Apotheosis of the Immortal (3 page)

Chapter 4

He dug a
deep grave next to the stone and placed his mother inside as gently as he could. The smell of sod and wet dirt was comfortingly familiar. When he looked over at the huge pile of dirt, it seemed to be climbing its way to the top of the stone, the way he and his brothers used to. Their mother would sit on the stone and tell stories or sing songs while he and his brothers climbed all over her.

She told them wonderful tales of courage and love, heroes and villains, stories that had fired his imagination. He realized now they hadn’t just been stories. Now Elijah had seen villainy and known the deepest of evils, but he was no hero, nor did he want to be. He had no desire for justice or peace. He would not seek recompense or to balance the scales. Nothing could restore what had been taken. So he would bring punishment; he would bring balance; he would bring death.

A nice enough place
.
She loved it here.
He knew his mother would have approved of her eternal home.

After filling in the grave, he said his tearful goodbyes and started walking. He knew he would never see this place again, nor did he want to. It was too late in the day to make it very far before dark, but he didn’t want to stay another night in this place, and oddly, he wasn’t at all tired from the digging.

A small stream stretched both east and west of the small cottage where he grew up. Sara still lived with her parents in a cottage much like the one he had known for so long. It was only about an hour’s walk through the dense forest, following the stream to the east. His steps were quick and light. He wasn’t running, but he moved with an ease and speed that astonished him.

He initially dismissed it as excitement, but he couldn’t explain it away when he saw the small cottage off in the distance in barely half the time it should have taken him to get there.

He could tell it was dark, but he could see with a startling acuity, much deeper into the night than ever before. Staring once again towards the cottage, he noticed something was different. Curiosity and concern set his feet in motion, and he took off at a full sprint. His feet pushed from the ground as if he were weightless; he launched himself forward with every step.

What is going on?
How can I be moving this fast?
He made it up the steep hill to the cottage with amazingly little effort; he wasn’t even breathing hard. He was barely even breathing at all, actually. Still, his body was stronger than ever!
Am I losing my mind? Am I dying?
He was frightened and exhilarated at the same time.

The far end of the cottage had been destroyed. The roof and logs were all in ashes, and only a pile of rocks remained. The smell of burnt wood and thatching filled the small clearing. There was also another smell, one Elijah didn’t recognize, but the sickening feeling that stole over him filled him with dread. When he rushed over to look at the destruction left behind, seared flesh and bone sticking from the ashes confirmed his horrified suspicion.

“Sara!” he exclaimed. “Sara!” There was no response. Dead silence. Though it had been buried deep, he had hoped his brother might somehow have been wrong, and she might still be alive. That hope was now completely crushed. Clearly she had died with the rest of her family.

Slumping to the ground, he leaned his back against what was left of the stone foundation and wept.
Why would they do this to Sara and her family? It makes no sense!

He didn’t know how he could keep going after this, but as his thoughts drifted away from his precious Sara and towards his father and Solomon, hate drove him to his feet. Yes, hate would keep him moving towards his purpose.

He thought briefly about burying what he could find of the bodies in the house, but decided it wouldn’t make any difference. It would only slow him down. The only difference he could make now, for anyone, was to find and kill the ones responsible, those who remained of his family.

Chapter 5

Elijah had never
been far from home. He knew there was a small town somewhere on the river to the east; he had been there with his father when he was younger. He couldn’t remember exactly how far the town was, only that it hadn’t taken more than a few days to get there. He didn’t know how yet, but he needed to stock up on some supplies.

Pushing himself up from the broken cottage wall Elijah thought he noticed movement coming from within, beneath the ash and rubble. Maneuvering closer, he spotted a foot sticking out from beneath some thatching.
Sara?
Could she be alive? His heart leapt as he climbed inside to investigate.

As he lifted the thatching he was aghast at what lay revealed at his feet. Sara wasn’t moving; her withered body looked like a corpse. Elijah kneeled down beside her and wiped the blood and ash-stained hair from her face. She was still beautiful.

Suddenly, a cloud of ash flew into the air as Sara’s body convulsed furiously. She heaved and coughed, and then her body became still once more.
How can she still be alive?
The thought sent Elijah into a panic; he had to keep her alive, but didn’t know how. Sliding his arms under her, he shoved to his feet, cradling her frail body as he rushed to the riverbank.

Desperate and unprepared, he tilted her head back and poured a handful of water down her throat. There was no response. Elijah searched for signs of life, but found none. She wasn’t breathing, and he couldn’t feel her heart beating.

Unsure of what to do next, he decided to carry her to town, hoping someone there would know what to do for her. It was dark, but Elijah felt there wasn’t much time. He still wasn’t tired, and he urgently needed to get help for Sara.

