Timelock

by R. G. Knighton

  CHAPTER FORTY-NINE

  That evening the group watched in awe as Jesus’ tomb lay bathed in a shaft of light emitted from the heavens and an angel, identical to the one that fought Toomak in the book vault, descend along the light path to land in front of Joseph and Balthazar. Following a short conversation, Balthazar rolled away the protective stone and remained outside with Joseph as the angel entered. A brilliant white light flashed from the interior and as it faded, the angel re-emerged with Jesus standing by his side.

  Toomak also observed the miracle and realised that she had missed her chance as Jesus now stood fully recovered. She now knew that the only chance for success would come with additional help, and Toomak knew exactly where to find it. While all eyes watched the miracle, nobody saw Toomak pick up a stick and trace a small pentagram inside a circle into the rapidly drying earth. When she finished, keeping under cover, she ran to another site and then another, repeating the task. This continued until six sites were completed forming a semicircle approximately fifty feet from the front of Jesus’ tomb. At the completion of every circle, Toomak stabbed her thumb with the point of her stiletto dagger that she always carried and bled six drops of blood into the centre. With everything complete, Toomak returned to her original hiding place and began to chant.

  “Six circles of eternity, six pentangles of destiny and six drops of life.”

  Repeatedly she chanted until the familiar green glow appeared at the centre of each one. This time instead of a column of light rising from the ground, the flat disc of green aura widened until it filled the outline traced in the dirt. The glowing circles immediately attracted the attention of the observers and they watched horrified as a deformed gargoyle shaped, two-legged creature, climbed up through each illuminated disc. The creatures were bony and small in stature, with hairless scaly grey skin and claw like hands and feet. Huge bulbous eyes and pointed ears looked out of all proportion with the rest of the face including the equally wide slit mouth and pointed teeth. Each one carried a closely guarded object under one arm, which they conveyed over and presented gleefully to Toomak.

  Realising the imminent danger to that Jesus and his group now faced, without warning, Carl bounded down the hill waving his arms over his head to attract attention. Unfortunately nobody noticed, and by the time he reached the bottom, Toomak had seen what was happening and dispatched the demons to put an end to the commotion. Suddenly finding himself surrounded, Carl whipped out his flick knife and challenged the fight. Unlike the movies where the hero fights his enemy one at a time, all six demons pounced at once and Carl fell to the floor. Kicking and punching well above his weight to rid himself of these surprisingly light creatures, Carl managed to get back up to his knees and stab one in the leg. The blade passed through the papery skin and glanced off the bone before passing clean out of the other side. The demon shrieked but carried on undeterred as he tried to bite a chunk of flesh from Carl’s forearm. By this time, most of the gang had followed Carl down the hill and dived into the fray, raining kicks and blows to free their friend from the attack. As the fight ensued, each successful blow tore away strips of dry flesh that covered the demons’ frames until they eventually resembled fighting skeletons adorned with papery skin flaps wrapped around their bones and fluttering in the breeze.

  “How the hell do we defeat these creatures?”

  Yelled Henry as he pinned one face down in the dirt and knelt on its spine leaving it flailing helplessly and squealing in frustration. He beckoned Chelsea over and swapped places, leaving her standing nervously on the demons back, leaving Henry free to attack another. Mary fared better than most being a brown belt in Karate. With a series of kicks and punches, she managed to tip the balance in their favour.

  “The heads, you have to detach their heads.”

  The professor panted, as he finally made his way to the bottom of the hill. Quizzical looks came from the students apart from Mary who instantly lashed out a right foot straight into the face of one of the demons, which was not too difficult as they only stood about four feet tall. With a sickening crunch, the demon's face imploded and its head tore clean away from its neck and spun through the air. Before the head touched the ground, the body collapsed and turned into a pile of dust. Chelsea squealed as Henry turned around and spot kicked the demon's head away from the one beneath her feet leaving her standing in a pile of grey powder. Tyler decapitated another with a swing of his duffle bag leaving only three left. Mary dispatched another two in a similar way to the first and Carl now back on his feet grabbed hold of the final demon and swung it by the ankles against a rock. The head and body disintegrated instantly with the grey detritus blowing away on the breeze.

  Tyler looked at the professor and asked how he knew what to do.

