by Leona Fox
“You know I'm trying to keep my figure. This is going to ruin a week's worth of running.”
“Sometimes you just have to live a little,” Kelly said, scooping up a big spoonful of the dessert and making a very satisfied moan as the ice cream slid down her throat. Ellen had to admit that, as therapy went, it wasn't the most useless thing in the world. After a few moments Kelly pulled out her laptop.
“You don't have to wait until the library tomorrow. We've got all we need right here. You really need to remember the kind of world we live in now. I know sometimes it's easy to forget, given our surroundings, but it's not like we're out in the sticks. We have the whole world at our fingertips and I bet there is someone in the world who knows exactly what that symbol is.” She took Ellen's phone and plugged it into her laptop to transfer the picture. Then she uploaded it and did an image search to see if there was anything similar.
The first page was loaded with symbols that looked similar, but none were an exact match. A lot of them were pictures of crop circles that had a similar pattern, although the further they scrolled the more the patterns were getting further away from the original image.
“You think aliens would have come all the way here just to graffiti Alexander's house?” Kelly said, smirking.
Ellen's mouth twitched, but she did not reply. She went back up to the search bar and typed in the word 'ritual' as well. They both stared, mouths agog, at what appeared on the screen. Links to a number of pages talked about an ancient cult that called themselves the Astarte. They were an ancient Babylonian cult that sought to rebel against the truth and allied themselves with the spirit of the devil called Bashan, promising to rain glorious destruction over the world while claiming to be searching for truth and hope.
The more Ellen and Kelly read, the more a chill crept over their skin and a shiver ran down their spine. There was no denying the symbol found outside Alexander's house was exactly the same as the one they were staring at on the webpage. Yet neither of them quite could believe it would be the same thing. The cult had ruled a city, sowing discord and desolation among the people while claiming to be working for their benefit. They had their own agenda and moved people like pawns on a chess board...and the webpage said the cult always would be a part of society, always would find a place to lurk and grow in the shadows. Nobody ever would know because they would keep their truth hidden, obfuscated by the lies they had practiced throughout the centuries.
“This can't be real,” Kelly said. “What would an ancient Babylonian symbol be doing in East Pender?”
“I have no idea,” Ellen said.
As she stared at the words in front of her, and at the depiction of the devilish entity worshiped by the cult, Ellen remembered what Stephanie had said about Alexander. That he had a monster inside him he couldn't control. Could she have meant that literally?
The image depicted a large bestial form that resembled a man in the loosest sense. It had four limbs, a torso, and a head, but was covered in flesh that looked like soot. Its nose was elongated and its eyes were as beady as a bird's. Two thick horns emerged from its temples and curved back over its smooth head. A single ponytail sprouted from the back of its head and ran down to the middle of the shoulder blades. Its hands were more like paws, and it had claws instead of nails. The same was true of the feet. Its thick musculature was imposing, and just looking at the picture made Ellen feel nauseous, made her entire body swim with an uneasy feeling. This feeling only grew worse when she read that this monster was said to possess a mortal man and eventually consume the soul; feeding on the ethereal energy, then unleashing it on an unsuspecting world.
“I don't want to believe this is true, but if it is, how on Earth are we going to stop it?” Kelly asked.
Ellen swallowed hard and looked at her friend. At that instant Matthew came into the room, opening the door abruptly. The women jumped, their hearts raced and then slowed, and they shouted at Matthew. He reeled back on his heels, holding his hands up in innocence, unsure of what he had done wrong.
Ellen excused herself and returned home to think and to try clearing her head. This was like nothing she ever had faced before and the possibility that it was actually true was unbelievable. She had trained herself to have an open mind and entertained any possibility as long as it was feasible. For to blind yourself to the truth was a path to misfortune and unhappiness, even if the truth was, to put it mildly, crazy.
She walked Scampy home and enjoyed the clarity the night air brought, breathing in the cool air and staring up at the stars. There were a few people out on the streets and she greeted them with a friendly hello, but all the while she was thinking of Alexander and her cafe. Was it possible she had let a monster into her life? She had dealt with the worst kinds of humans while helping the police but this was something else entirely. She wasn't sure there was any force on Earth that could stop it.
Who was Alexander, really? Who was the man to whom she had entrusted her café? He had been hiding something from her, that much was certain. Could it really be that an ancient Babylonian entity resided in his mind, waiting to devour his soul and then...the world? Just the thought of it made Ellen's stomach churn. When she eventually returned home and crawled into bed she tossed and turned for hours, trying to will herself to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes she saw the demon staring back at her. Although she was not prone to fear she felt a presence in the room with her, and she did not dare to look in the shadows.
Chapter 6
As the sunlight broke through her window Ellen awoke to the feeling of Scampy's wet tongue flicking her face. She regained consciousness and fought him off, rubbing her weary eyes. It had not been a good night for her and she groaned as she looked at the clock. Then her head fell to look at the welcoming dent on her pillow that was calling her back. So tempted to fall back asleep she almost did so, until Scampy pulled at her arm, wanting his breakfast.
