The Sacrifice: Forbidden, Book 1

by Samantha Sommersby

  “So arrogant. That will change.”

  “Clock’s ticking ever so slowly while you wait. That’s it, isn’t it? I suppose you’ve got to amuse yourself somehow. Nothing to do, and so much time.”

  “You think you understand me? You couldn’t possibly understand me.”

  Katherine was reaching for me, begging for me to save her life. Pleading with me not to leave her. Imploring that I cut the child tearing up her insides out of her. I looked down at the form on the floor impassively.

  “Don’t be so sure,” I said, my voice devoid of emotion. Then I stood up, turned my back on her and walked away into the darkness, confident that on the other side, I’d find the light.

  “Oh, thank God!”

  My eyes slowly came into focus. I was back in the library. Katherine was by my side, Laura next to her. I was on the floor.

  “I’m all right,” I assured her, sitting up.

  Laura looked skeptical. “You lost consciousness.”

  “For how long?”

  “Just a few seconds.”

  “He took you, didn’t he?” Jennifer’s voice was on the edge of hysteria. “Any one of you could be next.”

  “Was it Abaddon?” asked Will. “What happened?”

  I nodded. “He’s playing with us.” I climbed to my feet. “I need a moment.”

  “What are you people talking about?” asked Laura.

  “And the fifth angel sounded.” Stanley stepped out of the shadows into the pool of light from the fireplace. When he’d entered the library, I wasn’t sure.

  “I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.”

  “That’s from Revelation,” said Charles.

  Stanley nodded. “Chapter Nine. Abaddon is the angel of the bottomless pit. The Grim Reaper. Death itself. Face of a man, body of a horse, tail of a scorpion and wings. Huge black wings.”

  “The scorpion bites!” gasped Laura.

  Stanley turned and glared at Will. “Why didn’t you tell me this was what we were dealing with?”

  “I needed independent verification.”

  “Fuck!” Stanley rounded on Jennifer. “What did you do?”

  “I couldn’t just let him die!”

  “You’ve got to be more careful. Every time you do something like this you put yourself in danger!”

  Will placed his hand on Stanley’s shoulder. “It’s done, Stanley. The game is in play now. We’ve been through stuff like this before. I’ve seen you—”

  He shook his head. “No, we’ve never had to protect someone from something like this. We aren’t talking about run-of-the-mill spirit possession. We’re talking demon possession. We’re not equipped to deal with this kind of power, William.”

  “What choice do we have?”

  The room fell silent.

  “Christ, we need a place to set up.” Stanley picked up his bag and walked toward the kitchen. We all started to follow. “So, what do we think we’re looking at here? A full-blown apocalypse?”

  “Boredom,” I said.

  Stanley paused at the door. “Yeah, I can see that. Makes sense.”

  He set his black bag on the large kitchen table and unzipped it.

  “No, it doesn’t!” growled Laura. “None of this is making any sense.”

  “Sure it does,” I said. “Think about it. Big, powerful demon with nothing to do but sit around and wait for the signal? And wait…and wait…and wait. So much time, so many lower beings, so many evil, fiendish plots to hatch.”

  “Wes!” Laura stepped close to me, grabbing hold of my shirt. “Demons? You of all people have to realize how this sounds.”

  “Crazy?”

  She nodded. “Yes, Wes. It sounds crazy.”

  I smiled. “I know it does. Rest assured, I haven’t completely gone ’round the bend.” I pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down. “This is real. You yourself said they were scorpion bites.”

  “Maybe I was wrong.”

  “You weren’t wrong.”

  “Maybe we should try to explain from the beginning?” suggested Katherine.

  Laura took the seat across from me and leaned forward intently. “I’m all ears.”

  Katherine walked over to me and sat down in my lap. “Shall I start?”

  With comfortable ease I wrapped my arm around her waist and nodded.

  “Wes and I were out on our first date. We’d taken the Tube to the theatre. When I got off at my stop there was this woman.”

