“Good. Take up a position just outside. There should be plenty of places you can remain out of sight. If anyone dares to approach, kill them.” Not waiting to see if George would ask more questions, or complain about what was being asked of him, the Black Knight swiftly turned and exited the chamber.
Even with the departure of the cloaked figure, George only managed to relax slightly. The demon hadn’t stated it out loud, but he had heard the underlying malice in the Black Knight’s voice; the veiled threat of indescribable torture should he fail in his duties.
Before heading outside, he perused the chamber in search of a weapon he could use if a situation arose that required it, stopping for a few seconds here and there to appraise naked prisoners. The vast majority were repulsive to gaze upon. They might have been attractive to him at one point in their lives, but many of them looked extremely malnourished, emaciated to the degree that they reminded him of those fucked up commercials he used to see from time to time. The ones which displayed one skeletal Ethiopian child after another, trying to pull on the heartstrings of the viewer and get them to send a donation, claiming the small price would help feed the kid for a month. Somehow, George didn’t think any of that money ever made it across the world to where it was supposed to go, but disgustedly regarded the pleas as a scam intended to line the pockets of some shady businessman somewhere.
Glancing up at the scant form of what he thought was a woman—her skin clinging so tightly to her bones that her ribs and pelvis threatened to burst through the thin layer of her flesh—he couldn’t help but wonder how long she had been held captive, or how she was being kept alive. Forcing himself to study her body more closely, George discovered puncture marks in areas that still had a semblance of meat on the bones. They must be feeding her with an IV or something. Giving her just enough nourishment to sustain life. It would certainly explain the lack of excrement, which should have been stinking up the place to high heaven. Although George enjoyed torturing and killing people, this place sickened him. It would be the greatest mercy of all to give these poor souls the release of death.
Unable to look at the woman any longer, he dropped his eyes to the floor and shuffled away, heading toward the outside exit. As he walked, George felt a twinge within his body. At first he didn’t recognize it for what it truly was, dismissing it as one of the rare emotions that tried to bubble to the surface of his mind, but then the belief was shattered as he realized what was happening. A fleeting thought traveled through his brain; the temporarily forgotten memory of the ghost he had seen a short while ago. I’m being possessed! As if to confirm this, a familiar voice echoed in his head. “Hello, me … It’s me, again.”
Chapter 17
Although Katie and Brian had expressed their opinions to Edward regarding the urgency of their departure from the town nestled at the base of the mountain, nothing they said swayed him from his duties as a friend and as the leader of their small entourage. He insisted on honoring Jack with a proper burial, though the only way he could accomplish this task was to cover his friend’s mutilated appendages with rocks, as well as paying his respects. During this time, Edward lit a small campfire near the grave site, compelling them to reminisce and tell stories of their fondest memories of their fallen comrade. Many of these tales brought tears to Katie’s eyes, dredging up painful recollections of the other friend they had lost along the way, Mike.
Brian hadn’t known Jack as long as the others, and had never met Mike, but it didn’t slow the flow of liquid that trickled down his cheeks. Even Julie seemed sadder than expected. She didn’t know any of them, other than Katie, and even though she was wary of them, Julie felt like she could trust them. After all, they were Katie’s companions. If her best friend in the world could place her faith in these strangers, then shouldn’t she do the same? God, I hope I never have to do something like this for Katie, she thought. Or her for me.
By the time everyone had finished paying homage to Jack, the first light of dawn was beginning to creep onto the horizon. One by one they wiped the moisture from their eyes and stood, dreading the thought of leaving another companion behind. Each individual pulled their pilfered blanket tightly around their body to stave off the early morning chill in the air as they stepped away from the fire, looking as if they wore the shrouds of vagrants. They tried to keep their minds occupied with thoughts of things to come, instead of dwelling on their past mistakes and losses, carefully making certain that they had everything packed for the coming journey. Despite his best efforts, Edward looked wistfully toward the inn, wishing he could afford his mother a proper burial but knowing that collecting the frozen fragments of her body would be like finding needles in a haystack. It was almost certain he would never find them all, and burying part of her seemed like sacrilege, as if by doing so would somehow make her soul incomplete.
Taking a few minutes before leaving, Edward rifled through the remaining saddlebag and distributed some dried meat and fruit to everyone, citing the fact that the journey ahead would be a long one and they would need every ounce of energy the food could provide. It was something he deemed especially important for Julie, who appeared to be on the verge of skeletal from the abuse she had endured during her captivity.
Once they were satisfied that all was in order and they could get underway, another unforeseen problem reared its ugly head. Though Brian had shown Julie that the two mechanical horses were not a threat to her wellbeing, she shook her head and shied away when it was time to go and everyone was starting to mount up. Edward glanced at Katie from his position behind the shaman on one of the beasts. The pleading look in his gaze spoke to her without having to utter a single word. Please, do whatever you must to convince her. Time is short, and we have to get underway.
Julie was trembling when Katie stopped in front of her, putting a hand lightly on each shoulder and dropping her head slightly to meet her friend’s terrified eyes. “You know I would never ask you to do anything that would hurt you, right?”
