Pt Two-Four

4

Tabitha snapped back into consciousness at the sound of the doorknob turning. She had been deep inside the realm of darkness exploring for clues to this coming confrontation. Regrettably she had only been greeted with the same pictures as before this traveler with a mysterious presence accompanying him as he headed in her direction. She looked up as the door fully opened, sunlight pouring into the room temporarily clouding her vision, barely being able to make out the shape of the man before her.

She studied the shape closely as he entered and closed the door holding a bloody machete in his hand. It felt like he was staring a hole into her soul. She could feel a boldness emanating from him unlike anything she had ever felt before there was definitely something otherworldly supporting him. It was clouding her senses she could not get a direct read. Usually she had a firm grasp on her powers and had no difficulty controlling herself but as soon as he walked into the room she felt the presence inside her go crazy wanting to break out and consume this poor soul. Patience, she thought to herself, all in time.

"Hello," she broke the silence, "We've been expecting you."

The man looked around the building searching for other possible assailants which obviously there was no room for.

"Looks like it's only you from what I see." The traveler said.

The woman laughed, the traveler could feel something coming from her. He knew that this was no regular woman there was something else here, something evil.

"I am no more alone here then you are my dear traveler. The question is who has the advantage? And also, who will make the first move?"

The traveler shook his head pointing the bloody machete at the woman.

"No one is going anywhere or doing anything until-"

Laughter once again filled the small room echoing off the walls ringing in the traveler's ears.

"You mean to tell me," the woman began, "that you came all this way without knowing what you were getting into? You have no idea?" She continued to laugh almost hysterically.

The traveler was speechless. True he had been wandering for three years, almost like a nomad not really knowing where he was going or what he was doing. Was it all for nothing? Doubt suddenly overcame him as he started to second guess why he was even here in the first place and then the voice tiny and almost inaudible spoke. I am the way that you have been following. I have been here all along and I am here even now in the doubt. Do not waver, do not give into fear, I am peace in the chaos, the calm in the storm. The doors were closed and yet the traveler felt like he could still feel a cool gentle breeze brushing against his face easing all his doubts.

The traveler locked his eyes onto the laughing woman showing no fear and purpose in his eyes. And suddenly he began to laugh. Tabitha began to glare at the man and suddenly felt discomfort came over her. She suddenly did not want to be here anymore with this man. Then she saw something like a white mist barely visible surround the man who continued to laugh profusely. Why was he laughing? A moment ago he was quivering in fear and here he was now making a fool out of her.

"SHUT UP!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" She jumped up from the chair she was sitting at, holding the small knife in her hand pointing it in the traveler’s direction.

"You laugh at things you do not and cannot possibly understand," she said to the man with hate in her eyes which were now starting to burn with pain probably from this weird mist coming from the man. Suddenly he was quiet, looking at her with a smile on his face.

"The one who lives within the wind is the one who leads me to where I need to be." The traveler said, "he knows all things whether they be hidden or visible. And darkness trembles at the sound of his footsteps." He pointed a finger at Tabitha without a trace of fear or doubt in his eyes. "You are a piece of a puzzle that I have been working on for a long time and I am not leaving until I am satisfied."

Tabitha stood like a statue fear and anger both were going through her at the moment. The beast inside of her was quiet for the moment. The final words that her master had left her with echoed through her ears as she concentrated as hard as she could reaching out with the powers that she possessed.

"So dear traveler," She began, "Your so called wind maker has had you walking over the land running errands for him? How long have you been searching for answers traveler?" She walked from behind the table walking towards him. "What if I told you that your master was a liar, deceiver and that his time is soon coming to an end? What if..." She paused looking at him with a fire in her eyes for the first time the traveler noticed a strange mark on her forehead that he had not seen before. Tabitha continued, "I told you that I could provide you with not only the answers that you seek but powers beyond all human comprehension."

"I will not believe your lies! Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. I serve the Creator of all life, the giver of the ultimate gift that has already been paid for. And I know the story for it has already been written and I know the ending." he paused looking at her with a determined look on his face. "You lose."

