The sun shined so ever bright, casting its intrusive beams on the wooden floor, steadily moving towards his grumpy face. Nathaniel was far gone though, drowned deep in his dreams scratching his belly, tossing in his bed, searching for a cool side to continue his morning slumber when the phone on the end table began vigorously ringing.
His eyes were wide open like Dracula smelling the fresh scent of blood, adrenaline rushing through his veins, his head spinning from the monumental amount alcohol still trapped in his system---Uhhhh, why am I still alive?....I should have put that damn thing on mute….who the heck could that be? he looked upon his phone and the name popping up was no other than Daniel----That one day you just want to be left the freak alone…..he couldn't find a better time and day. "For crying out loud!! What?! what?!?!"
"Rise and grind brother how are you doing today?" he said loudly and enthusiastically.
"Seriously dude, its 8 a.m.! You really had nothing better to do than calling me?" he robbed his forehead.
"Don't blame me, you were the one who has been constantly texting me to make up some time for the grand meeting with the crazy guy…I am just here to deliver on my promise."
"Alright, when?"
"Whoa, that's it? Where is the excitement, where is the joy, big brother??!" he yelled taken aback as if Nathaniel was possessed or something.
"I really don't have time for your unfunny jokes right now." He took a deep breath and continued, "All you need to know is that I have had one of the roughest nights of my life. Now can you, for the love of God, tell me when can we go and see this guy?"
Boy, he sure as hell is not in a good mood---"Alright, alright, I'll stop. I had to beg my boss for a quick 2-hour break and after I gave her the orphan look, she caved in. I'd say 2 p.m. at Burggasse U6? How does it sound?"
"More like one of your meetings got cancelled and now you finally have time to ditch your brother in that abandoned building; 2 p.m. and you call me at this hour? Seriously? And they call me the dick in the family." He complained.
"Alright, I didn't think you would be in such a terrible mood. Was just trying to mess with you but is 2 p.m. ok?"
"How is that even a question?!? Of course, what other choice do I have? See you at 2, bye now!" Nathaniel hung up the phone and collapsed on his bed like a zombie.
Striding joyfully out of the office, he caught fresh air and took a deep breath, really contemplating the afternoon skies and enjoying the moment staring at the horizon, thinking about the bright future awaiting him, the endless possibilities….Daniel had finished yet another successful meeting, keeping everyone present satisfied while making his point stick in the final contract.
I don't need exterior source of motivation and power to keep doing what I do….I am my own boss and the maker of my own path in life, paving my way to greatness! I will be the first in our bloodline to become extremely successful and rich and there is nothing or no one to stop me!---he arrogantly proclaimed trudging to the crowded wagon of Vienna's subway.
Coming out of the station with the rest of the blandly dressed people of Vienna, he searched for his brother's unique attire. Now that's the easy part of the day. When he turned around, he was instantly faced with Nathaniel who had an annoyed expression on his face, his fist clutched and his eyebrows frowned, "Jesus man!! You need to stop doing that!" he didn't say anything. He was clearly still sick from the last evening, "At least you look better than you sounded this morning!"
"5 cups of coffee and 2 Aspirin pills later and of course I look better!!" he yelled angrily, robbing his forehead, "Remind me to stop drinking heavily, like ever again!" he said covering his eyes from the sunshine that felt like a whip from their mother disciplining him.
Daniel studied his features, he looked like someone on the run, his clothing seemed so random and out of touch, nothing like himself, "So uh, did you put on the first pair of clothes you came across?! Or did you close your eyes and hope for the best?!" he teasingly mocked his look, desperately trying to get him out of this mood.
"More like the latter" responded Nathaniel and stopped by a coffee machine.
"Wow, I have never seen you in such a terrible mood when the Temhos is involved----must have been a really rough night…"-----Nathaniel glanced at him, his eyebrows frowned in annoyance, slowly recovering from the previous evening, "Anyways, my questions shall wait. I asked Jenna regarding the abandoned building, lucky for us; she visits him every now and then to give him food and some clean clothes. I have put the location on my phone; we have to walk for a bit if it's alright with you, your highness?" he gibed.
