I caught my reflection in the dingy mirror hanging above the tempting, yet insulting, perfume bottle. A ghostly image stared back at me with sickly pale skin and deep purple rings around my eyes. Never in my life had I looked this awful, even after Luke gave me a black eye. My auburn hair had unraveled in sections from the braid my mom had so gently created. The torn and dirty clothing that hung from my body resembled what a poor orphan child would dig up in a nearby dumpster. Such a haunting sight to witness. I turned away, hoping to erase the dreary picture from my memory.
On the opposite vanity sat a carton of tissues and a small leather-bound book with an unusual symbol on the cover. No title. It struck me curious. I traced my fingers along the surface of it, pulling away with a grimy film caked on them. Something was rather strange, but magnetic, about this book. Almost as if it chose me to find it. With great consideration, I resolved to tuck it away under my arm inside my bra. I couldn’t waste much time to examine it before Alastor would march in to check on me. So, not eager to press my luck, I made a bee-line for the toilet.
To my disappointment, it turned out to be a revolting display of fecal and urine stains inside the bowl. But it was this or the cooking pot. So I sucked up my pride and squeamishly sat down on the seat. As I took care of business, I noticed a cluster of shower stalls, stained with erosion and water leaks. Torn shower curtains drooped in tatters from metal hooks on a rusty rod. Dirty towels lay strewn about on the tile floor. I was starting to believe this place used to be a resort, or some venue of that nature. But I didn’t recall seeing a large amount of rooms or numbers on doors, so that couldn’t be it. Maybe a clubhouse? Who knows… All I can be certain of is it’s been around for a long while and nobody has stayed for decades, perhaps more.
I finished up and discovered there was no toilet tissue, but a basket of little cloth rags cut into four inch squares in the corner beside the commode. I became puzzled on what to do. The concept of not having toilet paper when the place was last inhabited never occurred to me. The dilemma had never transpired before. Except for the year Dad took us on an old-fashioned camping trip by Birchwood Lake and Mom forgot to pack the necessary commodities for our bathroom breaks in the woods. We decided to live off the grid for a few days to see if we could survive without electronics, running water and electricity. After I mistakenly cleaned myself with a poison oak leaf, our journey was cut short. Dad laughed for months about my itchy ass. I didn’t find it funny though.
I glanced around in a quest to find something to use besides the unfamiliar cloth, but came up with zilch. So I hesitantly snatched up a couple squares and cleaned myself off, then tossed them in the overflowing wastebasket tucked under a cupboard with hand-towels. Relief flooded me when I realized I did my business without Alastor barging in unannounced. He made me feel so violated. I could almost sense his eyes on me through the other side of the door.
I pulled the oversized trousers up around my waist, tying them with twine attached to the belt loops, then turned to flush the toilet by habit. Only there wasn’t a lever on the side where modern commodes usually had them. A metal chain with a rusted handle hung from the ceiling above my head. I pulled it, curiosity getting the best of me, and received a dull clank. Should have known that wouldn’t work. The plumbing was ancient and probably stopped working decades ago. I shrugged, closing the toilet lid, and moved toward the shower stalls to investigate. Prolonging my time away from the chains and darkness seemed very enticing, but also frightening when I imagined what Alastor would do if I took too long.
Sunlight peeked in through a floor to ceiling window to my left. It overlooked a magnificent rose garden. Yes, it was overgrown from the neglect of any landscaping over the years, but still held a mystical charm with the twinkling blanket of snow encasing it. An arbor sat in the center of the grounds, waiting for someone to return and admire its beauty. Frosted vines shrouded the handrails and roof, latching on for dear life. Glimpses of a cobblestone path curved through the garden in every direction, giving the chance to explore every inch of the splendor nature offered. I tried to imagine how stunning the place was back in its prime. The people that visited must have been A-list and enjoyed the finer things in life.