He ran as hard as he could, never getting tired or weak. He was impossibly fast. What had happened to him? What was the source of this new power? How long would he have it? He didn’t know, but thought his father might.

Elijah was still running towards town when Sara’s body suddenly convulsed again, jerking against his arms as she gasped for air. Looking down, he saw her eyes open for just a moment. His heart practically leapt out of his chest with joy. It was the first time he had seen her beautiful eyes in nearly three years, the first time since his father had decreed that Solomon would be the one to marry her.

He rushed to the nearest tree and placed her gently on the ground beneath it. He propped her head and back against a large, protruding knot. Her breathing was shallow, but pressing the side of his face against her chest, he could feel it gently rise and fall with each gasp for air. Thrilled, he ran back down the path and retrieved another handful of water from the river. This time, as he poured it into her mouth she gagged violently and spewed it back out. That worried him, and he found himself praying for the first time in years, and to gods he no longer believed in. Then he stopped, reminding himself that if the gods did exist, they had already forsaken him.

“Sara. Sara.” He spoke softly, but received no response. Although he was still unsure what to do, each breath she took was cause for hope. Elijah decided to let her rest awhile beneath the thick canopy of leaves that provided a bastion against the breaking dawn.

Hopefully she would regain consciousness soon. Elijah was anxious to learn exactly what had happened to her and how she was still alive. As the hours passed, he discovered that, although his body was now stronger than ever, his mind was beginning to drift and lose focus.

Perhaps it was a reaction to the tragedies of the past night and day, or something else he didn’t understand, but his mind was somehow undone. He decided to lie down next to Sara. The idea of getting some sleep comforted him, although he knew his gripping concern for Sara would probably make sleep impossible.

He lay there with his eyes closed for what seemed like hours. He thought about his entire life. But brutal images of his mother and Malaki continued to surface, even when he tried to concentrate on something pleasant. There were moments when the clouds seemed to part and he could see his mother’s beautiful face and hear her voice, but those images would soon fade and be replaced by the gruesome scene that had confronted him at the bottom of his stairwell.

Elijah had no idea how much time had gone by when he began to hear voices. Sitting up, he saw five men walking along the river path from the east. His only thought was to hide Sara; he feared what they might do to her.

But there was no time to conceal her, so he decided to try to draw them away. One of the men caught sight of him just as he stepped into the road.

“Hey you, boy, what are you doing over there?” As the man spoke, he lurched closer, lifting his chin belligerently and narrowing his eyes. The other men followed; they were all approaching fast. Elijah could now tell from their look and manner that their intentions were as vile as their stench.

“Just headed to town for some supplies.” Elijah smiled awkwardly, quickly shifting his eyes away from the man’s menacing stare.

“Are you alone, boy?” As the man spoke, he looked around, as if to see for himself.

“Yes, I am.” Elijah knew they were dangerous, but he didn’t have many options, and his anguish over all that had happened made him feel like he had little to lose.

“Well, go ahead, empty your pockets. Hand over your silver.” The man stepped closer and the others circled around Elijah. The leader was about Elijah’s height and was wearing all leather, except for a wool tunic.

His speech revealed a nasty set of teeth, some yellow, mostly black. He was perhaps the ugliest man Elijah had ever seen. His fat nose bulged inches from his face, and his long, greasy hair was knotted into patches. His men weren’t as ugly, but shared the same putrid stench.

“I don’t think I will.” Elijah’s voice was nearly a whisper. He had no silver, but his anger and frustration had reached a boiling point, driving him to taunt the small drove of bandits. Elijah carried no bag, and his clothes were nearly rags. What could they possibly expect to find?

“You are on your way to get supplies, so you must have some silver. Now give it to me, boy!” He hauled out a knife as the two men behind Elijah grabbed him by the arms and pressed firmly against his shoulders. Elijah didn’t resist. “I’ll just gut you and take it myself.” Spittle flew into Elijah’s eyes and mouth as the man bawled out his threats.

The men surrounding him now smelled even worse than their leader looked. Elijah could barely force himself to breathe. He thought he might be killed if he struggled, and worried what would become of Sara if he did. Still, his hate drove him on, and he decided to fight anyway. It was selfish and baneful men like these who had just ruined his life. As the man in front thrust his knife forward, Elijah instinctively jerked his right arm free. The man who had been holding it was flung into a tree rooted a few feet from the path.

Elijah’s power still surprised him and, what was even more surprising, these men now seemed to be moving in slow motion. It took little effort to quickly redirect the thug’s knife and shove it straight through his throat. The two men standing beside the knifed man drew swords.

Elijah grabbed the man to his left by the throat and crushed it with ease. Then, as Elijah threw him forward, his flailing body knocked over the man who still stood before him. That man fell hard on his back as the dead man crashed against his chest.

