The Address was a bust, hours earlier, Ahura had made his way to the old Wayside Motel, where Anton and his Mystic family had turned the dinning hall into a spiritualist convention.
"Oh the hippies." The Receptionist had said. "Left three nights ago, something about seeking a closer connection to the universe and all that mumble jumbo."
"Do you know where they went." Ahura asked, his voice low and his eyes furtively avoiding contact.
"No idea." The receptionist replied. Then curiously he added. "Look you look like a nice kid, don't get involved with these cult types. Ive seen those people before. Lost everything, looking for something to believe in, anything to believe in. I know whaat they sound like, the promises they make. It's all bullshit. Leave them alone kid. "
They have Dem and Meryl, Ahura thought to himself. I have no choice.
The motel was a dead end, cryptic warnings about cult types aside, Ahura only had one option left and he dreaded it.
A few months back, Ahura, Dem and Meryl attended a Seance led by the mysterious jipsy woman, Lady Veleda. Dem had found her info on Kijiji, and decided that against every ones better judgement visiting the woman would be a fun activity for the Wonder of Witchcraft and the Occult Student Club. Initially Ahura had thought nothing of the meeting, after all magic and the occult meant very little Ahura who spent his every waking hour fighting against his own mind. But something changed when they had arrived at the old trailer.
A suffocating sensation congested Ahura's throat. His breathing became heavy and lumbering. His vision became, blurry and his mind begun to throb with pain. A sickening feeling filled Ahura's heart with fear and desperation. He wanted to run to get as far from this place as possible. Something in AHura's broken spirit knew, they had stepped across some cosmic threshold. The rules that he had lived by, the rules the world existed by did not apply in this place and it terrified Ahura.
Unaware of Ahura's struggles the three of them sat with the woman, and proceeded to join her weird rituals. Ahura held back his terror as long as he could, until the ouiji board was brought forth. As the woman guided thier hands to the board, Ahura could not take his eyes of the creature on the other side.
The smell of rot and burning flesh, filled the air. The creature was a crude imitation of a man draped in grey rags, long and Lethe, his head hidden in shadows beneath a grey hood. An then their was that long slippery tongue that protruded the hood and hang above the board, dripping in saliva. No one could see it, no one but Ahura and as the group placed their hands on the board, it reached out to place its rot infested, seven fingered hands above theirs.
Ahura screamed, pulled his friends away and they bolted away from the Trailer park. Dem and Meryl never asked why. Ahura did not comprehend what he saw, did not dare to, but he knew for certain - do not touch that creature.
But here he was, desperate once again, standing in the trailer park outside the home of the old witch, the only person who could find his friends.
Ahura felt that terrible feeling again. He could feel himself crossing the threshold. But this time, that sickening puking feeling settled like a lump in his throat. Just as Ahura reached to knock on the door he heard her voice.
"Ahura Aten Ahmun." Ahura stepped back, and there crouched above the Caravan was a massive long limbed creature draped in black robes. But their hands were exposed. LOng double jointed and pale white arms. Their hood hang over their head, covering every feature in shadows. But the voice did not come from it.
"I welcome you."
Ahura turned behind to see a woman and a child.
The woman, was familiar, she was Lady Veleda, the woman who conducted the seance last time. She was delicate, and beautiful, draped in a long multicoloured dress, with a long yellow scarf draped over her shoulders.
But something was different. Ahura noticed it, a thin, rope like cord — like the umbilical cord of a newborn baby, that stretched out from the back of Lady Veleda's head, up and disappearing into the hood of the creature above the Trailer.
The child too, creepy and silent had a cord, that reached up into the creatures shadowy hood.
"Please." Lady Veleda pointed to the door of the trailer. "Come in."
Ahura hesitated, looking between the woman and the creature.
"Ah." The lady spoke with recognition. "You can see me. I wonder why that is? Increased resonance perhaps, awakening perhaps - no he is still just a hatchling, he has not made a choice."
"What are you talking about?" Ahura mastered the courage to mumble out.
"YOu of course. Now do you want to find your friends or not?" Lady Veleda motioned for Ahura to follow her and the child as she stepped into the trailer. "Well?" She asked part way through the door.
