Red Lineage

by Ozias Goldman

  “No, no,” I held up a hand. “Just pour it in the way it is.”

  He shrugged and filled the glass with a generous amount. When he walked over and placed the glass in front of me, the strong spirit made me recoil. I looked at the glass, then him, and we both nodded. I tested a sip and nodded again as my throat and chest lit ablaze. Whatever the shit was, it was strong, and a much better choice than the cocktail I ordered.

  I downed the glass in two large gulps, pounding the worn counter until the heat finally dissipated and I blinked away tears. The old man stared at me, eyes wide when I slid the glass across the bar for another.

  "Careful." He said, filling the glass only halfway this time. "Stronger than it looks."

  I nodded and took a more manageable sip. Not because it was too strong, but I needed to kill some time until the weather broke. Sure, I could have called Karl, and he would have no doubt met me in minutes, but I needed some time alone. An empty bar was the perfect place.

  I had lost count of how many glasses I finished. Really, I had lost track of pretty much everything except my own misery, spending the entire time with my head down on the bar between sips, filled with thoughts of my failed family, my failed career, my failed friendship with Red, a best friend I never actually had, as stupid as that sounded. I cried, and thought, and drank, and cried. Finally, with no more emotion left in my body, I slid the glass across the counter, and when a piece of paper slipped into my view, I looked up and frowned.

  “You had enough.” The bartender said.

  I looked down at the dozen or so empty glasses in front of me and was more than a bit surprised. I was trashed but felt like I could knock back a few more. I slid the bill back over to him. "Another."

  He slid the paper back over to me and tapped it. “After fourth glass, I give half water. After eight glass, all water. You okay to leave now.”

  I cursed under my breath as I pulled out my wallet. I glanced at the bill—one hundred and thirty-five dollars, not bad—then handed it back to him with my card on top. I rested my head down on the table as he carried it back towards the register. A moment later a rough tapping on my shoulder snapped back up in the stool. It was the bartender.

  “Declined.” He said and placed the card back down on the counter near my wallet, which I had stupidly left on the bar unattended.

  I remembered then my accounts were frozen and slapped my forehead. “Shit…shit, shit!” I picked up my wallet and pulled out a credit card this time.

  “No.” The old man said. “You pay cash.”

  I sighed. “I don’t carry cash.”

  “You pay cash.”

  “Alright. Just hold on. I’m gonna call my—”

  “You pay now!”

  "Listen," I said as I sat up in the stool a little too fast and needed to hold on to the bar to avoid falling off to the side. "I'll settle the bill right now."

  “You pay now!” The bartender yelled and threw the rag on the table top.

  “Motherfu—look. I told you. I don’t have...here,” I raised my arm and undid the band on my watch. “Take this.” I put the watch on the table. “That should more than settle it.”

  “You pay now.” The bartender said. He picked the watch up and tossed it over my shoulder, deeper into the bar.

  “That watch costs more than half your inventory.”

  “Just get out!” He said, shooing me away with his hands. “Out! You don’t come back.”

  I slid down from the stool, picking my wallet and card up from the counter as I turned towards the direction he threw the watch and was shocked to see how crowded the place had gotten since I'd walked in. I thought about going to get it, but shook my head and glanced back at the bartender, who was watching me with a stony gaze. “You might want to get that watch before one of them do.”

  I walked out the door before he could respond, and immediately realized I was still fucked up. Really fucked up, to the point I had to slow down to nothing faster than a shuffle to keep from stumbling.

  Swaying and staggering, I made my way down the dark, wet street, arms limp at my sides, feeling worse about life than I had before I walked inside of the bar. Tears filled my eyes again, and I didn't bother trying to hold it in, giving entirely into wracking sobs.

  On the next block, a young couple crossed the street well before they got to me, and I realized somewhere in the back of my mind the pathetic sight I must have been. There was a narrow side street oddly placed in the middle of the block, the displaced kind only found in Chinatown, that was too small to fit even a single car. I turned inside and was thankful for the deep shadows and tight confines, away from anyone else who would distract from my misery.