  “You are not the only ones who have spent time in the book vault my boy. Many years ago I chanced across and old book on witchcraft and as I idly flicked through the pages I chanced upon a drawing of demons being defeated by a huntsman using his sword to chop off their heads.”

  At a loss of anything else to add, the group set off cautiously up the hill convinced that Toomak was waiting for them. Luckily, she was far too busy on a new incantation to bring life to the demons’ gifts.

  Carefully arranged on each point of a freshly drawn, much larger pentangle sat five of the gifts, with the remaining larger one placed in the centre. Once again, she used her dagger, this time to slit her forearm and drip blood over each macabre object as she circled the pentangle chanting under her breath and forming bizarre shapes with her hands. Suddenly one of the objects stirred into life and a severed arm complete with skeletal hand and five fingers, twisted snake like across the dusty earth.

  Balthazar had heard the noise down in the valley and unable to see far enough in the rapidly failing light, he headed off down the hill to make his own investigations. Quite by accident, he rounded a bush and chanced upon Toomak. Even though it had been over twenty years since they had last met at Glaston, Balthazar recognised the sallow features and his deep seated hatred for her surfaced all at once. Breathing in deeply and pulling back his shoulders, Balthazar let out a mighty roar from the depths of his chest and ran headlong down the hill like a bull at full speed. Toomak anticipated the charge, and akin to a matador, she sidestepped at the last second while plunging her dagger into his thigh as he stormed past. Balthazar’s leg immediately folded under him and he collapsed, rolling over and into a bush. His momentum continued and unable to stop, he thudded violently into the trunk of a tree, leaving him unconscious.

  Toomak watched for a few seconds and seeing no further movement from Balthazar, continued as if nothing had happened as she observed the process of her spell. The reanimated hand dug its bony fingers into the soft earth, slowly dragging the rest of the arm across the pentagram to reunite with the limbless torso lying in the middle. Satisfied that the process would continue unabated, Toomak set off up the hill to confront her nemesis.

  As soon as she entered the clearing in front of the tomb, Joseph instantly recognised her, stepped in front of Jesus and drew a short sword he kept attached to his belt. Toomak smiled briefly then swiped her arm outwards across her body like a one armed breaststroke. An unseen force battered into Joseph and he flew through the air, crashing into the wall of the tomb and then onto the ground. A loud crack followed by a searing pain down his left arm told him his collarbone was broken and the awkward angle of his left foot twisted under his body implied the same. He tried to rise but the angel came to his side, indicated for him to stay down and stood guard, leaving Jesus to face Toomak alone. Like opposing gunslingers in a western showdown, Jesus and Toomak stepped out into the middle of the clearing and stared intently, each waiting for the other to make the first move. Toomak sensed that the rejuvenated power within Jesus was only half as strong as the time they last met on the hillside. Nevertheless, it was still too strong to relinquish his life force, necessitating the need to weaken him further. This time things would be different. Quite
unexpectedly, Jesus held out his arms towards Toomak in a gesture of embrace and as before Toomak felt compelled to run into the shelter of his arms. She even took two paces towards him before coming to her senses and angrily lashed out her arm as she did previously with Joseph. But with Jesus it had little effect as he swatted the force away as easy a batting away a troublesome fly. Amazed at his strength, Toomak chanted under her breath and a revolving ball of fire appeared and hovered between her outstretched hands. Toomak screamed as she raised the ball over her head and hurled it towards Jesus. Holding up his hands to block the projectile, Jesus was a little too late and the flaming mass hit his chest sending him flying ten feet backwards through the air and land heavily on his backside. Clutching at his chest, Jesus fell flat to the ground and then rolled onto his side in an effort to get up. Scorch marks covered his previously white robes and a burn the size of a small dinner plate smouldered on the skin of his chest. The angel attempted to run to Jesus’ aid but stopped as Jesus looked up and waved him away. Toomak jumped from one foot to the other, dancing up and down on the spot and shrieking with laughter at managing to damage Jesus for the first time since the voyage to Albion. While all this was taking place, the gathering finally made their way to the top of the ridge and watched bewildered from the bushes, unsure what to do as the showdown continued.