Ahura paused, he stared at lady Veleda, he stared at the creature above the trailer.
"Fuck." Ahura cursed and followed after them.
—————————————————————————————————
She made the best tea, sweet smelling and natural.
The insides of the trailer smelled natural and oceanic, peaceful and calming.
The trailer was dark, and littered with countless shelves, countless ornaments, art sculptures and oddly shaped totems that reminded Ahura of ancient art from lost civilizations. Some sculptures Ahura realized seemed like objects straight out of Meryl's sketchbook.
Lady Veleda poured some tea into a mug, as she handed it to Ahura and invited him to take a seat on the far end of her table.
The child stood creepily and unmoving by the door.
"Is that your child?" Ahura asked part curious, partly to break the ice.
"No, just a vessel." Lady Veleda answered. "You can learn so much, through the eyes of a child."
Fuck, Ahura cursed to himself, shit just keeps getting worse.
"Last time I was here..." Ahura stammered.
"That's not why you are here now is it?" Lady Veleda smiled. "You want me to find your friends."
"Yes please." It was all insanity now, and Ahura had delved in. He had no options, and she promised answers.
"Well, It is a little late now." Lady Veleda paused. "Where they have gone is now beyond you."
"Please just tell me a location." Ahura begged.
"I will, not that it will matter match. Especially not as you are right now." Lady Veleda, stirred her tea for a moment. Then motioned to the child. The child stepped behind the counter to reach for something in their kitchen.
Ahura watched silently as the boy returned with three vials, two were full of a red substance, the last one was empty.
"I will make you two offers, Ahura Aten Ahmun." She placed the three vials on the table before her. "Stay with me tonight. Let me give you want you need. Do not seek them and I can give you what you will spend a life time fighting for."
"And what is that?"
"Control." Lady Veleda smiled.
Ahura paused in silence.
"I can heal your mind. With this blood at this specific moment, the conditions are met - and a sacrifice is present."
"What about Dem and Meryl?"
"A sacrifice."
"No." Ahura answered.
"Careful child. Where you are going, you will wish for this moment again."
"Not without my friends."
Lady Veleda sighed. "Then I will make a second offer, When you return to me, when you make the choice. I will guide you to where your friends are."
"And what will it cost?"
Lady Veleda slid the empty vial to Ahura.
"The blood of a Nephylim of course."
————————————————————————————————————-
Lady Veleda gave Ahura the address, not that it would matter anyways she said. A choice will have to be made.
Ahura felt dizzy, that sick feeling he felt at the trailer park, still lingered within him. This feeling unlke last time, would not go away.
The Sun had set a few minutes after leaving Lady Veleda. The Streets of Hanna's little town centre where lit like embers in the distance of Ahura's rear view mirror. Ahura's old Corolla, sped down the highway into the night towards the Silver Heights estates on the outskirts of Hanna. Rich people country Dem called them, a series of acreages on the outskirts of town where the rich and powerful built their mansions and built thier homes. Who knows what secrets and dark practises where held out there.
The road was empty and dark, just Ahura and the beating of his Corolla. Speeding through the narrow two way roads, that run straight for miles. Every now and again, the bright lights of a speeding vehicle in the opposite directions would thunder towards Ahura, for a moment, at a distance, these racing cars seemed like trains aimed for him, and then as swiftly as they came, they dashed past his corolla, leaving behind a boom of wind and power that shook the small car and nearly hurled Ahura off the road.
"Shit." Ahura cursed as he held on tightly to his steering wheel.
The turn was easy to miss, a singular road marker, hidden by the corner of a few bushes.
Ahura sped past the turn, before noticing the words "98000D Silver Heights" captioned On a wooded plank besides a small inconspicuous gravel road.
Ahura hit the breaks hard, span the car, and worked his way back onto the side road.
10 minutes driving through gravel, and 5 homes later, Ahura found it. The Mansion on the Edge of the lake.
It was easy to spot. The three storey mansion had its lights on, as though some event was being held even into the late hours.
Ahura turned into the long drive way, and made his way up towards the home.
Seven cars were parked rather carelessly into the driveway. Doors, left open, cars parked too closely beside each other, Including a very familiar Jetta, Dem's car.
