Seconds ticked away as I waited for the pain, for something. But all around me was dark and nonexistent. It was like only my mind was still intact. 

Maybe I was dead.

Maybe I'd miraculously survived and only imagined this emptiness. Maybe in reality I was already on my way to the hospital.

I waited some more, scared, but excited. The initial fright was slowly beginning to fade, being replaced by an even greater fear and clearer thoughts. I knew I had to break through this somehow; I needed to see what had happened.

I barely noticed the subtle changes at first, but once I recognized the soft caress of a warm breeze and the melodious chirping of birds, I forced all my attention on them. And then, suddenly, I was back. 

I opened my eyes.

Above me was the blue sky of a summer morning. I lay on my back on lush green grass, overgrown but soft against my skin. Around me stood crooked apple trees, their green leaves aglow by the warm sunlight. To my right was a small weathered shed, slightly tilting to the side, and behind it high grass marked the border of the yard.

I recognized the place immediately, as I'd spent more days here than I could remember. But still I stared for many long minutes, confused and unsure.

It made no sense how I was suddenly at Aleksander's place on Saaremaa, when only moments ago I'd left my apartment in Tallinn. After another minute of speechless staring, I hesitantly got up. I still had my bag slung over my shoulder; noticing this, I quickly dug through it for my phone. The screen showed forty minutes past eight. Forty one.

Glancing toward the house I noticed that Sasha's mother's old Audi stood beside it, though I could not see anyone moving about. Light glinting off windows cast the rooms in shadows, making it too hard for me to see inside from this distance. Somehow I felt unsure if I should've gone and checked if she's home, or if I should've called someone - who? And what would I have told them? That I somehow travelled two hundred kilometres through time and space? 

A foreign sound escaped my lips - something similar to a broken laugh - as I looked one way and another, not knowing what I was supposed to do.

To my right, a creaking sound made by old wood cut through the relative silence. I flinched, turning sharply to look at the old shed. Its open door swung slowly on the rusty hinges, even though I could swear the old crooked nail had held it in place only moments ago. Against my better judgment, I gave in to the small voice telling me to take a closer look. It was like something pulled me there. 

The air under old eternit and years' worth of decayed leaves was pleasantly cool compared to the hot morning sun. The shed was just slightly wider than a metre, but all the shelves and boxes along the walls left little room to move. Then again it was about three times as long and thanks to the low doorway not much light got in. Hesitantly, I stepped forward, feeling a painful sting in my heart as my eyes surveyed all the junk.

Me and Sasha had often come here to look for tools, various materials or other trinkets to either build stuff or just play around. My fingers grazed a dusty shelf, stopping on the hilt of an old wooden sword. Tears began to blur my vision and I had to raise my head to stop them from running free. But doing so, I noticed something. 

Between me and the exit stood a dark figure, not more than two steps away. Startled, I jumped back, straining my eyes to see against the light and through my tears.

My pulse began racing, making my head spin.

. .. ... .... .. .... ... .. .

We once found a big cardboard box hidden under fishing nets in the attic at Sasha's place. Inside were many old books, tableware wrapped in newspapers, crochet doilies, albums and much more. Excited with our find, we began to dig through its contents, carrying the stuff all over the dusty attic. We were noisy enough for Sasha's mom to hear us from downstairs, so she came to make sure we weren't causing any troubles. Turned out the box must have held something really important, because her eyes widened and her tone was more than a little displeased when she asked us what we were doing. Her reaction startled me enough, so I couldn't give a good answer. I was young at the time and still basically a stranger to their home. I looked over at Sasha, but the boy stared up at his mother with the most innocent eyes.

In his lap was the album we'd just been looking at. The photos in it varied from colorful to black and white, from sepia to strange color contrasts - from the age color photography was still a new thing. They showed people I did not recognize, in places I'd never been myself. I did recognize Sasha's mother on many photos, however she was younger and with shorter curly hair, which - in my opinion - looked quite funny. And she was often with a man that showed up numerous times. A few photos even showed her pregnant.

Sasha ignored his mom's question and looked back at the album. With pure childish curiosity he asked her where his dad was.

His mom didn't say anything for a long time. I slowly began to hope there would be no punishment for the crime we'd apparently committed. But at the same time, I realized myself that I'd never seen Aleksander's father. It was always just him and his mom and I'd never even thought to ask about it.

At last, the woman sighed and said, "He needed to go some place."

"Where?" Sasha inquired.

"Who knows. And who cares now." She took the album and closed it. "Now, clean all this mess up. Put everything nicely back inside the box and..." She looked at the fishing nets, all thrown in a messy heap, and sighed tiredly." Put everything back inside the box and I'll clean up the rest." She then put the album theatrically into the bottom of the box, a clear sign that there would be no arguing about it.

. .. ... .... .. .... ... .. .

The figure before me was wrapped in shadows with head hung low, so I couldn't see their face. But their sudden appearance was not nearly as frightening as the way they - he - looked.

His bare arms, which he held slightly clenched, were drained of color and covered in dark blotches. On the backs of his arms were jagged plate-like formations that grew into curved layered thorns on his elbows. The jagged plates were bigger on his upper arms, like scales, and the shoulders were covered in smaller and larger sharp thorns, reminding me of a thorny desert lizard. His shirt, or rather the cloth wrapped around him was pitch black, dripping of a vapoury substance, and his legs - I couldn't even tell if they were covered with coarse fur or some other material.

