Patrick, Andrew and Emily got home just after sunset. Andrew did not bother to clean out his backpack. There was not much food left, anyway. He got into a cool shower and felt better after all the sweat of the day had been washed away. He was sitting on the couch watching TV, but his mind and body were tired. He needed a well-deserved rest, so he decided to go to bed. It seemed like the whole family felt the same way because all the lights in the Edison house were out just past ten-o'clock.
Andrew lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He thought about the voice he heard in his head earlier. Although there was a presence of evil in town, what could he possibly do to get rid of it? He knew he was strong, but that was not enough to overcome the evil that was facing his family. Why would they have seen the Viking ship? It could not have been his imagination because they had all seen the same thing.
Andrew's eyelids started feeling heavy. The point of focus on the ceiling became nothing but a blur as he drifted deeper into his subconscious mind. It was the first time in many years he had a dream. The ocean was raging with large swells as lightning cast bright blue forks in the black sky. A large wooden ship was periodically falling and rising in the midst of black mountain-like swells. With battalion precision, the ship was steered by means of large ores and a creed of determination. Water spilt over the sides, but the rough crowd on the ship were focused on an invisible destination. Although they had no stars or moon to navigate them through the grim sky, they had a song of vengeance in their hearts and battle in their minds. The storm subsided a little, and some stars started piercing through the dark veil of clouds. The storm calmed and soon the ocean was almost a flat structure reflecting the glistering moon.
The ship approached the shore in the distance as the sun made its appearance above the wall of water sending rays of excellence into a brand-new day. The ship was close enough to the shore for the men to jump overboard. They made their way to the top of a mountain where they started building a shelter. They were large men with muscular arms, torsos and legs. Their hair had been braided which hung over their broad shoulders and chests.
It was night again when a huge storm approached, sending prominent dark clouds flying across the sky. Large waves crashed against the shoreline, punishing anything in their path. The Viking ship was pushed and shattered against large rocks protruding from the dark water.
A premonition had occurred to the men of something coming their way whereupon they buried their leader's bones in a wooden cube deep underneath the ground. Soon all the men had disappeared leaving Andrew alone on the hill.
Andrew felt himself being drawn to the grave. He was walking barefoot over the barren land. He felt the sharp objects piercing the skin underneath his feet, but he did not care much for he had a greater purpose and destination, a place where pain was nothing, a place of bravery, a place of courage and power where fear had no right of existence. He got into the hole and started digging feverously with his bare hands. There was a burning pain on his fingertips and knuckles as they cut through the sand.
You are close, my boy. Don't give up. We have a destiny, you and I. Time is running out. Come, join us. Feel the power in your heart and soul. Free us, unleash the brotherhood to stand by your side. The voice surrounding Andrew gave him more courage to dig even faster. He felt something hard underneath the ground, something solid like a coffin. His nails scraped the rough surface. He could hear hollowness underneath. Some of his nails started to splinter while others folded back. He knew his fingers were bleeding where the nails had been torn off, but it did not matter. Andrew realised he had reached the cube of Emily's dreams. A surge of excitement spiked through his body and mind as he dusted off the large square surface of the cube.
He broke off a branch of a nearby tree and started digging around the cube. He wedged the branch in between the side of the hole and the cube. He pushed the branch. The cube started to move as the ground loosened around it. He wedged the branch in from all sides, slowly releasing the cube.
Do you feel me inside of you? Do you feel the power that is about to become yours? I have been waiting for centuries. We have too much ahead of us. The voice was back and Andrew felt a new wave of strength spilling over him. His hands and arms were burning from exhaustion. His fingers were screaming pain, but he was too close to something magical that he no longer care about the physical health of his body. Something awaited inside the cube, something he was destined for.
Andrew dug some more. He wedged the branch in between the cube and the sides of the hole again. He pushed the branch some more and felt the cube shift up a little. The sand filled the hole underneath as it fell through the sides. Again he wedged the branch from the other side. The cube was lifting up from what had been its grave for so many centuries. Andrew could see the ropes that were wrapped around it for protection from Mother Nature. He was surprised by the lesser level of damage to the ropes and box over the many years. He found loops on the sides of the box. He grabbed them and pulled with all his strength. The box was not as heavy as he expected, but he could hear something loose inside. Andrew placed the box down on the side of the hole. He regarded it from all angles, looking for an easy way to open it and see what was inside. There was no latch or lock that kept it shut. Andrew was too anxious and decided that the box had to be opened by brute force. He picked up a large rock and started hitting the box repeatedly. The sound was hollow but there was also something else. He could hear the wood crack underneath. Soon the ropes started to splinter.
Do you feel me?
Andrew was like a mindless machine as he repeatedly smashed the box with the heavy rock, faster, harder. The damaged rope parted and formed a hole. Andrew grabbed the adjacent ropes and pulled hard until they parted from the box. He stripped the box from the ropes and noticed the damage he had done to the wood underneath. Excitement possessed him once more. He pushed his fingers into the crack and pulled. Splinters stuck into his hands and fingers as the lid broke apart.
Feel the rage.
The process was too slow. Out of frustration mixed with excitement, Andrew started hitting the lid with his fist, shattering the remaining wood. The blood from his fists splattered onto his face. Some of his knuckles and finger bones shatter, but soon he had an opaque view of what was inside. The cube was open.
He could see something at the bottom, but it was too dark to make out what it was. He reached inside and touched an orb-like, but smooth object. A surge of energy pulsed throughout his body and beamed through his eyes. It felt like thousands of volts running through each of his fibres. The pressure in his head was unbearable and for a moment he thought he was going to die. He wanted to let go of the object, but his hand would not obey.
You have been chosen, my son. The voice shouted.