AHURA parked his car slowly, and stepped out. First he reached into his back seat and pulled out his old metal baseball bat, then he took a walk to Dem's Jetta and scanned it. No one was inside. Front seats flipped forward, keys in the ignition.
Movement at the back of Ahura's eyes caught his attention, he turned just in time, to see All the lights in the house flip off.
Suddenly Ahura was alone in the moonlight, stranded in pitch blackness and yet he could feel the pressure of many eyes watching him.
Ahura swang the bat onto his shoulder, and carefully made his way to the front door, which swung open at his touch.
The house was dark and empty. Before Ahura lay a long hallway that seemed to dive through the building to the kitchen at the far end. To the right of Ahura was a stair case that led up to dark empty hallways upstairs. A feint golden light sparked in the distance at the end of the Hallway ahead, and so AHura followed, like a moth drawn to a flame.
A few steps past a few rooms, Ahura noticed a portrait on the wall to his right, and a mirror on his left.
In the deem light, Ahura noticed the striking image of a silver haired man, with a stern expression and powerful soul gazing blue eyes. Ahura scanned down the image and saw a name, written in ink. "Albert Stroll."
Ahura made the mental note as he took a step forward, paused and gazed into the mirror. In the mirror, Ahura noticed a woman standing in the empty doorways, wearing a wedding dress. She glowed like the moon light in the darkness. As soon as Ahura noticed her, she lifted a single finger to her lips.
Ahura span away from the mirror to face the empty doorway, nothing. He turned to the mirror and she was gone.
"Beware of the mirrors." Lady Veleda had warned. "They are doors to different dreams, and many strange visitors often step through."
If this was an episode it was strange and different. If this was an episode, Ahura begun to fear, that there was no coming out of this one. Unconsciously Ahura's hand drifted to the pills in his left pocket. There was a way out.
"No not yet." Ahura promised as he pushed on through.
Arriving at the kitchen, Ahura noticed a small reading lap to his left, the source of the light. There on the dining table, sat a man with long curly black hair. Young and beautful, not too much older than Ahura. The man smiled, the kind of smile that warmed hearts and opened pockets.
"You must be Ahri." The man smiled. "Dem and Meryl talked so much about you."
The man stood up to meet Ahura with a handshake.
Ahura simply gazed at him. "You are?"
"Anton." The man smiled. "Please, have a seat. He motioned to the dining table."
Ahura looked around the place, shrugged and took a seat opposite Anton.
Suddenly, a woman, Ahura hadn't noticed appeared behind Ahura, holding in her hands a cup of tea.
"Please, drink." Anton smiled as he motioned to the drink.
"I'd rather not. " Ahura's eyes drifted to lights he noticed flickering outside the dinning room windows. "Where is Meryl and Dem?"
"Preparing." Anton explained. "Today is a big day for them."
"I'd like to see them."
"You will but not yet. They must complete their rebirth."
"Does that involve cutting out everyone in their lives?" Ahura asked as he stared intensely at Anton.
"No." Anton smiled. "Just you."
Anger, boiled inside Ahura's chest. "And why is that?"
"Metamorphosis requires sacrifice." Anton explained. "You were a hindrance to their change, a burden to their conscious. To depart this world requires the unshackling of the consciousness there can be no tethers no attachments."
"I could join them." Ahura tried to say trapped between anger and the sudden fear of losing his friends forever.
"No you cannot." Anton stated matter of factly. "Look at you, your mind is broken. You lack refinement, you lack control, even now your energy is a mess. You are like a Broken facet, controlling an overloaded dam of water. Open one inch, and you would explode into an ocean of violence and madness."
Ahura did not know what ever the fuck, Anton was talking about, but he did not like it.
"You are like a mad dog." Anton's face turned dark and suddenly grotesque. Ahura could see, something evil, crawling beneath his skin. "Better put you down now, before you spread the disease."
Suddenly Ahura felt a rope, tighten around his neck. Panicking, Ahura reached for the arms that grabbed him and wrestled against the hidden figures now attempting to strangle him to death. Three figures stood above AHura, two men, and the woman he had noticed earlier.
"When you are done, throw the body into the lake." Anton said as he stood up and head out through the back door. "Our host sure hates a mess."
