season 1. chapter 18

Chapter 18: The Soul Eater

Night had fallen, casting a dark blanket over the road ahead. The RV's headlights cut through the shadows, illuminating the twisting path as they made their way through the wilderness. Inside the RV, the mood was both cautious and light. After the nightmare Jason had experienced earlier, everyone was on alert. But the group wasn't one to let fear take over—especially after all they'd been through.

Damion sat behind the wheel, his eyes focused on the road, but he kept a smile on his face as he talked with Daniel, who was sitting in the passenger seat, keeping an eye on the GPS. The two had been friends long enough that even in tense situations, they knew how to keep things relaxed. Emma and Taylor, in the back, laughed as they played a card game they'd invented, their easygoing banter helping ease the tension.

And then there were Jason and Sarah, cuddled up on the couch again. They had become a kind of constant comfort for each other, their connection growing stronger with every passing day. Jason's arm was draped over Sarah's shoulders, and her head rested against his chest. His free hand was held up, small flickers of flame dancing along his fingertips. Sarah, her eyes half-closed, smiled softly as she manipulated a tiny stream of water in her palm, letting it spiral and twist in sync with Jason's flames.

"It's kind of beautiful, isn't it?" Sarah whispered, watching the way the fire and water moved together. The contrast between their powers had always fascinated her—fire, so wild and destructive, and water, so fluid and calm. And yet, in this moment, they flowed together like two sides of the same coin.

Jason smiled down at her, his usually stoic expression softening. "Yeah. It is." He flicked his fingers, making the flame grow and shrink, tracing the outline of Sarah's water stream. For a moment, it felt like everything outside didn't matter. The demons, the nightmares, the danger—all of it was distant, forgotten in this quiet moment of peace.

But peace never lasted long for them.

The RV rumbled over a bumpy patch of road, and the mood shifted slightly. Jason could feel it—the tension creeping back in, the unspoken fear that something else was coming. The nightmare he'd had earlier still haunted him, the image of the figure with burning red eyes, the fire, the overwhelming sense of being out of control. He couldn't shake it, even now.

But he didn't want to worry Sarah. Not after everything she had already been through.

"Hey," Jason said quietly, turning his head slightly to look at her. "You okay?"

Sarah nodded, her eyes still focused on the water spiraling in her palm. "Yeah. Just… I don't know. Everything feels different now. Like we're on the edge of something huge, and I'm not sure what's going to happen."

Jason tightened his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. "We'll figure it out. We always do."

Before Sarah could respond, there was a sudden jolt, and the RV swerved slightly to the left. Damion cursed under his breath, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly as he tried to steady the vehicle.

"Whoa, what the hell was that?" Daniel asked, his voice sharp.

"I don't know, man," Damion replied, his eyes scanning the road ahead. "I didn't see anything, but it felt like we hit something."

Emma and Taylor looked up from their game, the card deck forgotten as they both peered out the window. "Did we run over something?" Taylor asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Doesn't look like it," Daniel said, squinting as he looked ahead through the windshield. "But we should keep our eyes open. Could be another one of those creatures."

The mention of creatures brought a heavy silence to the group. They had encountered so many things over the past few weeks—monsters, demons, beings that defied logic or explanation. But nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.

Without warning, the temperature inside the RV plummeted, the air growing unnaturally cold. Jason felt it first—the shift in the atmosphere, the way the air seemed to press down on them like an invisible weight. His flames flickered, struggling to stay lit against the sudden chill.

"What the hell is going on?" Damion muttered, his breath visible in the freezing air. He hit the brakes, bringing the RV to a slow stop on the side of the road. "This isn't normal."

Jason sat up straight, his senses on high alert. He glanced out the window, but all he could see was darkness—endless, suffocating darkness.

"Everyone stay inside," Jason said, his voice low but commanding. "Something's out there."

But it wasn't just outside. Jason could feel it—something was already here with them, inside the RV. He could sense it, a presence that was different from the creatures they had fought before. This was something darker, something more powerful.

And then, the lights inside the RV flickered and went out, plunging them into darkness.

"Jason…" Sarah's voice was barely a whisper, but Jason could hear the fear in it. He reached for her hand, squeezing it gently to reassure her.

"It's okay," he said, though he wasn't sure it was true. "Just stay close to me."

A low, guttural sound echoed through the RV, sending a chill down Jason's spine. It wasn't a growl, not like the creatures they had fought before. This was something else—a sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once, like the moaning of lost souls trapped in the air around them.

And then, they saw it.

A figure emerged from the shadows at the far end of the RV. It was tall, its body twisted and unnatural, like a creature made from the very darkness itself. But what made Jason's blood run cold were its eyes—red, burning with an unnatural light. And surrounding the figure, swirling like a cloak of death, were faces—human faces, distorted and screaming, trapped in the creature's form.

It was as if the creature was made of souls.

"Oh my God…" Emma whispered, her voice trembling. "What is that?"

The creature didn't answer. Instead, it lunged forward, its twisted limbs reaching for them with a speed that defied logic. Jason reacted instinctively, throwing up his hand and releasing a burst of flame. The fire hit the creature, but it didn't burn. The souls within it writhed and screamed, but the creature pressed on, undeterred by the fire.

"Damion! Get everyone out of here!" Jason shouted, standing between the creature and the others.

Damion didn't hesitate. He grabbed Daniel by the arm, dragging him toward the door. "Come on! We need to move, now!"

Emma and Taylor followed quickly, their eyes wide with fear as they stumbled out of the RV. Jason stayed behind, his flames burning brighter as he tried to hold the creature off.

But it wasn't working. The fire had no effect on the creature, its soulless form moving through the flames as if they were nothing more than smoke. Jason could feel the heat intensifying, his control slipping as the panic set in.

"Jason!" Sarah's voice cut through the chaos, snapping him out of his panic. She stood at his side, her hand outstretched, a stream of water swirling around her. "We can do this together."

Jason nodded, his heart pounding. Together, they unleashed their powers—fire and water, crashing against the creature with everything they had. The flames licked at its form, while the water sought to smother it, to drown it in a torrent of power.

And for a moment, it seemed to work. The creature faltered, its twisted body writhing as the souls trapped within it screamed in agony. But then, with a deafening roar, the creature surged forward, its arms reaching for Jason and Sarah with terrifying speed.

Jason braced himself, preparing for the impact. But before the creature could reach them, a sudden burst of light filled the RV, blinding everyone in the room. The creature recoiled, its body writhing as the light seemed to burn away at its form.

"What the hell is that?" Damion shouted from outside, shielding his eyes from the blinding light.

Jason squinted, trying to see through the brilliance. And then he saw it—a figure standing in the doorway of the RV, bathed in light. It was a man, tall and imposing, his body glowing with a soft, ethereal light. His eyes burned with an intensity that matched the creature's, but there was something different about him—something human.

Without a word, the figure raised his hand, and the light grew even brighter. The creature let out a final, agonized scream as the light engulfed it, burning away the twisted souls trapped within its form. And then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the creature was gone, leaving only silence in its wake.

The light faded, and the figure turned to face them. Jason could barely make out his features in the dim glow, but there was something familiar about him—something that made Jason's heart skip a beat.

"You're not safe yet," the figure said, his voice low and commanding. "There's more coming."

And with that, he disappeared, leaving Jason and the others standing in stunned silence, trying to make sense of what had just happened.