“Fine,” she sighed, but made a stop in her bathroom first to splash some cold water on her face.
As the water dripped down her cheeks and lips she looked at the red rivers of her eyes. The night had not been kind to her. Even when she eventually fell asleep she did not have restful dreams for her mind was plagued with dark and disturbing imagery. In the cold light of day, the thought that an ancient Babylonian entity could be possessing Alexander seemed ludicrous. Yet, there was a nagging thought in the back of her mind that she could not get rid of.
She fed Scampy and went into the sitting room where she turned on the television and watched the news. That was rare for her as the news was something she always had despised. While it was always a good thing to keep abreast of the happenings in the world, she found it tiresome. Ellen knew it always was filtered through the news outlets, which often had an agenda. They presented the truth in a way that was framed and manipulated to send a certain message rather than simply be the unadorned truth. This made her think about the cult that promised to rule with a lie, and she was struck by how familiar that sounded within the current political climate.
Things seemed so simple in East Pender much of the time that it was easy to forget the struggles that plagued the world. East Pender was so far removed that Ellen often felt detached. Most people in the world never heard of or cared about East Pender, and while it was tucked away in its little part of the world it would not have much impact on the global culture. Ellen wished she could do more. All she wanted to do was help, and yet there were so many things to help with it all was so overwhelming.
Once she had sat for a while she put on her running shoes and began to jog through the early morning sun. The air was crisp and it bit into her throat as she swallowed it down. Scampy ran beside her. It was such a simple thing and she was faced with such complicated issues. It wasn't long before her muscles began to ache for she was yet to return to her regular exercise schedule. She had to stop to catch her breath. As she did so she noticed someone approaching. It was Iris.
“I didn't know you ran this early
in the morning too! We should run together,” Iris said, jogging on the spot, speaking in between bursts of exhalation. Ellen rose, trying not to appear as tired as she was, although she was sure that her rosy cheeks betrayed her efforts. Iris looked fresh-faced and Ellen envied her youthful energy.
“I'm just trying to get it back on track actually,” she said with labored breaths.
“By the look of it I don't think I could keep up with you at the moment.”
“I'm sure it's not as bad as all that,” Iris said.
“How's Alexander doing? I'm sure Andy told you we looked into some things but we didn't catch any leads, and since Alexander has made it clear he's not going to press charges we can't take it further. I can't understand that, really. I mean, if somebody did that to my house I'd want whoever did it to pay! Have you made any progress with him?”
“No, and to be honest with you, I'm struggling with it as well. I don't quite understand where he's coming from with this. I wish he would be more open with me but I can't make him talk or press charges. He's a grown man and he can do what he likes. I'm just worried that it's going to do more harm than good eventually. I dread to think what that person is going to do next.” She elected not to tell Iris about the meaning of the symbol as she wasn't sure she could explain it coherently.
“Maybe it'll be something that actually will wake him up and make him take action.”
“Maybe,” Ellen said, although she did not sound convinced.
“Anyway, I'd better get back on track. Do you want to run with me for a bit?”
“I think I'd struggle to keep up at the moment. Maybe when I'm back in the swing of things,” Ellen said, and watched as Iris ran away.
For the first time Ellen was acutely aware of the fact that she was getting older. Often she tried not to think about it and just took each day as it came, but seeing Iris was like looking at a younger version of herself. With a grunt she lifted one foot and resumed her course around the town of East Pender, feeling every twinging muscle and stabbing ache, each one reminding her that she was not as young as she used to be. But with that age came wisdom and as she ran she became more confident that the supernatural threat was just some sort of hoax or prank, and that it wouldn't actually come to pass. The immediate thought of it had caught her off-guard, but now that she had had time to process it (as she exercised her mind became sharper) she looked at the progression of the crimes as a whole and realized that it didn't make much sense.
If this was the return of an ancient cult, then why would they first spray paint curse words on Alexander's house? That certainly didn't seem like part of an ancient ritual. The symbol must either have had personal meaning to Alexander or was intended to be misdirection. Of course, if there were supernatural forces involved it would provide an easy explanation for how the vandalism could occur without been seen by anyone. Sadly though, the simplest solution for that was the neighbors were uncaring and uninterested in anything outside their own lives. No, Ellen always had subscribed to Occam's razor. The simplest explanation was usually the most reasonable, and the most logical. There had to be a person or some people in East Pender who wanted to do this to Alexander, who had a grudge against him, but the who and why were still a mystery.
After she completed her run she grabbed a shower then made her way to the cafe. Alexander was already there and had opened up. Ellen was glad to see that there were a few customers already enjoying the atmosphere.
“Are you okay?” he asked with concern in his voice when she walked in.