Ahura was dropped to the ground, he could feel the sheering pain expanding through his throat, he could feel his neck tighten and his breath shorten. He was dying. But it wasn't the fear of death that scared Ahura. One question, burnt through Ahura's mind "What the fuck had he done to Dem and Meryl?"
And then Ahura felt it, his dark passenger. That old familiar friend, blind raw unbridled rage, flow through him, empowering him.
With one motion and incredible strength, Ahura grabbed the wrist of his assailant and snapped it. The man howled and screamed, Ahura did not care, spining to face his assailant, Ahura plunged his fingers into the man's eyes popping his eyes out, and grabbing is skull by the sockets as he hurled the man up onto his feet.
The other two figures stood in shook and horror, as Ahura slammed his screaming assailant into the woman. They tumbled away together a few feet away from Ahura, who turned to face the last man.
Bones, begun to ripple through the man's form. His head begun to twist unnaturally as his hands and shoulders begun to extend and elongate. Ahura could hear the sound of popping bones, and grinding teeth. The contorted deformed man howled loudly before lunging at Ahura. The creature was fast, blindingly and inhumanly fast, but Ahura played football. Ahura bent low, then dove hard for the creature's abdomen, grabbing the creature by the waist in a bare hug then smashing it into the cabinet. The two bodies crashed hard onto the floor, with Ahura landing ontop.
In one brief moment, terror could be seen in the eyes of the creature, as Ahura begun to unload into its face. Foreign power surged through Ahura and he unleashed it, pounding blow after blow into the creatures face until its howls turned into whimpers and gaggles of blood. Ahura did not stop until he pasted the floor red, in the creature's blood.
Ahura withdrew, the creature was dead.
At the corner of his eye, Ahura noticed the woman. Just as contorted and deformed as the dead man beneath Ahura.
But she was petrified scared. She watched Ahura in terror.
FIsts bloody, Ahura begun to stand and face her. She screamed an animalistic and horrific shriek that forced Ahura to cover his eyes, as she bailed out the back door in a desperate run.
No matter, Ahura thought. I will find them.
Ahura grabbed his baseball bat off the floor and followed after Anton and the Screaming beast.
—————————
Power surged through Ahura, and he ran. Every step faster than the last one. He run like a freight train towards a group of lights gathered by a lake in the mansion's backyard.
Then he noticed them, people dressed in white robes, walking down into the waters in some sort procession.
As he Ahura drew closer he noticed the beastly woman. She was sprinting towards the group screaming.
"Anton!" She screamed. "The beast escap—"
Ahura caught up, and with flick of his baseball bat, the woman's head was blown off its neck, curled into the air and landed into the he hands of Anton. Anton stood at the centre of the crowd, and watched as Ahura came to a stop before them.
"Like I said." Anton kissed the contorted face of the woman's head. Then his eyes deadly and full of rage gazed up at Ahura. "A mad dog."
Ahura lunged for Anton, but the crowd of men and women intercepted him. They contorted, and changed into the beastly disfigured insults to humanity. Reaching out they grabbed and pulled at Ahura. Empowered by a mystical force Ahura, blasted the heads off a few with this baseball bat, but arms, fingers and nails dung into his flesh, wrapped his arms, legs and thighs and held him in place.
Ahura screamed, in a howl of frustration.
Anton, smiled as he backed himself into the waters. Then Ahura noticed, Meryl and Dem where in the water with him, dressed in white robes.
"Dem, Meryl!" Ahura screamed.
They turned away and begun to walk deeper into the lake. Anton followed behind them.
Ahura howled as another surge of power burst through him. His muscles flexed with power, shrugging and hurling the countless bodies that had trapped him. Ahura leapt into the waters chasing after Dem, and Meryl but by the time he reached them, they were gone.
Ahura dived into the waters, but they were not there, all of them where gone.
"Where they are going you cannot follow." The voice of Lady Veleda echoed in Ahura's mind. "Not as you are right now."
Ahura made his way back to the shore. Where the men and women he had fought stood in a daze.
Ahura flexed his baseball bat ready to blow their heads off, when one of the men, turned to face him.
"Excuse me young man." The older gentleman asked Ahura. "Why am I here? And for Godsake why am I dressed in these robes?"
to be continued...