“On my signal,” Millie said from the rooftop of the house just across the Lowry’s.

Her scythe was ready—a short double-ended spear that looked more like a majorette’s baton rather than a weapon. It was made of sort of reddish metal that gleamed in the night. With one foot perched on the tip of the roof, she checked the compact digital timer in her hand.

Letting out a deep breath, I tensed, watching Jim Lowry’s window from the middle of the street. I closed my fingers on the Helcium and began lifting it off my chest. My head started to throb and I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. Just to be frank, I was terrified. And it wasn’t because Millie and I were outnumbered or that there was a potentially indestructible Swarth about to chase me in a few seconds.

It was Alessandra I was scared of. I tried not to panic. Instead, I focused on searching for her little corner deep within me. She was still there, so deeply insentient as if she didn’t know she even existed. That didn’t appease my fears a bit. But I had to steel my guts if I wanted to at least get to the Halo.

“Remove it,” she ordered, her voice unchanging. “Now.”

Slowly, I took off the necklace and shoved it inside my bag’s pocket. Not a second did my eyes leave Jim’s window. I was sure the wraiths would bust out of there any second now. But the night kept its foreboding quiet, making my hands clammy. Several moments passed. Nothing happened.

Bewildered, I looked up at Millie for some help but she just stood there like a statue. I was about to call out to her when she said, “Run.”

It wasn’t much more than a whisper but her voice sent a jolt through me. My legs were already moving before my brain could translate what the word meant. As quick as I could, I streaked through the road and let my instincts take over.

A couple of seconds later, Millie was already in front of me. Despite her short legs, she easily made some distance between us. While her strides were short, her legs were really fast. She ran like a track and fielder—her upper body leaning a bit backward as her legs carried her.

As I decided to quicken my steps, I forced out a deep breath only to be choked by the wind lashing against my face. It just occurred to me that I was holding my breath the whole while as if breathing out might release Alessandra. I did one panicky body check. To my relief, my hands were still my hands. My feet still moved as I wanted them to. I was still me. Yet, I didn’t bring down my defenses. There was no room for mistakes tonight.

Millie glanced back at me, her eyes resting momentarily just above my head before yelling, “Faster!”

Her face was still unreadable, but whatever made her freeze for a fraction of a second urged me to look over my shoulder. When I saw what was behind me, I regretted looking back.

Just an arm’s length away from me was the Swarth, its bulging eyes burning with a feral glow. It hovered closely, the tattered ends of its limbs dissipating against the wind. For a moment, it seemed to leer at me, its lower lip threatening to detach like slough from its hollow face. The rotting black things attached on the creature’s twisted neck wriggled to move up to the face, covering the break as if to try to rejoin the lower lip to where it should belong.

My stomach did a roll, making me want to throw up. But when I saw a legion of wraiths hovering just behind the Swarth, I decided that it was time to focus on the way ahead.

Without stopping, Millie led the way, hurdling over the whitewashed fences of a house ahead. She lithely caught on a tree branch, pulled down and used it to launch herself onto the roof.

“Here,” she called from above me, barely glancing to see that I was still tailing her.

The creatures’ wails chorused behind me as I crossed the lawn and kicked off the wall to grab a hold of the PVC tubes lining the ditch from the ledge. I pushed myself up, and then began leaping from one rooftop to another, after Millie who was now three houses ahead.

Tiles slid off their places, windows banged shut, metal sheets groaned under our soles as we raced to our destination. Grating cries of different pitches echoed like fingernails on a chalkboard. The mere sound of the creatures stalked me, piercing through the night, making me want to curl in a corner and hide. It was impossible to think straight. Still, the world appeared oblivious, cosy inside their homes.

That’s it. I thought shakily. Come and get me.

A few moments later, Millie was already five houses in front of me. Then eight. She was gaining speed and soon, trying to catch up to her started to become a struggle. My strides were becoming sloppy by the second that I tripped on lose tiles, tumbled through branches of trees sprawled on rooftops. I could hardly see Millie through the blur that raced past me as I scuttled at a complete loss. I knew I could do better, but I was more preoccupied with keeping in control of myself.