  I slowed to barely more than a shuffle, one hand on the wall for support as I walked through a deep puddle that soaked my feet to the ankle. Somehow, it was only the sensation of the cold water on my skin that made me realize I needed to piss so bad I wasn't sure I could hold it beyond another instant. I cut a lazy glance to the front and back of the street, not even registering if I had seen anyone coming, then unzipped my pants and shuffled in between a dumpster and the blackened brick wall. I tripped and landed hard, face-first, at the same time thankful for the puddle of filthy water that lessened the impact on my nose, but at the same time disgusted at the mouth full of rank water filled with dumpster runoff I had swallowed.

  I rolled over and managed to lift my head, but the spinning neon-red exit sign above the solid metal door in front of me made me pause. The hesitation was all my bladder could take, and a moment later I felt the warmth spread across my crotch, down my sides, and mix with the cool water from the puddle I laid in.

  "Fuck it," I said, and let my head settle into the corner between the wall and the dumpster. Something sharp jabbed me in the side. I reached down and felt the bone dagger sticking into my hip from my pocket. Pulling it free, I held the dagger above my face and turned it over. "Fuck it all," I said, and then tossed it aside.

  I watched the flickering red neon sign until I passed out. But instead of blacking out and having some sense of relief from at least a gap of time, I dreamt about blood and death. The blood was all around me; I was swimming in it, could taste it. And I was the one dealing the death, this time swinging a pipe on a faceless form that was screaming, trying to get away. I couldn't stop, even though I was crying, shouting at myself, I kept hitting.

  The voice crying out beneath me suddenly took on a higher pitched tone that sent a chill of recognition through my body. Reaching down, I grabbed hold of the tiny shoulder as it waded through the blood, several inches deep, and turned it over to lock eyes with my DJ. I thrashed within my own body, trying to stop myself, but had no control. I had to look him in his pleading eyes as I brought the pipe down again, and again. Somehow he wouldn’t die; he only cried and pleaded for me to stop even louder.

  I turned him over and forced his head down into the blood, fighting to hold his thrashing body under until it went still. Relieved to have it over with, I released my emotion in a long wail.

  "Why, hun?" I heard Fati's calm voice somehow come through clear as a whisper in my ear despite my screaming. I froze, staring up at the pure blackness above me. When I looked down at the body beneath me, the body was now her, looking up at me with more pain expressed on her face than I had ever seen before. “Why would you do this to us…to our family? How could you?”

  I raised the pipe above my head as I locked eyes with her, and she brought her hands up to her face to block the blow. I tried with every fiber of my being to stop, straining so hard I felt pressure in my head pulsing. The pipe came down as I put every last remaining fragment of my will into staying my arm, and then it froze, halfway down. The relief that washed over me matched the look on her face, and I let the pipe fall into the pool of blood.

  She reached up and touched my cheek. “Thank you, Darien.” She said as tears filled her eyes. “Thank you, my love.”

  I brought my hand up to her face and cupped her cheek. Somewh
ere in the back of my mind, I understood it was all a dream at that point, but that didn't make the experience any more comfortable to handle. I exhaled at the welcomed moment of peace, but that was until I felt my face contort into a snarl, and then grab hold of her wrist in a tight grip and force it down into the bloody pool.

  “Baby what are you doing?” She asked, struggling under my weight.

  I backhanded her with my free hand, and when she brought her free hand to her face, I grabbed hold of that wrist and forced both hands above her head, securing both into my single left hand.

  Her naked body writhed beneath me, and I felt myself growing aroused even as I thrashed against the confines of my mind, utterly powerless to stop my body from acting on its own.

  No, no, no! I shouted in my mind, even as I heard my voice whisper into her ear. "Might as well just enjoy it."

