Autumn's Calling (Book 2): The Battle

by Michelle Weese

  Alastor faced me once again and bent down, placing his hands on my forearms and squeezing to cause me discomfort. I rolled my eyes up to his and grit my teeth. The urge to spit in his face was bordering on irresistible. But my plan was working, now I had to keep him close and focused on me.

  “That, my sweet honeycomb, was the sum of my existence. The anguish and hatred I endured in the underworld. It is a forlorn realm and will transform even the most noble man into a vengeful beast. The master sinks his talons in all of his progenies to ensure our complete obedience. We must adhere to harsh laws. As you witnessed in the vision, we are disciplined for betting against his will, and to the fullest extent. I longed for you to understand why I am who I am. The vision should not have ended like it did, but your family broke my concentration when they attacked my fortress, which left you vulnerable to an alternative experience. One I had no control over. I would have pulled you back before malicious intent could be acted upon. But once I lost my grip on the vision, you continued on your own. I do regret that. But it does not alter the fact that I was created for evil. I chose to share my power with you and present how we can rule the world together. But you betrayed me and now you cannot be trusted. The master suggests you prove unworthy of such authority. My love and desire for you lives on, but I will not permit you the opportunity to deceive me again. I will make you pay for…” He rambled on and was cut off mid-sentence by the axe sinking into his back. His eyes widened in shock as blood pooled in his open mouth and dripped in my lap. A wicked smile filled my face as I watched his reaction.

  “See, Alastor, what you don’t understand is my family and I are stronger and wiser than you think. You underestimate us mere humans. But we survived your zombie outbreak, and now we will destroy you,” I snarled in his pain-filled expression. My ropes loosened, and I looked back to find Jess cutting them off of me. I stood as Alastor fell to his knees before me. He reached back to grab the axe, but couldn’t get the right angle to grasp the handle. His arms flailed desperately as he moaned in frustration.

  I regarded him with sheer satisfaction as he writhed in the torment he deserved. No death possible could be horrible enough for him to justify the lives he has taken. A slow, painful ending seemed too good for him. I speculated if the axe would do the trick. Doubt tried to creep into my mind when I recalled the magical dagger not killing him. How the hell would an axe to the back finish the job? While I mulled it over, I received the answer to my question.

  Mom began reciting a prayer I had heard a million times growing up. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” She proceeded through the entire prayer as Alastor grew more and more angry. He roared as her words sliced through his beast inside. Fire blazed in his eyes. We all encircled him holding hands and repeating the prayer with Mom. Discomfort turned into utter torture for him as we endlessly maintained our circle of prayer. His roaring turned into demonic screams that shook the very core of the house. Fear lingered on the edge of my emotions, but I fought it back into the shadows of my mind.

  “Release this body, demon! In the name of God, I command you to show yourself!” Mom shouted at him.

  Alastor’s head reared back and a bright light, the halo we saw in the cellar, spewed from his gaping mouth. From within the light, long clawed fingers emerged to stretch around his face. Inch by inch, his beast revealed its true form. The flesh of the man we knew was shed like the skin of a serpent. We gasped at the creature that arose from the husk. The demon mirrored the one from my nightmare. But this wasn’t a dream I could wake from. It was reality staring me directly in the face.

  Repulsive creatures slithered across the ebony flesh. Immense horns curled from the head reaching high toward the ceiling above. Crimson eyes pierced us with sinister purpose. He spun in a slow circle as a deep rumbling laugh spilled from the abyss of his mouth. Two inch fangs dripped with a yellow liquid that reminded me of snake venom. A cockroach skittered across one of them and instantly became a snack for the beast. He smiled as the tiny legs and shell crunched between his teeth. This was his inner nature. The hideous beast within. He stood in his element and didn’t have to pretend he wasn’t a monster.

  “Ah. That seems more fitting. Although, I never had a physical body before taking the traveler. But this feels right. I knew my true form would emerge someday. It simply required a little nudge,” he boasted with pride.

