“Go!”
Without looking back, Heather spun and sprinted for the exit. She banged the double doors open and fumbled her way down the stairs. The spell now broken, sobs came quickly, and tears clouded her eyes. She twisted around the landing and lost a shoe. Kicking off the other one, she kept going. She rounded the second floor landing when she heard a bang from above. Not even bothering to look, she took the next few steps as fast as she could.
The blow hit her from behind so hard she lost her breath. She fell, rolling to the first-floor landing. Only feet away from the door, she tried to get up when a pain shot through her leg. Heather screamed out and reached back to find wetness. Blood. She rolled over to see the creature on its haunches only feet away.
“Please,” began Heather.
The thing that had been Megan dove and buried its mouth in Heather’s throat, tearing it apart. Between its claws digging away, and its teeth, it gored Heather’s neck down to the spine, ripping that asunder with a strong yank. Holding the severed head it its hands, it peered up to where the Spittle and the Sigh stood on the landing.
“Yes,” said the Sigh. “That will do.”
CHAPTER 7
The bar was much like any other and Audrey was grateful for that. She didn’t go for those themed places or anything too upscale. All she needed was a place to serve her drinks at a decent price and not harass her. This resort was one of the only nicer stops that Elliot had planned, and she had been worried about the atmosphere of the place. Turned out it was just a low-key spa and casino, with a restaurant and bar. All that really mattered to her was the bar.
She didn’t want Elliot to know how much she drank. It wasn’t an everyday thing, but it was definitely an every other day thing. She knew it was connected to her depression. When you spend a weekend consuming nothing but Oreos and wine while streaming Buffy reruns, you know you have a problem. She was self-medicating, only because real medication was too expensive.
She’d only drank twice so far on the trip and she was proud of that. To celebrate, she planned on getting tanked tonight. The real world was weighing on her this evening, responsibilities waiting for her back home and lack thereof.
Taking a sip of her beer, Audrey wondered what she’d be doing if she were back in California right now. Probably sitting at home, drinking a beer, and sitting on the computer. She spent a lot of time in various geek forums, arguing pointless movie trivia. The internet was a nice buffer for her, although sometimes it made her feel more lonely than it did connected.
An internet forum was how she met her last boyfriend, Kyle. They had the same interests in computers, science fiction, and vegetarianism. At first it had seemed great, someone so similar, but Audrey quickly learned that he was looking for something far more serious than she was, plans that involved marriage and kids down the road. She was only looking to hang out, maybe get laid. The whole relationship had quickly dissolved, especially when Kyle accused her of being an alcoholic.
Yes, she most likely drank too much. And yes, she probably should have opened up to him more about her past. But it wasn’t Kyle’s job to “fix” her, to mold her into something he wanted. The whole thing had both made her sad and pissed her off in equal measure.
Speaking of guys, Audrey noticed the guy at the end of the bar smiling at her again. An older guy in a suit. Was that a rose in lapel? Weird. Still, he was quite handsome for a guy in his forties.
Intellectually, Audrey knew she was attractive, even if she rarely felt it. A petite five-foot-one with curvy measurements, wavy blonde hair cut right below her shoulders, olive complexion, and green eyes. She wasn’t wearing anything special tonight, but the cutoff jean shorts and white tank top did show off a lot of skin. The blistering heat had dictated her outfit more than any desire to be sexy.
Today was the first day Elliot had worn something other than a T-shirt, now sporting a black polo. Of course, he wore it with camouflage cargo shorts and flip-flops.
“We should do shots,” said Elliot.
“If you insist,” replied Audrey.
He ordered two shots of tequila with salt and lemon.
She frowned at the drinking accessories and picked up the shot. “We don’t need training wheels.”
Elliot laughed and downed the shot with his sister.
She took a swig from her beer. “Is there anything you wanted to do here? Gamble or get a seaweed facial?”
“Nope, it was just along the way and I thought we could crash here for the night. It really wasn’t all that much more expensive.”
“That’s surprising.”
He shrugged and changed the subject. “That guy over there seems to be checking you out.”
Audrey glanced over to see the older gentleman at the end of the bar smiling at her. He had a certain Hollywood look to him, like one of those stylish actors poured into a suit come Oscar season. He raised his glass and nodded at her. Unsure what to do, she smiled back and tipped her own bottle toward him.
“Wow, you’re not very good at that, are you?”
“Shut up, Elliot.”
“Go talk to him.”
“We’re in some random town in… wait, we’re not even in Texas anymore, are we? I don’t even know what state we’re in. I’m not going to go flirt with a stranger I just met in a bar halfway across the country.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter now. He’s gone.”
Audrey spun back in her chair to stare at the spot where the man in the suit had been. Sure enough, he’d left. For some reason, his departure made her sad. Although it had been nothing, his smile had brightened her night.
As that thought passed through her mind, she got more depressed. The smile of a stranger was the highlight of her day. That was her life. Twenty-four years old and so very little to show for it. She felt that familiar void opening up and called on the bartender to bring more beers and another round of shots.
“You okay?” asked Elliot.
