From Dark Fantasy (actually, name TBD because I can't seem to find the right name)

Chicago

As soon as I got on the L I looked around for the man in the black coat. I sighed with relief when I realized he wasn’t there, but I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling I had in my stomach. I was anxious to get back and check on Lara and Cormac and see if they’d heard from Keith. I took a seat in the far back so I could see the whole car, I continued looking for the man in the black coat, but there was no sign of him and nobody on the car appeared off. When I exited at the station, I surveyed the crowd and didn’t see him. I did noticed a tall woman with long blond hair dressed in a dark pea coat and a black leather skirt leaning against the wall by the door, she was strikingly beautiful but there was something strange about her. Everyone was bustling about and she was just standing calmly as if she were waiting for someone. As I walked toward the station, she looked right at me, smiled and then followed me with her eyes, something was definitely wrong. I tried to quickly sweep into the station with a crowd of other passengers but as soon as I walked past her, I could feel her walking behind me, so I picked up my pace. Just as I approached the doors of the station I felt something warm on my shoulders and then a strange cold sensation went through my whole body. I couldn’t move or speak; it was as if I was frozen. “You’ll have to follow me now,” a soft melodic voice whispered in my ear. I was in a panic, but I could only walk in the direction she was leading me away from the station I couldn’t even control my facial expressions and my voice seemed caught in my throat. “Don’t worry, Keith is just around the corner, he’ll be so glad to see you,” she said in a gentle tone as if I were an injured animal.

