students the same way she did. Having witnessed him with his class these past weeks, she thought he did, though; he seemed to love each of them very much.After a moment, she was able to regain her composure. “I&rs
Last Updated : 2021-04-19Reaper's Hollow Chapter 64
It had only been a couple of weeks since Lyric had taken a picture of Ru’s scars, the ones she had been given her true name, Rune, by her mother for, but she hadn’t had any luck getting a clear translation yet. Ru knew Lyric Gabriels well enough already to understand she wouldn’t give up until she found an answer. She nodded at Ivy and managed a small smile.“Still not sure why Rider’s putting another bathroom in a house we probably won’t be staying in long term,” Cutter commented. “But if it gives him something to do….”“I think he’s tired of there being three girls and only two bathrooms,” Ivy chuckled, stepping back toward the kitchen. “Personally, I wouldn’t mind if he had his very own restroom.” She made a face as if to say Rider Michaels had a habit of stinking up the other bathrooms, and Ru couldn’t help but chuckle. Rider was something else, that was for sure.
Last Updated : 2021-04-19
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One year later… “All right, boys and girls. That is enough for today. We will pick up with Ramona’s story tomorrow afternoon. For now, go ahead and get your backpacks on, and let’s line up at the door.” Groans filled the air as twenty-two fourth graders followed their teacher’s directions despite wanting to hear what happened next in the story. They stood and walked to the cubbies where their backpacks were hung and politely took turns getting their belongings before making an orderly line at the door. Ru took a deep breath and looked lovingly at her students. Even though she’d made the same prediction every year since she started teaching, she had had a feeling about this group of kids from the very beginning. And she was right. They were the best group of fourth graders she’d ever taught. The bell rang and she wished them all a good weekend, gathering up the four students who went to daycare and walking with th
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“I need to face him,” Cutter said. “And you need to get to the portal.” Ru craned her neck around the tree. While there were still some Reapers near the entryway, for the most part, the Keepers were able to set up a perimeter around the portal. If she was going to go, now was the time. “Okay. Be careful,” she said. Realizing that Cutter was about to take on one of her assignments made Ru feel uncomfortable, particularly since she knew what the end result would be, and despite the bargain she’d almost just made with the devil, she still didn’t want to see Nat destroyed. But she had to push those thoughts out of her head. She quickly kissed Cutter’s cheek and scurried off to the next tree closest to the portal. Nat saw her now, and he began to move in her direction, using his scythe to cut down an attacking Keeper as if he were nothing. Ru swallowed hard and steeled herself, looking for the next place to hide. If she used her powers on Nat, there was a chance she would
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 156
A Reaper stepped through the portal opening. Tall, with ebony hair, he wore the long black cloak she expected to see, a scythe in his hand. The man quickly ran to the left of the portal, and then another Reaper appeared on his heels. Dressed identically, with the same weapon, he ran to the right. Then, another sprang forth, and another. Ru watched, her eyes wide as the Reapers continued to pour out of the portal, as if Hell had spilled an inkwell and the thick, black substance was covering the entire earth. “Holy Hell.” It was hard to pull her eyes off of the sight, but she turned to see Cutter standing next to her. “We’ll never be able to take all of them.” It was Ivy, and Ru glimpsed a look of defeat on her face as she came to a stop behind Cutter. “We have to try,” he said. Ru could see the resolve in his face and noticed his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “Ivy and I will hold them off while you concentrate on the portal.” There ha
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The demons were up again, too, and the battles picked up where they had left off. Everyone else was engaged, which left Ru to face this Goliath all by herself. “Kill it! Kill it!” Rider shouted at her as streaks of blue wrapped around the snake’s midsection. He seemed to be closing in on his prey, and Ru tried not to let the sight distract her. He was right. It would be best to take out the giant before he was fully formed. With a deep breath, Ru drew upon all of the strength she had inside of her and aimed her blue light at the giant. It was difficult to figure out where to aim since he was only out of the portal up to his shins. Still, she hoped it would be enough. Perhaps it was because of his size, but she felt the need to shout even louder this time as she recited the incantation almost word for word along with Rider who was also sending the snake into oblivion. “Infernus et perdere faciam te in nomine Domini!” This time, Ru didn’t feel as confi