How did she answer that? No, she was wreck, her life was pointless? She had to try to stay upbeat for Elliot, or at least put up that front. He deserved that from her. No matter what came up on this trip, she would endure.
“I’m fine, just ready to drink my baby brother under the table.”
Elliot’s face broke into a big grin. She never referred to him in such sentimental terms, finding them uncomfortable. But she knew he wanted that from her, that he wanted that bond. Drinking was definitely a bonding exercise she could get behind.
“More shots then,” he said. “Whiskey this time?”
“Bring it.”
CHAPTER 8
The coffee machine dripped more of its precious black liquid into the pot, filling the kitchen with a rich aroma. It was already late, but Emily Binici needed the caffeine to stay awake. There were still too many unknown variables at play.
Pouring herself a cup, she added a splash of hazelnut creamer and allowed the aroma to drift up to her. Carrying it back to her office, she sipped and wondered to where her cat had disappeared. Likely sleeping somewhere. Another sip and Binici frowned at the pile of books on her desk. So far everything she had read was leading her to negative speculations.
Binici had been a professor of Cultural Anthropology for over thirty years. She had taught at two different California universities and was now tenured. Most of her published work surrounded cultural adaptations of The Sacred Feminine, although she had done studies on a variety of other topics including Blood Rituals, Chthonic Appropriation, and Fertility Ceremonies. Unknown to most in academia, this made her the foremost expert on something called the Crimsonata.
What even less of them knew, the Crimsonata was real.
She had stumbled upon it near the beginning of her career while cross-referencing numerous accounts from lesser-known cultures. They spoke of a woman who communed with the gods through her blood. This woman was sometimes an oracle, sometimes a witch, and sometimes thought divine herself. Always it was believed that her blood somehow appeased the go
ds of that particular culture, although the how and why was never clear. Binici had dove into these myths, pulling apart fact from fiction. She found more than she would have ever thought possible.
There was some truth to the lore, a lineage that traced back millennia. It had ties, in some ways, to all the major religions, a host of well-known legends. What was more disturbing, it opened up the possibility of so many more ideas that had been regarded as fantastic to be considered more carefully. The world was not exactly as we believed it was with our science and rational minds.
Along the way, Binici had made some strange friends. She had discovered that she wasn’t the only person who had stumbled onto a secret truth. While these people could be intimidating, they could also be quite useful. It was through their aid that she had tracked the lineage of the Crimsonata. It had taken a considerable amount of time and the results weren’t exactly satisfactory.
The last Crimsonata had died in a car crash and her heir had only been a child. Binici had met the child, Audrey Darrow, but she seemed an unremarkable girl. If Audrey knew anything of the potential within her, she didn’t show it. Considering the young age of the Darrow girl at the time of her mother’s death, it was likely that no great wisdom had been passed down. At the time, Binici had wrote it off as an opportunity missed.
But that was almost a decade ago, and now, things had changed.
Binici took another sip of her coffee and opened her laptop. Pulling up a spreadsheet, she examined the document and sighed. Time was not on their side. Reaching for her cellphone, she retrieved a slip of paper from inside her desk drawer.
The other end answered on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Dr. Faure? It’s Emily Binici.”
There was a pause. “It’s late Emily. Is everything alright?”
Binici looked at the clock and swore to herself. She forgot about the time difference he would have there in Illinois. Unfortunately, she needed the Comparative Religions Professor and this wouldn’t wait until morning.
“Have you heard anything?” she asked.
“Yes, it’s worse than we thought,” he replied in a hushed voice. “There’re reports of degradation all across the country. Probably the world.”
“My research can only go so far, but it’s what I feared. It’s been too long since the Crimsonata flowed. Any longer threatens permanent damage, and possible seepage.”
“That’s… unacceptable.”
Binici sighed. She hated what she was about to say, what she was sentencing that girl to, but the alternative was unthinkable.
“Contact the Promethean Wall,” said Binici. “Tell them to use their contacts to find Audrey Lynn Darrow. The Crimsonata must be forced to flow.”
“I’ll leave tonight,” said Faure before hanging up.
Binici stared at her phone, trying not to think about what she had just condemned Audrey Darrow to. She tried to justify it to herself, saying that being the Crimsonata was Audrey’s birthright, which had her mother not died, she’d be flowing now. Binici was only ensuring the natural balance. For all she knew, it could be a wonderful experience being the Crimsonata, something the young woman would thank her for.
Binici didn’t believe any of that.
They didn’t have much time. The barriers between realms were breaking down. Soon there would be nothing holding back the hordes below or the glory from above. The earth would be shattered in the ensuing chaos, all the Outer Kingdoms attempting to cohabitate in one singular space simultaneously.
She hoped the Promethean Wall understood their duty in this situation. Killing the young woman would be disastrous, they had to use her to stop a greater plague. The Wall was efficient, but often over-zealous. She’d only met a handful in person, and if Binici was being honest with herself, they scared her.
Back in the kitchen, she poured the remainder of her coffee down the sink. She already knew she wasn’t going to sleep tonight, she could feel it. She wondered what Audrey Darrow was doing and hoped the young woman’s last few days of freedom were good ones.
