by David Gallie
The fear and anxiety eating away at me is only tempered briefly when there is a flash of light and burst of smoke and then I can see Jerub and Artemis on either side of me. Jerub looks serious as always but Artemis seems to be delighted with what’s going on.
‘Help me,’ I cry, struggling against the hooded figure. Behind me, I hear chanting.
‘It’s okay Lynk, this is just a dream. It’s not going to be a pleasant one, but we think you’ll learn something from this,’ states Jerub.
‘He’s right you know, if I was you I would try and relax and take in as much detail as you can,’ chimes Artemis and I notice he’s licking a Popsicle.
Where on earth did he get that from?
The chanting grows louder and as I look down at my feet again I see I’m being dragged into the symbolic circle for the ritual. A second or two passes by and then I can feel my neck being placed on something hard and wooden. I know it’s wooden because I can feel the roughness of the wood against my skin.
‘This part is going to be pretty bad, but try and pay attention to everything you can see,’ says Jerub.
The hooded man, who I assume is Ezikal, stands over me, his outstretched hand holding my head tight against the block which I now realize is the altar. I manage to glance both to my right and my left as he reaches for that razor sharp knife.
I can’t’ see much except parts of the altar and I notice that there is a channel carved into the top. At each end of the channel, I can make out another symbol waiting to catch whatever will flow towards it.
As Ezikal shows me the blade, my heart now feels like it wants to burst from my chest. He says those words in Latin which I now know means goodbye my love and as he brings the blade to my throat, Jerub and Artemis block my view so I can only see them.
‘Just try and keep calm Lynk, you will wake up from this,’ Jerub’s voice sounds so soothing and serene compared Artemis who watches with wild-eyed excitement.
‘Wow that’s a lot of blood,’ he says, knowing that I can’t see what’s going on, but I can hear the trickling sound it makes as it escapes from the cut on my throat.
‘Dude seriously, you need to stay focused too,’ groans Jerub, once again shaking his head at his companion.
‘I know, I know, but seriously, damn,’ he says and then turns his back as Ezikal continues to hold my head but he lowers himself to the middle of my body.
I can feel no pain as all this is happening. In fact, I feel pretty much nothing except my own fear. My body jolts back and forth as Ezikal does something to my mid-section and even Jerub looks to see what’s going on.
When he turns his angelic face to mine again I can see he’s trying to find the right words to say.
‘Okay, you really don’t want to look now,’ he says, and I can actually see just how young he is in such close proximity. Both he and Artemis are the same age as me, and I wonder if we were all created at the same time or only as needed.
The jolting back and forth continues and I find my fear being replaced by curiosity. What the heck is this man doing to my dream body?
‘Ah dude, seriously, you didn’t have to remove that,’ I hear Artemis shout at the hooded figure but it’s obvious he can hear none of us.
‘Remove what?’ I cry.
‘Ignore him,’ says Jerub, giving the hell spawn a slap to the back of the head.
Artemis yelps and rubs at the affected area as he turns back round to face me. He looks at Jerub with a hurt expression on his face and pouts.
‘There was no need for that,’ he moans.
‘I’m trying to keep Lynk calm and you’re scaring her by shouting about the removal of her intestines,’ Jerub’s words are brutal and once again I find the fear and panic rushing to meet me head on.
‘He took my intestines?’ I cry even louder at the pair of them.
Jerub looks embarrassed as he realizes he’s just told me what Artemis was only hinting at.
‘I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said that. But remember what I said, this is only a dream, so try and take in as much as you can,’ he repeats as the jolting finally stops.
Seconds later the chanting stops too and I can hear people walking across the grass. Is the party of shadows calling it a night already?
A few moments later my head hits the ground but again I feel no pain. Ezikal then towers above me, I can see nothing through the darkness of his hood, but I do notice he has the altar still dripping with my blood under his arm.
I feel sure he is going to walk away and leave me but I’m surprised when he bends down and scoops me up into his arms. Then he’s carrying me back to the house.
‘I don’t understand why they call themselves a party, I mean that wasn’t much of a party was it?’ I can hear Artemis ask Jerub as they follow behind me. Jerub doesn’t dignify him with an answer which is probably for the best I think.
Darkness falls over me again as Ezikal carries me into the house. I can sense nothing for what feels like an eternity before it clears and I hear the creaking of wood as he carries me upstairs. There are small candles bolted to the wall which help light his way.
‘No wonder they invented wallpaper, look at this place,’ chuckles Artemis and then I hear him yelp as Jerub administers another head slap.
I’m in the small room I was in yesterday after I escaped from the asylum. The room where I got changed into my new clothes.
Ezikal lays me down on the bed gently, as if I’m sleeping, yet I know from the previous vision that the woman he sacrifices has gone for a much longer siesta after he was finished. When he removes his arms from under me I manage to look up enough to see that he tosses the blood-stained altar into the fireplace which is already lit and crackling away.
My mind reels at this revelation. If the altar was the key then why did the main man himself just throw it into the fire?
Ezikal turns to face me. Or should I say the dead woman he sees in his reality? He slowly lowers his hood, revealing a man who looks old and tired. Tears are streaming from his eyes.
