by Suzy Turner
"They most definitely are," said Zoltan, "She has imprisoned us. She's got all the men in this town under a ridiculous spell and...."
"And what, Zoltan? Other than the poor man who was killed by the truck, she hasn't actually harmed anyone. Don't you think it's a little strange? And all she seems to want to do with these guys is dance, watch them play fight, oh, and occasionally kiss them on their cheeks. Okay I admit that's a bit weird but she's hardly the beast we figured her to be. There's something strange going on, if you ask me."
"Maybe she's a diversion," suggested Carmelo who had said very little since they'd been trapped up there.
"That sounds more like it," answered Zoltan, folding his arms over his chest.
"She's gone to an awful lot of work for a diversion," muttered Walter.
As they spoke, neither of them noticed the music had halted and all was quiet.
"Erm guys...." said Zoltan suddenly as the rest of them turned to look down below. "She's gone..."
All of the men were laying on the floor, apparently asleep, and Calliope was nowhere to be seen.
Carmelo listened intently. The humming had also gone. He held out his arms to discover the invisible force field had disappeared. They were free.
"I don't like this," whispered Jo, "There's something not right here."
The four of them walked to the edge of the upper level and jumped down with complete ease. Only Zoltan landed with a thud.
"You okay?" asked Carmelo to his friend who nodded.
Suddenly, they were surrounded. The men of Powell River didn't look so happy about their descent. They stared in silence, hovering back and forth like a group of zombies about to pounce.
Suddenly, that's exactly what they did, and they all seemed to possess an unnatural strength, picking up the vampires and werewolf and throwing them hard against the wall, causing the pyramid to shake with the force.
Carmelo was back on his feet. He threw himself on the nearest column and climbed up. The men might have superhuman strength but they weren't able to climb.
"Climb!" he shouted to the others as they all glanced over before following suit.
Stuck atop the columns in the pyramid, the men of Powell River surrounded them from below, looking up and grunting like rabid animals, rocking back and forth.
"What do we do?" shouted Jo as she gripped with all her strength to the round pillar in the centre of the room, flames dancing at her feet.
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Eric sobbed quietly while Zalea gripped his hand and tears fell down her own face as Jack explained what had happened to the poor young girl trapped in her cage just metres away from him. She wasn't the first to die and be ravaged by the beasts, he told them. Months went by and they dropped one by one, each corpse disappearing in a matter of minutes as they were devoured beneath him.
His voice hoarse from whispering and crying, Jack could barely utter another word. They were doomed. It was just a matter of time before they were caught.
As they sat on the cold damp cave floor, Jack rested his head back and closed his eyes. A familiar aching sensation filled the back of his head. The throbbing increased every second. Letting out a low groan, he gripped his head in his hands.
"December?" he managed to whisper.
Zalea's eyes opened wide and she held onto Eric's hand, waiting, hoping December had found a way out.
"No," he cried, "we're trapped in the caves. December... I hope you can help us. I know we're not far from the Nephilim and I... and I..." he stuttered, "I've remembered what they're capable of. They're vicious, evil creatures..." he sobbed and then stopped, listening carefully. "Yes, okay. I'll see what I can find out. Be careful, December and please... tell my family I love them..."
The headache began to fade away and Jack slowly turned his face to his friends.
"I'm going to have to leave you here," he whispered. "I need to go to them and find out as much as possible. I can only do that in raven form."
"No," cried Zalea, "it's too dangerous."
"He must, my dear. He must do this. It's the only way," added Eric quietly.
"Eric's right, Zalea. My family and friends believe the Nephilim are going to attempt something big tonight. There's a full moon and they've worked out this so-called vortex often opens during that time. They think they're going to try a mass escape. We can't let that happen. I can't let that happen. Which is why I need to go and try and find out what I can," he whispered. "I should be safe as a raven. You two need to tuck yourselves away in one of these smaller caves, hidden from view. I promise I will return. I won't leave you here."
Zalea stood up and rushed into his arms, quietly sobbing into his shoulder.
"Please, be careful, Jack. You're our only hope."
"I promise," he said before releasing her. He took off his clothes and handed them to her before she could no longer hear his breath. She could only hear the soft flapping of a bird's wings as it grew quieter and quieter.
"God be with you, my son," whispered Eric.
#
The smell intensified as Jack made his way through the tunnels until eventually he flew out into a large cavern. Not the one in which he had been trapped before, but one much smaller, although it did have several pillars that were crumbling to the ground.
Gliding to the very bottom of the cavern, Jack was careful to hide himself behind various rocks and broken pieces of the columns. Looking upwards expecting to see hanging cages, he was surprised to find it empty, yet there was a distinct smell of humans in the air. The stench of blood and sweat surrounded him.
Jumping upwards, he flapped his wings and began to fly all around, looking for the poor souls trapped in there. Spotting two tunnels, he chose one and followed it through. It led to an even smaller cave where about thirty people lay sleeping on the ground. All were shackled, chains around their ankles. Jack hovered above them until he found the man who had first given him bread and water. He was so thin and gaunt, his skin almost translucent. His hair, once thicker and darker, was greying and thin.
