Timelock

by R. G. Knighton

  Mary gave out a maniacal laugh, the bi-polar effect of two souls sharing one body conflicted every thought she had. The man she loved was pleading with her for the life of his fiancée, but the thought of killing another living being, filled her with disgust. So why was she standing on the roof threatening to do just that. This contrasted with the thoughts of Toomak. After two thousand years I have the sacred amulet finally in my grasp that will allow me to fulfil my curse, so why am I standing her threatening the life of someone for my own protection. With a swipe of my hand I could kill everyone on this roof. I don’t even know George so why do I love him so.

  Mary chanced a look down over the wall and the site of the huge drop made her vision swim. As she tried to clear her head, a gust of wind whipped up almost blowing both of them over the edge and it was only with a windmilling of arms they kept their precarious balance. Eventually Mary’s common sense prevailed and she stepped down from the wall with Marion still in her grasp. Relieved at her decision, George instinctively ran forwards triggering Toomak’s fight or flight reflex.

  “I told you George keep back.”

  She threw herself backwards at the wall, dragging Marion with her. George yelled and ran forwards with the others while he watched the two women upend as their bodies pivoted over top disappearing from view. Fearing the grisly sight that awaited them everyone grasped the top of the wall and cautiously stared over the edge expecting to see two broken bodies on the ground below, but to their astonishment there was nothing at all. Mary and Marion had completely disappeared into thin air.

  For a moment, all four friends stood silent and staring, wondering where Toomak and Mary could be, until one of them broke the spell.

  “We’ve got to find them”

  Gasped George, his voice taut and dry while the pitch of his vocals squeaked intermittently as he spoke. His face, damp with perspiration from the hectic climb up five flights of stairs now felt the chill from the gust of an icy November breeze. Further silence ensued as no one had an answer. While they all collected their thoughts this time the silence was broken by Carl with his instinct for survival.

  “First thing is we’ve got to get off this roof and away from here. We can’t be the only ones who heard the noise and if the cops are called and they see the mess in Mary’s flat and us on the roof they’ll have us all locked up for questioning ‘till Christmas, and how do we explain all of that?”

  Everyone quickly agreed and descended the rear fire escape to the ground floor then tried to wander nonchalantly back to Tyler’s car so as not to raise suspicion. Luckily the alarm had not yet been raised over the damage to Mary’s door. The next problem was that Professor Appleyard was nowhere to be seen. He suddenly appeared from the lobby of Mary’s block with the policeman at his side. They both walked to the car and the four men held their breath as to what would happen next.

  “Ah there you all are, I was wondering where you had all got to. I have been telling this nice policeman all about the test we’ve been conducting regarding the sudden change in weather and how you were up on the roof checking the weather station.”

  Everyone nodded politely in agreement as they all quickly got back into the car and waved to the constable as Tyler drove away.

  The aged professor once again gasped for breath from the excitement and he collapsed in Tyler’s back seat while struggling to retrieve his medication from his waistcoat pocket. Henry took over and quickly retrieved the tin, picked out a pill and slotted it under the professor’s curled up tongue. Tyler drove the car away hurriedly, trying to avoid eye contact with the same policeman who questioned him yesterday and was walking towards the student accommodation to relieve the incumbent crime scene officer. To everyone’s relief the professor recovered quickly and his breathing soon returned to normal while Henry told him what happened on the roof. He instructed Tyler to drive to his bungalow as it was the closest and inside ten minutes they all sat in the professor’s living room exchanging ideas while Mrs Goldstein fussed around providing tea and endless rounds of sandwiches.

  “The problem will be solved if we examine the evidence logically.”

  Stated the professor as he reclined comfortably into his armchair and locked his fingers across his ample lap.

  “What evidence? We have nothing to go on.”

  Snapped George, his nerves were frayed and he returned to a bad childhood habit of biting the dry skin from his bottom lip. The professor ignored the outburst and pondered the situation before he made his next statement.

  “Let’s see what we do know! We know that Mary has abducted Marion. We also know that Mary now possesses the amulet giving her great power which you have all just witnessed. We know through George what she needs the amulet for so eventually she will have to come back to the book vault in order to re-enter the time portal. The Guardian told George that the hosts you all carry have a time limit, and I expect that Toomak knows this too, so it will not be too long before she has to show up. I suggest that we return to the vault as soon as possible to lay a trap for Mary or Toomak to fall into. While we wait we can use the time wisely to cleanse all of you before it becomes too late.”

