Lister Crowe

by Matthew Kenny

  More than once he wondered just what this place was. It was an alternate dimension but not like Vita’s world. This was something else. Something more real than he would like to believe. If he had to have guessed he would have said it was a place within the world, a dimension hidden behind it.

  “We have to find the one who put us here. Once we take him out then the spell should be broken.” Donovan was trying to remain calm.

  “I think I can reverse whatever happened without having to kill him.” it was clear Lister did not like the use of the word spell. “If I get close enough to him I should be able to use the same frequency he used to send us here to get us back.” Lister seemed very sure of his theory.

  “Let’s get back then.” Donovan started up the stairs but did not get very far.

  “We have to find Vita first.” Lister was stunned at the man’s lack of concern for their companion.

  “We don’t have time for this?” Donovan sounded harsh and not for the first time Lister wondered what Donovan’s true agenda was.

  “We are not going until we at least try to find her.”

  Donovan turned on the stair and regarded Lister for a moment. Lister could not help but feel he was being sized up.

  “Fine.” Donovan began. “but we don’t have a whole lot of time here.”

  “We need to look.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  She did not know how long she had been chasing the creatures through this realm. Something inside of her had gone off the rails and it felt so good to be the one feared, the predator. She was powerful here and they knew it. The intense aura of darkness she gave off made and theirs seem pitiful and weak. She found herself lost and alone though as the beasts had disappeared through the walls. She could not blame them. She had always been a force to be reckoned with but here, she was destruction incarnate.

  She had come back to herself and realized what she had been doing and she was worried. Lister and Donovan had not come with her as she had told them to. It was not because they had not wanted to she knew. They had no hope of keeping up with her. She was faster, stronger and more powerful than them in any reality but here she felt godlike and the powerful feeling had led directly to her current predicament.

  She was in a dark hallway which was not so odd in this place but the darkness here was far more real and thick like ink. It was as if the dark she was exuding and the resident black mingled and she felt welcomed. She felt at home. Something lurked up ahead waiting for her. She could sense it and it was powerful.

  Vita continued down the hallway but not with the same violent, reckless abandon which had led her here. She was more cautious and self conscious, as though she were being watched. The thought did not frighten her because she feared no rival but whatever it was intrigued her.

  The paintings on the wall were not your normal paintings one would expect. They depicted scenes of brutality and bloody deeds defying normal explanation. In one there was a pack of wolves tearing a woman limb from limb, the child in her arms transforming into one of them to rend her flesh as well.

  In another a woman was tied to a stake and was being burned in front of a group of veracious onlookers. Vita did not know what to make of them so she did not pay too much attention for fear of distraction.

  She was nearing the end of the hall, the darkness thick around her. She could see without the light others depended upon. She heard whispering coming from the last door on the left. She could not make out what was being said so she crept closer and listened. She strained to make out what the voice was saying but it was no use. She had not noticed but her hand was on the knob and she had already turned it halfway. Not knowing why, she turned the knob the rest of the way and the door opened of its own volition.

  Inside was a radiance she was not expecting. It was a brilliance she could never have imagined. It was so bright Vita thought she should have to turn away but there was no discomfort in it.

  “Thank you for coming.” a calm, soft spoken female voice said from within.

  Vita found she was fearful of the creature in the room and she recoiled slightly from the sound of it. The voice was of a quality she had never heard and though it promised agony it was also calming, like an authority which was not only her teacher but would also moonlight as her tormentor.

  “Who are you?” Vita asked and the light dimmed a bit. Vita could see a woman floating above a bed. Brilliant white light emanated from every pore, strand of hair and fold of fabric. Her long blonde hair was floating about her head as though gravity had no effect upon it. The long gown she wore stopped short of her bare feet and undulated in the bright space of the room. The light made her seem as though she were an angel from the center of heaven.

  “I am Cassandra and this is my realm.” her voice seemed to hold all of the answers Vita longed for. “You are very special. I have never allowed anyone into my world. You are the first.”

  Vita began to feel as though she were falling asleep with her eyes open. Her body felt like it was no longer her own as her consciousness retreated. She could still see and feel but her body was no longer her own.

  “Enter.” hundreds of voices were calling to her.

  Unable and unwilling to resist Vita entered the room.

  Chapter Thirty

  Lister and Donovan had gone as far as they dared in their search for Vita. If Lister had been able to use his resonator to locate her signature then it would have been easy but the specters kept coming for them as they searched and Lister had to use it to keep them at bay. As soon as he mentioned changing the settings they would be on them and he would have to key the device and send out a wave to repel them.

  It had taken Donovan a while to convince Lister of the fact they had to go back and end their mission one way or another. He had argued for the continuation of the world and the people which were depending on them. At last his arguments had finally gotten through and Lister agreed they should return to the staircase. Donovan was pleased and soon his reason for being in the mansion, his reason for not calling Magda was soon to be realized. Alton Tremont was going to die tonight even if the world came to an end because of it. The bitterest of hate had taken hold of him the moment his partner had been killed and it would not be sated.