Tabitha suddenly jumped at him an inhuman growl coming from her mouth as she lunged with the knife in her hand. The traveler quickly jumped to the side and rolled under her swipe.
She tried to stab down while he was on the ground but he kicked out striking her in the stomach sending her crashing back over the bloody table. She quickly jumped back up to her feet and struck the table with almost godly force like you would see in one of those old movies about Hercules sending it flying towards the traveler. It hit him full force but he had come to his feet and seen it coming so he had braced himself for the impact it fell harmlessly to the floor. The woman came at him once again already almost upon him the knife coming towards his face. The traveler quickly spun in a three hundred and sixty degree circle slashing out with his machete at her non knife wielding arm cutting it off at the shoulder her arm flew across the room crashing against the wall. Blood squirted from the wound as Tabitha turned around still holding the knife showing no sign of falling or pain with an evil grin on her face.

"Is that all you got?" she asked blood continuing to pour from her wound as she took her other hand still holding the knife and opened the door to the shack. The traveler not knowing what was going on but not surprised charged her as she slipped out the door and into the afternoon day.

********

Tabitha ran out of the shack into the sunlight showing no concern that she was missing an arm. She could feel the beast beginning to take over when it would happen she did not know maybe a little more blood needed to be shed for the ritual to be complete and then the man was in for a surprise. She just wanted to even the odds a little bit so she came out in the open so she could introduce him to a few of her friends she turned to face the man running at her. She quickly threw out her arm sending the knife towards her enemy it flew through the air at its target. He batted it away with his machete sending it away to the side of the road harmlessly and was only a few feet away from her when he stopped in his tracks looking back behind her.

Five zombies were coming from some trees not too far behind her. The traveler thought that the woman was oblivious to the zombies but was soon proven wrong when they walked past her and continued towards him. Now things were getting interesting. He reached into his coat removing his twelve gauge holding it with his left hand and the machete with the other prepared to face the horde that came his way. They were in a staggered line all leading back to the witch that was most definitely pulling their strings. Was this what the boy had wanted him to see? That the zombies were not just mindless creatures that had been some crazy lab experiment gone wrong? That this was being manipulated by forces of pure evil and hate of man? These were all the questions that were going through his head as the first zombie reached him.

It lunged at him arms extended trying to grab his head. The traveler immediately put the shotgun out and pulled the trigger. The blast hit the zombie, half its face exploding into the air as the traveler spun around and greeted the second zombie with his machete across its midsection. Metal met rotten flesh as it easily cut through in entirety sending the zombies top half to the ground still alive and fully functional crawling with its arms trying to get to the travelers legs but was in vain as the traveler put the barrel of the gun against its cranium and pulled the trigger sending chunks of skull and brain tissue all over the road. Tossing the empty shotgun aside he stood to meet the remaining three zombies as they drew closer to him the woman still in the background waiting for an opening to make her next attack.

Tabitha watched as the zombies circled the man hungry for their next meal. He was definitely beyond skilled when it came to killing, he moved liked the wind. It was almost like a dance as she watched him slice into the flesh of the zombies, limbs flying the smell of blood and death filling the air. It kind of reminded her of her ballet days as he gracefully dodged the final zombies attack disemboweling it with one swipe and then quickly following it with a swipe to its neck decapitating it in the process its head spinning around almost in slow motion and falling to the ground then shifting his focus to his main target.

She couldn't contain herself anymore. She rushed him immediately, coming at him with a hunger in her soul. She could feel the barriers that her master had put up in her body began to fade as he swung his machete over his head intending to bury it into her skull. It seemed like an eternity as it hung in the air coming down to meet her. She rushed to meet her fate knowing that even though she would be gone that the beast inside her would live on.

********

The traveler had not expected her to come at him unarmed like an animal. He had just decapitated the last zombie and was turning to face her when he realized she was already coming at him. He reacted quickly running at her with both hands on the machete lifting it over his head so he could bring it down with some force. She would not be walking away this time. The traveler brought it down meeting her skull as she got to him. It went in deep right in between her eyes which immediately rolled into the back of her head and blood began to drip down her face. The traveler withdrew the machete as she began to convulse violently a green substance began to come from her mouth almost like a mist. She continued to shake as the mist surrounded her and then she began to change right before the travelers eyes.

