How come?
“No,” hissed William, following them in aggressive strides. “I will not be trapped here again. You must prevent this!”
Elliot swallowed, trying to think on his feet. What if William’s soul was destroyed if it got forcefully dragged out of the cellar in Elliot’s body? He could not allow that. “B-but my stuff. I need to take my bag.”
William slid his arms around Elliot’s waist and held him back. “Don’t let him do this, my sweet,” he desperately whispered into Elliot’s ear and kissed it, sending a cold shiver down Elliot’s spine. He could hardly understand how it was that William was inside of him, yet for once could also touch him. Was the vision of William a projection, and what was really happening was that William was touching him… from the inside?
He shuddered.
“I didn’t mean to lie to you!” William spoke so quickly his words almost melted together. “It’s merely that I knew there was still affection in your heart for this man, so you wouldn’t bring him to me if you knew what it meant. I wanted his body so that we could be together.”
Unaware of the tension right next to him, Knight pulled harder, straining Elliot’s joints as William tugged him the other way, giving Elliot’s body strength he alone didn’t have.
Elliot’s head was spinning. His stomach turned into a bundle of discomfort, and every single muscle in his body ached, as if stretched beyond its normal capacity. William’s breath was cold as it danced down Elliot’s back. He shouted so loudly Elliot’s ears rang, but then Knight just pulled Elliot up and took him over the threshold.
William’s scream came out of Elliot’s throat, but then his body sagged, entirely pumped out. Was this it? Was William gone? Elliot couldn’t breathe fast enough, unable to get air.
But when he turned his head back, he saw William stepping out into the corridor, smiling as if he’d just been released from death row. He walked up to Elliot in quick steps and kissed his hand. “We are out, my boy! Out of that prison and out in the world. You and me? Oh, we will achieve so much.”
“Elliot, I’m talking to you,” Knight said, snapping his fingers in front of Elliot’s face. He kicked the door shut.
William sighed. “Go on. Do whatever’s necessary to get that rude man off our backs.”
“Y-yes. I’m listening,” Elliot said as Knight put him back down. “Okay, I will leave this place, but I need my stuff.”
Knight hissed. “No, you don’t. I’m gonna get it for you tomorrow, and I’ll get Jake to watch you overnight. No discussions,” he said and pulled Elliot up the stairs and toward the partially open door at the top.
Elliot’s head was still spinning, but William followed with a widening smile, which was all that mattered. Elliot dared to smile back but as soon as they left the basement, he needed to look under his feet if he didn’t want to fall to his face.
The moonlight streamed through the dark hall, bright enough to uncover any obstructions, but when Elliot looked up to the statue in front of him, a scream tore out of his lungs, so loud it seemed to have physically affected his body.
He couldn’t believe his eyes.
A man hung off the monstrous head with the two horns poking out of his chest and stomach. Blood dripped down the dark stone, but despite there being so much of it, that it could have filled two smaller bodies, the victim was still moving his head and arms.
“What happened here?” Elliot walked up to the man in exasperation. “Call 911!”
The man turned his face toward Elliot and reached for him with one hand. His long blond hair was a tangled mess, but his gaze was surprisingly attentive for someone losing so much blood. The leather cut he wore suggested he was one of the Kings of Hell, but Elliot had never seen him before around the clubhouse, even if his handsome features seemed familiar somehow.
Knight pulled Elliot right back and squished him in his arms. With his ear to Knight’s neck, Elliot could hear each beat of his pulse. “What the hell are you talking about? Do you need a doctor?” Knight asked and pushed his hand down to the pocket where he usually kept his phone. Only he was wearing pajama pants now, not jeans, and he groaned in frustration when the device wasn’t in its usual place on his hip.
The blond man grinned, showing off red-smeared teeth. “Ah, he’s coming! I feel it! I can smell him.”
Elliot just stared, so confused he was about to cry. He pressed closer to Knight despite hating him so much. “Who’s coming?” Was Elliot losing his mind?
William’s cool touch rested on Elliot’s shoulder. “Don’t listen to him. He’s dead.”
Another ghost then? Elliot trembled and dared to look back at the bleeding man. Was it possible that with William now inside of him, Elliot was seeing both the realm of the living and of the dead?