The Parish

by Clare Midgley

  “I believe an old friend has been expecting you.” Smiling gracefully the girl skipped back, Eve, on the other hand, took a deep breath hoping that another huge surprise wasn’t around the corner. Entering the shed she carefully placed her steps, catching her breath as she recognised an old sound.

  “Neith! Oh, my goodness Neith!” Taking the reins of her horse, she placed her hand on her nose gently stroking her.

  “I thought…doesn't matter girl we have a big job to do.” Stepping into the saddle, she rode out into the darkness of the moorland, and as she took Neith into her stride, she headed towards the shard of the waterfall knowing that her next stop would be taking on Cara and the rest of the family.

  Chapter 23

  Dragging himself to the bed, Paul felt the sickness and nausea return to his stomach. He had been lying on the floor for the last three hours unable to move and unable to get his balance. As the effects started to wear off, all Paul could feel was his stomach rolling over completing summersaults. Clasping his head, he sat down on the bottom of the stairs feeling like he was nursing a hangover.

  “What do you want?”

  “Is that a way to greet an old friend. We have so much in common too.”

  “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” Still trying to lift his brow Paul could vaguely see the outline of Jacob stood in the doorway.

  “She’s gone then.”

  “After everything you have the nerve to come here. You nearly killed her, and you’ve ripped us apart! My children, my children are everything to me I swear to GOD!”

  “No point swearing to him he got all of us in this mess, plus your kids won’t be hurt yet.” Trying to stand Paul took a lazy swing at Jacob.

  “Don’t even try she’s hit me with that before and it took me a few hours to recover. You I’m expecting days.”

  “Why are you here?”

  “Now see theirs the Paul the accommodating loveable, dependable Labrador that we all love to cherish.”

  “Fuck you...” Jacob swooned around the house distastefully looking at all the family portraits, and as he picked up Paul and Eve’s wedding photo up, he brushed his thumb over the dust that was beginning to settle.

  “Where are my parents?”

  “Safe and sound. No harm will come to them I promise you that.”

  “She’s making her way there...”

  “I know.”

  “I need to go.”

  “You’ll die before you hit the Brow. You need me.” Jacob now set on the edge of the settee glanced at Paul now pale and bloodshot as he moved towards him.

  “I don’t need you, she doesn’t need you, and my children don’t need you. Why can’t you understand that she doesn’t want you or love you anymore? Why can’t you just leave us alone? We were happy.”

  “Your delusional she was never free neither was I. Eve was always part of the madness I was born into even the sick twisted demonic evil which rises out of the stench they call the Brow. She made her way there because she’s drawn to us and she was always going to end up back on my doorstep. I just found her first before...” Breaking off Jacob placed the photo back in its place; he seemed deep in thought contemplating his next words carefully.

  “Before what Jacob! She ran away, she got away from all that, and she came to me doesn’t that say anything. She loves me I felt that”

  “SHE! She needed security, so she came to the next best thing. Paul don’t make me insult you especially when I’ve been so kind to return to this...this home and help you.”

  “She doesn’t love you.” As Jacob turned slowly, he took a deep breath swallowing his words as he knew the time for all of them was running out.

  “Don’t make me hurt you! Unfortunately, you are needed, and you need to come with me and shut up while I get all of us back to…”

  “Why? Just tell me why? I’m sick of all this bullshit. Eve used to talk in riddles and stories now you say I’m needed I want to know WHY!” Spitting back at him Paul could feel his anger coursing through every sinew, hitting him would have never helped, but demanding answers felt good.

  “Ok, ok Paul. You want to know why! Why don’t you get in the car and then I promise I will tell you.”

  “How can I trust you?”

  “You can't. You never could, but you have no other choice!” As Paul grabbed his jacket, he stumbled to the car still feeling the effects of Eve’s jolt, with the pain splitting through his temple and his neck it seemed to click with stiffness. Watching Jacobs every move Paul mimicked his step into the car and as he wiped his hand over his hairline, he felt the small droplets of blood drip down his neck.

  “I want answers…”

  “Yes yes, yes.” Jacob screeched out of the driveway and into the path of traffic, winding his way around the streets brought Paul’s nausea back with desired effects. Opening the car door, he poured the contents of his dinner down the dual carriageway.

  “Take this.”

  “I’m not taking anything from you.”

  “Suit yourself, but if you throw up again, I will put you back to sleep.”

  “What is it?” Paul looked more like a sulking teenager than a grown man, and with his arms folded tight, he could feel the sickness growing. Taking hold of the black root in Jacobs' hand, he closed his eyes feeling the wave’s crash over him.

  “For fuck sake just take the god damn root if I were going to kill I would have done it by now and trust me poisoning isn’t my style. You need to chew it...” Popping it in his mouth, Paul started to eat rapidly

  “Don’t swallow it…”

  “What...” As Paul passed out in the front seat, Jacob shook his head looking again at the unconscious Paul.

  “Don’t swallow cause it will act as a sedative but, why listen to me.” Hearing the sound slumbers, Jacob concentrated on the road ahead, and as he raced through the darkness, he knew time wasn't on their side. The dark winding roads of the moors felt like fingers reaching out into the night pulling him back to the darkness to which he belonged. Jacob always felt his power course through his body in the deepest hours of the morning and his most sick fantasies were always played out under the moonlight.