“It’s not you that I worry about,” she replied, her voice still scratchy from disuse. “I know what these … things … are designed to do, and what they are capable of.”
“What do you mean?” Katie lifted one eyebrow in pained confusion.
“Do you remember a while back? When I told you I was being held in a place called the Factory?”
“Yes. What about it?”
“While I was there, before they sent me to the awful place you rescued me from, I was forced to build a couple of those things,” she croaked, pointing disgustedly at the mechanical beast.
“They’re only a means of transportation, right?” The puzzled look on Katie’s face caused deep, wrinkled lines to appear on her forehead.
“Yes, and no.” Julie shook her head sadly. “They are meant for much more than that. There is a hollow area in their chests, accessed by a locking plate, which has numerous implications. The area inside is large enough to hold probably two or three human beings, maybe four if they are packed in like sardines.”
“Hold that thought,” she told Julie, raising a finger and turning to face Edward. “Did you know those things have a hidden compartment?” The look of shock on his face told her everything she needed to know. He had no idea! Suddenly, a terrible thought came to her. What if the evil bastard, who forced Julie into servitude, is hiding something in the bellies of the very beasts we’re riding? If that’s the case, he could be sitting around just waiting for an opportunity to catch us off guard!
While Edward sat behind Brian, slack-jawed, as if he couldn’t begin to fathom her question, Katie strode to the beast she intended to ride. Squatting down, she searched every fold in the metal for a potential hinge that might tell her where the cavity in the horse’s chest was located. Finding a barely noticeable crease on the beast’s chest, she ran her fingers down its length, poking and prying the edge in an attempt to pull it open. When every effort was met with failure, she slammed her fist into the metal plate in frustration and began to
turn away. As she did, the heavy steel panel almost knocked her off her feet as it noiselessly swung downward.
After escaping being struck by the chest piece by mere inches, Katie held her breath, almost as if she expected something to emerge from the cavity. When nothing happened, she took a tentative peek into the recess and saw that the hollowed out area inside the creature was exactly how Julie had described it. “I wish we would have known about this when we were shivering and freezing our asses off, trying to shelter ourselves from the unpredictable storms around here.” Glancing from one face to the next, she didn’t understand why nobody was checking the creature that Brian and Edward were on top of. Katie could understand Julie being apprehensive, but the others? Were they being lazy? Maybe they are too chicken shit, thinking there might be a surprise inside their steed, Katie surmised, taking the initiative and stalking to the front of the other machine.
Not wasting any time, Katie stood to one side to avoid being struck when the chest plate swung open. Striking the first beast had caused her good hand to throb, so instead of making it hurt more she bent down and sent a donkey kick at the machine’s chest. It worked perfectly, and was much less painful than using her fist. When she didn’t see anything pouring forth from the cavity, Katie peeked inside. It was an identically empty space to the one she revealed in her own horse.
Once she had found that both steeds were not carrying any threats to their wellbeing aboard, Katie lifted each panel and pushed them until she heard them latch securely. Trying to lighten the mood, Brian joked with Katie as she strode toward where Julie stood. “Are you done horsing around?”
Spinning to face the shaman, she saw the sheepish smirk on his face. “Ha, ha. You’re just a barrel of laughs, Brian,” she remarked with a half grin, waving a hand at him dismissively. A few seconds later, she was standing in front of Julie. Even after showing everyone in the group that there was nothing lurking inside the mechanical beasts, lying in wait to spring out and kill them, Julie still looked nervous and afraid. “I won’t let anything happen to you again. I promise that I won’t let you out of my sight. I will be with you every step of the way,” Katie whispered softly, confident that she could uphold her vow.
Her eyes growing moist, Julie nodded hesitantly after a minute of indecision. She knew in her heart that Katie would do everything in her power to protect her and keep her safe. All she could do was hope that Katie’s efforts would be enough. Past experience told her that the dangers of this world could easily turn the tide against them, though. “I will try my best to not freak out,” Julie croaked, letting her breath out slowly and trying to muster up enough courage to put a foot into the stirrup and mount the metallic beast.
Chapter 18
Sitting on a large rock, just outside the mountainside entrance to Cemetery Hill, George waited for the Black Knight to return. His duties as a sentry seemed like a waste of time to him. After all, who in their right mind would scale the treacherous incline? The demon obviously thought someone might try, considering one of his prisoners was missing, but George didn’t think it was very likely. Apparently, the previous intruders had already acquired what they came for, so why risk life and limb to climb up here again?
A sudden bout of nausea washed over him, the surrounding foliage wavered like a mirage, giving him the light-headed feeling of having a few too many drinks. After a few seconds the feeling subsided, but something in his gut told him that things had not returned to normal. The wooziness had passed, but his body still felt strange. As the reason for this feeling crept into his mind, kind of like an ‘ah ha’ moment, he lost control of his body. The entity, which claimed to be another version of himself, shoved its way forward and pushed his consciousness to the background. It felt a lot like being gagged and duct taped, held hostage in his own mind.