The woman guided me to the side of the station then led me through an opening in a fence and down a hill to a deserted area under the tracks. I wasn’t surprised when I spotted the man in the long black coat standing down there waiting for us.
“Are you sure he’s coming Eden?” he asked the woman.
“He’s already here Ray”. She told him. He smiled and turned on his heels looking toward the tracks where some rusty old storage sheds stood. It looked like nobody had been down here in a very long time.
“Ok Keith, let’s get on with this” he called out. To my surprise, Keith jumped out from behind one of the storage sheds. My heart started racing as soon as I saw him and relief rushed over me. He stood there with his eyes fixed on the woman behind me. His face was stone cold and he didn’t even look at me.
“Let go of her Eden, she’s not involved in this”. Keith commanded her.
“No, you’re going to go with Ray and when you come back with Josie, she’s free to catch the next train to Detroit. You don’t come back and we may have to try on her – it’s ok though, I’m pretty sure we won’t kill her”. She spoke calm and controlled with a girlish tone in her voice.
Keith lurched forward; his shoulders hunched fists tight in balls. His face was expressionless and his eyes were like sheets of ice almost void of color.
“This isn’t about her, let her go and I’ll come with you quietly, we can go get Josie and head back to New Orleans,” he said between clenched teeth.
“I don’t think so…” she said and then giggled girlishly. I saw Ray coming up behind Keith but I couldn’t speak, I wanted to scream to warn him but I couldn’t get the sound out. Then Ray fell on all fours behind Keith as if he had tripped over a rope.
“Ray, you’re better than this, she’s using you,” Keith turned looking at him and speaking in a calm voice, Ray remained on the ground looking up at Keith his eyes wide.
“No Keith, you have no idea what you’re talking about. This is beyond our wildest dreams. You can be a part of this, we can show you how,” Ray said with a spark in his eyes.
“I’ll come with you, as soon as Eden lets her go”. Keith said extending his hand to Ray helping him to his feet, and then turning to face Eden.
“Keith, be reasonable.” Ray said.
“Eden, she’ll listen to me, you have my word. Let her go, she’ll go back to the station and catch the next train to Detroit, then we can leave and I’ll have no more contact with her, you have my word on that”. My heart sank at the though of never seeing or hearing from Keith again. Why was he agreeing to go with them?
“It’s too late Keith; I can feel it in her. Go with Ray and get Josie”. I didn’t understand, what could she feel in me? Could she feel my love for Keith? Did she know that I wouldn’t let him go that easily?
“No” he said shaking his head and walking toward us. Keith was looking past me at Eden intensely and then he fell to the ground grabbing his head as if in pain. He lay there for several moments and then began to twitch his eyes were open and vacant. Terror shot through me like the icy cold of February, I wanted to run to him but my mind was stuck inside my frozen body.
“Go with Ray now Keith, I don’t want to hurt you.” Eden said, her voice still sounding pleasant. Keith got up and took another step toward Eden.
“I’ll work with you Eden, but I won’t walk away and leave her with you”. His voice was calm and soothing now. I could see him fighting to stay in control.
“I’ll stay with her then” Ray said walking up to us with a strange smile, “We’re already friendly, right sweetie?” he laughed darkly rubbing the back of his hand down my cheek. I wanted to spit on him.
Keith turned and looked at Ray with stone cold eyes and Ray fell down hitting the back of his head hard against the cold ground.
“Don’t ever touch her,” Keith seethed between gritted teeth.
“Tsk tsk, Keith, you’re a bit touchy about this girl,” Eden said in her pleasant, melodic voice, but I was starting to hear an edge to it.
Ray got up, laughing darkly and then lunged at Keith knocking him to the ground.
“Calm down Ray, use your mind” Eden commanded him. Then Keith was on his knees holding his head again. I felt a scream build inside of me, but still I couldn’t move. Keith fell to the ground twitching with that vacant look in his eyes he was in pain. I felt so helpless; all I could do was concentrate on how much I loved him, to will him to feel my love. In desperation, I begged Tara the Goddess of protection to help Keith. I couldn’t remember how to invoke a goddess, but I told Tara that I dedicated myself to her as my protector and trusted her to watch over us. I kept trying to envision Lara and Cormac when they invoked the god and goddess, but I couldn’t remember what they said. I just concentrated on protecting Keith and praising Tara. I wanted to scream, to run to him to help him. I could see the pain in his eyes and I was terrified they were going to kill him.
“Ray, don’t break the connection, concentrate, you’re losing him,” Eden shouted sounding tense for the first time. I kept repeating my dedication to Tara and asking her to protect us. Suddenly, Ray fell over and Keith was on his feet instantly.
“Damnit Ray, get him back down! You know what needs to be done” Eden shouted urgently. Ray and Keith started circling each other, their shoulders rolled forward. They were talking in low hissing voices chanting. I heard Keith call out trying to invoke Tara and Ray called out to invoke the Goddess of evil Tyrannis. I was in control of my breath, so took a few deep breaths and tried to slow my heart rate and concentrate on Tara begging here to protect us.
Suddenly the sun shown through the clouds and I felt a slight warmth, then Ray fell over again and hit the back of his head. He lay there for a moment and I wasn’t sure if he was knocked out or not.
“Get up Ray” Keith commanded in a dry, dead tone.
“Listen to me, I know you, you don’t want this. Josie and I will not abandon you, you’re our brother Ray”. Ray got up slowly staring at Keith with bewildered eyes. He rubbed the back of his head and there was a tinge of blood on his hand.
“Don’t listen to him Ray” Eden chimed in with her beautiful, melodic voice.
“They left us, Keith ran from you. I’ve been faithful to you the last two years and I’ve given myself to you completely. You know that I’ve taught you more than Keith ever could and I’ve given you power you never would have discovered with Keith and Josie. Use that power now Ray.” Eden said with a sweet voice.
“She doesn’t love you Ray” Keith shot at him “Eden’s not capable of love.”
Then Keith fell to the ground again twitching in agony.
I continued concentrating on Tara and begging her to protect him. Suddenly, I felt a strange warmth surround me and I could see the sun shining through the gray clouds again. Eden’s hand began to shake and I was starting to feel in control of my body again.
Keith got up and looked directly at Ray, throwing him backward slamming him hard into a tree. His knees buckled for a moment, but he seemed to shake off the feeling and he ran forward pinning Ray to the ground, he punched him in the face and Ray slumped back, his nose bleeding hard, his face shiny with blood. Keith got up to walk away and Ray kicked him in the stomach knocking the wind out of him for a moment, but Ray didn’t seem to be able to get up yet. Once Keith caught his breath, he jumped on top of Ray again and punched him several times until he rolled over unconscious, then Keith shot a look at Eden and she fell back and hit the fence. The bubble around me burst and I fell to the ground screaming and shaking. I felt Keith grab my arm and he pulled me up.
“Run” he commanded and we ran to the opening in the fence, crawled through and ran back to the L station.