  I was thoroughly disgusted. But fear overrode disgust and my skin exuded the nervous anxiety building inside. I squeezed Leland’s hand in effort to find the courage I was lacking. He wrenched his gaze away from the beast to meet my frightened eyes. For the first time, he seemed lost. Leland always found a means to get out of a bad situation, the proper thing to say or do, but this one appeared to have him completely stumped. He was not prepared for a demonic exposition. It wasn’t every day you were unfortunate enough to witness evil in the flesh. Even my strong and unshakable Leland could be scared.

  Alastor, or the thing that used to be him, addressed us in his new chilling tone of voice. “You see. Nothing will hinder me from my purpose in this world. I will forever find someone else to dwell within. That body was merely a pawn. You cannot destroy something that is invincible. My lord assured me of that. My time in the traveler’s flesh only strengthened me. I now have a greater foothold on this realm and my task of conquering your world will be effortless for me.”

  “We won’t cower to you because you’re a big ugly beast now. It only proves we struck a nerve and learned how to prevent you from stealing another unfortunate soul as your next victim,” I calmly stated. Even if my body wanted to bolt for the nearest exit, I wouldn’t let him see my fear.

  He took two steps forward until his massive frame towered over me and I had to look up to meet his wretched appearance. I offered him my best dauntless expression as he snorted like a raging bull about to attack the waving red flag. My teeth ground painfully against one another with the tension soaring through my body. There I stood, toe to hoof with the real Alastor. The handsome and exotic man that declared an eternal love and affection for me was just a mirage. A mere parlor trick to keep me from seeing the demon within that would suck the soul out of your body and laugh while you crumbled like a rag doll. Although I was dedicated to planting my feet in a stand-off with this evil creature, my brain couldn’t help but jump start survival mode. It signaled my nerves and muscles, like I had placed my hand on a hot stove, to resist the fight and take flight. But I fought the instinctive human reaction to run and stood my ground.

  “You believe you can stop me? I have more power than you could ever imagine, little girl.”

  Oh, so now we’ve progressed from my sweet, my love and my queen, to little girl. Nice. I would show him little girl.

  “Sumno lis dimone ze undavird. Kinles gote plernes haknom,” I started the incantation I had found in the grimoire I believed was the means to send his ass back to Hell, once and for all.

  He narrowed those glowing red orbs at me and the smirk disappeared from his face. The words grew into an echo and ricocheted back to me as if the spell came from many individuals instead of just one. My eyes shifted to an apparition behind Alastor. A cloud of thin luminescent mist formed beside the chimney where we all stood in a circle around the beast. It developed into the shape of a beautiful woman cast in an ethereal radiance. I recognized her at once. The coven’s leader, Luna. Her long cascading hair floated like she was underwater as her pale blue gown swirled around her in a dance of satin and lace. In the time she took to materialize, the incantation flowed effortlessly from my lips as if I had known it my whole life.

  Luna’s voice rang loud and clear as she joined me in chanting. Once her power combined with the words, Alastor showed noticeable discomfort. Our volume increased, and the energy became palpable. Flames danced along the fireplace, reaching past the stone frame like fiery fingers searching for a victim. We repeated the mystic words over and over again, s
hoving more potency into them with each syllable. The demon growled like a rabid dog. His black flesh appeared to burst open in red slits as if torn apart from the inside out. His growl erupted into a guttural scream that stood my hair on end from the roots. Red hot flames crawled from the fireplace across the floor to where he stood and gradually consumed his towering frame. Starting at the hooves, turbulent heat licked upward, savoring every inch of charcoal flesh it devoured. An unseen force knocked him off balance and his enormous body hit the floor with a booming thud. The ground rumbled like thunder from the impact. The tip of one curling horn snapped off with an audible crack as he connected with the wood. It skidded across the floor to arrive at Benji’s feet. Human instinct, and child curiosity, prompted him to reach down and pick it up. He slipped the broken fragment in the pocket of his jacket then glanced up at me with a smug smile. That look worried me. It worried me a lot.

