The Key of the Cypher Flux

by R L Delaney

  “When the key will meet the lock the door opens. When the key of Cipher Flux will be brought to the old ruins, something will happen. That's when the gate opens and the imprisoned demons will be freed to roam the earth.”

  Justin shook his head. "But, how can we let such a terrible thing happen?"

  "I don't know, Justin," Amy whispered back. "But you yourself said that when you give the devil enough rope, he will hang himself. By giving them the key it sure looks like we give him lots of rope…" She looked back at Justin's phone and finished reading the text.

  Only when the key shall meet her mate,

  In the wreckage of a place so bitter, yet so dear

  Will we celebrate that long-awaited hellish date

  And will our long awaited friend at last be near

  "That's just more of the same thing," Amy said as she handed the phone back to Justin. "The mate of the key is the lock. When the key ends up at the ruins of the Chapel, the gateway will be opened.

  Amy smiled at her friends. "I believe the time for action has come."

  The hill, on which the three friends were lying as they peered at the stable, some 100 feet away, was rugged, wet and unpleasant. A faint flickering light shone through the small window near the roof that Justin had been peering through, only hours earlier. But whatever was going on inside that stable was not pleasant, as dark heavy metal music, somewhat muffled by the stable walls, rolled out over the surrounding hills.

  While it had only drizzled when Justin had uncovered the key at the Puertas del Infierno, the rain now poured down in a steady stream, which didn't make matters any easier. Their clothes stuck to their bodies like wet rags. At first Amy had been concerned for the health of Father Galvéz. After all, he was well past the age where a man should be expected to crawl through the muddy wilderness on his knees. Thus, she had tried to convince him to go back to the truck, parked nearby behind another hill. That way he could stay safe, warm and dry. But the old priest had flatly refused.

  He had curled his lips and mumbled, "I believe we will witness a marvelous victory tonight, Amy." His voice was firm. "Whatever is going to happen tonight, I wouldn't want to miss it for the world. And if I die…," he had actually chuckled, "I know where I am going anyway."

  Justin handed the jewel case with the key of Cipher Flux to Father Galvéz. "Father, you keep it. Amy and I will go to the door and knock. We won't take the key with us, but negotiate Uncle Harry's freedom."

  Father Galvéz's eyes had grown wide when he beheld the box that Justin handed to him. "T-This is it…" he mumbled, almost afraid to touch it.

  "Just don't open it," Justin told him. "As long as it is closed, nothing will happen."

  Father Galvéz nodded. They all understood. This box should remain tightly closed while they were at the ruins of Bitter Grog Chapel…

  "Ready Amy?" Justin asked as he stared at her. Amy smiled.

  "Ready as ready can be," she replied.

  Then, he and Amy got up, and while holding hands, they cautiously walked down the hill, dragging their steps and with a knot in their stomach.

  When they came closer to the stable, the music was getting louder. Justin licked his lips and gritted his teeth. What would they find in this hell hole of misery?

  "I love you, Amy," he whispered. He could tell by the expression on Amy's face, that she was as tense as he was, but she still managed to give him one of the sweetest smiles and said, "And I love you, Justin."

  Then without waiting any longer, Justin raised his fist and, in order to be heard above the screeching heavy metal sound coming from the inside, banged with all his might on the wooden door to announce their presence.

  Chapter Ten

  At first it appeared nobody heard them knock.

  Nothing happened. The music kept playing, and nobody came to the door. But then, when Justin kept pounding on the wood, all at once the music stopped and an eerie silence filled the atmosphere.

  Justin turned to look at Amy. Her face was tense and Justin heard her mutter a verse of scripture to herself, while she fumbled with her fingers. "He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." *

  For several minutes nothing happened. Justin figured the Shadow Walkers, caught right in the middle of some sort of unholy act, were feverishly discussing who it was that had the nerve to disturb them, and what they could do about it.

  He shouldn't give them too much time, thus he decided to start his banging again. "Open up… we've got the key you asked for."

  After he had said these words, he had the distinct and unpleasant feeling somebody was listening right at the other side of the door.

