Pt 2-Two

2

Is he coming this way? The voice came from the corner of the room. The woman looked up at the sound of the voice. She had been in a trance for what seemed like hours and now it appeared to her she ignored him for a quick minute not seeming like she was too desperate looking down at the table she had been sitting at waiting for this thing to appear. Various tools of her craft decorated the table. Various different knives and blood covered scalpels decorated the table top as well as ancient scribble along with a pentagram taking up most of the center of it. The victim of her latest ritual, a decent sized rat decorated the center of the pentagram cut down the middle its insides decorated with small incisions; they always required blood that was the price to be paid for a look into the darkness. A never ending price, the woman thought to herself.

Do not ignore me girl! The creature demanded with a shout the woman looked over to the thing in the corner. It was unseen by all but a few chosen people her being one of them. The creature was about nine feet tall, clothed in black rags and smelled of sulfur. Its eyes were blood red and hundreds of razor sharp teeth decorated its smile. She had felt the sting of those teeth on many occasions the price for failure. Remember sweet Tabitha what you are and where you came from, the creature hissed, it will be just as easy to take away what we have done and you will be just another mindless corpse walking out there waiting for its next meal.

“Forgive me dark one,” Tabitha bowed her head, “I am fresh from meditation my mind has yet to recover.”

The demon seemed to float from the corner as it came to the table looking down at the work the girl had created. She was the best at what she did that was for sure. Every incision on the rat was perfect all the required cuts were precise and the formulas scratched on the table held no errors. I trust your practices went well, the creature hissed.

Tabitha was afraid to tell the creature what she had seen. They had been known to be very harsh when it came to news they did not want to hear, but then again if she lied the punishment would be ten times worse. Oh to dance again, Tabitha thought her mind drifting away to the life she used to have. She had been a part of a traveling expose of ballet. Almost since she was able to walk her parents had drove her towards the fierce lifestyle of ballet and dance sparing no expense along the way hiring the best coaches and teacher’s money could buy. She had not disappointed them excelling in every possible way and when she was eighteen and out of high school she auditioned to be part of Galics Ballet Circus a showcase that traveled the whole world with the best in the world of dance. She had been everywhere imaginable from Rome to Moscow and was praised by critics everywhere.

Three years ago, the ballet had started a United States tour which was very rare because most of the ballet audience was in a foreign market. America was not refined enough for ballet, cited the foreign press but none the less you had to start somewhere. They were nearing the end of the tour in one of the last stops on the schedule. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the second to last stop with Philadelphia and Washington D.C. being the last two. They had just finished up for the evening and were leaving the theater as a cast to go out and celebrate.

“You were amazing Tabitha,” one of her fellow dancers Brett had declared, “I would probably rank that as one of your top performances.”

“Oh your just saying that Brett,” she had waved him off blushing, “you are way too nice to me.”

“Well that might be but the critics don’t believe in being nice and they have been raving about you this whole tour. You are going to the top girl, the big bucks.”

“Let’s finish this trip first before I start getting my hopes up.”

They had started the evening at a local wine bar, tasting various different wines from around the world. After they had built up a nice buzz from the wine they hit a nice little cozy local pub that featured local folk music all night long. They had a blast and were totally plastered by the time last call has hollered across and they were forced out of the bar. They hit the streets walking towards their hotel yelling, laughing and having a good time. And then everything changed. They were coming to a corner and a man was walking towards them. They thought he was a hobo or something at first but as he got closer they could tell he was sick or something.

“Are you alright man?” Brett had asked as the guy fell onto him suddenly vomiting.

“Oh sick,” Tabitha had said.

He had begun to scream and started to flail his arms around striking Tabitha in the face she fell back against the wall of a building hitting her head tremendously hard she was seeing little pinpricks of light as the blow to her head added to her already clouded consciousness as she slid down into a sitting position watching the chaos unfold before her.

“Dude that’s not cool,” Brett and a couple other guys from the group tried to grab the guy who in return bit the closest one to him.

“Ouch he bit my shoulder,” the one man said jumping back in pain.

The crazy deranged man threw Brett to the ground as the rest of the group ran away from the corner and towards the hotel. The man then saw Tabitha and began to walk towards her. She couldn’t move and couldn’t fight as the man bent down and took a chunk out of her throat, she screamed as she felt the flesh rip away and blood began to pour out quickly from the wound dripping down her side soaking her shirt, the man continued to rip at her neck and then Brett appeared out of nowhere tackling him to the ground. Tabitha’s vision was beginning to cloud she could feel herself slipping away slowly. She heard Brett begin to scream and felt something hit her face and drop to the ground. It was half a human arm, Brett’s arm torn at the elbow stringy flesh hanging from the end. She was going to die, here on the street like an animal. She continued to cry and was just about to lose consciousness when a she heard a voice.

