Chapter #9
She came into the room, a scroll in her hand. She sat at the end of his bed. Jack wasn't sure if it was Sally or not on account of the dark, but the fact that Zero was there told him it was her. He was right. She switched on a light, and gave Jack the scroll. "I found this." She said. "It was on a shelf in the hallway."
"How did you get here?" Jack asked. He was shocked to see her there. She smiled, but said nothing more.
"I know where Angel is Jack. And no, the Wolf lied. She's alive." Jack was astonished. How did she know all of this? She ran over to him, and wrapped her arms around him, tears escaping her eyes. Her little form clung to him in the shallow light. "I thought I'd never see you again." The light merged into the darkness, and she lost consciousness. Jack sighed, and laid her on his bed.
"No point in waking her. She needs more sleep than I do." He left the room, and turned the light off as he went. He took one more peek at her before he closed the door. His heart sank in doing so. He didn't want to leave her there. Especially after not seeing her in so long... Pictures of Angel began to fly in his mind. He could barely believe she was alive.
The dark hallway gaped open like the dark confines of an insane man's mind. He hated it. Looking out the round windows of the sideways, broken, ugly, half-sunken ship, all he ever saw was the lime green light of the lava outside. He wondered how the ship could have taken the beating so long without falling in on itself.
As he walked out to the bow, he had to hold onto things lest he fall back into the hallway. Poles helped support him, and sometimes wooden ledges depending on their condition. When he reached the metal railing at the tip, he grabbed a hold, and stood nearly sideways looking up toward the sky. No moon... Not tonight anyway. The stars were dull, and few, and the wind blew him so hard he thought he'd fall off. The lava swirled, bubbled, and blew up waves as it crashed against imaginary shores. The light flickered off into the sky, and gave the black outline a grimy green shadow. It disgusted him... Why did he have to deal with this?
It was never his choice to go here. So why did Seralicore demand it? She had no business telling him what he needed to do. He glared into the sky again, a song coming to his mind. He sang it over and over in his mind, the beat and tune catching him in their own trembling hands as they moved from pitch to pitch. He hummed it to himself a few times out loud. He was so caught up in it, that he didn't even hear Sally come up behind him, and throw a blanket over his shoulders. Despite the heat, the night air, and wind forced his bones into ice. He turned to see her holding onto the railing with one arm, and smiling at him. He reached back, and pulled her up. Both holding onto the very front of the bow to keep from their deaths.
"I thought you were asleep." Jack said to her as she snuggled close. She smiled to herself, yet said nothing. Jack ignored it, and pulled her close.
"I missed you Jack. I missed you too much. When I went to the holiday doors, I went because I thought you had gotten yourself into more mischief... I was right. However, I was unsure if this was the door you had gone in. Knowing you and curiosity, I was sure you came this way." She pulled the blanket closer over them.
The black sky began to churn, and the clouds parted to reveal a small white moon. The stars were still dull compared to the glow of green below them, but they ignored the change and stared into the odd moon.
"I was afraid I'd never get home..." Jack murmured. Sally looked at him with concern. "I can't... No. Forget it." He trailed off, and turned his face away. Sally put a hand under his chin, and turned him to face her.
"No. Tell me." She said.
"Okay... Sally, I know this may sound... Unfair, but... I can't return." Sally hushed him. She pulled out the scroll she had before.
"I know. This is their archives. I read them. Jack, I saw a terrible vision. One that I hope never comes true. You need to get out of here. Now." Jack hesitated. How did he know if she wasn't playing along with the archives right now? What if she were just playing the game? He didn't want to believe it, but it was possible.
"Sally... I can't." He turned away, and looked back toward the hallway where they'd come from. He gave Sally the blanket, and started the steep decent back down. She watched him sadly. She knew what was to become, but she just didn't want to admit it to herself just yet. She looked once more at the moon, delighting in his rays, and turned around to follow Jack.
They reached their room in time to discover a note on the door. Seralicore had left Jack a message. The message was on old torn parchment, and the writing was in glossy green ink. Jack pulled the nail out of it, and read a small piece before handing it to Sally. The note was short. But threatening.
The sun will never shine again. Your time has come Jack. Tomorrow, you and I are going to bring the mortal world to its knees. You shall never see their sun again.
Sally started to cry silently, and Jack pulled her close. "She isn't going to do anything. I swear on my grave, no matter what she tries, it will never pull me away from you." She snuggled close to his chest, and Jack pulled her into his room.
In the dark, they huddled close under the blankets in order to stay warm. There was no heat in the building, especially after dark when the force of the lava had cooled. There wasn't a heater in the room either. The black blanket had holes, and often times the cool air would slip though, but generally, they felt safe as long as they were together. Jack stayed up all night wondering what Seralicore had up her sleeve. Whatever it was, it was nothing good, and he feared his vision would come true. He peeked over at Sally who was asleep, and kissed her on the cheek.
