Vanished

Hunting down Emanuel was not the easiest task. He was always around somewhere, doing something. He wasn't like everyone else, and I am guessing that's why we got along. I never questioned anything about him. I never judged him. He was loyal and reliable. People like him were very difficult to find these days.

Emmanuel loved the earth, so he would often be outside in the middle of trees or near a river. He enjoyed worshiping the sun and mother nature as much as possible. He always said that Mother Nature and Father Sun gave us powers and that we were all made of energy that will one day return to the earth and be shared with other beings. We chose to either embrace these truths or to ignore it.

Emmanuel wasn't religious but he was very spiritual. His gods were unconventional, and he was very in tuned to the spiritual realm. If anyone could help, it would be him. I don't know why I didn't tell him more about what was going on. Maybe he would have been able to help sooner and save Oshun from the hell she had experienced so far.

I was running out of time so I went to all of the places I thought Emanuel could be. After over an hour of running around, I found him at some old ruins near the university. He was in deep meditation with incense burning while sitting in a circle of stones. He seemed like he was at peace. I didn't want to disturb him, but this was an emergency. If I waited too long, I could lose Oshun forever.

I slowly walked over to Emmanuel and sat five feet across from him to give him his space. There was a calming energy near his circle. The sounds of nature echoed in my ears, letting me know this was a safe space. It was a blessed space. The wind was still yet the air was cool as though time stood still for a moment.

With my legs crossed, I closed my eyes and started to breathe deeply to force myself to relax. It wasn't the easiest task considering everything that was going on in my mind. After several rounds of focusing on peace, Emmanuel spoke. "How is she?" He asked without opening his eyes. "She is recovering. It was a near death experience. The doctors were very uncertain when we arrived at the hospital." I replied.

"She is strong." Emanuel said empathetically. "Not many people can endure what she has endured. There is something special about her. They need her." Emanuel said. I opened my eyes in shock. He knew exactly why I was here. An eerie feeling invaded my thoughts and my energy. How did he know what was going on?

"You have to protect her. If they prevail, she will die. Someone is coming for her. Don't let them have Oshun." Emmanuel said, in a completely different voice. "Who is coming for her?" I asked, as I tried to get as many details as possible. I wasn't sure how many details I would be able to get before too late.

I realized that I wasn't speaking to Emmanuel. This was a warning. It was a message from the spirit world. Maybe it was from a guardian. Guardians sometimes used humans to relay important messages to help others. This was not Emmanuel. Since he was so in tuned with the spirit world, they may have been using him to help Oshun. My grandfather told me about the spirit world workings when I was younger. I knew I had to listen. The Guardians knew things we humans were not designed to understand or see without their help.

"Let Oshun heal. After she heals, you must take her far away from here. They have already taken over her mind. She won't want to leave. You have to make her go! Don't let her die! Don't let them have her." Emmanuel opened his eyes and took a deep breath. In his eyes I only saw fear and tears welling. There was more to what he shared with me. He saw something important. Something that scared him. I had never seen him like this.

"What else is there Emmanuel?" I asked, trying not to reveal the panic building inside me. He looked down at his prayer circle and placed his hands over his face. Thick blood began seeping out of his hands from his fingertips down to his arms. He held his arms in front of him with tears in his eyes. "I have to go. I am so sorry, Keno!" He shouted as he ran out of his sacred space.

I sat there in silence trying to process what I had just experienced. Oshun was in way more trouble than I thought. I had to get back to the hospital as fast as possible. My heart rate instantly sped up as I lunged into action, leaving behind the fear that threatened to come to the surface. Now was not the time to be afraid.

Twenty minutes later I made it back to the hospital. I rushed out of my car and ran to the reception counter. "Oshun. Room 66." I said to the nurse sitting at the desk. The nurse wore circular, black framed glasses that matched her short black hair and contrasted her very pale skin. Her small frame barely filled the reception chair she sat in. "I am sorry, are you a relative sir?" The nurse questioned me as though I hadn't just left the hospital a couple hours ago.

"Miss, I was just here a couple hours ago. I was the one who brought her in!" My voice began to elevate with my frustration. "Sir, are you a relative?" She repeated, with a blank stare. "I am her fiancé!" I shouted. "Sir, if you don't calm down, I will have to call security." She replied. "I am sorry Miss. I just don't understand. I was just here. I brought Oshun into this hospital." The nurse was silent for a minute, which really seemed like a lifetime. "We have no record of her having a fiancé. However, she was discharged and picked up not too long ago."

There was a knot in my stomach as I tried to swallow the lack of saliva in my mouth. "What do you mean? She is not supposed to be discharged already. She is still under the doctor's observation." I said with confusion spiraling through my mind. What the fuck was going on? "I am sorry sir. I cannot give you any further information." She said, returning to whatever she was doing on the computer.

I stepped away from the desk and began walking away. I headed towards the restroom and kept going. I made it to Oshun's room only to find it empty. She was gone. The room looked as though no one had been in there at all. The bed was perfectly made, and supplies had been refreshed. I had no idea where to start looking or who to talk to.

I left the hospital and head down to my house. I needed to process everything that was happening. The drive home was the most uneasy drive ever. I tried to figure out what was happening. Everything was crazy. Nothing made sense. How could I take Oshun to the hospital and then not know when she was discharged or who picked her up. She didn't know anyone else here other than me, Emmanuel and her roommates. Someone knew something.

As I walked into my house, everything looked spotless. I had left all of Oshun's things half packed before going to speak with Emmanuel. None of her things were there. It was just like her hospital room, like she was never here to begin with. "What in the Fuck is going on!" I yelled as I slammed my fists on the kitchen counter as fear and anger simultaneously attacked me. I have to find her