"Seriously, no comedic timing, Daniel!?!" He staired upon the skies and the people around them----"Yeah, to hell with it I can walk. I could use some fresh air and sunlight, now lead the way peasant!"
They walked in silence, Nathaniel's eyebrows were still frowned, his lips sealed, in no humor to talk. The further they walked, however, the more his mood seemed to miraculously elevate as if some mysterious force was making him feel physically better---That last cup of coffee is finally hitting his system…he seems to be more tolerable than a few minutes ago.
Daniel's phone, made a noise and they stopped, "That must be it…that's the place that freak calls home.." an abandoned apartment building, the numbers 1921 written atop the entrance to its rusty gateway that made a squeaky sound when Nathaniel opened it, stepping upon the broken tiles of its patio while his hand touched the old walls that haven't been painted in decades.
Daniel contemplated the building; from the outside it looked like any other apartment with no inhabitants of course but the inside did actually give the creepy vibe of an abandoned place…more like a haunted mansion. His gut feelings were one of avoiding this place that was beyond renovation and repairment….there was someone watching them, he could sense it.
He watched his brother walk inside and he soon followed in his footsteps, constantly checking his creepy ambient. He noticed the roots and bushes that had grew from the old walls and had managed to break into the windows, like witchcraft from a scary fairy tale. How is this even possible?! Such an old, disgusting abandoned building here in the middle of Vienna?! It is almost like a set up or a scene from a horror movie….too creepy to be true----he said staring at his brother who was not stopping anytime soon but continuously walking.
"I think---I might remember this place….it was on the newspapers years ago." He robbed his chin, trudging into its halls, "The murder mystery building case…" Nathaniel gave a side glance to Daniel who seemed unmoved.
"Oh, yeah? What's the story?" he smiled amused knowing it to be some wild imaginary story from the depth of his mind trying to intimidate him.
"I just read, a few years ago that the Town hall has been trying to demolish the murder building for years but to no use." He said casually glancing back at his reaction.
"So…what were the murders all about?" he asked casually, still unmoved.
"The article was mainly about the demolition but---" he thought for a bit, "Oh yeah, apparently they were some murders here…several of them which went unsolved hence the inhabitants eventually all left." This finally cracked Daniel as he looked nervously to the entry of the halls.
Inside its hallowed halls, Daniel struggled to accept their actions, this made no sense, "Where are you going?! How long are you going to keep walking ?!" he stopped and protested.
"So typical of you…just follow my lead. You know that gut feeling you have been boasting about your entire life?!" he continued to stroll with a smirk.
"Oh yeah, what about it?!" responded Daniel, reaching his brother and walking side by side him. "Well, I think I have finally developed one of my own---I have a gut feeling something sinister is calling not only me but…both of us to its presence."
"Very funny, Nathaniel. These stupid pranks are not going to work on me anymore!" he checked his phone, he had no reception----What the hell is this place supposed to be.
"Believe what you may, I am not joking around!"
The long, endless corridors kept getting darker when suddenly a loud sound of pebbles falling down from one of the upper floors disrupted them, the squeaks of rats roaming around followed. They both noticed a black figure constantly moving from one side of the upper hallways to the other, watching them. "What the hell was that?!" an alarmed Daniel shouted.
"Relax! it was just a couple of dirty old rats.." he gibed unmoved, making no big deal out of it.
"Oh it was not just a couple of rats brother! You can feel some one following our every move too, now can't you?!"
"Yep, and that's the exciting part!! Now come on, the secret chapter is not going to decipher by itself!"
The halls looked the same as if they were walking inside a maze, but each time the passed by one, it simply got a shade darker, ever creepier. There were no more glassless windows to provide them with sunlight. It really got hard to see around so Daniel took out his phone and turned on its flash when suddenly they heard a whisper blown to the wind, "Nathaniel…..you have come, at long last!!!"