  Realization dawned on Fati's face and she went still. I lost control of then, thrashing violently against my mind with all of my will as I watched myself spread my wife’s limp thighs.

  No…no…no, no, no, no. I wanna wake up!

  My eyes shot open, and I sat up, but I wasn't in the wet alley anymore. I was in the middle of a snowy field. I recognized the presence, far off in the distance, and knew I was back in the nether realm again. As before, I stood and began walking in the opposite direction of the oppressive force.

  ~ * * * ~

  The village began as a small cluster of black specs against the white snow far off into the distance. I covered the miles quickly as I ran, and was shocked to see some form of civilization in the otherwise barren place, crude as it was.

  My perception of scale had been way off because the closer I drew the more extensive the surface area the village covered. Details took form, from the fleshing out of shapes from the squat clay buildings to the thin whips of translucent smoke that rose in trails from crude openings in the rooftops.

  The sheer number of people surprised me the most, moving about the cluster of dwellings like any other peoples I would expect to come across back home. These people were tall, strong, wearing surprisingly little despite the frigid climate—and why shouldn’t they be, considering I was moving about the landscape completely naked, with no discomfort at all.

  I slowed to a light jog as I closed to roughly a mile of the village, trying to gauge if these people were friendly, looking for any sign that they would not welcome outsiders. Something about them struck me as odd the closer I got. Slowed to a walk, I studied them as I approached, still a considerable distance away. Then I glimpsed the face of the closest to me, and my heart sank to my belly. It was a demon, with a form eerily similar to Red. Edging just a little closer and looking around confirmed they all were.

  I backpedaled, but only managed a few steps before I froze again, feeling the presence far off in the distance behind me. Turning around and gazing out into the flat expanse, I saw them even now, countless miles away, the monolithic black obelisks rising into the air, and among them was the presence. I dared not go back even a few miles.

  Just then, the presence became aware of me; I could feel that as sure as I felt it out there. But it did not pursue me—or, it could not pursue me. I swallowed my urge to flee and studied it, and it was aware of that too. I could feel the indignation at my audacity, but I needed to know something of that which stalked me.

  A few moments was all I could manage, but when I turned back around all the demons of the village were looking at me, and I staggered back a step, eyes wide. But then I noticed it wasn't me they focused on; they were looking past me, in the direction of the presence.

  Slowly, I straightened, and the terrifying demons made no reaction to the movement. The realization dawned that they could not see me at all. As the surge of adrenaline began to settle, my awareness of the presence forced me to keep moving. So I dared a step towards the demons. And then another.

  As I crossed into the village proper, the demons still stood like statues, heads turned towards the presence. Moving deeper, I was surprised to see the village grow denser, the shacks more cluttered.

  I grew a little too comfortable in my concealment, not paying as close attention as I should have; as I hugged the wall while rounding one of the shacks, my arm brushed against the arm of a demon I hadn't noticed standing half inside of the hole used as a doorway. As soon as our skin touched, the demon's head went from staring out into the distance towards the presence and snapped to me, focusing on me for just an instant before it frowned and looked around in confusion.

  I felt the same thing it had, as if I touched a part of its very essence, and it sensed mine as well. I thought the creature would attack me then and there, but it didn't. It lifted its head and stepped out of the dwelling, and I stepped around it to give it a wide berth as it passed. It called out to another of the demons, not twenty feet away, and that snapped that demon out of its trans as well. The movement spread from them out throughout the village, and sounds of life blossomed around me, feeling oddly familiar.

  Walking through the village became slower from that point on, because I made sure I didn't make contact with any more of the creatures. But a strange thing happened as I moved amongst them—they seemed less alien. I saw very young and very old, and while there were no male and female distinctions that I could make out, much like Red, there was an intelligence to the creatures, regardless of the fact they lived in such meager dwellings. They used tools, carried out chores, even herded large packs of exotic animals off into the distance.