Crash!

Broken pieces of clay tiles flew all over me as one of the wraiths advanced and pitched itself to the roof, just a foot from where I was standing. Shielding my eyes, I bounded to next house’s roof, through the debris. I landed on the top of a two-story duplex, going down as the tiles slid under my feet. Luckily, one of my hands held onto the ledge of the roof.

There was no time to waste. When I saw another wraith about to lunge at me, I swung sideward, launching myself back up. I flailed my hands in midair, doing a quick assessment of my situation before landing on top of a grimy fireplace exhaust.

First problem, I was surrounded. Three wraiths already blocked my way. Second, Millie was nowhere to be found.

“Give me a break,” I groaned in annoyance, letting out a deep breath.

The wraiths in my way hovered closer as though to test if they could take me on. One by one, they let out shrill harsh shrieks, opening their half-sewn disfigured mouths widely, like snakes about to swallow their prey whole.

I took a step back and crouched low, preparing to dodge their attacks. To my surprise, two of the creatures suddenly turned away, seeming to lose interest. That was new. Nevertheless, they kept close, hovering around me like hungry vultures.

The last one remaining was angrily screeching as it dived toward me. I rolled to the side, only just a few inches shy where the wraith’s crooked fingernails scraped against the steel roof. From not too far away, I spotted the Swarth and the rest of the swarm approaching.

Cursing, I scrambled back to my feet and made for the tree branch overhanging from the next yard. I jumped off the first sturdy-looking bough I saw and flung myself into the air. That was when I saw a street heading south. The road would take me maybe a little longer than the shortcut Millie had chosen. But at least, I could run without stopping.

Once I was on levelled land, I began to focus on my draughting. Adrenaline surged through my body. All the fear seemed to have been pushed away by excitement. Before I knew it, there was nothing but me and the wind against my face.

The cries of wraiths behind me began to diminish bit by bit. I was outrunning them but I didn’t pause, hoping they would keep on following me. All the while, my eyes kept vigilant, searching for any sign of Millie.

Where could she be? It didn’t matter much at the time. I could just meet her at the borders in less than two minutes. That was the plan—to lead the wraiths to the borders and hope for the best.

Straining my legs to go faster, I started to spot more wraiths flitting from every which way. And they were all headed for me. When I risked another glance back, a black moving veil of hovering creatures loomed over me, about to swallow me whole if I didn’t run fast enough.

Panic rose in my system. My chest felt like it was about to explode with the hysterical ramming of my heart against my ribcage. By the time I get to the borders, there would be a whole legion trailing me. I would bet Millie hadn’t seen that coming.

Oh, God. I didn’t want to die the way Apple did in the hands of Ethereals. Still alive as she was being shred to pieces. Clawed on. Mutilated.

I almost froze when I heard Alessandra’s hushed laughter inside my head. My eyes widened and I had to give myself a slap on the cheek just to keep it together. My legs started to shake, weakening as if they suddenly turned into jelly. Yet, I fought to keep moving, doing a mad dash as my breath stuck in my throat.

No. No. No. Please, not now.

Another laughter. This time it was a bit clearer than the first one. It sounded to me like she found my dread amusing. So, I tried to clear my thoughts of those morbid ideas as I half-stumbled on my way. The legion was gaining on me, their horrible shrieking noises becoming the static background of Alessandra’s insipid laughter.

I was doomed. Nabbed. Done for.

The only thing that kept my feet moving forward was the image of Vincent, battered, waiting for me in his dungeon. It seemed that I caught something in my eyes—a bug, maybe—since they started tearing up all of a sudden.

I was only able to breathe when I passed by the green street sign indicating that I was entering Route 61. Not a minute passed and at last, I caught a glimpse Millie, darting through the woods past the left lane of the road. Quickly, I veered to that direction, my legs already burning with the strain.