Elijah remembered there was a fifth man behind him and turned quickly, but was met with a sword. The bandit thrust hard, and the sword sank deep into Elijah’s abdomen. The other two men had risen to their feet and stood proudly above the seemingly defeated Elijah.

The three men watched and laughed as Elijah fell to his knees groaning. The men stood there jeering as one man spat on him and another kicked him in the side. Elijah was sure he was dead, but then, after the initial shock wore off, he began to feel strong again and struggled back up onto his knees.
What have I become?
he thought.

Their faces immediately turned to shock as they watched Elijah clasp the sword by its blade and pull it slowly out from beneath his sternum. Throwing the sword to the ground, Elijah climbed to his feet and glared at the wide-eyed trio. He began walking towards them, his only goal to crush them utterly. After seeing his power and the look in his eyes, the three men turned and ran away as fast as they could. Elijah thought about letting them go, but the anger burning within him overruled the impulse.

He was at their backs in a flash, snapping the first man’s neck midflight. He hammered his palms into the other two from the back and they both fell headfirst onto the path before them. Without hesitation, Elijah walked over and smashed in one man’s head with his heel. He watched as the last man crawled backwards. He enjoyed seeing him wriggle like a worm on a hook as he begged for his life.

“You would have me give to you the life you were so eagerly and callously going to steal from me?” Elijah was furious. He knelt down beside the man, who was now crying and begging.

“Shhh.” Elijah’s calm voice and demeanor quieted the man while Elijah gently held his head still, framing his face with both hands. He looked deep into the man’s eyes. He didn’t know what he’d hoped to find there, perhaps a reason for all this, for evil, something he could recognize and put his finger on. He found nothing, no reasons, just the desperate eyes of a man who wanted nothing more than to see another day.

People are just evil; it pervades us all,
he decided. He snapped the man’s neck and gently lowered him back to the ground.
Even me
. He looked back, examining the carnage left in his wake, and a guilty satisfaction broke across his chest. The entire experience had been bittersweet, but mostly bitter.

He suddenly noticed one of the bodies lying on the ground was still moving. As he quickly moved closer, he saw it was Sara! Elijah blinked and rubbed his eyes. His mind was reeling. When he left her, she was barely breathing. How could she have dragged her nearly lifeless body from under the tree and all the way to the road? And why?

She was now lying atop one of the men Elijah had just killed. Elijah was baffled, and he walked closer, only to be frozen with shock and disgust at what he saw. The girl was sucking at the dead man’s neck, at first gently, but then more and more vigorously as her strength seemed to grow. Soon she was viciously rending the man’s dead flesh, spitting out tissue and bone as she went.

Confused and appalled, Elijah decided to pry her away from the nearly-decapitated body. He bent down to pull her off, but, as he placed a hand on her shoulder, she threw her head up and hissed like one possessed. This creature resembled Sara, but was crucially different.

The whites of her eyes were a dark crimson, and the veins around them were pulsating and bloated with life. Long, sharp, bloody teeth tore through the edges of her widely parted lips. Startled, Elijah jumped to his feet and tripped backwards over a corpse. Pouncing like a cat, the Sara-creature was on top of him before his back hit the ground.

Unlike the men now lying dead around him, she was not moving in slow motion. Her tired, lifeless body had been transformed; her strength was superhuman. Grabbing him by the wrists, she forced his arms outwards and pinned them hard against the ground before she sank her teeth deep into his jugular.

Elijah was taken completely by surprise. Just moments ago she had barely been able move!

What is happening? What is wrong with her
? Gathering his wits, he slowly pushed his hands from the ground to her shoulders. Thrusting his arms forward with all of his might, he pried her head away from his neck. When he looked into her eyes, he could no longer see Sara at all; this thing attacking him was a monster, void of all its former humanity.

Launching her into the air and across the path, he knew what he needed to do, but also knew, without any doubt, he could never do it. Killing had become easier than he ever imagined. He even enjoyed it, but, despite the ghoulish vision before him, he believed somewhere inside this monster was the woman he had loved his entire life. He decided to subdue her.

He shoved to his feet and hurried over to where she had landed hard against a large rock. She lay unconscious, but she was still breathing. He was relieved, since it might buy him enough time to figure out how to help her.

He moved closer, checking carefully to be sure she was truly unconscious, a bit worried that this was a ploy. But as he stood over her bloody mess of a body, he noticed her face once again looked human. She had been restored to the beautiful girl he had known and loved for as long as he could remember. Cradling her in his arms, he was blanketed with the love he had always held for her, and full of joy to have her back. Perhaps there might still be hope for the wonderful girl he had known, as well as the monster she had become.