by Tod Eten
‘There is a road up ahead we must take it and follow it into the forest there is a place near there where we will be safe’ Aya said still looking intently out of the window.
‘But you said there is something bad in the forest and now you want to go in there! Why don’t we just keep on driving?’ Aiden said confused,
‘Our only hope is to reach this place we will not be safe on the road. We must get to this place and we must do so before sunset!’ Aya said the worry clear in her voice.
Aiden looked at Aya and seeing that she was deadly serious quickly made up his mind and standing he turned to address the others on the minibus.
‘Listen up everyone’ Aiden shouted above the noise of the engine and making sure he had everyone’s attention before continuing ‘Aya says that there is a place we really should see not far from here’
‘What kind of place would this be?’ Demitri said.
‘An ancient monument’ Aiden lied, he glanced over to Aya who nodded in agreement ‘It might give us some more information about Eden’ he continued.
‘What place is this?’ Gagan asked ‘Why have I not heard about it?’
‘Oh sorry Gagan I must have forgot to tell you in all the rush’ Aya lied as smoothly as Aiden ‘ I only found out about it a few days ago it must have slipped my mind. But like Aiden says it could give us valuable information on Eden. It is not far from here in the forest up ahead’
‘You want that we go into that’ Oleska pointed at the dark forest out of the window in uncertainty.
‘Ha you are worried about a silly little forest like this’ Demitri laughed ‘In my village we were surrounded by a forest many times bigger, don’t worry my flower I will look after you’
‘Yes but who will look after you!’ Oleska snorted.
‘But it is getting dark! Oleska is right this is no time to be running around in a forest’ Faith said also looking at the brooding forest with trepidation.
‘We have no option but to go’ Elden spoke up, ‘we won’t have the time to come back here so if there is some important information that Aya needs from this place then we have to go’ everyone nodded agreeing with Elden’s common sense, some more reluctantly than others like Faith! But it was settled that they should all go and take a look at this monument.
They drove along the highway for several more miles all the while Aya kept glancing anxiously at the darkening evening sky and the even darker forest that surrounded them. Finally she saw the small road that they needed to take which Aaron obediently turned the minibus onto and which they followed deeper into the darkness of the forest. Mile after mile they wound their way through the trees all conversation had ceased and everyone had their eyes firmly fixed on the forest around them for they all felt that something was not right about this place, even Demitri had stopped talking!
After a few miles Aya asked Aaron to turn down what looked like no more than a dirt track the leaves and branches of the trees on both sides of the track brushing and banging ominously against the sides of the minibus as it passed by.
‘Are you sure you know where you are going?’ Seth asked Aya looking ahead at the narrow track they were following.
‘It’s not far now’ Aya reassured him.
They followed the track for about a mile or more when they came to a small clearing that was a dead end and with nowhere else to go Aaron stopped the minibus.
‘It is just through there’ Aya said pointing at a small path on the other end of the clearing.
They all got out of the minibus and the oppressiveness of the old forest that surrounded them overwhelmed them all immediately.
‘This way’ Aya said setting off towards the path she had previously pointed out not allowing time for anyone to change their mind or waste precious time. Aiden followed close behind her then came Demitri, who had somehow managed to quickly pick up a back pack, who walked hand in hand with Oleska. After them came the others with Seth and Gagan bringing up the rear. Aya kept the pace as fast as she could which was met with no resistance from the others as they all wanted to get out of this forest as quickly as possible. Aiden looking up at the sky through the leaves of the trees, which formed a roof of sorts over the path they followed. He could see that it was getting steadily darker. The forest was eerily silent around them even their footsteps seemed muffled. Aya kept glancing nervously around at the dark forest as if looking for some unseen entity lurking just out of eye sight.
‘Daddy I don’t like it here’ little Skyla said as she rode on her dads shoulders the fear in her voice plain to all.
‘It’s alright honey I’m here ‘ Elden replied gently stroking the childs face to reassure her.
Just then Ella fell to the ground with a cry and everyone stopped with Long and Li quickly going to her aid.