Andrew could feel his eardrums rattle. He heard other voices at the same time, almost like he was standing in a room full of drunk people. Only drunk people did not always shout. At least not all at the same time, anyway. Andrew could not understand what was happening. His heart thudded loudly against his ribcage. He knew he was about to die. He was never supposed to open the box. Some things were better left buried and hidden away. Some things were not meant to be found by human beings, especially when they were ancient. His lungs were on fire from the lack of oxygen. The power running through his body seized all his bodily functions.
Images started flying through Andrew's eyes, penetrating his brain. Hysterical screams grew from Viking ships that were devoured by raging fires. Horrid images of babies being murdered and stabbed repeatedly with crooked and rough-edged swords. Others were simply beheaded by a clan bearing the mark of the beast. Women were repeatedly raped before their throats were brutally slit. The outnumbered Viking men were tortured. They were tied down to poles and burned alive. Their last images were of their wives and babies being brutally murdered. One by one the Viking ships were destroyed as they were consumed by the flames. None of them ever knew that exploring for a new home would end up in a painful massacre, a massacre they never asked for. The pointless killings were done while they were enjoying themselves.
Andrew found himself screaming with the little breath he had left. He had never felt so much agony in his entire life before nor had he ever witnessed such carnage. Not even the darkest movie he had ever seen came close. Andrew did not recognise his own voice anymore. Looking up at the sky he uttered a loud road of hatred and sorrow.
More images cut through his brain...
Soon the screaming of women and children was no more, only the crackling fires and flames reflected by the dark ocean. No one was alive except for one warrior floating on his back, his unconscious body gently rocking to the rhythm of the waves. By the time he had gained consciousness, his mind was altered to a point of near insanity. He had witnessed what no human ever thought possible, the darkest level of fear, anger and hate. He knew one thing, and that was all that mattered. He knew the clan bearing the mark of the beast, the clan who destroyed his friends, wife and children was heading south. He prayed to God for strength to avenge his enemy. He prayed for direction, a direction to their origins. For many days and nights, he floated in the vast ocean. His body was dehydrated and his stomach empty. Some of his organs started to shut down except for his hallucinating brain. His lips were cracked with sunburn. He drifted in and out of consciousness, floating, trapped in a dark ocean of sorrow and fear. His mind ventured to the brink of darkness. His spirit started separating from his earthly body, drifting high above. It travelled over the water and ascended to the clouds. The continents came into view, something he had never seen before. He saw a continent in the middle of the ocean and homed in on the South of it, almost like a camera zooming in on something far away. He knew then where the origin of his enemy was. Although the origin was known, he was dying slowly in an ocean of madness. He would never live to see the last of his enemy fall. His spirit returned to his body one final time. Something was happening. He knew it was the last image of his life before he would go to the other dimension of his forefathers. He felt his body being raised from the water. For a moment a sparkle of hope gave his heart just enough courage for a few more beats. His remaining brothers had come to his rescue. They took him on board a ship. After an endless battle between life and death, he woke up in a place not foreign to him. It had been his home for many years before they decided to explore for other potential lands to raise their families.
He was regarded by the grim faces of his brothers. They knew what had happened and their faces conveyed the feelings he felt in his heart. He knew there were not many of them left, not after they had been attacked and murdered which almost wiped out the entire brotherhood. He soon felt strong enough to set sail again. He gathered all his brothers. They were a little over a dozen when he set sail to the land he had seen in his vision.
Again they were outnumbered, but the hatred they had in their heartless bodies and minds far surpassed the strength of the enemy. Slaying the enemy became a pleasant sensation as they fell one by one. They easily held their new territory destroying everyone who opposed them until one day. There was a surprise attack from the clan wearing the mark of the beast. It would not have been any different from the previous attacks, but it was. Amongst the clan, was something else far more superior than they have ever encountered. Someone or something with an ancient power of an unknown origin. The creature was strong, too strong. Visions from a dark place were lingering in his black pools of eyes with a presence of hell surrounding him. The Viking brothers fell one by one as the creature slew them.
Another powerful force jolted through Andrew's body. He felt aches all over as his skeletal structure started to crack and shatter. His ribcage expanded and his legs wanted to collapse but something magically held him up. His heart thudded loudly and his head wanted to burst open from the sides. The ancient bones inside the wooden cube disintegrated into dust that started drifting up in the air. It floated towards Andrew's body and penetrated his skin. He could feel it attaching to his own bone structure.
In the midst of his intense agony, Andrew could sense a grey fog floating towards him. The fog grew into different faces and shapes. One by one, the faces became clear before they entered Andrew's body through his chest area. Each time a spirit entered Andrew's body, it felt like he was breathing hot ashes with a cold chill running down his spine. Andrew wished that it would end. He wanted to die. He could not take the blinding agony any moment longer. He wondered why he ever decided to open the box. The curiosity he had was not worth the horrible death he was about to face. Andrew fell to his knees and witnessed one more spirit waiting to enter his body. He did not have room left for more pain. He knew it was his last moment. There must have been a dozen of spirits inside him already, but it did not matter anymore. He felt a sharp pain in his chest. His heart was torn to shreds. At that moment, all pain and chaos in his body and mind seized. It was like the screaming contrast between day and night, black and white, pain and pleasure.
Andrew was still on his knees. He lifted his head slowly and took in his surroundings of the early morning hours. He had a new appreciation for nature and silence. A refreshing cool breeze gently stroked over his body and rattled through the grass. He looked at the box in front of him again. It was almost empty except for one more object. He retrieved it and noticed that it was a short staff with a stone attached to the top. The stone started radiating a purple-illuminating glow. Andrew was sucked in by its beauty, mesmerised by it. Almost like an insect that is drawn to a lantern on a dark night.