  Seeing the glimmers of sunlight, Paul woke up to the droning of wheels. His headache and nausea now completely gone and as he stretched his body seemed to jolt suddenly kick starting his memory. With Jacob at the side of him, he knew last night wasn’t a dream and no matter how much he blocked the image of him in the driver's seat the images still felt haunting.

  “Good morning….”

  “Where are we?”

  “Good morning Jacob. Thank you for making me feel better! Oh, by the way, I’ve snored most of the night, and I do apologise for the terrible pig noises I’ve been making.” Unimpressed by his sarcasm Paul looked out into the desolate wastelands of the Moor.

  “You promised something.”

  “Yes, I did.” Stopping the car, he placed his hands on the steering wheel. Taking off his black gloves he put them in the well between the passenger and driver’s seat of the car.

  “Ever heard of the alternative heaven and hell story?”

  “An old man…”

  “Yes, he gave you the tame version...” Shaking his head, Paul seemed perplexed already at where this was going.

  “Well in the original story, heaven is above, and hell is below, and never the twain shall meet in the middle. Whereas the real story is harder to swallow, you see just like humans Angels, Gods and Devils fuck up every once in a while creating a rift. There is something which is called the balance, and there is a game which is played. Some people can't influence one side or the other they are like umpires, the referees of the underworld. Then you have demons. Well, you can guess which side they come from, and I suppose explaining the Angelic notions aren’t lost on you either. However, every once in a while the balance shifts and a half-breed or Halfling is created.”

  “Does this happen often…”

  “The psychics and the psycho
paths I suppose you could say they are created from this imbalance when the shift happens you can either see the magnificent mystical beauties of the world or the whole place turn to shit in a barrel, and we all try to kill each other. Balance…

  However, there are only three known Halflings that have come from these mistakes let’s just call it the big guns. Me. My parents are both from demonic forces and kicked out of hell for being well too evil for hell…theirs rules ok. They broke them they got kicked out. I was a mistake and conceived as the balance was realigning. Let’s just say Hell was in charge of this century’s realignment and it didn’t exactly go to plan. I was given every Halflings option of free will.”

  “Hold on so what you’re saying is we are heaven and hell’s version of The Game of Life! Who're the others.”

  “Good analogy, but in the long and short yes! Coming to the others the next one is a little bit more famous might say a whole religion was created around him people might know him as Jesus Christ, however, in our circles, we know him as number one fuck up! Well, he wasn’t the first, but he’s the one that went around bragging about it.” Paul now completely perplexed felt the nausea return unexpectantly and as the world, he knew crashed down around him the myth surrounding whether God and the Devil had just been blown out into the open.

  "So the Balance, when he was created, was towards Heaven. But how? Why?" Jacob looked out into the moorland and watched as the desolate tree's beckoned themselves to the harsh breeze.

  "It's about control. Humans where side effects to a war that had been raging between fathers and son's since time began. Someone needed to shelter the darkness and Lucifer was just the Angel to do it. They walk among us as Earth is part of their creation trying to offset each other. Christ was God's one night stand, but at that time he was just a man tempted by a girl and the virtues she possessed. You see Dark can change into Light and Light into Dark. That's the game to see how many people can be convinced or not of their power.

  "You said there was another." Jacob seemed at war within himself, and as he ran his fingers down the scar on his chest, he appeared further away from the evil that Paul had thought him to be.

  “I did! However, what I meant to say is that only three that have upset the balance. There are a lot more but….”

  “But what...”

  “The blackness, darkness, whatever you want to call it. That is created to cancel out all these mistakes, and well, I survived it so did number one and then we have Eve.”

  “Eve isn’t I mean, she’s. NO! No, I would.”

  “She was created by an Archangel fuck up I saw the photo. He was supposed to fall, but he never did. I realised why Eve’s mum hid in drink and drugs she scented herself with death to conceal Eve from her father. Eve was attracted to us because she is one of us. She’s one of the mistakes which has survived and now they want her.

  The Parish is the evil which has been allowed to fester in this backwater shit hole and now the power is on their side they want it gone. She has Archangel Blood coursing through her veins. Eve's The perfect weapon. The problem is she also is susceptible to free will. I drag her back into darkness whereas you have always kept her where she should be. I renounced my birthright under God and made my choice, and my free will was tested, and I failed. My punishment is death along with my family. I don’t want hers to be the same. That’s why I need you! That’s why you’re so important.” Pressing down the window button, Paul gasped for air like a fish out of water. The enormous amount of information screamed around his brain as he tried to put everything he knew into perspective.

  “What do I have to do?”

  “I have to get you in their first.” Starting up the car, he pulled out onto the quiet country road and sped down the track and as they reached the ridge the overwhelming smell of sulphur hung heavy in the air and as the fog started to descend Paul felt the fear well again inside.

  “I’m not going to like what I see am I.”

  “No…”

  “What if...”

  “We have to believe that we’ve caught her in time if not God help us all.”