  Donovan had noticed Lister had become more withdrawn once he had made the decision to abandon their search and go back. It was understandable he wanted to find her but far more important things were afoot; saving the world for instance.. or ripping Alton’s head from his body. Donovan did not feel sorry for his misdirection. He had a mission of his own to complete and he would not let personal feelings get in the way of it.

  The bodies which had been in the foyer were gone. The thought of where they might have been taken was not a pleasing one and Donovan could only hope they did not end up in the same place all too soon. They topped the stairs where Tinker had unleashed his power and though Donovan had not expected anyone to be waiting for them he was still on his guard.

  The hallway was wide enough for six people walking side by side. It was carpeted from wall to wood paneled wall. Again the specters came at them and again Lister held his resonator over his head and keyed it. The rolling pulse of vibration carried them from their presence and cleared the path.

  “I think this is it.” Donovan said with confidence as they stood in front of the door. “Are you ready?”

  “I am.” Lister answered. “if I can get close enough to him I can reverse this thing. I am just going to need you to buy me some time so I can make the adjustments.”

  “I will do what I can.” Donovan replied not knowing what to expect.

  As they were waiting for the next wave of creatures Donovan could not help but think this was going to be the end and not of this chapter but of his life. If it came down to a choice between Lister and Alton? Donovan knew what he was going to do.

  Another wave of specters came in and as before Lister keyed his resonator. The screaming wraiths fled and Donovan grabbed the door handle. H
e shoved both of the big double doors open.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The alignment was nearing completion and it was time for the ritual to begin. The cuts and fillets which needed to be taken from the half demon were of such precision a machine had to make them. Alton of course had not been briefed about this before hand. Crabtree would not allowed it but he came to an easy conclusion as the machine had come to life and began it’s gruesome work. Though the process was achievable by some surgeons today The Cabal was not going to be leaving the conquest of the world and the destruction of The White Temple to chance.

  Alton was impressed Crabtree wanted to be awake through the process. It actually showed some courage, a thing Alton had not thought the worm possessed. “Lord” Crabtree stood supported by hooks run through his flesh like some carnival sideshow. Alton could not help but delight in the helplessness of the leader of the sect. It would be an easy thing to snip his mortal tether in the moment but he knew Cassie would tear him limb from limb if he did.

  The machine was cutting into Karak and Crabtree simultaneously as it swapped muscle and flesh. Crabtree tried his best but it did not take long before he was howling with pain. Alton smiled. He had always wanted to see the man suffer. Though Alton was not going to be a new God of this age at least he could enjoy the show.

  The pieces were being swapped and sewn into place with such speed and precision Alton began to feel hopeful this was actually going to work. He still did not know what his sister intended to do once the transformation had taken place but he was sure it was going to be something extraordinary.

  Alton watched as Tinker entered from a doorway in the back of the ballroom and took up a position not too far from where Crabtree was being torn apart and put back together. He was by himself which was not so odd but the timing seemed strange.

  Cassie had decided she was not going to attend the most important event in either of their lives and at that moment Alton knew something more was going on than he had suspected. He looked around at the guards in the room wondering if seven were going to be enough. His sister had mentioned something about taking action against Crabtree once the transformation had taken place. Was this part of it?

  He had gotten word the interlopers had been engaged in the foyer but had been dispatched along with a handful of their guards. Alton had not put two and two together before but perhaps by dispatched Crabtree had meant…

  Alton looked again to Tinker who stood facing the double doors leading into the room from the foyer. Of course he could read nothing from Cassie’s thrall but he knew instinctively something was up. He wished she had told him what her plan was then at least he could have been ready.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Lister was shocked when the doors opened. The room dwarfed Vita and the walking corps who were standing near another more powerful entity in the room. She was a gleaming figure, floating in the air near a dust covered and unused machine which was working diligently on something Lister could not even guess at. Vita had her head down so he could not see if she had noticed them but he was not going to waste time worrying about it.

  He looked at Donovan with hope. They knew what they were to do. He dropped to his haunches and popped the back off of his resonator as Donovan began walking boldly forward.

  Lister knew the combination he needed. He had been working it out in his head while they had been looking for Vita. He hoped Donovan could buy him enough time to make the adjustments. He peeked up for a moment and saw Vita had not moved thankfully. It would have been the end for them both if she had been somehow taken by the creature. The two of them were no match for her and they knew it.

  The wraith like woman swooped in and grabbed Donovan by the throat and lifted his bulk from the floor.

  “The fool.” she laughed obviously meaning Donovan. “If only my brother were here, he would love nothing more than to take your life himself.”

  This creature was not like the others in this realm as it was human behind the glare of light which surrounded it. Donovan’s feet were kicking at the air as he punched his closed fists into Cassie’s face. The blows landed but did not seem to affect the her.