Two big black horns protruded from his forehead, arching back over his head with the tips pointing upwards. Their sharp points gleamed back at me from the darkness.

I gripped the edge of the shelf like my life depended on it. I barely dared to breathe. The creature raised his head, its tired, stoic eyes fixating on me.

It was Aleksander, some sick horror movie version of him. He looked at me for a few seconds before tilting his head to the side. When he spoke, the half whisper of a voice was painfully familiar, and it was too strange to hear it from the mouth of this creature.

"Can you see me now?"

I couldn't reply. I stared at the dark haunting eyes; the brownish-green irises had lost their vibrance, being a more greyish shade now. The white of his left eye was also light grey, while that of his right eye was a much darker shade with black veins covering it like bony fingers.

He stepped closer, almost staggering. Not able to hold my breath any longer, I let it all out through my teeth. I still couldn't move, though, for I had nowhere to go. Maybe I should've screamed, yet something held me back. This creature that looked like Sasha came so close I had to look up to see his eyes. So close that he nearly touched me.

He raised his hand to put his cold palm against my cheek. Tilting his to the side again, he studied me from under half closed eyelids with dull interest. He then brought his other hand up to my other cheek, and I whimpered.

"You were always happy to see me, Katrin."

With my shallow and shaky breath I soon found myself at lack of air, so I tried to calm down. He still stared at me, as if expecting something to happen, although it was hard to tell with his expression being so devoid of all emotion. And even as the tone of his voice had been soft and gentle, it only added to the eerieness.

I spoke before I could stop myself, "Aleksander?"

He blinked, but there was no real recognition, no familiarity in his eyes. "You doubt. Though perhaps I can't blame you." With his thumb, he caressed the contours of my face, his touch leaving behind a cool trail. "Who you believe me to be... one can doubt if he ever existed."

"What do you mean?" I asked cautiously.

"Child's life was taken before he was conceived. There was no boy called Sasha." His slowly wandering eyes fixed back onto mine. "There was only a deal with the devil."

"I don't understand." I shook my head defiantly. "Why am I here? Am I even alive?" The tears that never really left me threatened to cloud my vision once again.

"Katrin," he said softly, forcing me to look at him. "You are alive. Too early for you to lose life."

I sniffled.

"Katrin," he repeated quietly. After taking a step back, he dropped his arms and grabbed both my wrists. He then proceeded to walk back and out into the sunlight, bringing me with him.

The light was absorbed by his colorless skin and the horns were an even darker black than they'd been inside the dim shed. Only his clothes seemed to look more natural under the sun, having lost their vapoury consistency. But his legs, as I could see now, were covered by a thick coat of black fur that disappeared underneath the ragged clothes, and the feet were a frightening mix between hooves and those of a reptile.

I gulped, forcing myself not to look at them.

He took my hands, pulling me down onto the grass. Too weak willed to stop him, I let him lay me down as he placed my head onto his lap. I was frightened, yes, but I was also confused beyond my understanding, about both him and being here. But then I felt the familiar scent of Sasha, one that was always present at their home and lingered on his clothes. I sniffled again.

"You really are him, right?" It wasn't any easier to believe than the fact I was in Saaremaa, with who could only be a demon. But to be honest, a part of me wanted this to be true; the big part of me that still hadn't accepted Sasha's death. Or the part that wanted to take back the cold reality.

"I lived the life you impute to me. I believe the answer is yes."

"You don't sound like Sasha," I whispered.

He gently stroke my hair, eyes on mine, the slightest hint of compassion which could well have been a trick of my own confused mind staring back at me. "I know." 

Since I couldn't muster up a reply, I just lay there, unmoving, endlessly wondering if this is a dream or reality. Before long the demon spoke again.

"Katrin," he said, "I want you to come with me."

I immediately thought back to the last time I went to the hospital, remembering how Sasha had promised to take everyone to Hell with him. Cold shivers ran up my spine at the memory.

"What if I don't want to come?" I asked in a weak voice.

He blinked, as if he didn't understand what I said. "This is not the answer I was expecting." He paused, and I feared he would become angry. "It doesn't go with my plans."

I didn't say anything. But then his eyes softened, his voice still controlled.

"I can't force you, but I will give you time to think, Katrin." His hand moved down onto my back. "I, too, was always happy to see you. I don't want to give this up."

He once again captured my face between his hands. When he bent down, I could feel his cool breath against the skin of my face and neck. He tilted my head back, then tenderly pressed his cold lips onto my own. Due to my mixed feelings I could barely force my body to react, allowing him to become more demanding. I pressed my eyes shut, feeling a lump in my throat. Before I could think it through, I found myself answering to his kiss. But the moment didn't last long.

He pulled back and whispered, "If you won't come, then I will stay."

Then he closed his eyes and, after a couple seconds, disappeared like smoke blown away by the wind, leaving me to wonder if this had all been my imagination.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author's Note:

Only one chapter left!

Please comment, and vote if you like! It would be so, SO much appreciated and helpful! I think I used some weird words and/or expressions here, but I'm not sure.. And I can't figure it out all on my own ;)