  Chapter 24

  Dropping Neith at the Stables Eve could hear the faint voices of her children carried on the wind. The small sounds teased her to follow, but she knew a few more obstacles stood in her way. Strapping the blades to her hands, she checked the extension and retraction of the metal against her skin; the cold steel seemed to emulate a past feeling she couldn’t quite place, and as she stood in the courtyard she watched the fog descend.

  They were ready.

  So was she.

  Stepping through the chapel door, she stood in the blackness waiting to hear any signs of life. Everything which lay around her smelt of death and as she tried to make out shapes in the darkness she knew her natural sight wasn’t the only tool she would need to use. Slipping through the studied mahogany walls, she felt as if she was home and as Eve weaved along the tight corridors, she was soon greeted by death.

  “Welcome home” Grabbing hold of her Kazule threw her through the panelling smashing her into the studs on the opposite wall. Taking time to stand she could see his mangled half face dripping its noxious drool down his shoulder. As he wiped her body up the wall, she could feel each pin grip into her body perfectly placed to rip away at her flesh.

  “We’ve been expecting you...” Angel’s coy smile and eager to please demeanour wiped along the inside of his hold. Taking her time she wiped a finger of blood off Eve’s cheek tasting her as if she was tonight’s delicacy.

  “This way.” As she strutted down the corridor Eve was dragged by her throat. Her blood left a faint smear along the highly polished black and white tiles, and as they met the main staircase, Kazule gave great pleasure in making sure she hit every one. Cara stood in her poignant place of authority, and as Eve was thrown into the middle of the tribe, she clapped her hands in exciting at the prize in front of her. Over gesturing, Cara threw out her arms pleased at the arrival of her new guest.

  “My honoured guests I think our daughter has returned home.” Wiping the blood away from her lip Eve stood tall taking in the positions of each and every demon.

  “Where’s Jacob?”

  “SILENCE! You do not have the right to speak or even breathe for much longer, never mind demand my son's presence.” Eve now defiant stared deep into Cara’s eyes unafraid of her retribution.

  “Where are my children?” Laughing Charlotte stepped forward taking in Eve as if she was a newly found masterpiece.

  “Shall we show her?” Clapping her hands Tom and Peter were paraded in front of the demon exhibition. The sounds of their whimpers and desperate calls expressing the need to run to their mother.

  “You have me! Let them go?”

  “Let them go! Did you hear what she said Charlotte she told me to let the go!” Elongating her fingers into Tom’s collar bone Eve ran forward trying to protect him.

  “Don’t TOUCH THEM!” Hearing Eve scream Kazule struck her with the back of his hand forcing her once again back to the floor. Spitting out blood Eve rose again.

  “I’m getting bored Cara let’s play with the fucking wench before we kill her. It will amuse me at least until Jacob arrives.” Reuben stepping forward took hold of the boy’s hands, gently taking them down the rest of the marble steps. Parading them in front of Eve his crooked smile flickered between human and demon.

  “Now boys we are going to play a game...” As they looked at Eve, Tom saw her obvious distress and built up some courage.

  “What kind of a game...”

  “I’m glad you asked that my boy. You see we are going to test whether your mother knows her children and if she doesn’t you both well, die!”

  “No…No...You can’t...” As Reuben instructed Eve’s restraints, he placed the blindfold on her. Stroking his hand across her breast, he rested his lips close enough for Eve to hear his whispers.

  “I told you I always get what I want.” Kissing her cheek Eve’s heart leapt into
her throat, tears welled behind the vail and as the hall filled up with more guests, Eve knew her strength was being tested. Whispering their names under her breath, she heard little footsteps being placed in a line in front of her and as they came one by one she knew the others wouldn’t stand a chance.

  “First one...”

  “How many are there please…please, I need.” Her cries seemed to silence the room and as the muffled whimpers of children were silenced her answer came.

  “Six...” As the first stepped forward, she concentrated her senses focusing on the smell and reactions only a mother would know.

  “Your answer...” Pausing to taste the salt of her tears she knew the fate of the child as the answer fell from her lips.

  “NO...forgive me….”

  “Are you quite sure…” As the water fell freely onto her cheeks, she felt them hit the small child in front of her.

  “Yes…”

  “Speak up…”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” As she clenched her fist, the anger seemed to writhe around like something in her soul had been unleashed. The screams of the children bellowed around the hall, and as it echoed through Eve’s mind, her anger grew.

  The sounds of laughter emanating from the congregation sparked something inside and as the fire grew something familiar took a hold. The scent was overpowering and the hair soft and smooth like his fathers.

  “Yes, he’s mine. He’s my child.”

  “Put him to one side.” As they checked her bindings and her blindfold Eve’s breath panted under the stress of the situation.

  “Lucky guess… Re-order the children.” Hearing the cries and muffled footsteps Eve felt the blood surround her feet.

  “Let them go. They.” As she felt the fingernails dig into her throat, she could smell the poison of Reuben’s breath upon her.

  “Finish it.” As she bent down to the next child Eve once again looked for any sign. Feeling the flash of an eyelash on her cheek and her heart skip a beat she screamed out.