  Without the strength to heal himself quickly enough, Jesus staggered to his feet and wearily looked around to see that his adversary had disappeared. Convinced of her success, Toomak ran back down the hillside to examine the progress of her anamorphic spell and her eyes widened in delight at the macabre sight. The arm had reattached to the shoulder of the torso and then reached out and grasped hands with its opposite number, lifting it into the air and across the chest to offer the open end to the respective shoulder joint. As the severed end of the upper arm touched the matching wound, the skin bubbled and fused together while the sinews beneath glued the bulbous part of the humerus into the scapula socket. Both arms now working in unison, lifted the torso at the shoulder in a rise and fall motion, like a slow butterfly swimming-stroke in the dirt. Painfully slowly, the half cadaver inched towards the two severed legs that lay twitching at the opposite edge of the circle.

  Toomak clapped her bony hands in glee that everything was finally falling into place and set off back up the hill. When she reached the clearing she found Jesus back on his feet and looking very unsteady as he shook his head trying to clear the fog from his brain. Toomak knew it was only a matter of time before her creature was ready, so she had to maintain the delicate balance between life and death for Jesus. Once again, Jesus offered his embrace and out of curiosity rather than will, Toomak moved closer. To the surprise of everyone, Henry and Carl leaped from the undergrowth and rugby tackled Toomak to the ground, believing that she was closing in for the kill. She shrieked and lashed out with her sharpened fingernails, ploughing three parallel bloodied grooves down Carl’s face, narrowly missing his right eye. Carl retaliated by throwing sand in Toomak’s face, temporarily blinding the witch, allowing the two men to get back to their feet and go in for the kill.

  Back down the hillside, Toomak’s creature neared completion. The torso now comprised of two arms and two bovine shaped legs complete with black cloven hooves. The hideous figure crawled on all fours over to reunite with the final piece. The decollated head lay face up in the dirt and as the body approached, its eyelids slowly opened to observe the procedure. Deep fiery red with slits for pupils, the eyeballs radiated heat like hot coals in a furnace, bathing the immediate surroundings in an unearthly glow. The reanimated body kneeled, picked up its head, turned it around to face the correct way, and then ceremoniously lowered it like a crown onto the middle of the shoulders. The scaly skin and tissues beneath bubbled and fizzed as before, connecting the last remaining piece of the creature’s body. Staggering to its feet, the creature arched backwards, releasing a blood curdling bellow and spewing thick sooty black plumes of cruddy steam from his cavernous mouth, coating nearby trees and bushes in his acrid breath, instantly burning whatever it touched to a cinder.

  Everything seemed to pause as nearly all present looked up in fear on hearing the chilling roar emanate from the nearby thicket of trees. The only one expecting it was Toomak and using it as an ideal diversion ran back to the edge of the clearing, eager for the arrival of her master. Everyone from the gathering, assembled at the opposite end of the clearing behind Jesus, all with heart’s pumping and bodies full of adrenaline, ready to run or stay and fight if their fear could be overcome. Jesus stood impassively in the centre with the angel and Joseph still watching anxiously from outside the tomb. The ground began to thud as the creature staggered heavily up the hill, trying to recover a normal gait in its unusual surroundings. Everyone watched the tree tops shudder from the slow advance of the beast’s heavy tread until it finally reached the clearing and checked at its first sight of Jesus. The presence of such a hideous creature completely paralysed the gathering and all they could do was stand and stare, hypnotised by the malevolence.

  The Homo sapien shape is the beginning and end of anything relating to a human being that the creature possessed. Standing over five cubits high with a viciously twisted skeletal frame, exaggerated even more by a thin scabby russet coloured skin stretched tightly across its scrawny body. Surprisingly muscular arms tapered down to contrast with skeletal hands that were in turn, tipped with inwardly curved black fingernails resembling the talons of a bird of prey. Looking even less human and more bovine from the waist down, it featured two hairy hindquarter shaped legs, complete with rear facing knee joints supported on bony lower limbs and blood caked cloven hooves.

  The most disturbing sight belonged to the head. Growing from the front of the cranium were two enormous grey horns, as thick and long as a man’s arm. They protruded sideways from the temples and arched outwards and upwards, continuously tapering in thickness as they curled back over its head almost touching at the needle pointed tips. Fiery coal red eyes set deep into the skull glowed menacingly from under the huge horn mounted forehead. Constant licks, right up into the porcine nostrils from a snake like black forked tongue, regularly darted out from a wide gash of a lipless mouth containing several rows of tiny shark like razor sharp pointed teeth. Only the witless and the insane would not recognise Lucifer the Lord of hell.