  “I will just have to tell him the tale.”

  With her free hand she began to dig into his skull with slim finger tips. It seemed as though it was no easy task for she was grimacing as she forced her digits into him.

  Donovan began to growl then with a mixture of anger and resistance but he was losing and Lister knew it. He had to concentrate on not working too fast lest he make a fatal mistake so he tried to breathe calmly while Donovan was fighting for his life three feet off the floor in front of him.

  Her fingers were making their way into his brain and Donovan let out a gurgling, strangled grunt of rage. He let go of the wrist he had been trying to pry from his throat and grabbed his shirt with both hands. He pulled hard and the buttons popped as he ripped it open. He then yanked the bulletproof vest to the side. A mighty blast of intense blue light erupted from his chest as the brand he wore blazed forth. The wraith to let go of him and retreated shrieking. Donovan dropped to the ground hard.

  He had it. Lister tapped the final two keys and stood. He ran toward the corpse. He passed Donovan and looked down to check his condition but Donovan was already moving back toward the door. Lister dropped to one knee, lifted the device over his head and keyed his resonator.

  The pulse expanded from it and he could feel the change in their surroundings as well as see it. He no longer felt like he was in the cold of the grave but could feel the warmth of the real world wash over him. A scream erupted from the bright wraith and she fell unconscious.

  Lister looked and saw Vita’s head snap up as their eyes locked. They were normal again, or at least what was normal for her. To his chagrin he saw they had made it out of the frying pan to be deposited directly into the fire.

  Shots rang out and Lister saw the guards in the room falling as each shot found it’s mark unerringly. The ones which were supposed to be keeping watch had all been transfixed by the transformation taking place before their eyes. Lister saw Donovan, out of the corner of his eye discharging his weapon into the group. They turned too late as they had their lives snuffed.

  Lister was ten paces from the creature which had once been Crabtree and realized too late he was too close.

  The eyes of the horror which had once been a man latched onto him and he felt his blood go cold. He could sense the vile intent in it’s heart as the monster which had once been Crabtree forced it’s way into his mind, screaming it’s insanity at him.

  Its huge hand flicked out on a long trunk of an arm and swatted him with an easy motion. He was off the ground and flying through the air his resonator following him. This was it he thought with finality as everything seemed to slow for a moment. Vita was watching as Lister flew, her face a mask of hate, her mouth dropping open in a scream of rage.

  He impacted the wall hard which blasted his breath from him and sent his resonator smashing on the wall above him showering him with it’s pieces. The Singing Stone fell in his lap.

  He slid down the wall his arm hanging at an odd angle to his body but he could not be bothered with the thought of it as he was trying to regain the breath which had been so thoroughly and unexpectedly expelled from his lungs. As he sat gasping he could hear, at what seemed to be some vast distance, a scream of rage which Lister knew without seeing, emanated from Vita.

  He was gasping for breath his vision blurry but he could see her. Her eyes were growing pools of darkness and flame. Her face was contorted in a scream which threatened to tear the room apart. Her body wracked by tremors.

  As he watched she began to grow with each intense pulse of her form. In no time she had become more monster than the young girl he had come to know. He was still gasping but his mind was clearing and he saw Donovan chase a man who must have been Alton out of the huge ballroom. His betrayal and true intention became evident.

  Vita was still growing in size and bec
oming more like a demon proper. Her jaws were extending into a stubby snout and her horns were growing into vicious tools of violence. Her legs and torso were popping with muscle. Her hair spread down her back into a long dark mane. Her clothing had ripped and fallen to the ground but one could not tell the sex of this creature and from the look of it the idea of gender was moot.

  In his dazed state Lister saw the living corpse pick up the woman who Lister assumed was the wraith of the other realm, Cassie Tremont. Her head lolled from side to side as he gingerly cradled her and carried her across the large room seemingly in no hurry. With all of the chaos around them they seemed so out of place and Lister was transfixed for a moment at the care the creature showed for the young woman.

  Vita lunged at Crabtree and the two found themselves in a death grip. The huge creatures were both at least fifteen feet in height though Vita was a bit larger. Each was holding the other by the shoulders trying to find some advantage. They were face to face raging at one another. The sound was nearly deafening to Lister as his breathing stabilized. He looked on in awe at the scene before him.

  All at once Crabtree found his balance and threw Vita across the room and through the machinery which had been set up sending it scattering about. She was up in the blink of an eye and upon Crabtree just as he had recovered from the throw. Lister felt as though he were watching some outrageous and unbelievable gladiator match but he had a stake in this fight.

  “Kick his ass Vita!” his shout was a whisper from his seat in the makeshift arena.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  “Alton!” Donovan shouted as he turned the corner seeing his nemesis nearing the door at the end. Alton stopped and slowly turned to face his pursuer, an innocent smile adorning his face.

  “Donovan. I knew you were going to be here.” Alton was looking at him as if he were an old friend.