He Who Hunts Demons Chapter 23: 22-Martha

Read chapter 23 of He Who Hunts Demons by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

I was more angry than amazed. Being blinded by darkness was not a pleasant feeling, and not having an idea of what to expect made the situation even more displeasing than it should be; there was also the fact that, technically—to me—this was the second time I was being thrown into another dimension without being given a clue what to expect in just two days. For someone who always enjoyed being prepared, it was infuriating. My thoughts came to an abrupt halt when the darkness suddenly stirred to life. It flung me about like it was trying to throw me out of its confines. I would have been very much glad for that to happen, but reality was often disappointing. I suddenly felt my scenery change, disorienting me. Then I was pulled down by an illusionary force, dragging me into the depths of the darkness. I tightened my grip on the card of the fool I held, not because I was frightened, but because I didn’t think of the tarot card as something to just discard. Who knew? It might end up being my ticket out of here. Then my feet touched what I assumed was solid ground and I swallowed dryly, expectant of what was to come next. The darkness engulfing me was blown away by a harsh, incorporeal wind, like smoke in the middle of a storm, and my eyes widened in the next instant as my scenery became apparent to me. I was standing in a field that stretched out all around me. It was beautiful and fresh and warm, but it was not unfamiliar. Because in the distance stood a lone building I could never forget. My parent’s orphanage. My heart skipped a beat at the sight and my hand involuntarily tightened across the tarot card I held. I was tired of this—the supernatural toying with my memories and emotions. Despite the fact that my nightmares served as a constant reminder of my anger, it was still infuriating to experience daily. The abyss had tapped into that to try to kill me, and now, this woman, Martha, was turning my anger into some sort of puzzle? It made my mouth bitter. But I was determined to get out of this realm as quickly as possible, so I ventured forward. There was nothing in the building I hadn’t seen countless times. I would get this over with and make certain to lay my problems with my mind being invaded bare to Martha. As I got closer to the orphanage, I noticed that it was unusually silent for this time of day. After all, the sun was out, the birds were cheerful, and when I glanced at the farm some miles away, the cassava and maize were ripe for harvesting. It was the time when the orphanage was more alive than ever. My first thought went to the possibility that this sequence was taking place based on the event of my parents’ death. However, that had happened at night, and not during the time of harvest. If this world really was pulled out of my memory then such minute details should exist. It seemed this was a different timeline; there was only one way to find out. I stepped forward and pushed the door open. It creaked slowly in response as it revealed an empty hallway that seemed to stretch on forever. The walls were plain, and the t-junction that was always at its end was nowhere to be found. My heart skipped a beat. In hindsight, the hallway shared the same ambience as the one of my parents’ orphanage. But it wasn’t the same. Besides the weirdness of the hallway stretching on for what felt like an eternity, the walls were missing the drawings of the various flowers I and the rest of the children always drew on them in our boredom. It was plain. Far too plain for me to consider it home. I walked into the building regardless. Immediately, the door behind me slammed shut and I was enveloped in deep darkness once again. Before I could put together a coherent thought, a warm breeze blew upon me from behind, and with it came an ethereal voice in a whisper as soft as the wind itself. “Make a choice,” it said, and instantly the hallway brightened like someone had lit a torch in the distance. But…I was no longer in the hallway. At least