CHAPTER 9
The night had cooled down and the stars were out in the clear sky. The bar had begun to thin out a bit, but the casino was still doing brisk business next door, the time of day no concern to those gambling away their money. Audrey lit up a cigarette, pleasantly hammered. She would have a hangover in the morning, but she wasn’t so wasted that it would be painful. Even now she could walk straight if she put her mind to it.
Elliot staggered up next to her and made a child-like grabbing motion that she took to mean he wanted to bum a smoke. Raising an eyebrow, she pulled one out of the pack and handed it to him. It took him a full minute to get the thing lit, finally coughing out a lungful when he did. Not saying anything, she stood beside him and they both swayed back and forth slightly.
“For a tiny thing, you can hold your liquor,” Elliot finally said.
“Willpower,” she replied.
“Will you make fun of me if I throw up?”
“Nope. We drank a prestigious amount.”
“Cool.”
Audrey felt the giggles coming on, a sensation she rarely got when drunk. It occurred to her that this exact scenario would have played out countless times had they grown up together. As Elliot’s older sister, she would’ve been the one to get him into upper class parties and sneak him beers. She would’ve been the one to take him out for his twenty-first birthday and get him smashed. They had missed out on all of those memories, but at least now they had this one.
Out in the parking lot, someone weaved among the cars, obviously drunk and probably forgetting where they had parked. Audrey hoped they weren’t driving. She was glad their room was on the first floor. She wasn’t sure if she could navigate stairs too well and an elevator might make her feel like Elliot looked.
“Where do we go tomorrow?” Audrey asked, trying to get his mind off his stomach.
“We keep heading east awhile. Soon we will have to decide if we want to shoot north or carry on to the coast. Doesn’t matter to me.”
“I wouldn’t mind…”
“Doesn’t matter to meee!”
“Wow, you really are drunk.”
She laughed and glanced back out to the parking lot. The drunk patron had made their way closer to them. She winced as the person banged off an SUV’s driver’s side mirror. Looking around, there were other people going in and out of the casino, two more people standing on the other side of the bar entrance smoking, but nobody noticed the drunk. Audrey tried to shrug it off.
“I need to eat something,” said Elliot.
“You think that’s a good idea?”
“Yeah, something in me besides booze.”
“Okay, I think that buffet in the casino is all night. I don’t know.”
“Hey Audrey?”
“Yes?”
“I think that chick is all fucked up.”
Audrey’s head turned from Elliot to where he was pointing. The person she had mistaken for a drunk came lurching out from between the cars. Not drunk, destroyed. Most of her white outfit was in tatters and much of the remainder showed a bruised body. Perhaps some kind of car accident, her face looked ruined, the lower portion of it gone and her eyes wide. Arms that look broken hung limply at her sides, something wrong with her hands.
The sight of the woman was alarming, terrible, but something about those hands jarred a portion of Audrey’s psyche. It looked too deliberate, too perfectly achieved. The woman’s eyes were still stretched wide. Within seconds of seeing her, Audrey’s compassion evaporated under her paranoia.
“Jesus, are you okay?” asked Elliot, starting forward.
“Elliot, stay back,” said Audrey, grabbing his shirt.
The other two people smoking outside had also seen the woman but hadn’t the same suspicions as did Audrey. They immediately rushed over to her. Both looked to be business men, about a decade older than her and Elliot. The first one got backhanded across the parking lot. What Audrey now
realized were claws gored his face in the blow. The second backed up, but not fast enough. The woman leapt upon him and shoved her face into his throat. Sprays of blood arced through the air as she rode him down to the asphalt.
By this point, people coming and going from the casino had heard the commotion and walked over. The smart ones ran as soon as they saw the bloodshed. A security guard raced over and threatened the woman with a Taser, but he seemed terrified to use it. The woman drew closer to Audrey and Elliot.
“Get back!” said Elliot, putting himself between Audrey and the woman.
The monstrosity took a swipe at him and tore into his arm. He let out a cry and stumbled back, pushing Audrey into a potted tree. She fell over, the woman looming above her.
And then the creature exploded.
A shower of flesh and viscera rained down all over the place, coating everyone. Audrey was too shocked to care. She was sure that the woman was about to kill her, that she was about to die. She crawled over to Elliot who was on his knees, vomiting beside the tree. He wasn’t the only one. The inept security guard was doing the same between two cars. A few other witnesses had been covered in gore, along with the two victims of the attack.
But the man in the suit with the rose in his lapel wasn’t. He stood there, perfectly clean, staring at her. She returned his gaze, seeking answers, but only got a slight nod. Elliot groaned, and Audrey only looked away for a second, but when she looked back, the man was gone. Gone at an impossible speed.
She helped her brother up as the siren came roaring through the night, a headache beginning to form at the base of her skull. Too much, too fast. Audrey wasn’t good at processing like this. She had no answers herself, let alone to give anyone else.
CHAPTER 10
It had been a long night of questions and speculations. The police had arrived with ambulance crews following close behind. Elliot had stood there, even after everything, still far too drunk to fully process what was happening. The trigger-happy sheriff’s deputies had pulled guns on the witnesses and forced them all down onto the ground. Fortunately cooler heads within the EMTs prevailed.
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