  “It is impossible. You do not harness the power to send me back! Even with your witch ally aiding you,” Alastor shouted. Meanwhile, he lay on the floor writhing in agony and resembling a wounded lamb... on fire. The weakest I ever had the pleasure of seeing him. He deserved to endure the misery and weakness he brought about so many people. I wanted to watch him suffer the upmost torture. If not by my hands, then by his master’s. What I would do to him could never compare to the vile torment the dark lord offered.

  I paused in my chanting to respond, “You’re wrong, Alastor. We will send you back to Hell where you will continue your evil existence trapped in the fiery depths below our feet. I’m confident your master has quite the treat for your return.”

  Then I resumed with the spell that surged into a thick powerful cyclone. It contained a touchable quality now as if I could to reach out and run my shaking fingers through it like a swelling wave about to devour us all. But the power was not interested in us. It only had eyes for Alastor.

  Luna held both arms out and thrust her luminescent energy toward him. The red flames reacted with a heavy crackle and swallowed him whole. His burning body squealed as the creepy crawlies caught fire and were soon no longer mobile. Their tiny forms were fused to his blackened skin like glue. He became one with his creatures.

  A loud moaning pierced the air through our power structure. I scanned the room to find where it came from. My eyes fell upon the fireplace. Something about it changed. A haze of long black fingers extended out from below the mantle and reached for the burning demon. As they drew closer, the moaning grew louder. Soon, I recognized the red glowing eyes of the demons, that remained permanently etched into my mind, emerging through the dusky mist. A lump formed in my throat as they moved closer. Fear of being detected and hauled back to the hellish vision Alastor forced upon me, was a genuine concern. Blood throbbed in my ears as I imagined returning to the worst place that ever existed. Maybe if I stand very still they won’t spot me. Fat chance.

  Chapter 20

  As my heart thrummed, and my feet ached to scurry away like a startled mouse, I stood in place clutching Leland’s hand. Squeezing so hard, I felt the details of his bones. The scene of demonic spirits clutching Alastor’s burning body and dragging him into the fireplace was crazier than my brain could process. Their moans mingled with Alastor’s screams in a petrifying melody. I gauged everyone’s reactions to the horror show. Mom’s expression froze in a look of absolute shock. Jess had her eyes closed and murmured something softly to herself. Benji watched it all with complete fascination. Vicki stood crying and trembling all over. Leland’s beautiful eyes appeared as though they would pop out of his skull. Luna hovered in the corner reciting the incantation that had summoned forth the demons to return Alastor to his proper home in the underworld below.

  My loved ones and I would never be the same. It would forever haunt us. The impact of what we experienced could be potentially catastrophic for the kids and that frightened me. How do you convince a child that all will be okay after something like it? I’ve seen much less tear apart a child’s spirit and perspective on the world. Humanity was not designed to withstand such intense encounters with creatures of another dimension. Our brains aren’t wired to accept anything more out there than meets the eye. In nursing school, we were educated about the human psyche as well as the anatomy. Plus, the additional courses I attended in college about myth and the supernatural. Around eighty percent of our race claimed they had witnessed something from a metaphysical aspect. In the unwavering reality of the medical field that would indicate those individuals were deemed mentally unstable. But standing in that spot, seeing it for myself, I realized that wasn’t the case at all. That shit is real. Not just a crazy person’s imagination, but truly valid.

  The wicked spirits fully shrouded the scorched carcass of Alastor until he was unrecognizable. They pulled his obscenely huge body into the raging fire, and with a final cry of despair, he disappeared into the mass of dancing flames. I shielded my eyes from the heat flooding the room. Red, orange and blue light blazed up the surface above the mantle then continued to climb higher, until the bookshelves caught fire. Soon the entire wall engulfed in angry flames. The building was going to burn to the ground. We needed to get out.

  “Guys. I think we should get out of here. Now!” I shouted, snapping everyone out of their trance. They scrambled to grab everything they could and fled for the doors. The barricade we had put in place the night before was gone due to Alastor’s invasion. Out of the corner of my eye, a faint wavering along the border of the fire caught my attention. I whispered, knowing she would hear me, “Thank you, Luna. You saved our lives. I will forever be in your debt.”