‘My ankle’ Ella said in a pained voice ‘I’m sorry I think I have twisted it’
‘Let me take a look’ Demitri said kneeling down and gently taking Ela’s ankle in his hands he carefully removed her shoe, ‘ah yes, your ankle is already starting to swell. I have some bandages here’ Demitri said and started to rummage in his back pack.
Aiden looked quickly across at Aya whose worried look told him all he needed to know. Aiden looked at the others and noticed how many of them now kept glancing nervously at the forest as if something were watching them, especially Long who stared intently back at the forest behind them. After what seemed an eternity Demitri finally finished bandaging Ela’s ankle.
‘Well that’s that’ Faith said defiantly ‘Ela can’t go on we should head back to the minibus before it gets too dark and one of us breaks a leg!’
‘No’ Aya and Aiden said almost in unison
‘The place in very near’ Aya said trying to hide the desperation in her voice.
‘But look at her Aya she can’t go on like that she needs to get back to the minibus!’ Faith pointed at injured girl.
‘I will be OK’ Ella said with a brave smile.
‘We must do what Aya say’s’ Skyla said plainly scared ‘We must go now daddy please’
‘Look we can’t go on’ Faith said in exasperation, ‘if it’s that important you go on I can head back to the minibus with Ela’
‘No’ this time it was the normally quiet Long who spoke up, ‘we must all go and we must go now, Ella here I will help carry you’ and without waiting for a reply Long bent down and picked up Ela as if she was light as a feather and indicating for Aya to lead the way they set off quickly once more down the path with Long now carrying Ela in Ayas wake and with their surprised and bemused companions quickly following after them. They had travelled another half a mile with the light now fading fast when somewhere in the forest behind them they heard a low blood curdling sound the like of which none of them had ever heard before. It was similar to the sound of an engine trying to start with a flat battery but the sound was much deeper.
‘What in hell was that?’ Gagan said looking back in fright as did the others.
‘Daddy’ Skyla cried burying her head in Elden’s neck. They all then felt a wave of fear wash over them making their legs turn to lead. For Aiden it suddenly seemed like he was in a childhood nightmare trying to run from some terrible monster but not getting anywhere only able to take one small step at a time instead of running as he wanted to. Aiden willed his legs to run but nothing happened and still he knew the monster was getting closer and his fear grew ever greater. Then suddenly from deep inside Aiden a thought rose unbidden. 'Why was he afraid of this monster?' the thought asked, and this thought grew inside his head becoming stronger. I am not helpless Aiden thought to himself and from deep inside him he felt the force of his anger build. If he wanted to move he would move for there was no monster that could terrify him, why was he running anyway he should turn and face this thing. So Aiden did just that instead of trying to run away he turned to face what ever it was that hunted him no longer afraid and he felt the monster flinch back from him. Aiden then laughed for in that moment he knew that i
t was afraid of him. Whatever spell Aiden was under it suddenly broke and he found himself back in the forest looking at the others who all stood like statues around him.
‘Come on lets go!’ Aiden shouted at the group, not really knowing what else to do and his shout was rewarded with some signs of life from the others.
‘Come on lets go!’ Aiden shouted again and as one the group all seemed to wake up.
‘Follow me’ Aya said not hesitating as soon as she had regained her senses and set off once more down the path.
‘What is out there’ Faith squealed in terror following close behind.
‘Never mind that now, does anyone have a flashlight?’ Aya asked quickly.
‘I have one’ Demitri answered.
‘Turn it on’ Aya ordered.
Demitri dug into a pocket of his back pack and took out a flashlight and turning it on pointed it at the path ahead.
‘No don’t point it in front of us, shine it behind you as we go forward’ Aya instructed Demitri.
Demitri did as he was told and pointed the light over his shoulder back down the trail they were following and was rewarded by an unearthly hiss from something that was far too close for comfort.
The travellers by now were almost running down the path with the daylight nearly gone when they ran into a circle of standing stones blocking their way. Aya quickly led them into the middle of the stone circle where imeadiatly a feeling of peace and tranquillity enveloped them and almost as one they fell onto the soft grass in exhaustion. Long despite having carried Ela over half a mile gently laid her on the ground besides the others looking as though he had hardly exerted himself. The forest which had only moments before seemed such a dangerous and frightening place now felt calm and peaceful similar to the Black forest they had camped in the night before.