  “That would be me,” interjected Jennifer. “I’d been hearing him for days. Telling me I was wrong, all wrong. Laughing. Taunting me. Saying that he was going to take Wes. Saying that I had nothing to live for. Sometimes it was just its voice, but sometimes he appeared as…”

  “Go on,” I encouraged.

  “Most times it was Will, sometimes Stanley, sometimes even you.” Silent tears formed a path down her cheeks. “I knew none of you would ever want me to take my life.”

  Will reached out for his sister’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.

  Katherine continued. “Because Jennifer interceded, I got back on the Tube and some things changed.”

  Jennifer nodded. “Wesley lived.”

  “Tell Laura about the ghosts,” prompted Katherine.

  “The ghosts of some of his former victims, they’ve been trying to make contact, to help us. He infected their minds,” said Jennifer.

  “He stole their lives,” I added. “And now he’s targeting Katherine’s ex-fiancé, Damien. I’m sure of it. Damien was here tonight. He was the one that attacked us.”

  “Not just here, tonight,” added Charles. “He hit Katherine the other night, also the personnel at the hospital. Do you think he could have had anything to do with the fire?”

  “It’s just so unlike him,” said Katherine, shaking her head in disbelief.

  Jennifer leaned back against the refrigerator and folded her arms protectively across her chest. “He’s lost touch with what’s real.”

  “That’s the trick, isn’t it?” I asked her. “Holding onto what’s real, knowing what that is?”

  “Do you have any pictures of this Damien?” Stanley asked Katherine.

  “I don’t have any with me,” she replied. “But there are some in my online photo album. Is the Internet connection working in the house?”

  “I’ll get my equipment out of the van. I’ve got satellite.” Stanley stood up and walked toward the door. “It seems like this Damien guy is the one Abaddon is focusing on triggering. I’ll concentrate on him first.”

  “Stanley!” He paused and turned back to face me. “I don’t think that’s true.”

  “You don’t?”

  I shook my head. “What happened to me is just the beginning. Sure, there’s Damien. But, frankly, I’m more worried about us.”

  “Us?” asked Charles.

  “Yes, Charles. Us. What we might do to ourselves, to one another. That’s our biggest threat.”

  “But you and Jennifer have both successfully resisted him.”

  Jennifer began laughing. “Successful? I was committed. I may not have killed myself but I wouldn’t call getting myself locked up a rollicking success.”

  Suddenly it felt as if I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders. I took a deep breath, then let it out and said what needed to be said. I said it as plainly as I could, with as much conviction as I could muster.

  “As unbelievable as this may sound, we have to face facts. This thing is real. It knows us. It knows what we can do, and it isn’t impressed. It’s laughing. You want to know how we’re going to beat it? We’re going to prepare. Get ready to face your fears. Be prepared to dismiss what you see and hear and taste and feel.”

  “And?” asked Charles.

  I clutched my hand to my hea
rt. “And rely on what you know.”

  “Or what?”

  “Or we’re just a bunch of silly mortals, waiting to be picked off, driven mad and buried. That’s it, isn’t it?” asked Katherine.

  I gathered her into my arms. “I’m afraid so.”

  Katherine leaned back. “That’s not how this is going to end.”

  “No?”

  She looked so confident. “No.”

  “I’m not sure I can sleep.” Katherine was staring at the closed door of the bedroom.

  “You’re exhausted. You have to sleep.” I turned down the bed.

  The hand-held radio crackled, then I heard Will’s voice. “Test. Test.”

  I picked it up and pushed the button. “I hear you.”

  “You’re locked in. Call if you need anything.”

  “Thanks, mate. How much am I paying you to lock me up in my own bloody house?”

  “You don’t want to know, man. It sounds like Stanley has finished emptying the van. We’ve got work to do. Out.”