  Just when he wanted to bang again, a dark voice spoke through the door. "We don't need anything. Get lost."

  "I don't think so," Justin called back. "This is a special delivery. Didn't you fellows order the key of Cipher Flux, or do we have the wrong address?"

  It remained quiet for some moments, but then they heard muffled talking, and at last the lock clicked and with a loud creak the door opened.

  Justin's heart skipped a beat as Stana Growklowsky's face appeared. She was dressed in a simple blouse and jeans, but Justin figured she had probably been wearing one of those horrible Shadow Walker garbs. Her eyes widened when she saw who was standing before her, but then she composed herself, wrinkled her nose, and began to speak in a patronizing voice, "Look at that… the two lovebirds."

  Justin did not care for her taunts and scowled. "We've got your key. Now where is my Uncle Harry?"

  Stana shook her head. "What are you doing here? We told you to hang a red towel out of the window of your room. You are not keeping your part of the bargain." She gritted her teeth. "You should not have come here. Now we have no deal."

  "Fine," Justin bluffed. "Then we keep the key to ourselves. Come Amy." He shrugged his shoulders, turned around and walked off. Amy was following him.

  When they had taken several steps, Stana Growklowsky changed her mind. "Wait…"

  Justin stopped and turned around again. "It's up to you, Stana. You release my uncle, or we are out of here."

  "I don't know what you are talking about," Stana mumbled through gritted teeth. "Why would I have your uncle?"

  Justin spat on the ground. "Come on, Stana… I know you think we are just two stupid kids, but we've got no time for your games. We know Uncle Harry is inside."

  Stana's eyes flashed. "Show me the key."

  "Show me Uncle Harry."

  Even though it was dark, it was clear Stana's face reddened, as she stared with disdain at Justin and Amy. At last she growled. "Wait here."

  She turned around, disappeared inside and closed the barn door behind her.

  "What are they doing?" Amy whispered.

  "We'll see," Justin answered, but he was sure glad the key was still with Father Galvéz.

  A minute later the stable door opened again with a loud creak and several Shadow Walkers appeared. They were all dressed in their familiar sacks with the weird symbols on their bellies, and hoods over their faces. Justin figured, Stana too had donned her garb again as it was impossible to tell who was who.

  Justin counted ten Shadow Walkers. They formed a wide circle around Justin and Amy. Not a situation that gave him much peace.

  At last, two more Shadow Walkers stepped out of the barn, dragging Uncle Harry along by a rope that was tied around his wrists. It was difficult to see what shape he was in. The only light from the barn came from the candles inside. The Shadow Walkers were apparently using them for their rituals.

  As Justin peered at his uncle, he noticed a cloth was tied around his eyes so he could not see what was happening.

  "The keys?" The Shadow Walker nearest to Justin and Amy spoke in a demanding male voice. Justin pricked up his ears. Had he ever heard this voice before? He couldn't tell.

  "It's in a safe spot," Justin replied. "You wouldn't be so stupid to assume I would come here with that key dangling on my be
lt without having any assurance."

  The Shadow Walker who was leading the conversation cleared his throat. "Then get it."

  "How will the exchange go?" Justin demanded to know. "How do I know you will keep your word and you won't kill us the moment we hand you the key?"

  "We don't have to," a female voice spoke up. "Gogothol will." Justin instantly recognized it as the voice of Stana. She was standing right next to the other Walker that had been doing the talking. The man turned to Stana and seemed clearly displeased at Stana's words. After he had mumbled something to her, he turned back to Justin and hissed. "As soon as we have the key, we'll give you Harrison Ames. You will just have to trust us."

  Trust? Could they trust the word of a Shadow Walker?

  At that instant, Uncle Harry's voice called out. "Justin? Is that you?"

  But before Justin could answer, the Shadow Walker that was standing nearest to the detective gave him a kick and hissed, "Quiet. Nobody wants you to talk."

  Justin felt his blood boiling, but kept his emotions under control and turned to Amy. "What do you think, Amy?" he asked in a whisper.