It felt phenomenal to be back in a body that he could call his own. For what seemed an eternity, he had dealt with being unable to touch, feel, taste, and smell the world around him, but those days were behind him now. Running his fingers lightly over the skin of his arms, George relished the sensation that had eluded him since his death. Twisting and bending, George tested the newly acquired suit of flesh and bone for limitations. When he discovered there were none—it was almost as if he had never died—his lips stretched in an evil grin. He couldn’t help but wonder if the fleshy disguise would be enough to fool his former master; maybe even get back into his good graces. Not that George truly cared whether the demon liked him or not, but if he could develop trust between himself and the Black Knight again, it would make revenge a much easier goal to accomplish. Especially, considering how casually George had been cast aside when he didn’t follow the entity’s orders to the letter. Being tricked into a situation that had brought about his demise wasn’t something George was prepared to let go of.
The demonic hiss of the Black Knight’s voice startled him from his thoughts. As George turned to face him, he wondered if he’d left himself vulnerable and inadvertently allowed the demon to read his mind. “Has anyone approached in my absence?”
Suddenly, his throat seemed clogged with mucus. “No,” he managed after clearing his windpipe.
“Goooood,” the Black Knight remarked, rubbing his skeletal hands together. “I have a little surprise for you.” Although the demon seemed in much better spirits than he was after finding someone had invaded his lair, the writhing mass of flesh beneath his black cowl made him look like a person that belonged locked away in a mental institution.
Not sure that he wanted to know what his surprise was, George raised an eyebrow. His eyeballs danced nervously in their sockets as he hesitantly glanced into the demon’s glowing yellow eyes, searching for any sign that the Black Knight knew he was inside the body before him. Unable to maintain eye contact with the entity, George dropped his head and looked at his feet for a few seconds. Knowing he couldn’t keep looking away from the demon without raising suspicion, George lifted his head and tried to sound casual. “What sort of surprise?”
At first, George thought when the Black Knight turned his head and peeked through the entrance of Cemetery Hill that he was making sure they were alone. “Come,” he hissed. As George was about to step into the blood red light of the interior, his foot stopped in mid-air. The stomping sound of heavy footfalls reverberated in the chamber. The ground shook as whatever the Black Knight had summoned steadily approached.
A rush of air burst from his lungs as the creature came in to view, and it took every ounce of courage to not flee in terror. The beast which rounded the corner and stopped beside the Black Knight was huge! Three pairs of malevolently glowing red eyes stared at George from three separate, massive, wolf-like heads. Though he tried his best to not show that he was afraid, his body betrayed him and began to tremble. The enormous creature reminded him of Cerberus, but in his wildest imaginings he had never expected the hell-hound to be so large. The beast’s heads were almost level with the Black Knight’s shoulders, which told George that the demon-dog was at least six feet tall … and that was when it was standing on all fours. If it were to rear up on its hind legs it would tower over him! The devilish creature took another stomping step forward, stalking through the entrance and into the fading moonlight outside. It was at that moment when George realized the creature before him was not a mere animal, but a machine. Light glinted off the beast’s metal exterior and nearly blinded him with its brilliance, almost as if someone had reflected a five hundred watt light bulb in a mirror he was gazing into.
Flashing a wicked grin that made the rows of his razor, sharp teeth shimmer in the moonlight, the Black Knight patted the machine affectionately. “I can sense your fear and apprehension, but there is no need for either.” Side by side, the demon and the mechanical monstrosity took a few steps away from the entrance to Cemetery Hill, allowing George to see the creature in its entirety. “In the days to come, this beast will be your companion. A means to an end that will help you to carry out your mission.”
His
features relaxed slightly when George realized the Black Knight hadn’t brought the creature here to end his life for a second time, although his brows drew downward in confusion. “What … mission?” he questioned, clearing his throat once more.
“I am going to have you follow a group of people, but from a distance. I don’t want them to be aware that you are following them. You will travel under the cover of darkness at all times, resting during daylight hours and keeping yourself hidden.”
George opened his mouth, but abruptly shut it. Knowing the individuals the demon referred to, he had almost blown his cover. He had forgotten, for a brief moment that had nearly been his undoing, the younger version of himself would have had no knowledge of the people the Black Knight spoke of. “I have a few questions,” he managed after recollecting his thoughts.
“Ask away,” the Black Knight invited.
“First off, why am I following these people?”
“To gather information.” The demon grinned. “Your new friend here is equipped with surveillance cameras which will relay images back to me, letting me know what they are doing, where they are going … things of that nature. Does that answer your question?”
“Yes,” George nodded, “however, it raises another.” For the moment, the Black Knight seemed patient. The demon tilted his head curiously and motioned with a skeletal hand for him to continue. “If this mission requires stealth, then how am I supposed to stay hidden when this thing,” George dramatically hiked a thumb at the machine, “is stomping around and giving away our position?”
Throwing back his head, cackling laughter erupted from the Black Knight’s grinning mouth. The demon’s mirth stretched out for nearly a minute before he answered George, “If you stick to traveling at night like I’ve instructed, none will hear a sound,” the Black Knight chuckled, as if the mortal had told him the funniest joke he'd ever heard.
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