  Katherine walked around to the far side of the bed and began to remove the various throw pillows, tossing them onto the floor. I moved to the other side of the bed and as our eyes connected we pulled down the covers slowly.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” whispered Katherine.

  “I was just wondering how many times my parents must have done this simple task together, turning down the bed. It feels odd, us sleeping in their room. Yet, it’s strangely comforting at the same time.”

  I sat down on the edge of the bed and removed my boots and socks. By the time I’d stood back up and turned around, Katherine was dressed only in her bra, knickers and the unbuttoned red silk blouse. She was struggling to untie the knot in the scarf around her neck.

  “Here. Let me help.” I walked across the room, unbuckling my belt and pulling my shirt free. “Your hands, they’re shaking.” I stilled them, clasping them between my own.

  “Hold me?”

  I wrapped my arms around her protectively and sighed. “I love your scent.”

  “I’m not wearing any perfume.”

  I buried my nose in her neck and inhaled deeply. “You mean this is just you? I wonder if you taste as good as you smell.” I nibbled at her neck.

  “What’s the verdict?” she asked as her head lolled to the side, giving me even better access.

  I pulled back and silently went to work on the scarf. After loosening the knot I untied it and gently slid the silk from around her neck. Then I dipped my head and kissed the hollow of her throat.

  “Wesley?”

  “Yes, love?”

  “I just had the strangest thought.” Katherine’s eyes became slightly unfocused. “What if none of this, you, what if it’s not real?”

  “Close your eyes.” I slipped the blouse off of her shoulders. The luxurious red silk fluttered to the floor and pooled at her feet. Then I gently guided her toward the bed. “You’re tired, love. It’s all real, you know it is, you—”

  Katherine gasped, her eyes widening in surprised panic.

  “What is it?”

  She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. I reached for her waist and pulled her toward me. “Katherine? Katherine!”

  Her knees folded beneath her, every muscle in her body became limp and she crumpled like a rag doll.

  “Oh, Christ! Stay here with me baby.” I lifted her up and placed her on top of the bed. “Focus on my voice, sweetheart.”

  She was unconscious. Her pulse was strong, her respirations slow and steady. I chastised myself for not asking more questions about my own presentation when I’d gone under. Was that what this was? Just as I reached for the radio to call for help Katherine bolted upright gasping for air, her eyes darting around the room, frantic and desperate.

  I ran back to her side. Katherine wrapped her arms around my neck and held on, melting into my arms.

  “This is real. You’re real. Tell me you’re real.”

  “Of course I’m real.”

  She began to sob. It twisted my guts and wrenched my heart. I held on tight, holding her close, wishing that I could absorb her pain.

  “It’s all right,” I assured her, running my hands over her body. “You’re here. You’re safe. It’s all right.”

  “How long?” Her voice was hesitant, unsteady and laced with emotion.

  “Just a few seconds, not even a minute. I didn’t even have time to call for help.” I leaned back so that I could see her face. “How long was it for you?” I asked her, using the pads of my thumbs to wipe away her tears.

  “Longer. Much, much longer.”

  “Tell me.”

  She took a deep breath, then released it. I picked up the carafe of water by the bedside and poured her a glass. “Drink this. Take a moment to gather your thoughts. Do you remember?”

  Katherine accepted the water and drank half of it down.

  “Yes.”

  She was shivering now, her hands shaking.

  “Let’s get you under the covers.”

  I quickly stripped off my clothes, then slid into bed alongside of her, gathering her against me. “Let me warm you. Talk to me, love.”

  “I was in a hospital. You were my doctor. You kept telling me that I was in San Diego. That I was hospitalized after I tried to…”

  “To what?”

  “Kill myself. You were kind, but cold, aloof. You said I’d lost Damien in a plane crash, then our baby a month after. You kept telling me that I needed to talk, grieve, accept the loss, accept the fact that my husband and child were dead.”

  I swallowed as I watched Katherine place her hand protectively over her stomach.