  On that statement and hearing no objections to the plan, the professor stood up, battered away the crumbs from his waistcoat, and ushered everyone to the front door then back into Tyler’s car.

  Under the guise of a science experiment, the professor requisitioned the necessary equipment from storage and using Tyler, Henry, and George as his labour force with Chelsea as a lookout, they managed to secrete everything back into the book vault right under the nose of Dean Sutherland.

  Professor Appleyard resumed his normal teaching duties so as not to arouse suspicion, leaving Tyler, Carl, Henry, and George all the rest of the day to set up and test the equipment.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  At ten o’clock everything was ready and Chelsea had rejoined the group courtesy of a lift from Tyler. En route to the university, he explained everything that had happened and all that was required, giving her the option to back out. Chelsea was adamant that she wanted to stay and argued that she may also carry a host passed on from Carl, so it was important that she attended and that was the end of the matter. Tyler doubted greatly that host transference was possible outside of a séance, but after the events of the last few days he was open to believe anything.

  When the professor arrived, it completed the group and the session began. George, Tyler, Chelsea, Henry, and Carl all took their places on each of the five points of the pentagram, leaving the professor who was happy to stay free monitoring the equipment and to roam at will as the séance progressed. As before, the professor recited the incantation as he walked around the group. When he reached the end he added the extra verse as ordered by the Guardian and then raised his hands, encouraging the gathering to begin.

  “Amon Ra, Amon Ra, Amon Ra.”

  The assembly chanted over and over trying to make a connection. Several long minutes passed until the oscilloscope suddenly jumped into life as the previously flat horizontal line on the display screen began to rise and fall in a continuous sine wave. This registered the presence that now locked into place when the gathering changed their chant and the professor regulated the chronos field. The now familiar glowing green rift rose silently from the ground bathing everyone’s face in its eerie glow. The centre of the column soon began to spread out, much wider this time to reveal five angels waiting in line behind a very serious looking Guardian. The gathering ceased their chant as the image stabilised and the first angel stepped out, walked forwards through the portal to stand in front of Tyler followed by the second, third and fourth who passed through to stand in front of Carl, George, and Henry respectively. The fifth took his place before Chelsea only to look her up and down then shake his head and return to stand behind the Guardian. Chelsea took this response as a sign that she was free from any lost souls so she stepped back and watched alongside the professor. To the gasps of the gathering, every angel this si
de of the portal unfurled their magnificent pure white wings while taking both hands of their charges and waited for the cleansing to begin. Stepping across the threshold the Guardian cleared his throat then began his oration.

  “Nad ydych yn perthyn yn y deyrnas hon rwy’n eich rhyddhau i eich tynged cyfreithlon”

  (“You do not belong in this realm; I release you to your rightful destiny “)

  The angels tightened their grip as the four men began to convulse violently looking like an electrical current was running through their frame. Chelsea and the professor watched enthralled as one by one a shimmering ghostly image began to emerge from inside their host bodies. Each angel then released one hand from their charge and carefully grasped a free hand of the emerging soul. This seemed to have a calming effect on proceedings allowing the angel to repeat with the other hand allowing the lost soul to completely separate from their host and be led gently back through the void where they materialised into a more solid human form. The process repeated until every member was cleansed and all the lost souls returned through the void to board a waiting angel powered craft. The professor mentally noted how calm the behaviour of the departed seemed to be after leaving this world in such a violent way. With the process complete, the gathering watched the angels join their charges and glide away into the darkness leaving one angel remaining with the Guardian.

  Turning to the assembled group, the Guardian stepped forwards looking around for the priestess.

  “Where is Toomak?”

  He demanded, his commanding voice resonating through the enclosed cellar and echoing loudly from its vaulted ceiling.

  “I’m sorry Toomak has escaped and she has the amulet.”