  Amy grabbed his hand and without taking her eyes away from the Walkers, she whispered back, "I've been praying desperately from the moment we first knocked on this stable door. There's really nothing we can do. But I heard a voice, loud and clear. You could say it illuminated the landscape of my mind."

  "What voice?" Justin muttered in a soft voice.

  "It said something like, 'You will not have to fight this battle. Stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you this day.' " **

  "So we just do what they tell us?" Justin asked.

  "It's all by faith, Justin. I believe the Elixir is working."

  Justin nodded and then turned his attention back to the original Shadow Walker. "Fine. We'll go and get it. Wait here and we'll be back in a minute."

  The Shadow Walker nodded and said in a loud voice to the others, "Open the circle… Let them through."

  The Shadow Walkers that stood behind Justin and Amy reluctantly opened the circle and let them pass.

  * Psalm 91:1

  ** 2 Chronicles 20:17

  Ten minutes later, Justin and Amy returned with the treasure box, containing the key of Cipher Flux. Father Galvéz came down the hill with them as well. Even though Amy had suggested he should stay safely back, the priest had vehemently shaken his head. "No, Amy, we are in this together. I want to be a part of this."

  After they had embraced each other and said a final prayer, Justin took the box and they approached the stable again.

  The twelve Shadow Walkers were no longer standing in a circle, but had formed a long line in front of the stable. They were all holding flaming torches that seemed to be unaffected by the steady stream of rain. The fire was casting long, flickering eerie shadows on the ground around them. Uncle Harry had been forced to his knees and sat, head down, in front of them.

  "Regular spooky," Father Galvéz mumbled as he beheld the scene before him, but Amy motioned him with her hands to be still.

  As they stopped some fifteen feet before the ominous line of Shadow Walkers, Justin was not sure what to do next. He firmly clutched the box in his hand, not wanting to make a stupid mistake. Not one of the Shadow Walkers spoke. Beside the sound of the rain and the crackling of the torches no sound was heard.

  Just as Justin wanted to speak, one of the Shadow Walkers, Justin presumed him to be the leader, cleared his throat. "Show us the key of Cipher Flux." His voice was hoarse and a bit rusty. Justin had never heard it before.

  "Let my uncle go," Justin replied. "I've got the key right here." He held the box right above his head, and although it was dark, he figured the Shadow Walkers would be able to see it.

  The Shadow Walker took a step forward. "You are tricking us. That is just an empty box. Open it."

  "Of course I won't," Justin cried out. "We've read the poem that Stana Growklowsky gave my Uncle Harry. If we open that box here at the ruins of Bitter Grog, all hell will be unleashed."

  None of the Shadow Walkers spoke, but all of a sudden Uncle Harry cried out, "If that is true, Justin… don't give them the key. I'd rather die than giving them the victor—"

  "Silence!" One of the Shadow Walkers stepped forward and gave Uncle Harry a stiff blow with his fist. The detective rolled over and landed in the mud.

  "Tell me where you found the key," the first Shadow Walker asked in a demanding voice.

  "At the Puertas del Infierno," Justin yelled back. "Cipher Flux wrote about it on the wall of this wretched stable."

  Some of the Shadow Walkers led out excited yelps. Justin knew he had hit the right nerve. Their leader lifted up his arm and motioned his fellow Walkers to be silent. Then he said in a loud voice, "You old man…," meaning Father Galvéz, "… you take that box and bring it over."

  Justin leaned over to Amy and whispered, "The Shadow Walkers are afraid of the Elixir. They know what we did to Sternfoot…"

  "I'll go, Justin," Father Galvéz whispered. "If anything happens to me, at least I died for the right cause."

  "Don't do it, Justin." There was Uncle Harry's hoarse voice again. Again, he was quickly silenced. Another blow was delivered on the poor man's head, and Justin had to force himself not to cry out in anger and run up to the Shadow Walker and blast the villain to hell.

  "Keep calm, Justin," Amy whispered in his ear, sensing Justin's anger. "Remember, this battle is not ours…"

  Justin nodded and handed the box to Father Galvéz. "It's all yours, Father."