  A group of demons that clustered around a clearing, forming a tight circle, caught my attention. There were a half dozen of them, and they each stood tall, dignified to an extreme degree, standing out even amongst the hundreds of others around that of themselves exuded much of the same bearing. I was drawn to them and slowly made my way towards the group.

  One of the six dropped to its knees. Unlike the others, the features of this demon were somehow softer, smoother. It had no jagged spikes or deep fissures along its skin. Slowly, it rocked back and forth, arms limp to its side, eyes closed. A ringing sound filtered out into the air from its throat, so high it was difficult to hear unless I concentrated on it directly. The sound wasn’t harsh at all, though it felt like it should have been.

  I drew steadily closer as I watched the display, stopping little more than an arm's length away. The only spot I could stand and not risk brushing against the other creatures was directly in front of it, and for that I was thankful. This demon, unlike any of the others I'd seen as I made my way through the village, unlike even Red, despite how long I've known it, seemed the most relatable somehow. Crouching down until I was level with its face, I dared to lean in closer as I inspected it, shocked with myself at the almost overwhelming feeling that drew me to it. The feeling definitely wasn't a sense of comfort, because its thick blackened skin, elongated head, rounded out holes where ears should have been, and jagged teeth, peaking from its lips as it mumbled words I could not hear, did nothing but make me want to get as far away from it, from all of them, as I possibly could.

  The ringing sound stopped, and its eyes shot open. I was face to face with a demon, staring into a pair of milky white eyes that stared back into mine, and I knew for sure it was me that was the demon's focus.

  I went to stand, intending to back away, when its hand shot out and grabbed hold of my forearm in a burning cold grip. As soon as it made contact with my arm the world came to life in brutal clarity; the sky became an impossible mix of shades of blue, orange, and purple, in stark contrast to the pure white of the ice and snow around. A frigid gust of wind blew, snapping my attention from this world I only just began to appreciate, assaulting my body with unbearable cold, beyond anything I'd ever felt before as it flowed directly into my bones. I screamed, and even the sound of my voice was more vibrant, fuller.

  I pulled away as hard as I could, and I think I surprised us both, because I actually pulled the creature to its feet, and almost managed to free myself before it closed it’s
other hand around my arm and planted its feet into the ground to stabilize itself. Around me, the other demons looked at me with startled surprise. The demon holding my arms made deep, throaty sounds, and it took me only a moment to realize it was trying to communicate with me.

  I didn’t know or care what it tried to say, pulling hard trying to get away from it, dragging the large demon with me as I went. The other demons got over their shock and rushed towards me.

  Out of desperation, I put my bare foot on the creature's chest and kicked off, again surprising myself with the amount of power I was able to generate. I arced high into the air, flipping end over end twice, and landed hard on my back, driving the wind from my body. The demons stopped and began looking around, having lost sight of me again—except for the grey-eyed one. It rushed towards me, and I scrambled to my feet to get away, desperately gasping for air as I tried to recover from the impact, but slipped back down to my back.(Linked Comment)

  I went to sit up again, but the demon fell on top of me, pinning me down and shrieking at the others around it. There was a moment of panic, and then I exploded upward, throwing the demon from atop me farther than I thought possible. It landed a dozen feet away, flat on its back. And by the time it sprang back up to its feet, I had already leaped to my feet and was sprinting away, dodging between the demons that were now looking around trying to find me.

  I couldn't build up the speed I did when I was out on the open tundra because of the weaving and zagging way I had to pick my way around the demons as I fled, but the creature wasn't chasing me anyway. Standing tall with a blank face, it casually lifted a hand towards me, and the air surrounding it began to darken and churn. And through the churning mass of air, I glimpsed another place, with tall trees more exotic than any I'd ever seen, and tall grass that grew wild, with flowers in a beautiful bloom of colors that shimmered from stem to petal tip. And across that field, a form could be seen bounding towards the churning filter of the darkness that I instinctively recognized as a portal of some sort.