"Ok….the hell was that?! Nate I swear if it is one of your stupid pranks I will screw you ove----Nathaniel grabbed Daniel's shirt and pushed him against the wall.
"A. don't ever threaten me, B. I didn't even know the address before you showed up, you genius! How in hell's name would I pull a prank at this specific location?!" he stared into his eye intrusively, "Stop being a drama queen and just follow me or leave!"
In the midst of their argument they heard heavy treads taken at the end of the halls, Daniel pulled up his phone but the flash could not travel so far, the only light guiding them at that point was a flickering light bulb, merely helping Nathaniel see a dark figure walk quickly and make a turn on the corridors ahead.
"HEY!! HEY WAIT! I have to speak with you HEY!!" He ran behind him and so did Daniel but when Daniel got to the turn his brother was gone, there were no signs of him as if he disappeared into thin air.
"Ok, now this is becoming dumb….remind me to never partake in one of these stupid Temhos-related stuff…Nathaniel!?! Nathaniel?! Where are you brother!"
"Daniel, I found something! Come quickly…..Come to me!!!" a yell came not from faraway.
He searched around for the source of the voice, but he could not spot his brother, "Where are you!? I can't see you!"
"Come on!! Just follow my voice!"
Fearing the worst, he ran towards it all the while he tried to call an emergency hotline but to no avail, he still didn't have reception. "Nathaniel!!" he kept calling him as he ran, when all of a sudden, a hand from the dark corners pulled him in and before he was able to shout or scream for help, his mouth was covered by this mystery figure, "Sshush…shush!" Daniel was terrified, he could not see its face, "That voice…..I heard it too, and I can assure you it wasn't me!" Nathaniel came out of the shadows, revealing his face, gasping in fear…for the first time even he was afraid.
"Daniel, where are you brother!!" shouted the voice, they both got chills and feared the worst as they looked at one another, "Great…..now what!!" Daniel whispered angry and afraid trembling from the voice calling him.
"Now we find a freaking way out of here…" Nathaniel searched for a way out.
Why is he giving up so easily on this…..this is nothing like him-----Daniel wondered in fear but nevertheless he began running behind his brother. He seemed dead set on finding a way out from this endless maze.
As they ran through the wicked halls of the haunted building, Nathaniel's voice kept coming from all sides calling them to his aid, "I found him!! Come to me!!" there only source of light at that point was Daniel's phone, "What happened to yours? Mine is almost dead!! I knew I had to get a new battery for this freaking thing!"
"Mine was almost dead when we met earlier…..now it is all but a useless piece of garbage…" a swarm of bats came out of one of the dark rooms and flew over their heads, they instantly covered their faces and continued to run----Where the hell are bats coming from…..this isn't real----Daniel simply hoped for a way out when they reached a staircase leading to one of the upper floors----there might be windows we could jump off from----they both thought looking at one another in great hopes of finding a way out.
Running up the stairs, nevertheless, seemed redundant, "Great...another dark and creepy hall without end…."
Nathaniel carefully analyzed the hallway, taking a few careful steps forward, "No, not without and exit brother…this one has a shady, black door at the end of it…..maybe our final salvation." He waited for his reaction.
"Oh hell no, I am not taking another hit from this joyful ride…." Daniel crossed his arms and stood there, reluctant to make a move.
"Don't be stupid! That could be our only way out of this cursed place. Just….just follow me not like you got any other choice I may add." he hesitantly strolled towards it, the flickering lightbulbs guiding his way; when a creepy whisper in a foreign, unknown language echoed through the halls that was yet again calling them in---behind the door.
He ran, "That must be the call….it is finally mine!!" he yelled running.
"Wait!! If he is on the other side then he could be dangerous!!" he warned, running to his side.
"Not to worry, I brought us some extra tools, so to speak!" he stopped and swiftly handed over an extra knife and pepper spray while holding one on his hands.
