Silence can be so Loud... Pt 6

Clarise held on to Kindred as tight as she could. He walked to the door as if he were in some sort of trance. "Kindred, please listen to me. She is not going to help you! She will hurt you like she always has. She wants you to suffer like she thinks you made her suffer! If you go outside, the souls will be waiting for you too!"
 As if Clarise had pushed the right button, Kindred stopped. He looked at Clarise as if he had no idea where he was or why they were here.
 "The cabin, Kindred. We are at the cabin to stay safe. Your mother wants you to go outside so she can destroy you. She doesn't love you. She never loved you. But I do, Kindred... I love you exactly the way you are. Stay with me Please?"
 "I love you too, Clarise. We have to end this. You know that we can not go anywhere until this is finished. Now I see it all so clearly. Mother never did love me. She only needed me because when Father was hurting me, he wasn't hurting her. I was the buffer that allowed her a time to recoup from his cruelness."
 "Yes, yes, Kindred." Tears flowed from her eyes as she touched his face. "But he is gone now. You no longer need to protect her from him."
 "And the souls, Clarise? How do I defeat the souls? They are still out there, waiting."
 "You must find a peace with them also. Understand that you were not responsible for their happiness nor their sorrow. They chose to be with you and took the same chance that everyone who falls in love takes. Your heart simply wasn't ready nor able to give itself to anyone."
 "They don't care, Clarise. They still want their souls reunited with their hearts. How do I do that? It was so many years ago."
 "We have to face them to find a way. Pray that the "dark people" are near by. One by one, we will defeat them. We have to leave the cabin to do that."
 Kindred took Clarise' hand and touch her in his arms. He kissed her deeply and held her close to his body. "I love you, Clarise. No matter what happens, remember I truly have loved you."
 Kindred opened the door of the cabin. He stared into the face of his mother. She looked to be 100 years old. The anger and hatred had taken away her beauty and left only a shell of the woman he once killed for.
 "Kindred, my baby boy" she said to him, with her arms out stretched. "I am here to save you from those terrible ladies. Come be with me, little boy."
 Kindred looked at her open arms. Arms that had teased a little boy so many times, only to strike him and hurt him when he reached back for her. He pushed her away from him.
 "No Mother, I will not reach for you again. The little boy you seek to destroy is gone. He grew up into a man. You can not hurt him anymore."
 Suddenly his mother's face became contorted. Her anger was all that could be seen. She struck his cheek with her fingernails. Blood ran from the wounds and Kindred stumbled backwards.
 "You stupid little boy! You will never grow up! You will never know peace or happiness! I will see to that! Souls... the souls are here and they will help me kill you!  Poor, poor ladies. Taking from them the love they so craved and needed, just like you did to me! Shame on you, Kindred!"
 Clarise watched in horror as Kindred's shirt was torn from his body. Cuts began to appear and Kindred cried out every time a new cut appeared. Kindred did not try to cover his heart this time. Clarise stood in shock and fear as he allowed the "souls"to rip at his chest. His mother scratched his face and his arms until they too bled. Clarise thought the look on Kindreds face was one of relief, not fear or pain. The wounds seemed to give him a pleasure of some sort. Or maybe, Clarise thought they gave him Strength. She wanted to help him. Clarise grabbed his mother and tossed her to the ground. The look of surprise was in his mothers eyes. She stood and scratched at Clarise. Clarise again pushed her to the ground. She turned a again to Kindred.
 "Fight Kindred... get up and fight! We can defeat them!"
 "I am facing them, Clarise! One by one, I am facing them, remembering and apologizing."
 "Kindred, they are killing you! The souls are taking a little bit of you each time you remember. You think you are winning but they are stronger. Call to the "dark people". Call them Now Kindred!! The souls are taking you away from me!"
 The cuts seem to lessen, but Clarise could see that as they did, Kindred became weaker. They truly were killing him, one soul at a time. The cost of forgiveness seemed to be very high. Clarise had to find a way to stop them. Kindred's mother rushed her one more time. This time, Clarise held nothing back. She did not have the luxury of time to do so. She met her with a force that knocked Kindred's mother completely off her feet. Her body fell backwards and her head struck a rock, hard. Blood trickled from where her head had hit the rock, Clarise cared none whether his mother was dead or alive. She only knew she could now focus on Kindred.
An unseen force hit her in the chest. Her blouse was ripped open as Clarise felt the first sting of pain from a cut to her chest.  It was followed by another and another, so quickly that Clarise had no time to protect herself. She collapsed to the ground, beside Kindred. Blood covered her body now. The wounds were deeper than before. She could feel life ebbing out of her. She reached over and took Kindreds hand in hers. She stared deep into his eyes.
 "I love you Kindred. I would never hurt you as they have done. Their memory has haunted you for so Long, love. Destroyed your childhood and seeped into your adult stage. I will die for you if that's what is needed to save you. I have known your love, felt your heavenly touch. I have no regrets."
 Her body spasmed as more wounds appeared. Kindred realized that While the souls were so intent on killing Clarise, they were Not trying to kill him now. She was drawing their attention, just as he had done for his mother so many times as a young boy. He could see... feel her letting them take her so that he would live. He suddenly knew what he had to do to save them both.
 "N-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!!!! I will Not let you have her. She is mine! I am here! Come and destroy me if you think you can!"
 As if he were a magnet, suddenly his body was ravished with cuts and blood. The souls seemed  almost in a frenzy. Kindred looked down and saw Clarise, her body lifeless, her eyes wide open.
 "N-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o, No-o-o-o-o-o! Damn you!"
 He fell to the ground beside her and covered her body with his.