Around the windowpane, pastel pink curtains hung with dust clinging to the silken fabric. As I stared through the filmy glass, I longed to see my family trudging through the rose thorns and frozen weeds to rescue me from the haunting estate. But I was losing confidence I would ever see them again. My heart sank with the thought. As a lone tear slipped from my eye, the sky opened up and began to weep with me. The rain fell steadily, piercing through the thick layer of snow. I felt a profound sadness wash over my soul. The sorrow of being apart from my family was more than I could bear. If they never found me, or if they don’t survive, there was nothing left to live for. I refused to spend my remaining time here on earth with a wicked in-human spirit controlling my every move and treating me like his little pet. I pictured the days to come, in his custody. The horrific things he would do or make me do, invoked nausea to creep up and sting the back of my throat. Panic latched onto me with a vengeance.
Gray clouds settled over the rose garden as a darkness took over my mind. Desperation settled deep into my bones. I couldn’t fathom being the victim of such evil. This was not how my life should end. Trapped in a dirty old mansion with a demon torturing me all the while declaring his undying love for me. I needed a way out. He would never let me escape, so I had no other choice. I would have to make the ultimate decision. Relinquish control over my life to him for the rest of eternity, or take back the control and kill myself. If he can’t have me by his side and under his thumb, it would be the final blow to his ego. I would have the last laugh. My mind was made up. If I had to die, it would not be by his hand or his undead army, but by my own free will.
As I frantically searched the room for anything that would end my life in a hurry, I happened across an antique lady shaver in one of the shower stalls. The one with a detachable blade. The casing had corroded and almost impossible to pop open the latch. After a moment of wrestling with it, the metal cover released, and I spilled the blade into my palm. The silver edge gleamed in the low light trickling through the window. I slid my trembling fingers across and found the usual sharp edge rather dull, but it would have to do the job.
Crawling into a stall next to the window, I hunkered down and rested my back against the cold tile. I turned the razor blade over again and again in my fingers as I contemplated my decision. My human instinct wanted to throw the razor aside and protect myself from the pain it would bring. I could be a coward and succumb to the life Alastor wished for me. But my heart told me this was the smartest way out of the endless nightmare I had been thrusted into. I gathered all of my willpower and placed the dull edge to my wrist. My heartbeat galloped and blue veins jumped up to meet the blade as if they begged to be released. I felt my pulse barreling through my whole body. The click of the door opening set the verdict and sealed my fate. In a panic, I pressed down as hard as possible and sliced across my skin. The pain was sharp and immediate. My blood welled up, then trickled down my elbow to drip on the tile beneath me. I knew I had struck home when I witnessed the steady flow. Alastor entered the powder room and called out.
“Where are you, my love?” he asked. But I was too busy watching my life-force drain from a small two inch cut to answer him or pay any notice. The idea baffled me how such a tiny incision could deplete the entire body of blood in such a short time. A crimson puddle encircled my feet and my vision grew blurry. I struggled to lift my head to see where he was, hoping I would die before he reached me, but my motor skills were gone with the wind. I sensed a shadow looming over me and thought to myself, "Well shit, I’ve been caught."
“Oh no. What have you done!” he cried. But I didn’t respond. It was obvious what I had done. There was no need to narrate the deed. The pain dissipated, and a smile stretched across my lips as I sailed away like an autumn leaf in the breeze.
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br /> Chapter 10
The sound of birds singing cheerfully was the first impression my ears received. My senses unraveled one at a time. I took several moments to realize someone cradled me in their arms. I looked up to see Leland’s angelic face beaming back at me. The sun glistened off his raven hair, revealing subtle blue highlights. His blue green eyes held my world inside of them. He carried me through the rose garden I gazed upon before, but the scene looked much different.
