Untitled (40 page)
Authors: Unknown Author
With the circle gone and the chanting stopped the Slavis in the stairwell swarmed into the inner chamber, fuelled by a hatred for the living and a hunger to destroy.
"Protect the seal," Ash yelled at the remaining members of the Ministry. "Hold them back with your last breath."
Ash then joined Megan, Harrison and Kaci, leaving his companions to battle the Slavis as they poured into the room.
"I can't guarantee you won't die," Ash warned Megan.
"Its too late to worry about that now." Megan held out the knives to Ash. "You'll have to do it for me."
"Hurry Brother Ash," came a shout from across the chamber. "We are losing ground to the beast." The voice turned into a high pitched scream and Harrison spun around in time to witness the last members of the Ministry lose the battle.
From where he stood it looked like they'd turned on each other, ripping away at the robes of their brothers and sisters. Once the robes were gone Harrison quickly realised his error. The Slavis had won from the inside, taking over the flesh of the living and turning it in to something else... something dark.
One of them looked up at Harrison and smiled, before reaching up and plucking out its eyes with its own hands.
"Kill the girl," the Slavis yelled as a single entity. "She must not desecrate the seal."
"If you're going to do this, you'd better do it now." Kaci held the child tight, backing as far away from the approaching Slavis as she could.
Ash took the knives as Megan crouched over the seal and held out both arms, wrists facing upwards. She looked at Ash and nodded her head slowly.
"Forgive me for what I do," he said and then drew the blades gently across Megan's wrists, opening the soft flesh.
Blood began to flow freely from the fresh wounds, running down into Megan's palms and then down, between her fingers.
"NO!" screamed the Slavis, having only crossed half the distance between them.
The effect of Megan's blood hitting the seal was instantaneous, like sending an electric shock through the Slavis. The creatures fell to the floor, their bodies racked by uncontrollable spasms. Fluids spurted from every available orifice... blood, shit and piss purged as the inhuman host was torn from the body.
Megan opened and closed her fists, tensing her arms and forcing the blood to flow ever faster. The thick fluid splashed against the surface of the seal only for the stone to absorbed the life force greedily.
Megan swayed slightly, her vision blurring and she would've sworn she felt the spirit of the Slavis washing over her, ghostly bodies kicking and screaming in a vain attempt to escape damnation.
As the sensation faded Megan felt a cold numbness in her arms that crept into her chest and then up into her face. Her heart beat like a hollow drum deep inside her chest and everything grew dark.
If this is death it feels lonely.
Two years later
Harrison and Kaci stood at the tree line, looking over the ruin of the
Cathedral. So much time had passed but it still filled them with an unexplainable sense of dread to be close to the ancient structure.
"Its so quiet," said Kaci, reaching out and taking Harrison's hand.
"I know," he replied. "Its hard to imagine the things we saw... the things we did." They fell silent for a moment and Harrison was reminded of the last time they'd been here. The lack of sound, the absence of wildlife.
I hate this place.
"Do you plan on standing here all day?" Kaci asked, nudging him.
"I said we'd wait for Megan." Harrison looked around.
"If she was coming she'd be here by now," replied Kaci "And I don't blame her. This place nearly killed her."
"Lets get it over with." Harrison shifted the large bunch of flowers in his other arm and then stepped out of the shadows and into the afternoon sun.
They didn't rush but still reached the gate sooner than they would have liked. The rusted steel had never been repaired and they had to climb over it to gain entrance to the courtyard beyond. Even stood in the midday sun Harrison couldn't deny the shiver that coursed down his spine at once again being in this place.
"Just leave them here and lets go," said Kaci, a nervousness in her voice that hadn't been there moments before.
"No, it wouldn't be right." Harrison coaxed her forward. "They deserve more than that."
"And then we can leave?" Kaci asked weakly.
"Then we leave." Harrison took the lead and headed towards the far side of the courtyard. They left the safeness of the sunlight and entered the shadows cast by the crumbling walls. Harrison's breath misted in the air before him.
"Jesus, this place still terrifies me," Kaci said, holding back on the
threshold of the shadows.
"Nothing to be scar..." Harrison didn't finish, stopping dead in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" Kaci stammered, craning her neck to look into the dark.
"It can't be," gasped Harriosn, dropping the flowers at his feet. "We sealed the stairway." He stepped back on shaking legs as laughter filled the ruins.
"You should have done a better job," said Megan, stepping out of the rubble.
She was naked her body a mass of scars, the freshly healed wounds covering every inch of her body. The words and symbols were familiar and the very sight of them turned Harrison's heart cold.
"What have you done?" he gasped, pushing Kaci back into the sun.
"Not me," said Megan, inching forward. "This is all Jacob's doing."
"Jacob?"
"Yes, Jacob," giggled Megan, stepping to one side to reveal the young boy standing behind her. "You remember the child, don't you?"
Kaci saw the boy, his limbs twisted beyond human recognition. Every joint worked against nature, his spine offering little support to the bloated head on his angular shoulders. His toothless mouth smiled at her from the centre of the pustulated face, a thick tongue licking across the lower lip.
Kaci staggered back, a hand raised to her mouth as she fell to her knees and sobbed in a wretched mixture of fear and sadness.
"Fucking hell," said Harrison.
"I hope they do," replied Jacob, opening his eyes to reveal the pits of swirling blackness beneath.
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