  “Remember the grimoire. Use it carefully or pass it on to someone in need. If you search inside yourself, you will discover a deep-rooted gift passed down from generations. You are unique, Autumn. Never forget that,” she replied and dissolved into a wisp of iridescent blue vapor.

  I wasn’t sure what she meant by what she said, but I didn’t have time to ponder on it. Leland tugged my arm, and I got my feet moving. Daisy was at my side and whimpering with a panicked expression in her eyes. I ruffled her ears to offer comfort. We all filed out through the double doors into the corridor outside of the once magnificent library. It was now a blazing inferno using all the priceless classics as fuel to stay alive. Watching those books turn into ash and soot broke a piece of my heart. I snatched the grimoire from where I left it on the small table, beside the peculiar golden book, at the base of the stairwell as we retreated. What Luna said resonated inside my soul. I knew I wasn’t destined to be a witch or anything wicked, but perhaps the grimoire will allow me the chance to help those who need it. I gazed at the golden book and decided to leave it be. It was too heavy to run with. Plus, I never found the keys to open the locks. I would forever wonder what it concealed from the world.

  Stuffing the grimoire in my back pocket, I followed my family down the hallway and through the main entrance. Smoke had already started filling up the house and spilled from the entrance as we left. Even trying to hold my breath, I sucked in a lungful of it and instantly went into a coughing fit. My sole concern was to make it outside to the clean air. I stumbled over the threshold and onto the porch before my stomach betrayed me. The coughing invoked my last meal to come spewing forth up my strained and oxygen deprived esophagus, to exit from my mouth all over the porch. Jess rushed over to snatch my hair a millisecond before I could puke in it. I retched until only smoke flavored air escaped my lips in a gut-wrenching dry heave.

  “My poor baby,” Mom said as she stroked her hand along my back in small comforting circles.

  “I’ll be fine. Just lucky enough to grab a huge gulp of smoke before I left. With my nerves, and what little food I’ve had, I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

  Leland gave me his jacket sleeve, “For you to wipe your mouth on, love,” he suggested with pitiful smile. I issued a feeble laugh and took him up on his offer.

  Jess began re-braiding my hair to keep it out of the way from then on. When she finishe
d, I gave her the grateful smile she deserved. Mom continued rubbing my back until I convinced her I was fine. Daisy leaned her weight against my legs and bumped my hand to pet her. That was her method of checking on me. I nestled my fingers in her warm soft fur and offered a vigorous scratching with my fingernails. She panted and kicked her right leg like Thumper from Bambi. We laughed at her and all was right with the world again. I wanted to forget about the vomit session and move forward.

  “Alright. Where to now?” I asked my weary family.

  The kids shivered from the teeth-chattering cold we had to travel in. Mom had them as bundled up as possible after stealing garments from our departed friends inside. But we required a shelter before nightfall and to build a fire so we wouldn’t freeze to death. How ironic would it be to survive a zombie outbreak and a demon seeking to kill us, then die from simple hypothermia? I would not let that happen. Not if I could prevent it. We had come too far to give up the fight now. So we marched into the neighboring wilderness that would lead us back to Leland’s car on the main highway. We needed to find our next temporary home.

  Chapter 21

  “I know of a place that might still be undiscovered by other survivors. You guys might not be crazy about the idea but it can work for now,” Jess revealed as we pushed through the forest.

  “What is it, Jess?” I eyed her curiously.

  “My old treehouse,” she squeezed out with her eyes clenched in a 'please don’t laugh at me' sort of way. I started to say 'hell no', but she cut me off. “Don’t object just yet. My dad built that thing to withstand tornado force winds, so the structure is safe. Plus, how much more secure can it be when you have to climb a tree to get in there? It’s huge and has two stories. Jill and I lived in the treehouse until we were teenagers. I promise it will do the job. We don’t have to stay for longer than tonight.”