He snapped them from his hand and submitted to his inevitable fate. Turning the doorknob, it seemed locked. Nathaniel tried to open it several times, but his efforts seemed futile for no matter how hard he tried, the door would not open.
They tried to open it together, but it seemed a lot harder than expected. "This damn thing is not locked, I know it!" talked a frustrated Nathaniel strugglingly trying to open the door while touching and analyzing its surface. It seemed wooden, but the door was extremely heavy and hard as if it was made of titanium.
After several minutes of struggle a squeaky sound interrupted their efforts, the door opened from the inside, a man in a very dark, fancy suit stood behind an empty table before them, light up candles surrounding the room.
The duo looked around curiously to the onyx walls when suddenly Daniel noticed the wooden floor which was carved into the two alchemy symbols of death and life. "Well, needless to say we have hit jackpot" mumbled Daniel.
The mysterious man looked at the two of them up and down with a unique, friendly smile but they could see through his eyes that he was not totally stable, his somewhat gray hair covered his forehead, his brown eyes unshakingly staring at their every move.
He was well shaved on the side with a goatee beard in the middle and the suit was surely very expensive….the color of which seemed very unique, as if it was searched specifically in the market for the darkest onyx black that money could buy… "Needless to say, this guy is not homeless else I wish more homeless people dressed up like him!" whispered Daniel from the corners of his mouth to his ever captivated brother who was far gone to notice anything wrong with their new companion.
As they continued to stare at the mystery guy's features, he opened his mouth and said in a devilish tone, "We have been expecting you! My most heartwarming welcome to the King Brothers!" he said in a witty English accent.
"Who is we?" said Daniel creeped-out, staring at him up and down like a freak.
"By the order of the Temhos the covenant that has served the host of the Temhos for millennia of course!"
Nathaniel stood still, he could not believe it; he had finally managed to find and meet the mad man. He fidgeted for a few seconds before he opened his mouth, "At long last, now tell me what do you know about the Temhos!" he said obsessively----And we are calling this guy the mad man---Daniel looked creepingly at his brother.
"All shall be answered in time child. Firstly, we must perform the ritual and decipher the last chapter." He glanced curiously at the two, Nathaniel looked excited while Daniel simply staired at him, dumbfounded----"I am assuming that is why you are here; that would be the key to the Temhos imprisonment location. But where are my manners, the name is Guthullu, pleasure making your acquaintance!"
"Oh, from Cthulhu…how very original and totally not creepy. Like this entire cursed place….were all those tricks necessary to scare us shitless like hopeless orphans?!" bickered Daniel analyzing him further, expecting the worst from both him and his brother.
Nathaniel did not listen to what his brother had to say, continuously staring at this mysterious figure-----Finally, I can't believe this is happening---my life-long dream will become reality--- his eyes obsessively fixed at Guthullu and he finally got the courage to open his mouth, "Very well, Guthullu what do you need for the ritual?"
"I do not know of the tricks you speak of, boy! I was simply following you around to make sure you would be guided by the book to my location….it appears the book did guide you….having a little fun in the process." He said to Daniel then turned to his brother, "The material required are not too complicated for this one! The book in your backpack and just a bit of your blood…"
"I will not hand over the books so lightly. What guarantee do I have that you won't steal it from me?!" he said in a strict tone, defensively.
"This is going to be harder than I thought…Christ…well don't you think I had already access to that book from decades ago?! Who do you think guided you to that dusty little aisle at that local library?" Relieved, Nathaniel quickly folded his sleeves and offered his arm for a sample---"From both of you that is! A few drops will suffice…and the map of ancient Mesopotamia on the sphered chapter!"
He quickly handed over the Whispers of the dark to Guthullu and waited for the next step, "Oh, so you are paranoid and delusional and on top of that a sort of cult leader, how beautiful! See Nathaniel, this was what I was afraid of the most, I told you it would be the local freak show! Not only did he pull some circus like tricks to drive us crazy but now he is asking for a few drops of blood…what are you?! A Satanic cult leader too?!"---he shouted in anger awaiting a logical reaction from Nathaniel. But of course, what else did I expect.