Every living plant was in full bloom. Roses of every color blossomed. They climbed skyward up light posts, trellis, garden ornaments and over the surface of the arbor in the heart of the garden. Snow and rain was gone, leaving behind only sunshine and warmth. The view was magnificent, but the fragrance was divine. An aroma of sweet sun kissed rosebuds with morning dewdrops still clinging to them. I never knew something could smell so delightful. Leland carried me to the gazebo and sat me on my feet. Flowing fabric swirled around my legs and I looked down to see a gorgeous summer dress. It matched the shade of roses climbing the arbor’s handrails. The color of sunshine. A rich buttery yellow. As appealing as my dress and the garden seemed, I pulled my gaze away and connected eyes with the man in front of me.
“Oh, Leland, I missed you so much,” I said, wrapping my arms around him, never wanting to let go again. My head nestled into his shoulder and breathed in his scent as it mingled with the garden’s fragrance. “I never thought I would escape from Alastor… where is everyone?”
He pulled away and raised my face to meet his own. “Hush now, love. They are waiting for us, but I wanted a moment alone with you,” he whispered, then pressed his pouty lips to mine in a heart wrenching kiss. I instantly fell into a stupor. All I thought about was drowning in his kisses forever. Nothing else could ever be as important. My lips trembled with need against his as I ate at his luscious mouth like a sweet fruit plucked from the tree at perfect ripeness. Ours souls collided, and we swayed on our feet from the compelling force. I came up for air and placed my hand on his chest to steady myself.
“Whoa! That was too much, too fast. My head is spinning like…” I began, but couldn’t finish the thought. What happened? Why am I so lightheaded? Why was Leland carrying me? “I’m sorry. But I can’t recall what happened, Leland. Why do I feel out of it?”
Before he had the chance to respond, a stinging sensation bit into my arm. I glanced down to see an open wound stretch across my wrist. Blood seeped around the edges and I remembered what I had done. But confused why it wasn’t bandaged since I had obviously been rescued. Otherwise, why would Leland be here with me? As I examined my wound, the blood changed from a trickle to a full-blown gush. I screamed while red droplets dribbled from my wrist to my hand. Time slowed to a crawl as I watched it splash the wooden planks under my feet and form a puddle. Then another sharp sting came in the bend of my opposite arm, and the world swallowed me whole.
The scenery changed around me and Leland disappeared. I cried out for him as bright flashes of light filled my vision then I plummeted down a dark tunnel. Red doors zipped past me, each one embedded with a distinctive symbol. One particular symbol stood out among the rest. A celestial pattern of an encircled star with crescent moons. The emblem that appeared on the book I had found. Something inside of me said I needed to know what was behind that door. I reached out as my body was zooming past and seized the handle. An unseen force tried pushing me further down the tunnel, but I held on with all my might. My feet levitated into the air as gravity dissipated and my body was floating on a supernatural wind trying to suck me into an abyss. I gathered all of my strength and twisted the knob. A red light blazed around the seam of the doorway as it cracked open. Throwing myself into it shoulder first, the wood exploded and I burst through
Water gushed around me as I struggled to breathe. I opened my mouth to inhale precious air then found myself on the bottom of a lake. My feet kicked automatically, propelling my body up toward the surface. The water appeared an unusual shade. Reddish orange. The color of fire. There weren’t any fish or other aquatic creatures swimming alongside of me, which left me bewildered. I reached the surface of the lake and gasped to fill my burning lungs with oxygen. After coughing the inhaled water from my body, I stole a look around. Flaming bodies floated like buoy’s all around me. For miles in every direction, raging fire blazed atop corpses. I yelped as one bumped into me. My voice echoed, and the flames burned my hand as I shoved it away. No land existed as far as the eye could see, only an endless sea of dead. Expecting the sky to be above my head, I was shocked to discover rock formations glistening in the firelight. A cave surrounded me. But the size of it seemed impossible. Like another planet all its own.