Before they were awoken by the sound of his wings, Jack slipped back into the large cave and then towards the other tunnel. If he'd been human, he would have wretched at the memory, flying into the familiar place he'd spent so many months. Sure enough, looking upward, there he saw hundreds of cages, each one containing a single person.
He shivered, knowing those beasts would be near. He chose a tunnel at the far end of the cavern and entered swiftly, careful not to make a noise. The sound of voices surprised him, making him jump, but he kept his nerve and continued on his path. He had to get something, anything, that would help those above to finally rid this world of these wretched creatures.
Gliding along, he quickly came to a standstill, landing on a ledge close to the sound of the voices. Peering inside the hidden tunnel, he spotted two of them. Not the huge frightening creatures he had expected, but two very different species: were they human? At least they looked somewhat human until they turned their backs on him and revealed scaly wings jutting from their shoulder blades. They were poring over what appeared to be a map.
Jack watched as they stood motionless for minutes before one suddenly turned to face the entrance. Jack ducked his head backwards and held his breath until he heard the creature shuffle away. Before hiding himself, Jack had noticed something strange about the creature's eyes. They were beady and feline-like.
Peering back around, he watched them as they ducked underneath a low entrance to yet another tunnel going off in the opposite direction. Following on silently behind, he glanced at the map beneath him. He recognised it instantly. He would never forget his homeland again.
The two creatures shuffled across the ground, barely able to walk until the narrow walkway gave way to a huge cave much like the one containing all those cages. This one, however, was empty except for several large white pillars in the centre, flames licking their bases, and about thirty large regal seats carved out of the rocks placed around them.
Several creatures were already seated.
Jack very carefully hid himself from view and waited as more and more arrived, slowly taking their appointed seats around the pillar.
Soon, it was full.
There were thirty of them. From a distance you'd be forgiven for thinking they were human but Jack's bird's eye view enabled him to see all of them perfectly with his 20-20 vision. Ugly, scaly creatures with pale long hair, feline-like eyes which continued to dart right and left, and clawed fingers.
Something above them caught Jack's eye just as it was lowered so it was level with all their faces. It was one long tube containing a thick red substance.
Each creature pulled down what looked like a straw and began drinking from the tube. Sucking and sucking until it was completely dry.
"Now we are satiated, we can begin," said one of the creatures who rose from his seat and turned, revealing his lower half matched that of the dragon-like beasts Jack had seen before.
"As you already know, tonight is the night we have been waiting for, for a very, long time. The arrival of the distant comet combined with the full moon is of special importance. Tonight is the night when we will finally be able to return above ground and claim ourselves as the rightful heirs to the world. We will reap revenge on man, enslaving them, feeding from them and doing anything else we so desire," he said with a smile as the others smirked too. "Our destiny will be fulfilled," he laughed and the rest of them cheered.
"Although she has been somewhat... disobedient... in the past, Calliope was the chosen one. She has finally done the right thing and has arranged for our pyramid to be in place in time for the opening this evening. When the comet flashes across the sky, the same time the light of the full moon crosses the pinnacle of the golden eagle, we will be freed from this hell hole where we have been trapped for thousands of years."
More cheering ensued.
"But first, we shall release our elders to dispose of those near to Calliope... as well as Calliope herself, of course. She shall be our first sacrifice."
His laughter, and the laughter of those around him, echoed throughout the caves. It was the perfect time for Jack to make a quick escape. Hopping off of the rock where he had been perched, a small stone dropped to the ground, making a loud pinging noise.
Suddenly all went quiet and every head turned in his direction.
He held his breath, waiting.
Content there was nothing to worry about, the creatures turned back to their leader and continued their laughter.
Jack let out a low breath and very slowly and carefully took to flight. He re-traced his previous journey until he flew out into the large cavern which held such terrifying memories for him. Before heading back to the others, he flew upwards towards the cages.
Men, women and teenagers were wasting away, helpless. The stale smell of sweat, urine and blood surrounded him as he tried so hard to remember what had happened to him in the end. Why had he survived when so many others had perished? How had he escaped? It was just one question, one memory, that evaded him, locked away in his subconscious refusing to be found.
Looking at a woman who was once probably so beautiful in her youth, he was startled when she opened her eyes and looked right at him. She snarled like a wild animal and hissed. She thought he was the enemy. He was just a bird yet she thought he was the enemy.
Even if she survived this, there was no way she would ever be the same again. Not even years of therapy could help this poor soul. She was as good as dead, he thought sadly, turning away and flying across to another cage further away.
There lay a man possibly in his 30s, but it was difficult to tell. He too opened his eyes but he looked different. He sat upright and smiled at him. Smiled. Wishing he could return the gesture, Jack moved a little closer and watched as the man tried to speak. His throat so dry that it came out all croaky
"Hey....little b....bird. I'm Joseph. It's nice to meet you..." but before he could utter another word, a familiar sound filled the air. The slaves were coming. It was feeding time.