  The stench of rotting flesh assaulted the senses as the creature tossed his head and snarled at the angel standing with Joseph, then glowered menacingly at the remaining spectators to his event. They did not have to wait long for the show to begin as he methodically bit off the blackened talon shaped nails from his fingertips then spat them back out onto the dusty earth. At the spot where each nail landed, the ground began to lift and crack. White smoke plumed from the depths and a deep fiery glow radiated from the cavernous interior as ten winged demons flew into the air. Identical to the creatures Toomak invoked before except for stubby bat like wings connected between the shoulder blades. Unable to achieve any distance in flight but enough to aid huge leaps to attack the enemy. They all congregated around Lucifer’s legs, squawking and chattering in malicious excitement like chicks around a mother hen. All their master had to do was point at Jesus and as one they swept away to encircle their prey. This was the gathering’s cue and everyone except the professor ran from the bushes to defend the attack. Mary attempted a flying kick at the first, but this time the demons winged agility had the edge as it leaped high into the air and landed twenty feet away. Similar problems ensued for the remainder of the gang and all they achieved was not to defeat them but at least to keep them away from Jesus. Lucifer roared with maniacal laughter at the incredible sight as he rolled his hands over and over about twelve inches apart, cackling with glee as a deep red fireball began to form and float between his outstretched fingers. Satisfied with the result, he tipped the glowing orb into his right hand, drew it behind his head then hurled it directly at Jesus. Like a rocket, the fiery ball fizzed through the air, hitting Jesus
square in the chest, knocking him heavily to the ground. The impact exploded like a firework, temporarily blinding all assembled and as the green flash dots cleared from their eyes, they could see Jesus lying motionless on the scorched earth. Eager for Jesus’ soul, the devil snatched Toomak’s amulet from around her neck and advanced while the battle raged around him. He only walked three strides when from out of the shadows, limped a sorry looking Balthazar. He had a swollen right eye caused by his head thudding into the tree trunk and his legs were covered in blood from the stab wound. It had now slowed to a trickle by him tying his bandana tightly around the wound. Years in the arena had taught him to ignore the pain and coupled with the adrenaline rush of his hatred for Toomak; he reached the clearing and started to run. Using the stiletto dagger, removed from his own wound, he leaped onto Lucifer’s back and plunged it to the hilt into the red giant’s neck. The monster screeched and spun around, trying to fling the attacker from his back, but using his own immense strength, Balthazar clamped one arm around Lucifer’s neck and using it as an anchor point, held tightly on to the dagger’s handle, worrying the wound into a vicious deep gash. Foul smelling oleaginous jet black blood gushed from the monster’s injury, coating Balthazar’s upper torso, and he slid from side to side on the slick liquid as Lucifer cavorted about in pain and frustration. Eventually even Balthazar’s great strength faded and he allowed himself to be thrown to the ground, rolling right to the feet of Joseph and the angel who still held Joseph back from the fight. Balthazar snatched the sword from Joseph’s hands and even though his injured leg refused to function any more, he stood guard to protect his friend. The skirmish between the gathering and the winged demons continued with neither side gaining any ground while Toomak tried to help Lucifer who had now dropped to one knee and rested his elbow on the thigh of his other raised leg but he angrily brushed her away as he refocused his attention on Jesus who now began to show stronger signs of life. Toomak returned to Lucifer’s side and gave him back the amulet which he had dropped in the fight and which he needed to extract Jesus’ life force. With newfound energy, Lucifer rose to his feet and crossed over to where Jesus now sat up, holding his chest. Time passed slowly as the hideous monster moved closer and loomed huge and menacing over his human prey. Jesus took a deep breath, raised his head and looked directly into the eyes of the fallen angel who now held his fate within his claw like grasp. Toomak recited an ancient incantation as she held tightly to the amulet’s chain and watched avidly as the emerald began to pulsate, engulfing the unlikely trio in a soft green pool of light. Toomak shook with excitement as the devil aimed the laser thin beam of energy shooting out from the emeralds core, hitting Jesus square in the chest.