The Red Winged Angels

Chapter 4.32 – The Afterglow

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Audrey Horne - Afterglow

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Dark and heavy clouds were looming over the Goth-Asli household this night after Elisas death...

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Poor Isaac was still resting in the rocking chair, grieving the loss of his great grandmother.. none of them knew where she was gone, all they knew was that she was dead, that the demon killed her...

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Cursed be that demon!

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Isaac isn't the only being teary eyed in this moment... Billy woke up and stopped next to the bedside.. Natalie had been dreaming about Elisas gravestone all night.. Her mind desperately wanted answers as to where her beloved Elisa was now...

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Though Billy was also very sad, he heard Isaacs crying bawling and wanted to comfort him, but Isaac was all filled up with sorrow and rage.. it didn't really get to him..

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Then the sisters woke up, both at the same time..

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There wasn't a dry eye in the house...

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Natalie especially was full of grief, panic and worry.. what would they do, now that Elisa was gone?

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No one was unscarred by this, Aaron had cried all the way from the treehouse and to the shower.. and even afterwards, he still stood there sobbing and drying up his tears...

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Natalie wound up the music box for a moment of soothing music, and Isaac wanted to talk to Samira...

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He told her all about what had happened after she left yesterday, about the demon and his great grandmothers death.

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Samira was terrified, after being attacked and beaten up by the demon, but Isaac had hopes that she wasn't to scared by what happened to come visit them....He wanted to see her again....

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Ingun had to repeatedly check the stove, the sinks and every dusty corner of the house for any possible demonic activity... her neuroticism was working on high gear now....

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The sisters had to cry on each others shoulders. They had no real words for this sorrow, they just cried. None of them could say to the other that things would be ok. They wished for it, but they didn't believe it.. not now...

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Life is cruel, and just because they were grieving, there was no time off from work...

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Ingun was already on her way, but Natalie had to sit and collect her thougths for a little while longer watching her sister fly out the door, before she found herself ready to go....

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Aaron wanted to call up Lenore to come over and visit. He was worried she wouldn't show up after what had happened as he still thought it was the actual Lenore that was there yesterday....

He felt happy, as happy as one can be in grief, that she said she would love to come over. Lenore didn't know what had happened, as she wasn't there at all yesterday.... So lets hope that it is the actual Lenore that shows up this time...

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What looked like Lenore, and hopefully is Lenore, made it onto their lot and flew past Elisas gravestone to meet up with Aaron by the treehouse.

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She was happy to see Aaron (and thought their yard was nicely decorated, Aaron has such a nice treehouse!), but Aaron wasn't quite himself today...

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She asked Aaron what was wrong, but he didn't really answer. «Its raining, we should go inside» was the only thing he said.

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Sure enough, she followed him there, but his behaviour was kind of strange.. Something must have been going on here, but she didn't know what it was.. She noticed the gravestone on the lot, so someone must have died, of course, she understood that much...

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Once inside, she wanted to give him a hug, and asked him what had happened, if someone had died, and if there now was a ghost in their home....

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Then Aaron finally found he could talk about it, and told her everything about the demon, which he called «The Dragon», and how it had come to their house, disguised as Lenore herself, and set Elisa on fire and eventually killed her, before disappearing into a strange looking light...

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Billy came over as well, and wanted to share his idea about what had happened. He thought «The Dragon» had come from the forest, and that Elisa was now with «the Dragon» in a secret cave somewhere deep in the woods and far below ground. Billy thought that it would still be possible for them to go there and save her....

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Lenore was terrified at what they told her, it was awful! She had heard stories of dragons and demons, but never really seen either of them, and now.. one of them even disguising itself as her!? She felt really bad for Aaron and Billy for their loss, and thought she knew about a solution...

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She had heard her father once talk about a special flower that could bring people back from the dead, but she didn't know what it was called, or excactly how it would work. She promised to ask her dad about that, once she got home...

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Of course, Lenore didn't know that it was actually to late, and that this flower would have to be handed to the Grim Reaper as he came to collect Elisas soul, except that the Grim Reaper never showed up to do that.. Elisa became a ghost by the demons push, before apparently disappearing into thin air as she was still burning from the demons fire. She disappeared without as much as a blink, before her gravestone appeared... Being pushed into death by a demon is far from a usual or common type of death...

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Then, as the kids were talking, something unusual happened at the convenience store downtown... An orange glow appeared by the entrance, and from it a character took shape.. It was Elisa. She spawned right there, at the convenience store. Now, is that where she belongs?

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Of course not, she spawned, or should I say respawned, right in front of her daughter and only child, Idun Skullerud-Morales. She turns to face her, and Iduns reaction to seeing the ghost of her mom, is immediate! «Mom!» she shouts with joy. And Elisa is very happy to see her daughter too! Idun hadn't seen or heard anything from her mom, ever since she moved into that cabin in the forest, and had since long expected her to be dead already, so seeing her mom return as a ghost was as good as anything she had hoped for.

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«Its so good to see you again, my daughter!» she says «You won't believe where I have been and what just happened!».

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They hug before Elisa starts telling the entire story of everything that happened to her, about Natalie, Ingun, Aaron, Isaac, Billy and the demons.

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And now a few more pieces fall together, Idun is Ragnars mother, and Aaron and Isaacs grandmother. And Elisa is their great grandmother...

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Elisa has gotten quite fond of Natalie and Ingun, and eagerly talks about their cooking career at Mr. Zombie restaurant, before she decides to cast a protective spell against the demons on her beloved daughter, just in case.

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«Just stand still my sweet daughter, its for your own good.»

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Then they have to say goodbye, because Elisa is even more concerned about Natalie and Ingun, given everything that has happened and everything she knows...

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She has to stay with them, no matter where the Gods thinks she belongs...

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First thing she is going to do when she gets back, is to prepare a meal.. the demons didn't excactly share any of their food with her... Apparantely, even ghosts need to eat, so if food suddenly goes missing from your refridgerator at night...

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At home, Aaron and Lenore had started a game of chess, unaware that Elisa had returned and was on her way back..

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And the sisters had just finished their shift at the restaurant and was heading home..

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Ingun comes home and finds Elisa in the kitchen preparing a meal.

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Poor Ingun doesn't know what to think!

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She is in shock and is to afraid to stay inside the house, so she walks outside and faints!

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And Natalie.. oh, poor Natalie, she was actually to caught up with grieving to make it much farther than just below the steps of the restaurant...

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Her action says that she is going home, but she is just standing there crying.. Her boss Ramona that finishes her shift half an hour later, even passes her by to go home.. Natalie, please go home! You might be surprised.. or shocked, I don't know, but please, go home...

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She stands there for so long without doing anything but crying continuously, the Narrator finds it necessary to intervene to deliver her from her crying, so that she can go home... Elisas death must have hit her really hard... much harder than anyone else...

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When Natalie finally makes it home, she is shocked to find what looks like the ghost of Elisa drifting out from the bathroom wall, and up the stairs! Natalie is terrified and doesn't know what to believe! Has the ghost of Elisa now returned to haunt them?

Elisa was not only hungry and dirty from all the commotion, she was also very tired, and needed to go to sleep... Dying can certainly take its toll on you... Explaining everything for Natalie, Ingun and the kids would have to wait until tomorrow..

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And she goes to sleep in Billys bed! No, no Elisa, that's not your bed! Hmm, I guess the trip to the Otherworld (or wherever the demons live...) must have done something to her memory anyway... but after all that she just went through, I'll let her sleep.. Billy can sleep with Natalie in her bed...

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I filmed this video of Natalie outside the restaurant, because I was hoping to catch her going home by herself, but she just wouldn't do that... :'(