Where her arm used to be, something suddenly protruded from it. Black, leathery flesh replaced her white skin. Sharp white spikes began to pop out from the new limb. Her knees suddenly popped out, sharp white bones replaced them. She began to grow as something began to appear from her mouth almost crawling out of it escaping from its prison. A sound unlike any he had heard escaped from the creature as the rest of the human flesh fell away to the ground in a bloody heap and something directly from the pit of hell was left looking at the traveler with blood red eyes.

"Hello Son of Adam," the creature spoke in a deep dark voice. "We've been looking forward to meeting you." Green saliva dripped from its mouth and an intense smell of sulfur emanated from it. Do not fear, the voice said, I am with you.

"Where is the girl?" the traveler asked the demon who immediately laughed.

"Dead as you can plainly see. When we knew you were coming this way we knew that you must be taken care of so we left a little piece of our self inside her waiting like a cobra springing for the kill."

"Who are you?"

"We are Legion, we are many. We usher the way for the arrival of the chosen one who will lead this world into the age promised to us in a time of old. The time of this world is coming to an end and darkness shall spread across the land."

Peace continued to be with the traveler as he held his ground showing no sign of backing down. He knew he was not alone and that he would be leaving alive. How he knew that he did not know but he was certain that this creature was only a small obstacle in his path.

"So," the traveler began. "The spiritual meets the natural and the puppet master is revealed." He brought the machete down to his side and looked up at his adversary.

"I will fear no evil," the traveler said, "for you are with me."

The creature howled and backed up a bit.

"SILENCE!" It screamed.

"Greater is He!" The traveler rose his voice he felt something inside him driving him forward. "Then he who is in the world."

Legion reared back and suddenly began to charge. The traveler closed his eyes as the wind began to pick up around him.

"Please Lord," he silently prayed. "Come to my aid."

Everything went quiet. The traveler opened his eyes and what he saw was so amazing he fell to his knees in awe. Legion had stopped dead in their tracks no sound coming from their mouth. Standing in front of him was a small boy with beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes who was looking at him a look of fierce anger on his face.

"This is my witness," he said with boldness looking up at the demon. "You have no power over him."

The traveler knelt face down on the ground not being able to contain actually being in front of his master her in the real world in the flesh where the spiritual realm had crashed to meet the natural one. He could feel the presence of multiple entities around him but he did not think could look up to see. With great determination he managed to barely lift his eyes and spotted two beings beside the boy clothed in white. Broad expansive wings protruded from their backs and they carried swords of fire that seemed to burn the very atmosphere around them. The creature before them snarled as the two beings got closer and closer to him.

"You can't do this," Legion yelled, ""This is our time! We have the right!"

"Shut your mouth demon!" one of the white ones said bringing its sword down it severing one of the beasts arms who yelled in pain as it fell to the ground dark black liquid pouring from its wound.

"The time is close at hand but is not yet upon us," the boy said looking up at the demon. "Even then, I still protect the ones that call my name." He looked back to the traveler with love in his eyes.

"Jesus," the traveler whispered planting his face back into the ground a sudden wave of unknown power sweeping over him.

The creature yelled in pain at the mention of the name as both the angels rose their swords above their heads.

"We banish you foul creature, back to the one who spawned you." They sang in unison bringing down their swords as they chanted. As they struck the beast their weapon seemed to rip the very air around them. The creature continued to scream as it was sucked into this miniature rip in the dimension between our reality and the spiritual.

"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF US! WE ARE ONLY A PIECE OF LEGION! YOU HAVEN'T SEEN-"

Everything went quiet. The traveler looked up and realized he was once again alone. He then felt something brushing by him on his side and for a quick moment he thought he saw something standing beside him. A smile appeared on the travelers face as he realized the greatest truth that he had ever known. He was never alone.