‘Well that is the most exercise that I have ever seen my Oleska do’ Demitri laughed still breathing hard which set the others laughing more in relief than anything else. Only Long remained silent looking carefully at the forest that surrounded the stone circle.
‘What was that all about?’ Bridget finally asked when they had stopped laughing ‘and what was that thing back there?’
They all once again started looking at the forest around them each of them remembering the terrifying feeling they had not so long ago but which now seemed more and more like a distant dream.
‘It was just a wolf’ Demitri said with a frown ‘just some silly wolf’ he repeated more to convince himself than anyone else.
‘Yes’ Bridget laughed a little nervously ‘we all gave ourselves quite a scare there’.
Aiden and Aya exchanged looks with each other.
‘Well I still don’t see why we came here we should have gone back to the minibus like I said’ Faith said indignantly.
‘That was no wolf’ Long said quietly.
‘What was it then Long?’ Seth asked looking at the still vigilant Chinaman.
‘In China we to have many strange things, some of them are very evil, we call them demons’ Long replied softly.
‘You are joking Long, surely you cannot believe in Demons that’s just silly’ Faith laughed.
Long turned to look at Faith and then the others ‘I am certain it was a demon! It was evil and it was dangerous’ he stated with quiet conviction.
‘My friend it is just the forest playing games with your mind’ Demitri said getting to his feet and picking up the flashlight. ‘When I was child in forest this happen plenty. When we see and hear strange things. But it’s just the forest she love to play tricks with your mind no!’ with that Demitri turned the flashlight on once more and did a full sweep of the forest around them high lighting the trees and the darkness beyond but nothing else, no creatures. ‘See my friends there is nothing just trees. I will go and take a look around to show you’ and with that he strode purposefully towards the forest.
‘Wait Demitri’ Aya almost shouted stopping Demitri in his tracks ‘Long is right that was no wolf.’ Demitri turned and looked quizzically at Aya.
‘There is an evil creature out there, it is one of the pets!’ Aya said looking straight at Demitri.
‘Pets, what is this thing you say, pets?’ Demitri said scratching his head.
‘Please sit Demitri and save the torch batteries’ Aya ordered and Demitri did as he was commanded. Actually he was glad he did not have to venture into the dark forest as he had said he would.
‘All of you look there’ Aya pointed at the path they had just run up, then closing her eyes she began to quietly speak a strange language slowly bringing her hands together as if in prayer. The closer hands came together the more her strange words seemed to reverberate around the stone circle and a small bright blue dot of light appeared between her hands. Finally her hands came together the small dot of light shoot out towards the path they had just come up. The dot of light expanded into a a larger and larger bubble util it was a good six feet in diameter. The bubble of light passed just out of the stone circle and instantly swallowed up some sort of creature. The group looked in bewilderment at what was trapped inside the bubble of light. Skyla then shrieked in fright clinging tight to Elden. Faith cried out grabbing Caleb and the others gasped in repulsion and horror. For the creature now held firm in the strange blue light must have come from hell itself. It looked like a dog but was the size of a pony with a shiny black hairless body and four long limbs each ending in a set of vicious looking claws, each claw at least a foot long. Along the creatures back was a sail like fin and it had a long thin whip like tail. But worst of all was the creatures head which consisted of a long almost crocodile like jaw full of sharp fangs that dripped saliva behind which a pair of malevolent red eyes regarded them with hunger. By now Aaron, Elden and Aiden had got back to their feet and were standing beside Long ready to defend the group against this monstrosity.
‘Do not be alarmed it cannot hurt us so long as we remain in this circle’ Aya said trying to calm everyone.
‘What in God’s name is that thing’ Seth exclaimed looking at the creature which was now making the most unnatural hissing noise as it tried in vain to break the hold Aya had over it.
‘In this region it has sometimes been called a Pricolici or even a Werewolf’ Aya replied.