Realizing that he can’t see me, I face him as he stands by the side of the bed, his lips trembling as he looks down on me. In the background, footsteps coming up the stairs. Not just one set either.
‘Ezikal we are ready for the final…’ the hooded figure breaks off when he notices the flames licking at the altar in the fireplace. Before he utters another word he dashes over and pulls the altar from the fire, using his robe to smother the flames. From what I see it doesn’t look too badly damaged. ‘Ezikal why do you burn the sacred altar?’
‘I am done with this. I have sacrificed my wife and unborn child, something I have wanted dearly for many years. I will not sacrifice anything more,’ states the old man as his tears keep flowing.
The other followers out in the hallway murmur amongst each other. I can’t hear what they say but I can sense it’s not going to be good for Ezikal’s health.
‘Oh, you are wrong Ezikal. You do have one more sacrifice to make,’ says the hooded figure.
There is a startled look on Ezikal’s face as his followers grab him. Within, what feels like the blink of an eye, he’s screaming at them to stop as they drag him downstairs.
The hooded figure in the room turns to face me. I can see nothing beyond the shadows of the hood but I’m pretty sure he’s enjoying the gore factor. He picks up the altar and heads for the door but before he leaves he turns to face me one last time.
‘You will be our key to survival,’ he whispers and then he’s gone.
‘Phew, that was intense huh?’ Says Artemis as he and Jerub make their way into the room. I have no idea where they have been and it annoys me.
‘Umm, just a bit. Why am I still in the dream? Please tell me there isn’t more of this nightmare to go?’ I beg them to wake me up but they don’t listen.
Somewhere outside I hear a blood-curdling scream as Ezikal meets his end at the hands of his own followers. Jerub and Artemis seem to exchange smiles with each other as the air goes qu
iet for a few seconds.
If I could have jumped with fright I would have as a monstrous roar fills the air. When I turn to look at the doorway where my two helpers are standing I see a massive black shadow rush past them and straight at me. It seems to be holding something sharp in its hand. It’s the knife from earlier.
‘I told you to leave us well alone,’ the smoky black creature screams at me before bringing the knife down on my body.
CHAPTER 18
I wake up on the floor of the police cell clutching at my chest. When I realize where I am, I lay there and allow my racing heart to slow to a more normal speed. Small beads of sweat trickle from my forehead and mat my hair against my temples.
When Slendy appears above me, I smile up at him. He tilts his head as usual.
‘The altar isn’t the key, it’s his wife,’ I say, my voice hoarse.
‘But his wife has been dead for centuries.’
‘I know, that’s what I can’t figure out,’ I start pushing myself up into a sitting position, grimacing as the throbbing in the back of my head worsens. When I touch the affected area I can feel a large bump forming.
Good old Bart got me again.
‘Do you think whoever is performing the rituals would try and dig her body up again one last time?’
Slendy falls silent for a second, thinking about my question.
‘It’s possible, but how would they know where she is buried? I think you will find back then families shared a grave to save on costs. Sometimes there was nothing more than a wooden cross to mark where the grave was, sometimes nothing but a specific bunch of flowers,’ I feel slightly disheartened by what he has to say.
Only someone with intimate knowledge of Ezikal and his family would know where they were buried. Then my mind drifts back to Ezikal, the look on his face and the tears dripping from his eyes as he stands over the woman he loved and sacrificed. How could he do it? How could he kill the one he loved?
That was wrong of me. Not just the one he loved but also his unborn child. It’s obvious from the dream that he had reached his breaking point by the time that sacrifice rolled around.
‘He didn’t want to do it,’ I say, thinking more to myself than anyone else.
‘Who?’
‘Ezikal. He didn’t want to kill his wife and their unborn child. In my dream, he tells the others he has had enough and will not sacrifice anymore.’
‘In your dream, what happens to him?’ Slendy is curious now even though I suspect he already knows the fine details with him being Death and all.
‘The others drag him outside somewhere and kill him. The last time I see him he’s a horrible shadow creature with a knife and a nasty attitude,’ I remember the knife clearly.
‘Ezikal is your weak link then,’ says Death and I can’t help but smile at him.
‘Yeah. But the puzzle is getting larger as time gets shorter. If we don’t find out how to get the key and keep it from the hooded figure then this county is in big trouble,’ I realize the gravity of the situation and push myself up against the cot. My head still aching.
‘It is a difficult situation I agree,’ says Death, taking a few steps back from me.
‘Why do you do you do that?’
‘Do what?’ He shifts uncomfortably every time I ask him personal questions.
‘When I start to move you always take a few steps away from me, apart from the time in the farmhouse where you touched me, you never get close, why is that?’ I’m genuinely curious to know.
‘I have been given specific instructions not to interfere with your energy in any way. I wouldn’t have touched you if there had been any other way to bring you to Satan,’ he says and I know I have no option but to accept that.
‘That’s another point. How come I’ve only had a meeting with Satan? If I’m this guardian of the realms, how come I haven’t met God?’ I was uncertain about meeting God, but since he was technically one of my creators I thought we would have a face to face sooner rather than later.