“Millie!” I shouted at her as she snaked effortlessly through the maze of the trees. “I’ve got company!”

The doll-faced girl nodded back then stared past me, at the countless tainted creatures that flit around my back. If she expected that big of a legion, her face didn’t show any sign. Together, we kept on heading to the borders, deeper into the woods.

“The Sinclair’s center of operations.” Even with the running, her voice still sounded flat. Then again, her breaths were shallow and harsh like mine. “Show me the way.”

I felt the gap between my brows furrow. “Don’t you… know where it is?” I blurted in between the involuntary gasps for air.

“I’m afraid not,” she answered openly. “The Sons—the Reapers—had an agreement hundreds of years ago, to conceal the exact location of their abodes from each other. A protective enchantment will prevent one from finding or entering into another’s house. They would not see the house even if they were standing right in front of it. Same applies to the familiars. If the Reapers wish to visit one of their brothers, they would have to ask permission to pass through the—“

“The Doors,” I muttered thoughtfully before Millie could finish.

“Yes,” she said, her eyes resting on my face as if to examine me. “A Door. It is also the only way to get to the Halo.”

The questions flooded altogether, it was difficult to voice them out. “Y-you mean… the one inside Vincent’s house?”

“Correct.”

“But I can’t go there! Not even close! Vincent forbade me,” I began to protest, my heart sinking at the hint of defeat in my voice.

This plan was bogus after all. The twenty yards remaining. The Bind. The barriers. All that hard work and still, it seemed like the world was doing everything in its power to keep me from finding Vincent. She must know how hard it was to be Bound—forced to do and not to do things against her will. Although, I couldn’t bring myself to loathe Vincent for it. Bind or no Bind, he was still my master. Perhaps, familiars were made that way. It was as if we were designed to revere them no matter what.

“That is the purpose of these wraiths,” she announced, something close to a smile spreading across her heart-shaped face. “Are we close?”

Without stopping, I scanned the area. It was familiar. I led the way toward a white elm so old its convoluted roots jutted out of the ground like a gigantic bird’s nest. We took a turn as soon as I recognized the narrow driveway to the mansion. Unlike before, it was now overrun by the undergrowth that almost obscured what used to be the tire tracks of Vincent’s Cruiser.

“This way,” I beckoned her, raring myself to go faster as I caught a passing glance of the legion of creatures amassing overhead.

In next to no time, we arrived at the circular blank clearing where the mansion should be. The courtyard, once lovely and trimmed, was now a tangle of weeds and bushes. There was no mansion. No willow tree. No hole. Still, something in me knew or at least, hoped that they were in fact, still there.

I pointed a finger to the spot. “There,” I panted, not bothering to slow down. “Now, what do we do?”

“Where does the barrier begin?” Millie asked, suddenly stopping to assume a defensive stance. She raised her spear, facing the wraiths trailing after us.

They were too close for comfort, flying toward the clearing like black missiles. I was getting close to the point where I left the other day. Twenty feet more. I wondered when the Bind would strike. Fifteen, ten yards away from the mansion? I fixed my eyes on the goal, silently praying for luck. This would be my last chance.

That was when Vincent suddenly touched my mind. I still had things to say to him. He still owed me big time for trying to get rid of me. I had sworn I would come for him. Even if he had always bullied me. Yelled at me. Threw things at me. Even if we had done nothing but argue. Even if he was a certified jerk.

There was a weird feeling in my chest when I thought of that. And I remembered that day he was forced to take me as a familiar. I would not forget the look on his face when I finally convinced everyone else to accept me. It was precious.

“Well, you’re not the boss of me!” I shouted at him, my hands on my hips.

“Well, in fact I am, Aramis Rayne! I am so the boss of you, if that thick head of yours still hadn’t realize it!” he came back, making me realize how dumb I had been.

“Oh, but you also said that I didn’t have to obey you. See? I’m not Bound.” After saying that, I almost flinched in anticipation of a punishment from the Bind. Luckily, my theory was correct.