Watching his brother's obsessive eyes and indifference towards his statement, Daniel turned reluctantly towards Guthullu, "And how is that going to help us decipher and find the damn thing, oh great leader!? Because all this makes absolutely no sense to some of us normal people, you know!"
"It will make sense in time, boy! Patience is key here-----now this will hurt a little," he let out an evil laughter, "Who am I kidding, this here is a ritual knife---it will probably hurt a lot." He shouted in an evil tone scaring the living soul out of them while they looked at one another. All they could see was fear in each other's eyes.
Guthullu proceeded to use the red hefted ritual knife on their forearms, cutting and making a tiny scratch enough for a few drops of blood, "AHHHH, YOU INGLORIOUS BASTARD THIS HURT SO FREAKING MUCH…..GOD THE PAIN IS UN..BEARABLE." The two screamed in agony.
As the drops were spilled on the map, they began to circle and move towards a specific location, "It is going towards the Tomb of the Temhos' last harbinger…that's the spot he was probably imprisoned for his heinous deeds." Nathaniel talked in awe; they could not believe their eyes.
"I stole this book from the ruins---this was but a translation of the original one; an archeologist found the ancient book in clays, made the necessary translations but eventually went mad. Nevertheless, I had the perfect opportunity to steal it and bring it back to Europe where I secretly stored it in the most remote location."-----Well at least now it makes sense why it was in that library----Nathanial felt relieved.
"The ritual has begun it will take several minutes but once completed the chapter will be at long last deciphered."
Minutes passed like hours as they awkwardly stared at each other. Nathaniel's heart pounded harder by the second, anticipating and wondering what would come next while Daniel awaited the camera crew of a prank show to barge in the room and finally reveal the cruel ploy of a random TV show.
In the midst of their thoughts, nevertheless, the book began to open by itself while a force lifted it towards the ceiling, circling endlessly. Eventually, waves of shadow were released from it and scattered into the onyx walls. They formed symbols unknown to any of them. They shined blood-red briefly before they disappeared leaving not even a single trace. The book was slowly rested on the table in front of Guthullu, the chapter was at long last deciphered. A lion's head appeared on the map, hinting at the location they had been looking for.
"Why are you doing this again? If you're after the Temhos then I got news for you my friend...I am not really well known for my amazing sharing traits, p.s. I hate charities." Nathaniel threatened obsessively, ready to strike him down.
Guthullu was unmoved by the statement, "Relax child, I'm here to serve you as the future harbingers. The Temhos has chosen you, the King Brothers to wield its powers since childhood. I am simply here to help with the prophecy."
Daniel immediately lashed, "What?! How is this possible, this is madness!! Why would the Temhos want us as its wielders? Just a few minutes ago I thought for a very long time by the way, that this thing was just another bizarre fantasy coming out of my brother's wild imagination and now this, this is absolute bananas!!"
Guthullu sighed and tried to control his frustration, "For the love of the Creator relax Daniel, as stated like 100 times now, all will be answered in time. Now, now you can go, preparations need to be made, we have to make a quick visit to---Iraq and retrieve the Temhos." He put his hand behind his waist, holding his head high pridefully, "You will be called at the appointed hour….very soon---oh also, children you passports have been retrieved from your residence for legal purposes…..visa and other goodies."
"You cannot be serious. With a simple chapter deciphered you want us to believe that we can find this----myth and wield its powers?? I don't believe a word coming out of this guy's mouth!" he turned to Nathaniel in disbelief.
"Be a believer or a denier, boy! The Temhos will have what it wants one way or another. This is a process 28 years in the making…."
"Come on brother it will be an unforgettable adventure besides we will get what we always wanted."
Daniel glance at his brother a look of anger on his face and voice, "You will get what you always wanted. I never signed up for this!"
"It's becoming late now you really need to leave---besides this place gives me the creeps and on top of that, it is going to be demolished soon."