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There it was, right in front of her, the portal. The final one. And all she had to do was raise her hands and say the incantation. All of this would be over. If Thanatos wasn’t here, she couldn’t kill him. Surely, Raphael would understand that. She’d just close the portal and sneak away, leaving that confrontation for another day. Except she knew it wasn’t that easy. Just because she didn’t see him didn’t mean he wasn’t there. And even before she could raise her hands, the pull from inside of her became overwhelming, causing Ru to double over. The air between the edges of the portal continued to ripple and wave, and Ru recognized the sensation from both of the previous portals. Something was coming. She looked at Cutter and for the first time she could remember, she saw fear in his eyes. “They’re coming,” she whispered. He opened his mouth to say something, but before anything came out, a rush of heat shot out of the portal opening. Both of them instinctively
Reaper's Hollow Chapter 153
“Well, that doesn’t even make sense.” Lyric rolled her eyes. “If you’re in charge, then why do you have to do what someone else told you?” Flint launched into a defense of his decision, but Ru shouted over him. “Flint! Look, the reason their numbers were so low at the beginning of the battle is obvious, isn’t it? It’s not because this portal doesn’t mean anything to them—it’s because it means everything to them. They’re not on the battlefield yet. They will come through the portal!” She had him by the shoulders, which caused him to jump backward, shaking himself free, and once Ru finished her statement she took a step back as well. “What? No,” Flint argued. “They’re not going to send them through the portal. That would be suicide. They’d have to come through a small opening into enemy controlled territory.” “Yeah, into a stream of five whole enemy fighters who cannot possibly hold them all off,” Rider reminded him. “You have to close in behind us.” Ru
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Aokigahara sprawled in front of her like the untamed wild it was, trees encroaching into the neighboring farmlands and open spaces as if the forest insisted on reclaiming what used to be hers. From this direction, it was difficult to tell where the forest began and civilization ended, though Ru thought for certain she’d know when she crossed the line. She stifled a yawn and kept moving forward, one boot at a time, toward what might be her very last mission, if she had her way. Though she had fallen asleep for a few hours, for the most part, she’d gotten her wish and was able to stay up most of the night, with Cutter’s help, and the activity he’d chosen to occupy her certainly didn’t make her feel less worn out. The few hours she had spent in oblivion had been dreamless, as far as she knew. At least, if there had been dreams, they had been unmemorable. Her friends surrounded her as they made their way into the forest. Cutter was in front of her, Rider b
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Navigating airports was hard enough for Ru when she was in countries where most everyone spoke English. Flying to Japan would’ve been completely overwhelming if Ivy wasn’t fluent in Japanese and Mandarin, especially when they had to switch planes in Shanghai. Luckily, the gentle-natured Keeper had managed to keep all of them in line and they’d made their way to Shizuoka Airport with little incident, though Rider complained about the lack of legroom on the commuter jet nearly the whole flight. Thank goodness for headphones, Ru had thought to herself. The entire van ride from the airport to their hotel, a place Ru hadn’t even attempted to try to pronounce for fear she’d embarrass herself, her eyes were glued out the window. From the buildings, to the natural surroundings off in the distance, to the smiling faces of those they passed along the streets, Ru was fascinated. By the looks she was getting, so were the people staring back at her. Five tall blondes with blue e
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Cutter squeezed her leg, and Ru realized it must be apparent she wasn’t paying attention. She tuned back in to hear Sky say, “Now, the team we are meant to protect so that they can get in and close the portal will be given the code name Alfred. This will allow us to be briefer in our communications about the team.” Sky continued to talk, and she knew it was important that she listen, since Ru would be involved in whatever the blue-haired Keeper was discussing presently, but curiosity got the better of her. “Why Alfred?” she whispered to Cutter. Without turning his head, he replied, “Alfred Nobel.” “Huh?” Ru was still confused. “The inventor of dynamite.” “Oh.” Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to Sky, who was giving her the same look Ru might give a student who wasn’t paying attention. Ru swallowed hard and made herself concentrate. “Alfred will be dispatched from here, a break in the forest away from the typical entrance