I weaved in and out of the bodies with care. I rolled my eyes from side to side to be certain I didn’t come into contact with them. A woman’s face captured my gaze, and I gasped. Cloudy eyes of death stared at me as she drifted by. Her expression revealed sheer terror frozen in time. Her lips peeled back from her rotten teeth as if she screamed until her last breath. She floated on her back as flames lapped up from her feet until they reached her face. I gaped in horror as her cheek melted into her chin. Her eyeball shriveled then turned black under the heat of the fire. Pieces of her anatomy slid from bone and plopped into the water. My eyes and sanity had suffered enough, so I kicked faster and my arms propelled forward. Waves formed from my high impact swimming. Fiery mounds of flesh floated up and over them like a sea bird idly resting on the ocean swells. I pushed at the bodies that wandered into my path and screamed at each of them. Madness threatened to creep into my psyche as I pummeled my way through the endless lake of fire. I would swim as far as my body would allow. There had to be land out there somewhere.
Ear piercing screeches filled the cave, and I froze. The sound of wings fluttered as a massive black cloud descended from the rock ceiling above my head. Thousands of bats took flight in sync and plummeted towards the water. The sound of them all shrieking at once was mind numbing as it echoed from the lake to the cavern walls. They soared at an impressive speed and I knew within seconds they would consume me. I filled my lungs with the deepest breath possible and dove head first underwater. The brush of a wing grazed my foot just before it slipped under the surface. I shoved my body through the murky water, swimming as far as the single breath could take me. A burning sensation grew in my chest after twenty seconds and I figured it wouldn’t be long before I drowned. I decided I would take my chances with the bats, rather than die a horrible death by drowning, and forced my way back to the surface. I expected to be greeted by the horrid creatures anticipating my return, along with the fiery corpses, but that wasn’t what awaited me this time. Wiping the water from my eyes to be sure my sight wasn’t deceiving me, I opened them to find a lion’s head.
A giant stone engraving of a roaring lion hung on a wall before me. It seemed familiar as I studied it. I was thankful that I hadn’t returned to the frightening lake. Voices erupted from behind me and I slowly turned in the water, afraid of creating too much racket. But the liquid wasn’t water at all. I raised my hand to watch crimson blood flowing down. Somehow, I ended up in the bloody fountain from the nightmare I had, what seemed like, many nights ago. My gaze shifted from my blood soaked hand to the area where voices chanted. The ballroom bordering the fountain revealed cloaked figures standing in a circle on the dance floor. It no longer displayed a ring of fire, but a ring of dark silhouettes. They spoke in unison in a sing-song fashion. The language sounded foreign so I couldn’t decipher what they were saying. Afraid they would notice me, I quietly swam to the edge of the fountain and peeked over the side. More than anything, I wished to exit the bloody stone basin, but I didn’t want to risk my fate with these… people.
I lingered in the shadows, only my eyes showed over the ledge, watching the veiled figures as they chanted. A fire flickered in the elegant ivory fireplace behind them. Ten people stood dressed in black hooded robes. In the heart of their circle, a star was formed of candles. As they recited
the same strange words over and over, the flames on the candles grew. Firelight danced along the walls and ceiling, casting eerie shadows that contained a life of their own. I observed as one of the ten people stepped forward and began reading from a book. The emblem on the cover glistened against the flames to reveal an encircled star with crescent moons on each side. The book I discovered just moments before on that marble vanity.
A woman’s voice rang out above the group’s chanting. The hooded person possessing the book threw their head back and lifted their incantation upward. The veil fell away and a striking woman with long blonde hair was exposed. She shrugged her shoulders and the black robe slipped from her naked body. I gasped and regretted it immediately. Her eyes snapped in my direction as I ducked behind the fountains ledge. My heart rate gained momentum as I struggled with what decision to make. Do I swim back underneath the surface and drown, or face this cult of strangers? I didn’t have long enough to consider my options before hands seized me and pulled my body from the bloody fountain. I screamed and fought them but with ten people against one, my chances were slim to none of getting away. They dragged me across the floor to the edge of the circle they created, then dropped me against the cold tile.
“Give us your name, demon!” the nude woman spat in my face.
Autumn's Calling (Book 2): The Battle Page 9