"What? I thought you lived here?!?!" they said almost simultaneously.
"Oh, please I might look a bit off and odd but I'm not that crazy to live in a dump like this. I have a decent apartment somewhere nice around the city….which I was not willing to use for the ritual…the powers of the Temhos tend to linger longer than anticipated."
"WHAT?! What about your wife? The woman who I work with is she playing a role in this too?!"
"Oh Jana is a good friend of mine who owed me a favor or two—that was a way for her to repay her debt. She told me a few hours ago that you were interested in visiting me for…charity purposes, so I came in early to meet you guys here."
"Oh my God---I feel so used this is…..I feel like all my life is a lie!" Daniel panicked and looked deeply to the floor in disbelief and horror.
"Oh dear, he is overreacting and playing the victim again---that is how he won our mother's heart all the time---I always wish I was a good of an actor as this bastard over here." Nathaniel joyfully stood against a wall, his arms crossed a smirk across his face.
"Shut up, I never played a role, you were always the actor!! I was always for real."
"Enough children!! We have to leave! I will contact you as soon as our visas are ready which---shouldn't take long considering our contacts at the embassy. Now come here, with the final chapter deciphered and you guys safely guided to this room, you should be able to see the way out clearly once more!" He pointed out the door for them to leave.
"What do you mean by that?! What were the voices we heard….did the Temhos have anything to do with it?!"
"Oh, nothing in particular, Daniel! This….cursed building has a little tragic story attached to it…one of romance, passion and…..death.
"Lovely, I could use some romantic, tragic themed story for entertainment, please…do go on!" Nathaniel said jokingly.
"Rumor has it that a few years after the construction of this place between the two wars, a young man's wife left him for his brother….he became so angry and mad and, in an act of ultimate revenge, he plotted to kill them….the walls of his apartment filled with names carved with his own blood but before he was to do anything, the local authorities found his body hanging from a noose….they concluded that it was a typical case of suicide but….folks who had lived here tell of…..disturbing events taking place in the dead of the night. Voices of the dead loved ones….nightly screams of agony from the halls and blood stained, carved names on the walls of the inhabitants of a certain apartment that would end up missing the very next day…..eventually everyone left the building. It has been abandoned ever since…..Now here we are at last!"
Without even realizing how far they had walked together, Daniel came back to his senses, the skies were already dark, how long had they been trapped there?! It did not matter for all three of them were at the entrance of the abandoned building strolling together.
"So how did you become part---" Nathaniel turned to him again but the madman was gone, like a ghost without a trace or sound. "Where the heck did he go…" he strolled, dumbfounded.
"Whatever…." He chuckled, "Did he really expect us to believe his little ghost story?!" Nathaniel mocked.
"To me he was nothing but a freak….he gave me the chills and not the ones we felt on the hallway…and to think we have to probably work with freaks like this for the rest of our lives…all thanks to you Nathaniel" he stated resentfully pointing to his brother.
"You are doing it again, we haven't even begun our epic journey and you are already complaining like a little baby. All this shows that deep down you always knew the Temhos is real that is why you are not so shocked at what took place!"
"That's not true!!"
"Relax, who knows?! Maybe all that was a sick joke---you never know when your face will pop up on channel 2's you have been punked!" he said jokingly, chuckling.
"I for one hope you are right…really wish that all that was just a prank and that that damn book did not magically flew towards the ceiling, rotating endlessly on its own---it just seems too creepy to me---also the part in which they stole our passports….not cool wtf, who the heck do they think they are breaking into our homes like that?"
"You do need to give them credit; they didn't break a sweat---I would have never known that thing was gone for months."
"Don't be so naïve, brother they might have stolen them while we were talking to that freak---imagine going back to your apartment and seeing everything messed up---that reminds me, Lea is alone at home…I HAVE TO RUN!" Shouted Daniel, quickly raising his hand for a cab.
"Love you too Daniel xo, xo!" Nathaniel simply took the first train back home.