  George said while shaking with fear at imagined repercussions he might endure from his failure to produce Mary. The Guardian’s expression turned very grave as he heard the news and he stroked his long wispy beard as he pondered over the information. Before he could come to a decision there was a blinding flash of white light and everyone shielded their eyes. This was quickly followed by a savage icy gust of wind that seemed to radiate out from the centre of the room. The force of the blast pushed everyone back against the wall and tripped the electricity breakers leaving the vault in near darkness. Even the green glow from the portal dimmed with the angel and the Guardian disappearing from view. Tyler dropped to his knees and fumbled along the floor where it meets the wall until he found the armoured cable sleeves protecting the electrical wiring inside. Tracing the cables up the wall he soon found the breaker switches and flicked them back on, once again bathing the vault in the familiar amber glow to reveal a hideous hybrid of Mary and Toomak standing near the pentagram. Mary had transformed from a pretty young woman into a hideous two thousand year old Egyptian priestess, luckily her body was mercifully covered by Mary’s pink tracksuit that she still wore. Her face was hideous, with a toothless mouth and obsidian coloured tongue darting out snake like tasting the air and her bony hands twisted into the shape of a vulture’s talons, and the stench of death hung in the air. Curiously Mary’s long shiny black hair hung perfectly down her back looking completely unaffected also her deep green eyes looked out pitiful and silent from dark recessed sockets, hopefully showing that even though the metamorphosis was well advanced there still seemed to be still a trace of Mary deep inside.

  At Toomak’s feet cowered Marion, she was filthy, dishevelled, and trembling. Mary kept her in check with a dog lead connected to a choker chain held tightly around her throat. The chain links had worn the skin of her neck raw and bleeding from the constant tugging by Mary who delighted at Marion’s pitiful yelps from the stinging caused by even the slightest pull.

  George ran to Marion’s aid only to be stopped dead in his tracks as Toomak raised her free arm, pointing at George and freezing him to the spot, making him unable to advance another inch. He watched helpless as Toomak pulled even harder on Marion’s choker, jerking the poor terrified girl to her feet. Tears rolled down Marion’s cheeks while she clawed desperately at the chain as it dug even deeper into the flesh around her neck, cutting off the circulation and making her ready to faint. Second to attempt a rescue was Carl, who tried to manoeuvre around behind Toomak and attack her from the rear. As he slowly advanced, Toomak turned her head through one hundred and eighty degrees to look directly behind her and stare Carl down. As she turned, Tyler cringed at the sound of neck vertebrae cracking and then retched at the sight of the skin around her neck tear apart from the stress revealing surprisingly white bloodless flesh underneath. Tilting her head slightly forwards in its new position to allow the shrunken chest cavity to inhale, she drew in a huge breath then roared at Carl who flew backwards through the air crashing several feet off the ground into a wooden bookcase then land heavily onto the floor. Unfortunately for Carl, his punishment did not end there. The entire display above him began to creak then gracefully tilt forwards prompting its display of books to slide unceremoniously from their shelves and fall on and around Carl’s unconscious body. This was quickly followed by the now empty bookcase, burying Carl under a mountain of paper and wood.

  Professor Appleyard was hoping that Toomak would be eager to rid herself of her host and pass unhindered through the portal so he tried to reason with the priestess in order free Marion and Mary.

  “Oh mighty Toomak we have witnessed the majesty of your sorcery and pray for your compassion. You no longer have use for your captive and as you know you must rid yourself of your host to successfully pass through so we beg for her safe release.”

  Toomak returned her gaze to face the front as she listened to the impassioned plea. Like a bird looking for its next meal, Toomak jerkily tilted her head as she looked around and then looked curiously down at her prisoner while debating her next move. The professor, fearing Toomak would make a run for it and face the consequences, slowly sidestepped towards the electromagnets ready to flick the off switch with his right foot should anything go wrong. Everyone held their breath as Toomak raised the hand holding the dog lead and looked at the Guardian standing with the last remaining angel. Finally making her decision she loosed her grip and dropped the lead allowing Marion to run gratefully into George’s arms as he was now free to move.

  Turning to face the portal Toomak now beckoned to the remaining angel who stepped out to stand directly facing her. Carefully he took hold of Toomak’s hands and spread his wings as the Guardian started to speak.

  “Nad ydych yn perthyn yn y deyrnas hon rwy’n eich rhyddhau i eich tynged cyfreithlon”

  (“You do not belong in this realm; I release you to your rightful destiny.”)