  The old man bit his lower lip and stepped forward.

  Nobody spoke. Everybody watched with bated breath as Father Galvéz was nearing the Shadow Walkers.

  He was now passing Uncle Harry.

  "Put it on the ground before you," the hooded leader hissed.

  Father Galvéz knelt down with great difficulty and did as he was told. "Now leave," the leader hissed.

  "Now let Harrison Ames go free." Father Galvéz' voice was clear and steady. "We are keeping our part of the deal… now you keep yours."

  The leader did not answer. Instead he handed his torch to one of his buddies, knelt down himself beside the box and let his fingers slide over the lid of the treasure box. Then he picked it up while turning to the others and said in a low voice, "It is genuine. I believe we now have the Key of Cipher Flux."

  As on command, all twelve lifted their torches in the air while loudly cheering and chanting, "The key of Cipher Flux. It will bring us the victory."

  As the wicked man got up again, he sneered at Father Galvéz, "Get lost old man." After those words, he raised his voice and cried out in a loud voice to Justin and Amy, "… And curses on you Justin Ames and Amy Stenson. Only fools with a misguided sense of priorities and morals think it wise to keep their word. We cannot let the detective go… we need him for the sacrifice."

  He nodded to the Shadow Walker who had delivered the blows on Uncle Harry's head, and before the horrified eyes of the three friends, the wicked man yanked Uncle Harry back up to his feet and began to drag him away.

  "Nooo!" Justin cried out. "You wicked liars."

  But his cry was drowned out by the horrible Latin chants of the Shadow Walkers.

  Then it happened.

  Everything changed in the fraction of a moment, and Uncle Harry was responsible. The detective exploded in a fury of anger.

  Justin, Amy and Father Galvéz watched it happen as if in slow-motion. In a rage of blind fury, Uncle Harry somehow managed to shake off the claws of the man who was holding him and jumped up from the ground in a desperate try to plant both of his feet in the stomach of the Shadow Walker who had been taunting them.

  Justin saw how another Shadow Walker still tried to stop Uncle Harry, but he was too late. Uncle Harry's desperate attempt did not miss its intended target. The man who had been cheering and chanting let out a gurgled cry and fell over onto the ground. As he tumbled forward, Justin saw the box with the key of Cipher Flux fly th
rough the air… The lid opened in midair. Instantly, the strange purple glow became visible and the key dropped out.

  Justin let out a scream. "The key… it's out… "

  As soon as the key hit the ground, the purple mist intensified and grew. Right in the middle of the mist, right above the ground light shone. Not soft, but hard, like cold, impersonal neon light, only much brighter and it was hurting the eyes.

  The Shadow Walkers stopped their chanting and seemed spellbound as they stared through the eyeholes in their hoods.

  Father Galvéz, as fast as his old legs could carry him, ran back to Justin and Amy who were gaping at the scene before them.

  Justin wrinkled his nose and whispered to Amy, "What's that smell?" She had noticed it too. Very faint at first, but it rapidly grew stronger and was carried around by the wind. Extremely foul, sort of a mixture between rotten eggs and a dead animal, and it made Justin gag. Right then, as he put his hand before his mouth and nose so as to not breathe in whatever scent was contaminating the air, to his horror, he saw a being materialize right within the harsh light of the purple mist. A sickening, black creature it was, covered with dripping slime, an enormous fat belly, and little legs that were barely able to carry the weight of his disgusting bulk. His black arms were stuck in his shoulders like bare, crooked branches of a tree that had died years earlier, but his hands still carried sharp, long nails that were so long they almost reached the ground.

  "It's… a demon," Justin whispered as he studied the evil appearance with disgust. The demon's yellow cat-like eyes shone with a dark fury and as he took a step forward he opened his mouth.

  "Why have you awakened me? Why have you stepped into the trap of the enemy?" He had a high-pitched voice, almost as if a mouse was speaking through a megaphone, and if the situation had not been so desperate and scary, Justin and Amy would have burst out laughing.

  "W-Who are you?" one of the Shadow Walkers asked in a trembling voice. "We were expecting the great Gogothol."