‘That is a Werewolf?’ Demitri said astonished
‘Not in the way that you think no’ Aya said looking at the creature, ‘it’s not a man or a woman as the myths say it is, it is just a creature but an evil one none the less. It is able to paralyse its victims with fear and then devour them while they are still alive.’
‘Was that what I felt back there on the path’ Bridget said ‘I have never felt so scared in my life it was like my legs had just taken root in the ground’
‘Yes me to’ Olesaka agreed
‘And me’ Gagan said
‘All of us I am thinking’ Demitri said in a whisper.
‘But why does it not attack us in here?’ Aaron said looking at the stone circle in which they were in. The stone circle looked like a smaller version of Stonehenge with twelve old grey coloured standing stones each rising about 10 feet out of the ground and too wide across for one person to encircle it with their arms. But unlike Stonehenge there were no stones lintels lying across the top of these columns to create arches.
‘This was created as a place of safety’ Aya said pointing at the circle. ‘The Pricolici and the other evil pets cannot enter places such as these. They were built by the Neteru for the protection of humans and Neteru alike.’
‘The Neteru?’ Gagan asked for all of them, ‘who are they?’
‘Yes you need some explanations’ Aya sighed.
‘So are we trapped here?’ Faith asked unable to take her eyes from the creature outside the circle.
‘Only till morning Faith, they cannot harm us during the day’ Aya smiled reassuringly. ‘If it is OK I will let this creature go now, it can do us no harm so long as we remain in here and it is getting a bit tiresome for me’ with that Aya o
pened her hands and the blue light disappeared together with the Pricolici.
They all remained transfixed listening as the creature crashed its way through the forest the beast now desperate to get away from the stone circle and the people within it. After a few minutes the creature gave one last unearthly howl of anger and frustration and was gone.
‘About that’ Seth said looking at Aya ‘that thing you did?’
‘Yes how did you do that and what was that creature out there?’ Faith continued almost accusingly.
‘And who or what are the Neteru?’ Gagan added.
Aiden instinctively took a step towards Aya wanting to protect her but she signalled to him that it was OK
‘I did not want to tell you all this as yet but it seems that the awakening has begun’
‘Awakening ?’ Gagan asked more confused than ever.
‘Yes Gagan, please sit all of you’ Aya instructed. ‘You all know about Nibiru and how this not so mythical planet is coming once more. You also know that according to the myths a race of super human beings or Gods live on this world. The Sumerians called them the Anunnaki and they believed that this race brought mankind both knowledge and destruction. According to them the Anunnaki came to Earth because they needed gold and they used early humans as slaves to mine this for them.’ Aya paused. ‘But that was not really what happened! You see this planet called Nibiru is indeed home to a race of intelligent beings that have been in existence since well before the time of your dinosaurs. Nibiru is also home to many other things. Creatures that only exist in mankind’s deepest nightmares, whose power and danger is only matched by their lust for blood. Yet it was on this world that the Anunnaki emerged as the dominant race. They learnt how to create tools and weapons with which they could use to defeat these monsters that hunted them and they learnt how to use the forces and energies of their world and bend them to their will. But the Anunnaki were shaped by their world and like their world they were a cruel race whose lust for blood and war surpassed all other desires. Then back at the time around the dawn of the human race something happened to the Anunnaki. When a few of them saw their own cruelty and bloodlust for what it really was! These Anunnaki decided to turn away from the old ways and they swore an oath to follow a new path of knowledge and peace for this they saw as the only way for their race to evolve. They called themselves the Neteru. When the Anunnaki learnt of this they immediately began hunting down those who called themselves Neteru. Killing them in the cruelest ways possible, for they believed that what the Neteru believed in was a heresy and would lead to the weakening of the Anunnaki race. So the Neteru fled into hiding not daring to take on the might of the Anunnaki. The Neteru stayed hidden through the ages and soon the Anunnaki forgot about them going backing to warring amongst themselves and the other creatures on the planet. But the Neteru were still trapped and looking at Earth they realised that here was their chance to escape their enforced captivity.