  Toomak’s body began to shake violently as the separation began. This time the process worked in reverse as Toomak’s body seemed to liquefy and the outline of Mary began to emerge from within the old crones form. This action took considerably longer than the others as the bodily transformation was significantly advanced. The angel transferred his hands to Mary’s and pulled harder as the Guardian repeated the incantation over and over, slowly coaxing the two apart. Mary’s head finally egressed screaming from within Toomak’s frame bringing with it Mary’s green eyes and jet black hair that seemed to pass through Toomak’s head like the images of two overlapping photograph negatives being slowly drawn apart. Her upper body soon followed, filling out the pink tracksuit fortunately protecting Mary’s modesty as it emerged from within. Left behind was the hideous naked body of Toomak with her putrefying skin decorated in open running sores and bore the pallor of a corpse as it clung lifeless to her bony frame. The only thing good to look at was the prized amulet hanging against her wizened chest.

  Mary collapsed exhausted onto the floor sobbing from her ordeal and was comforted by Chelsea as the angel guided Toomak carefully towards the portal. The gathering watched anxiously as she slowly advanced, walking extremely stiffly on her stick thin legs, she looked extremely frail. When they reached the portal threshold, the Guardian blocked the way and demanded the removal of the amulet before she could
pass through. Toomak slowly raised her head and looked the Guardian squarely in the eye as she let go of the angel’s hands and reached for the chain on which the amulet hung around her neck. With a painfully slow deliberation she slipped the chain over her head and held it out to the Guardian. As he reached out to receive the treasured relic dangling on the end of the chain, Toomak suddenly whipped her hand to one side, swinging out the amulet and hitting the waiting angel full in the face, sending him crashing to the floor.

  “You don’t believe you’ll capture me so easily Guardian. This is my destiny!” Toomak screamed as she drew in the chain rattling the links through her bony fingers until it reached the talisman, which she held out in front of her like a miniature shield. Murmuring an incantation under her breath a beam of green laser light shot out from the emerald mounted in the amulet’s centre and it hit the Guardian full in the chest catapulting him backwards deep into the darkness of his twilight world until he disappeared from view.

  Recovered from his blow, the angel jumped to his feet and began to wrestle Toomak for her prized possession. The shaft of light still emanated from within the emerald as it cut swathes through the dusty air, burning grooves along the ceiling and walls as the two pitted their strength against one another. Dodging the light beam was all anyone else could do as the antagonists grappled and fell to the floor, flicking the deadly ray in all directions, boring holes into piles of manuscripts and books, which promptly exploded showering confetti over everything close by. Toomak was not a fragile as she looked and had the strength to turn the amulet towards the angel tracing a smoking black line down his wing to add the acrid smell of burning feathers to the vault. Tyler, Henry, and Chelsea had run for cover behind a stone pillar, grabbing Mary in the process. Luckily Carl was protected by the wooden bookcase that lay over him amid a vast pile of reference books. The only one that did not move far was the professor who crouched down next to the power switch of the electro magnet trying to decide whether to cut the power to the rift leaving Toomak and the angel temporarily trapped in the living world. Settling on inaction for the time being he watched helpless as Toomak managed to raise one foot and kick the angel in the stomach, separating them both as they quickly scrambled to their feet. Circling around, Toomak aimed the beam of the amulet directly into the angel’s chest, blasting him back through the portal in a repeat of the Guardian’s fate. Whispering a few incantations beneath her breath, Toomak disarmed the amulet and smugly hung it back around her neck. In a final act of arrogance, she turned to face the gathering when her eyes fell on Professor Appleyard fumbling with the controls of the electromagnets in an attempt to shut them down and close the portal. Rather than step through and make her escape the thought that anyone dare to defy her was too much to bear and she raised the amulet for a third time aiming straight for the professor who stood up to accept his fate. The incantation was repeated and once again the green laser light shone out from the emerald in the amulet’s centre. In that instant the professor side stepped behind one of the mirrors and as Toomak adjusted her aim, the beam struck the reflective surface bouncing straight back and hitting the amulet just off centre blasting it from her bony fingers to disappear through the portal with Toomak dashing after it. As soon as she passed through the rift, the professor managed to kill the power and the portal shrank from either side into a green pillar then quickly sank back into the floor leaving not a trace.