Redemption Read Online Free Page A

at the stone and writhed wildly overhead. 
    Rebecca glanced
at Isaac in desperation.  His arms were still glowing.  And so was her
stomach.  Sobbing, she clutched at his arm, her words tumbling out.  “I lied. 
It’s not a surgery scar,” she gasped, struggling against the lingering
emotional pain from her most recent lashing.  “It’s…it’s a c-section scar. 
I…the baby died…I had a miscarriage!”
    Tears were
flowing freely down her face as she clutched at Isaac and poured out her
secret.  “I lied,” she gasped.  Her hands covered the glowing areas on his arms
while the scar on her abdomen burned as if the wound had just re-opened. 
    “What are those
marks?” she sobbed, flinching as a massive head struck at the rock, and chipped
a huge chunk away.  “What are those marks on your arms?”
    Isaac was
shaking now, wracked with pain.  “Needles,” he gasped, so softly she had to
strain to hear him.  Then louder.  “Needles.  They’re needle marks.  I’m…an
addict!”
    The creature
behind them gave a high-pitched scream from every one of its massive heads at
once.  The ear-splitting sound was followed by dozens of thuds, as if someone
was lobbing boulders onto the beach.  Rebecca dragged herself to the corner of
the stone and peered around it.  The monster had stopped moving.  All of the
heads had fallen lifeless to the ground.
    “We did it,” she
whispered, her voice harsh from shouting and crying.  The pain in her abdomen
was fading, and glancing down she could see that the glow was gone. 
    Isaac had his
head in his hands.  He shuddered and the glow faded from him as well.  She
pushed herself to her feet and stood looking out at the monster.  Her feet
moved without her even thinking about what she was doing.  Isaac scrambled up
and followed her as she walked out onto the beach.
    “It was a
challenge.”  Rebecca stood staring down at a massive head.  The serpentine neck
was thicker than she was tall.  “I think…I think it died because we told the
truth.”  She reached out and touched the scaly head and the monster shimmered
and disappeared, leaving behind nothing but frothy sea foam and angry waves.
    She met Isaac’s
piercing blue eyes.  He didn’t say anything.  They turned as one and headed
toward the forest, where an ornate green door had appeared.  It looked as if it
had been carved into the cliff face, overarched with twisting branches that
looked as if they had been woven by some powerful hand.  Rebecca was hardly
surprised to see the black cat patiently waiting for her, its mismatched eyes
filled with mystery.  She grasped the long wrought iron handle and opened the
door.  Without a word, the three of them stepped into the forest beyond.
    ~~~~~
    On the other
side of the door, they found tall trees- pines, maples, oak, and poplar.  Dappled
sunlight fell through the leaves and cast dancing shadows on the rough path
that stretched before them.  Rebecca hesitated and glanced at Isaac.  His face
was reserved, and she thought maybe he was regretting having revealed his
weakness to her. 
    “Well,” she said
into the strained quiet that had sprung up between them.  “It looks like we go
this way.”
    He looked at her
for a moment without speaking, then glanced at the path ahead.  “I suppose. 
But doesn’t it seem too convenient?”
    Rebecca stared
ahead at the inviting path in the woods.  “Way too convenient.” 
    But the cat had
trotted off up the path and out of sight.  For some reason, she thought she
should follow.  She glanced back at the green door behind them, now hanging
right in the middle of the wooded path.  It was already beginning to fade. 
    “I don’t really trust
this, but I’m sure as hell not going back out there.”
    Isaac sighed. 
“No.  You’re right.  Let’s go this way.”  His eyes met hers.  “If you still
want me to go with you?”
    Rebecca stared
right back at him.  “You mean because you’re a