Hello Tabitha, she opened her eyes hazy white greeted her she could barely make out a black shape looking down at her. The voice was audible but I sounded like it was coming from inside her head. We have been watching you girl, the voice continued to speak her vision become more and clearer she could feel fear begin to seep into her. The thing in front of her was not a man it was black and at moments it appeared to be more than one shifting back and forth from a single entity one minute to what seemed like multiple ones the next. It smiled at her with razor sharp teeth and green liquid dripped from its mouth.

“What do you want from me?” She asked the creature.

A raspy laugh escaped the creature’s throat. You have been chosen for something girl, but we cannot make the decision for you. You have to choose for yourself. The creature spit suddenly sounding disgusted, you have the gift of free will and must decide whether you live, the creature motioned to the man eating Brett, and become like him walking with a never ending hunger or, he paused smiling as he gazed at her, we mark you and you will live a normal life the disease will still be in you but will be held at bay by our influence. And you will owe us a favor or two.

Tabitha looked up at the creature and then back at the man throwing pieces of Brett into the street and felt fear of death and fear of turning into a monster creep into her as she hastily made the decision that would affect the rest of her life.

“Okay,” she said holding a hand to the wound on her neck warmness greeting her touch, “Anything, as long as I am not a monster, I’ll do whatever you ask.”

So, the creature floated towards her, you will let us in?

“YES!” Tabitha screamed, she could feel her insides churning she hoped it wasn’t too late.

Very well, it said as it reached one of its hands out towards her forehead. It had claws on its hand not fingers and Tabitha could feel them break her skin as they touch her. An intense painful fire entered her body as she began to yell out in agony. Her body began to convulse as she felt something enter her body the place where the man had bitten her began to burn and then suddenly it was over. She was standing up, she did not know how she put a hand to her neck and felt skin, it felt like a scar but still it was done. The creature was staring at her smiling, come daughter, it had said holding a hand out, we have work to do.

That seemed like such a long time ago. Tabitha looked up at the creature that had saved her life. She owed it everything, her life, her gratitude and loyalty. She could feel a tears start to form in her eyes, she always felt bad when she took all this for granted. It was her choice after all she had chosen to serve them instead of turning into one of the nameless ones. She shuddered at the thought of always being hunger never being able to satisfy your hunger.

“Forgive me for being ungrateful master,” she said, “Sometimes I forget why I am here.”

Very well, they said, but one of these days our patience might wear thin and you might just find yourself on the nameless one’s buffet tray. Now what have you learned girl? I know he comes this way but my knowledge of him is very vague other then the place that he came from. He does come from the same place as the other does he not?

Tabitha nodded but she didn’t know why. Her vision had been vague as well. She had seen a small town to the west of here and had seen a group of people. And true she had thought she had recognized the other one that they spoke of but as far as the true identity of this so called traveler she had no idea. The darkness had shown her little but enough to make her afraid.

“He is coming this way but he is not alone master,” she started pulling her red hair from in front of her eyes revealing the mark on her forehead that showed she was set apart from the rest of the world “One travels with him, almost like the wind in the shape of a horse but yet with the voice of a lion….” She paused for a moment looking down at the rat tracing a pattern in its intestines with a finger trying to read the pattern with complete accuracy leaving no room for error, “clothed in white.”

The creature began to scream, all its personalities giving voice swearing uttering dirty and foul curses that were unimaginable. Tabitha cowered in her seat afraid for her life. She had never seen them like this, whatever or whoever this white one was she felt sorry for them for her master would take care of them whoever they were. They had begun to calm down forcing themselves back down into one entity. They glared at Tabitha with hate in their eyes, he must not leave here alive. You have men outside yes?

“Yes two of my best,” she answered, “He will never get through the door.”

The creature nodded approvingly; yes still precautions must be taken just the same, they walked around the table placing both of their clawed hands on Tabitha’s shoulders she didn’t even flinch as the claws pierced her skin she was too used to it no longer bothered her, he must by no means find out the location of the other everything we have worked for so far depends on him, they leaned over and began to whisper instructions into Tabitha’s ear. Tears began to form at the corner of her eyes as the silent instructions and incantations went into her head. The moment she had been chosen for was soon drawing near, she must protect the other, and nothing else mattered. As her master slipped back into the corner he came from and disappeared into the darkness a smile begun to form on her lips. She reached down to the bag at her feet withdrawing a wriggling rat that began biting her hand trying to escape her grasp, she ignored the pain for it was temporary. She swept the previous rat from the table, took one of her scalpels and slit its throat watching as the blood squirted onto the table, when she felt the last of the rodent’s life leave its body she flipped it onto its back and made a single incision across its abdomen. She began to chant softly as the day outside once again turned to night and the traveler got ever closer to her lair.

“Come and see,” she said softly, “Come and see what the beast has waiting.”

Tabitha closed her eyes and once again left to search the darkness for more answers to the coming day.