Blood rush by Cale Robinson
"The night silk sky drunk
in scarlet velvet zips,
fires that slid the pipes
that fuel the soul.
The sight is blurred
by an ecstasy of light,
blind like a bat
my senses empire.
The fauna, the flora, and
the awareness of my own,
rush to invade my encasement.
I am one with the world
whelming beyond grasp
way above its earth."
Then a strange smell caught my attention, it was metallic and stuffed and slightly acid. A noise came through the dark, like chants shouted by a battalion of synchronous men. I followed my nose and the little light I had. The smell divided into several I already knew, though I could not place them. I knew I smelled them before, but what and where? I was getting closer, because the voices as the smells were growing, empowered and distinctive...``Shit!''...the enthusiasm of the hunt played a prank on me, which filled me with dirt from head to toe. ``My mother is going to kill me!''. I could at least recognize one of the smells, it was quite familiar, it was... it reminded me of... it just gave me a bad familiar feeling and I have tasted it before for sure more often than I would like. My feet followed without excitation.
-``So what are we to do?'' - One single voice sounded alone...
-``We fight!'' - a sing-less quire sounded...
-``Why do we fight?''
-``For our place in the world!'' - Sounded like a brotherhood lemma... I wondered if it had rituals included, interested in spectate to such traditions. So I moved cautiously to peek at the reduced lighted clearing ahead as the dialog continued.
-``How do we fight?''
-``With our mind, with our body, with our hands.''
-``Ok. Let the servants in, shall their sacrifice help us in our quest!''
I could see now, from behind a tree trunk. There were almost twenty people, with black velvet coats and hoods, circling a huge bonfire and the ``single voice'' that wore the same black hood. On their right was what looked like a stone tomb. Its door opened freeing a yellowish light and several tottering bodies came out slowly in a row also in hooded coats, Bordeaux velvet coats with a rope around their waist. The ``single voice'' threw his coat to the back and a pair of dark wings expanded behind his shoulders. The fire light reflected on his pale skin and bleach brown eyes. An air flow passed his neck and I could taste the toasted bitter batman fragrance. The first Bordeaux hood came to him and left his coat slide through his back. His coat folded hanging from the belt letting his bare shoulders shine poorly.
I could smell his skin, he was human. What was a human doing here, and why was he part of this ritual?
-``From my blood collect the strength to power your higher purpose and may this part of me contribute to the fulfillment of your divine purpose!'' - The human said in a low chanting as glittering drips of sweat rolled down his neck.
Before I could believe my eyes, his words were ravished from his body in a stroke. The ``single voice'' advanced his face into the human's neck while all he could do was let a shy scream unfold his lips and lean his head back with eyes skimming vacantly the sky. I was at a somewhat considerable distance, but it almost looked as if...
The ``single voice'' pulled his head back, something dark dripping down his lips to his chin. - ``From your blood I draw the power and with it I will unfold the world.'' - He smiled with wild eyes clearly high in ecstasy. The other black hoods were pulled back or the entire coats dropped down the floor, their faces had vacant expressions and their bodies all had dark wings. Two batmen had darker skin, but even those looked pale as though the darkness had no strength on them. The row of humans moved, delivering one prey to each thirsty beast.
It couldn't be true, this time I had to be dreaming. None of the men refused, one hesitated, but eventually followed the pack. Then the bleach eyes gained darker tones as they marveled high at the stars above the trees. The humans fell down, and stumbled away in a rush without as much as a glance back, as if considering their purpose fulfilled. It wasn't the walk of shame, but the weakness that made them haunted back to the stony entrance, carried by one another. There were even some smiles I could only describe as smug in those leaving the party drained.
My heart was running crazy, my legs felt numb and weak. My left knee cave in and it wasn't until it touched the ground alongside with my hands that I realized my falling would sound out in the clearing and I should run for my life. My body reacted on its own, I tried to keep my eyes open and not stumble on anything, but I was more preoccupied with the sound of large wings beating in the air and the smells that seemed to suddenly be following me. Pain made my eyes close briefly after I went against a tree, the smells gained shape and position, even behind me I could see them all. I could not distinguish the trees that well, but I could better this way than with my eyes opened. I ran as fast as my toes allowed and used my hands to push me forward whenever I could. It wasn't a run nor a crawl, but something much more instinctive in-between, depending on my encounters with the different obstacles.
They were gaining on me and talking hysterically amongst themselves. They filled the tree tops disabling any raising moon light to meet the path I was taking, although I wasn't using my eyes but for brief moments when sporadic sudden impacts gained my curiosity. I was running so hard, but I had nowhere to go to. If I went back to the college meadow I would be a siting duck for these hawks. Nevertheless they were many and would catch me eventually if I stayed in the forest running in circles. I didn't even know that well how to orient myself within these trees. I should try changing my course slightly to the left and run for it once I left the trees.
They started to pull up and ease their flight, must have figured that once in the open space I was an easy target. I could probably scream, but the sun was rising so nobody should be left in the college. The only way was to come out directly near the gate and hope that these bats wouldn't want to show up outside, although the outside was not very populated. I started to feel the meadow behind the trees, it was fresh grass and small wildflowers. I bowed even more to the left. I was almost near the gate, I had to be. I started to see it, it was half closed and had still three meters between it and the tree line. I had to jump for it. So I thrust my body forward, my hands touched the leaves on the ground still in the shadows of the trees. My back curved, my legs bent around my arms and my whole body sprang the furthest I ever managed to. But before I felt the ground I felt pulling on both my shoulders. I didn't make it! I grabbed the wrists that were pulling me and attempted to scream, but my body was lifted up so fast that I couldn't get any air. I opened my eyes and the world beneath looked so peaceful and beautiful. It was a sunny fall morning, the trees had all the tones between yellow, orange, brown and green even more now that the sun was still rising pinking the sky and joining a bouquet of reds and purples to the pallet. Nature was splendidly ironic with my fortune.
-``Don't worry, you will be OK. I promise you, we just want to talk so you don't misunderstand..'' - A voice sounded from above me. I looked up, but all I could see was a shadow of a man interrupted periodically by a larger shadow, but his words did relax me and stopped my kicking and twisting attempts to escape.
I knew this voice, it was the ``single voice'', it was also, now that I could hear it clearer, the voice I heard in the first gym class we had. I could tell it was the bat's trainer. We landed before I could make much sense of what was going on, I could just move my feet to keep up with the velocity at which I was touching the ground. When I managed to stop, my knees fell on the ground and then my hands further on the side. Tears threatened to fall, but I grasped some leaves and grass with dirt I found under my hands and forced my fists closed as hard as I could. It was not the time for it! I had to be alert and strong, I had no idea of what was coming my way. I stood up, though my legs felt half the strength they needed to support me and blood wasn't reaching my head as much as it should. I couldn't really see much but I could tell I was back in the small clearing with the batmen only wearing trousers and looking at me like I was a foolish child who crashed the seniors party.
-``I am really sorry about that. Are you ok?'' - The ``single voice'' sounded now void but nice. Some other voices were protesting about the whole situation, but he kept on as if he couldn't hear them.
-``You shouldn't have been here. This area is restricted for the alpha squad.'' - His voice grew. - ``Does anyone know this wolf skin?''
-``I do.'' - I raced my eyes to find the accused, he had such a pale chest and blank face. He looked way beyond me, at the trainer. His bleach blue eyes were undaunted and dead, those eyes... those bleach lost eyes. He walked forward to meet us leaving behind the other ghostly figures. - ``She is a freshman from my classes.''