My heart skipped two beats. It was the answer all along. The loophole! A Reaper’s word cannot be broken, nor undone. I was getting nearer to the mansion’s lot, anticipating resistance. But this time, I kept on running without hesitation, putting all the force I could muster to my feet. They lightly dug into the earth, increasing my momentum.

“I won’t force you to obey me. But never. Ever. Get in my way!” Vincent’s voice played in my head like a broken record.

“I’m not forced to obey. I’m not forced to obey. It’s my master’s words,”I chanted the words under my breath as I darted past the twenty-yard point. My breath was ragged, my heart beating so fast and loud it was all that I could hear. “I will not be Bound. I’m going to save him.”

I was exhilarated by the time I saw the distorted image of the mansion, its ceiling-to-floor windows giving off a dull reflection of the almost full moon. Like a mirage, it flickered, waning through a shimmering haze.

The Bind began to stir within me. It didn’t speak to me, but I could sense its uncertainty. It seemed that it was trying to decide whether I should be punished or not.

I used that chance to get as close as possible to the mansion. With every step, the structure was getting clearer. The gigantic willow tree to the left of the yard with its apple green leaves and crimson tendrils swaying with the light breeze. The bottomless pit in the middle of the courtyard. The tall wooden double doors, welcoming. The house, its massive figure, the dark stone walls towering over me. Before long, I could see them all clearly, beckoning to me to come home as if I was in a dream. Yes. It was my home.

When at last, I was about to reach the yard, the Bind finally made its verdict. A crushing weight slammed down on me like a huge weight. Coughing, I fell on all fours, fighting its merciless force hard to keep it from pinning me onto the ground. Thousands of hot needles pricked me everywhere, sending a searing pain from my toes to my fingertips.

“I am not… forced to obey,”I kept repeating, my breath hacking in my throat. I spat the blood in my mouth. “I will NOT be Bound!”

Sluggishly, the Bind lifted off some of the weight, deliberating whether it should execute the older or the most recent rules. Images of the past flashed under my lids, flitting and repeating as if the Bind was reviewing its laws. The push-pull of the punishment was excruciating, but I fought to ignore the pain as I crawled toward the house.

Every movement was torture. Much more the silent dispute inside my head. The Bind seemed go haywire for a long time while I painfully traversed the lawn, skirting the edges of the enormous hole just under the shade of the willow’s enormous warped branches. Soon, it was already fighting itself, going self-destruct. My legs and arms were shaking. The weight on my back shifted and crashed alternately. I could hardly breathe, but the sight of the house kept me going.

Just a little more. I told myself. The steps were almost within my reach.

It was then that I felt the warm invisible ward against the palm of my hand. I tried to push my hand through but it stayed a solid wall, preventing me from getting into the house. Gasping for air, I rolled onto my back, barely able to lift my head to pinpoint Millie among the swarm of wraiths that glided about the yard. There should be hundreds of them. And Millie, as small and helpless-looking as she was, fought the ones that drew near her.

“Here!” I shouted at her, feeling the Bind’s punishment lighten a little. Unsteadily, I pushed myself off the ground and my back leaning on the invisible wall. “The barrier!”

“Get ready!” she yelled back as she dashed across the yard, to my side, a horde of vicious creatures trying to wrap their long warped claws around her. With her scythe ready, she stood close to me, hooking her arm around mine as we practically just watched the wraiths swarm around us.

A thousand of scraping hollers filled the silence of the night, making the hairs on my arms raise. It felt like my teeth were being pulled one by one. With my free hand, I covered my ears as the gruesome echoes bounced off the barrier. A mute scream escaped my lips as the creatures hurtled toward us, being fired at us like cannon balls all at the same time.

Now, all I could do was close my eyes, waiting for impact.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To anyone who cared. Reapers won in the Watty Awards. Yay! **throws confetti** Ehem. **composes self** So, first of all, I'd like to thank my family--what? No. I got only you people to thank  for this. Really.. thanks so so much people!!! I love you all!

~shim