Jack looked at Joseph one last time before he turned away, flapping his wings and flying back into the tunnel from where he had come.
It didn't take long for him to locate Zalea and Eric. They were huddled together in a little cave just metres from where he had left them. Before they heard his return, he looked at them for a moment. Both were filthy, sitting there sweating, hoping they would get out of there alive.
He let out a quiet squawk and watched as their faces lit up.
"Jack," they whispered, grins spreading across their faces.
"I'm here," he said after he'd made his transformation, "I'm here," he repeated, hugging Zalea tightly before patting Eric on the back. "I told you I'd come back."
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
The Sheriff's deputy, Shirley Brown, had brought all the weapons she could find to the Community Centre, in the back of her station wagon.
"Just in case," she'd said, handing the guns around. "But don't just go shooting around anywhere and everywhere, ladies. You aim only at those beasts, nobody else. We don't want a blood bath of our own kind."
"Thank you, Shirley," Rose said, "it's good to know you understand our plight."
"That's quite all right, Rose. I'm the Sheriff's Deputy and I'm here to take out the enemy."
So there they stood, women of all ages, some carrying hand guns, machine guns, rifles, knives, kitchen knives, baseball bats, and so on. Some were dressed in head to toe black, others simply wore what they always wore, floral dresses, pinafores, dungarees, trouser suits, skirt suits, etc.
They stood to attention, waiting for the go ahead to move on to the pyramid and get their men back.
But just as they were making their final preparations, December's head began to throb incessantly.
"It's Jack," she shouted to anybody nearby, "He must have some news for us," she said with a grunt, falling to the floor in a heap.
"He wanted me to repeat exactly what he heard....'When the comet flashes across the sky and when the light of the full moon crosses the pinnacle of the golden eagle, we will be freed from this hell hole where we have been trapped for thousands of years. It's the pyramid. He said something about Calliope having been disobedient in the past but that she created the pyramid for their release. But, they're going to sacrifice her before they kill everyone near to her. They plan to claim their title as the rightful heirs to this world..."
December's head fell back on to Moira's lap as she carefully dampened her brow with a wet cloth.
"She's feeling worse than she usually does," said Millicent, "It was a lot to take in... she really needs some rest."
"No," muttered December, lifting herself up, "No. I'm fighting too, you're not leaving me here."
Moira looked across at Lilly.
"It's no use, you know. If you try and stop her, she'll only go and orb herself there which will be more dangerous," Lilly added.
Gabriel and the elders stood by her side discussing Jack's findings.
"We must stop them. Can we destroy the pyramid? he asked, looking at Michael.
"We can try but I believe the clue lies with the Golden Eagle. Perhaps if we destroy that first?"
"We can only try," said some of the others as Gabriel turned to face the crowd.
"But what about this comet? This is the first we've heard about it?" he said.
Michael shook his head, "I'm afraid there is no time to find out about that."
"It's time," Gabriel announced to the crowd. "We must destroy the pyramid, and the Golden Eagle that rests on its pinnacle. Let's hope that is enough. My friends, those of you that can change, I would advise you to. Good luck to us all. Let's go!" he yelled before they all piled out of the Community Centre and into their vehicles.
#
"I can't hold on for much longer," said Zoltan as his grip began to loosen around the smooth pillar.
"You must," yelled Walter, "they will try to rip you apart if you fal
l and we cannot risk harming any of them. They are innocents in all of this, after all."
A low growl was released from his lips as he held on tight but it was no use. His fingers gave way and he fell below right into the crowd of men below.
Within seconds, Zoltan's clothes ripped from his body and he jumped up growling at those that surrounded him. The men, unsure how to react to a huge wolf, hovered, waiting to pounce.
The roar of engines suddenly filled the air as the men's attention was temporarily wavered. Zoltan used the moment to pounce high over them, landing close to the pyramid's entrance, growling loudly, followed by a piercing howl while he glanced out onto the moon.
The men followed him, ready to attack when there was suddenly an almighty crash as several large vehicles ploughed into the side of the building, causing the men to scatter in different directions.
Before they could gather back together, two mountain lions appeared out of nowhere, growling and keeping them at bay. Behind them stood several witches, all reciting a spell, trying to overturn Calliope's hold on the men. When nothing happened, the women of Powell River barged forward shouting and yelling, brandishing their weapons.
The men appeared to be confused.
"Wait," shouted Ms Hathermere, "I can see my son..let me try to talk to him..." she said, pushing forward until she stood face to face with the boy she had given birth to thirty-three years earlier.
"No!" yelled Moira as the woman suddenly disappeared within the crowd. "Ms Hathermere!" she yelled. But the woman re-appeared unharmed.
"I think he recognises me," she shouted back. "Find your loved ones and talk to them... I think it's helping," she said, gently stroking her son's face who looked at her in confusion.
"Ben," said Crystal as she too pushed through the throng until she stood in front of him. "Ben, baby, it's me, Crystal. Baby?"
A look of recognition flashed across his face.