  “Only I knew my baby wasn’t dead. I knew it was alive and growing inside of me.”

  “And that’s when you came back?”

  She shook her head. “It went on for months. In my room, I kept a calendar.”

  “Months?”

  “We had sessions daily. They were almost always the same. I would beg you to let me go. You would lecture me about transference. You would tell me that I needed to accept the truth, that you weren’t my lover, that there was no other life. Day after day we would go through the same thing. I knew in my heart it wasn’t you, that it was really him, it.”

  “How did you end it?”

  “You came to me, it came to me, in the middle of the night. The approach, it was different.”

  “Different how?”

  “More like you. So much like you.” Katherine was tracing invisible patterns across my chest. “And I so much wanted it to be you, to be over. I missed you and this time, under the cover of darkness, by the light of the moon coming in through the window, you confessed that you missed me, that you loved me, and you made me an offer, a very tempting offer.”

  My heart was pounding in anticipation.

  “An offer to take away all the hurt, all the pain. It was getting harder and harder every day you said. Seeing me and not being able to touch me, hold me, kiss me.”

  I closed my eyes and held my breath.

  “You said we could have a life together outside of the hospital. You told me about a beautiful house, right on the beach. You wanted to take me there, have children with me there, grow old with me there. It was everything I could imagine wanting.”

  “Only it wasn’t real.”

  Katherine leaned up and searched out my eyes. “Only it wasn’t real and for what was probably the thousandth time, I said so.”

  “What was different about that time?” I asked her, hoping to discover the key, some common denominator.

  She shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

  The bedroom door splintered. “You bastard!”

  The radio crackled. “We’ve got a breach.”

  “No shit.” I jumped out of the bed, positioning myself between Katherine and Stanley. “Bathroom! Now! Lock it!”

  Katherine scrambled out of bed and flew across the room.

  “What the fuck is going on?”

 
; “You get her to tell you all of her secrets, you get her to trust you, then you do this? I’m not going to let you hurt her!”

  “Who?”

  Stanley stepped back, turned his body sideways and threw a right hook in my direction. I bobbed underneath his arm getting in a punch to his unprotected midsection. Stanley doubled over and stumbled back a few steps, but he quickly recovered.

  “Don’t hurt him!” Jennifer cried out frantically from the door. “He’s hallucinating. He doesn’t know what he’s doing!”

  The next sound I heard was a round being fired, then another. Stanley stood stock still when the first dart hit. When the second one pierced the skin of his shoulder his eyes rolled up and he unceremoniously slid to the ground.

  “What did you do?” shouted Jennifer.

  “Tranquillizers,” said Will. “He’ll be out for a couple hours, give or take.”

  Jennifer knelt down alongside of him and lifted his head into her lap. “I guess we should find him someplace to sleep it off?”

  “Well, he’s not sleeping here! That’s for damn sure.” I walked toward the chaise to retrieve my robe. Before I could reach it, however, I found myself with an armful of towel-clad Katherine.

  “Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, love.”

  Laura and Charles both ran into the room.

  “What happened?”

  “Stanley was hallucinating,” explained Jennifer. “Abaddon got to him. He thought… I’m not sure what he thought.”

  “It’s not about what he thought, it’s about what he feared. His nightmare. I got the impression he thought he was protecting you,” I said.

  “Protecting Jennifer?” Will glanced down at the two of them.

  Jennifer was running her fingers tenderly through Stanley’s hair. “He’s in love with me, Will. He just doesn’t know it yet.”

  “Really? Stanley?”

  Jennifer nodded. Then she looked at me as if noticing me for the first time. “Wes, you don’t have any clothes on.”

  I quickly slipped the robe on. “Give us a few minutes to get dressed and I’ll help you get Stanley tucked in bed.”

  “Charles and I can handle it,” said Will, grabbing the throw from the chaise. He laid it on the floor and started to roll Stanley onto it. “You two need to get some rest. Katherine looks tired.”