‘You will when the time is right. You are only young and it will take time before your abilities begin to evolve,’ now I’m really curious.
‘What abilities. I can already hear, see and touch everything on the other side of this world, surely there can’t be much more I need?’
Slendy shakes his head and adjusts his tie like a teacher who is slowly becoming annoyed with a child who refuses to learn.
‘Lynk, in the coming days, you will discover that you have incredible power, but no one can or should tell you what those will be. For you to perform your function properly and efficiently you will have to learn a lot on your own without any outside interference,’ his words are cold and logical, and strangely I’m grateful for that.
The aching in the back of my head begins to subside and I glance up at the small window blocked with iron bars. I can see the first shades of morning flourishing in the night sky and I assume it won’t be much longer until Roland arrives to collect me.
‘I have to get out of here,’ I say, quickly getting to my feet.
I can feel Slendy watching me as I stand on the cot and try pulling the handle on the bottom of the small window. It’s not locked because the bars will stop everything except a fly from escaping the cell.
Frustrated I grab the two center bars and shake them. Rust particles coat the palms of my hands but I ignore it when I realize the bars are loose. Jumping up onto my tip-toes I notice at the bottom of each there is an angled cut, like someone with a saw blade, had been hacking at them furiously. How they managed to do that without alerting the cops is beyond me.
I keep shaking the bars until I’m pulling and pushing with all my strength. There is a soft chink as the first bar snaps in my hand. Amazed at my own strength I let the bar drop, grimacing as I expect it to hit something hard.
Surprisingly, it makes no sound except for a soft thud as it hits the ground below. Using both hands I work the remaining bar back and forth furiously. This one takes more work than the last, but eventually, there is the same soft chink before it too snaps and I let it fall.
‘Don’t suppose you could get over your no touch rule and help a girl escape?’ I ask, turning to face my gaunt companion.
‘Since you have asked,’ he says and moves over to the bed.
I feel his strong, bony hands push me upwards as I pull with all the remaining strength I have. My body is half-way in and half-way out of the window when in the distance I can hear the sound of a door opening and closing.
Old Bart has come back for round two I think and start to panic.
Wriggling my body, I’m able to push myself further outside. It’s a short drop to the grassy area at the rear of the building, so I push with my hands against the wall. A second later and I’m falling just as I hear my cell door being unlocked.
I land next to the iron bars on the grass with a heavy thud.
‘What the hell!’ I hear Bart scream from inside my cell as he realizes I have vanished.
Although winded, I quickly get to my feet, grab one of the iron bars which feels really heavy in my hand, and start running. There is a wooded area a few feet away from the prison which skirts most of the county before giving way to the Rapidan river.
As the twigs snap under my feet and the branches brush against my face I can hear myself breathing rapidly. I’m not at all surprised to find that no alarm has been raised. When I look back I half expect to see Slendy trying to get out the same way I did, and remind myself that he’s a spirit, he doesn’t need to worry about such trivial things.
Sure enough, as I turn my head back to the way I’m running I notice he is gliding alongside me, his legs perfectly still.
‘Thanks for the help,’ I pant as I let the metal bar drop from my grip. It was just too heavy to keep carrying it along with me.
‘You’re welcome,’ he says and I keep running. k12
CHAPTER 19
Eventually my legs begin to burn to the point where I have to slow down to a fast
walk. I keep near the outskirts of the woods so that I can still see out into the rest of the county.
‘Why are you slowing down?’ I hear Slendy ask.
Sweat has matted my hair to the sides of my face and I desperately want a shower but I know it will be some time before I can have such a luxury. Instead, I glance between the trees, noticing that I’m almost level with the large shopping center. A few miles to go and the farmhouse would be near enough for me to investigate.
‘I’m tired. I’m human in this realm remember, I need to rest like other humans do when they get tired,’ I say, keeping the pace and my thoughts drift to Steven and the others.
Why did they lie to me? Why did they not tell me they had escaped from prison? It made no sense to me and I certainly felt less trust for them now after having to learn their past from a cop that liked to beat crazy girls with his nightstick.
Then there was my Aunt June. The one woman who I should have been able to trust turned out to be the worst of them all, and what’s more I can’t shake the image of the ring she wore on her finger. It was the same one I saw on the hooded figure in the school gymnasium.
Was my own aunt, a woman who would run screaming at the mere mention of a spider in the house, the one trying to free these shadow people?
Thinking about it all made my head hurt and I had to stop. I lean against a tree, listening to the bird’s chirp their cheery song high above as Slendy glides over beside me.
‘You should wait for your friends,’ I think he’s referring to Steven and the rest of the gang.
‘They are not my friends,’ I glance up trying to find the birds that are causing all the noise. I can see little silhouette’s dance from branch to branch, hardly leaving an impression behind them.
How nice it would be to be a bird and just fly away from whatever scares or torments you.
‘Ouch, those guys did bust you out of the asylum,’ I hear Artemis before I see him.
By the time I turn around the cloud of smoke both he and Jerub arrive in is disappearing.