“Yeah, I just had a rough night's sleep. How are you?” she asked, trying to keep a blank face, although she couldn't help but stare at him, just to see if there was an ethereal glow in his eyes.
“I'm okay,” he replied.
An awkward silence followed. Both of them knew what was coming and neither really wanted to talk about it because it would do no good, but Ellen knew she had to ask.
“Look, I know this probably will fall on deaf ears, and I get that you don't want to press charges, but can you at least think about having some protection outside your house? At least then if they come back we can catch them in the act.”
“No,” Alexander replied immediately.
“I don't want anything like that to happen. I just want the whole thing to be left alone. It's not anyone's business but my own and I know you can't understand that but that's just the way I want it to be. It's going to be fine. It's not anything that anyone needs to concern themselves with.”
With that he walked away and attended to some customers, leaving Ellen frustrated. There was so much she wanted to do to help, and yet Alexander refused to accept it, leaving her feeling powerless and useless. Helping the people of the town in matters like these was what she loved doing most, but when they didn't want her help there was nothing she could do about it. Not even when the attacks continued.
The third act of vandalism was a letter pushed through the doorway. It was a simple note that said, 'We'll never forget.' Three simple words that held a world of meaning that Ellen simply could not comprehend. Fortunately, Alexander showed it to her for he just as could easily have hidden it.
“What are they never going to forget Alexander? Who is never going to forget?” she asked, but again she was met with a stony silence. Eventually it became too much for her and she erupted in frustration.
“I know you must want my help. Otherwise, you wouldn't have shown me this. You could have just thrown it away and not given it a second thought, but I can't help you if you don't tell me everything you know. I'm not getting anywhere right now and it's no good showing me this because it doesn't help me. Please, let me help you, that's all I'm asking. Just give me a name or some indication of what's going on here, just tell me something.”
But, yet again, her pleas fell on deaf ears. Alexander was sitting down and he couldn't bring himself to speak. Instead, he started weeping in front of Ellen. She was standing before him and she gave him a pitying look, for whatever he was holding inside was tearing him apart. There were so many things she wanted to say but none of the words were right. The only person who could help Alexander was himself. She just hoped he did it before it was too late.
“If you want to tell me anything you know where to find me,” Ellen said as she placed the note down on the coffee table and walked out of the room.
Alexander lifted his head and watched through his bleary eyes as the door closed behind Ellen. How he wished he could have told her the truth about everything and unburdened himself of his curse, but it had been locked inside him for so long he couldn't speak the words. Anytime he tried his throat closed up and nothing came out except silence. The tears fell down his cheeks and his entire body shuddered. He had made so much progress over the years, but this reminded him of those dark nights when thoughts of death tugged at his mind, and the emotion swelled within him, and all he could do was weep until his body was drained and he could drift to sleep.
With a trembling hand he reached out and plucked the note from the coffee table. Tears fell from his face and stained the paper, making little wet patches that bloomed and spread out. The note was typed, but he knew exactly who had written it. He had known from the first crime who was doing this, but he thought by now that was in the past, that it was history. He should have known better. He should have known that he couldn't escape the years that had been chasing him.
The note fell from his hand as a stabbing pain shot through his gut. He doubled over and clutched his arms around himself, trying to steady himself and brace himself against that which was tearing through his innards. His eyes clamped shut as he tried controlling his breathing and remembering the exercises he had practiced so many times; the techniques he had learned to control his emotions and memories, and that had been instrumental in pulling him out of his solitude and back into the world. But all the progress seemed to be for nothing as he felt himself slipping back into that dark place where the only thing was his own mind and the demons that resided with
in it. Demons that nagged him and taunted him, tormented him with the worst things anyone could say, and the only escape seemed too far, too impossible to reach.
With a herculean effort he managed to wrench himself away from all that and return to peace. He rose from the sofa and stood, taking stock of his presence in the world. He stretched out his arms and felt the sensations through his body as he moved his fingers and toes. He breathed the air, smelled the scents around him, and listened to the noises, focusing on all of them instead of the thoughts that raged within his mind.
They had been at his house. They had had their hands on his door, pushed a letter through his letterbox. How long had they known where he lived? How long had they been watching him? His eyes cracked open and he glanced at the window, so afraid that he would see a face staring back at him, but there was nothing.
He hadn't told Ellen but he had been struggling over the past few days, ever since this had started. It was difficult enough to get back into the rhythm of work after being a recluse for so long, let alone with all this happening. With every chime of the bell above the door he wondered if they were going to enter the cafe, but it had yet to happen. It didn't stop his heart from being seized by fear, though. Ellen had been so good to him he knew he couldn't let this opportunity slip away. This job meant a lot to him and he was going to try his hardest to keep it. After all this time he deserved it. That's what he tried to tell himself anyway, but it always had been a difficult thing for him to recognize what he deserved.
Alexander took some more deep breaths and then walked upstairs to a small store room where he kept much from his past life. There was still a lot from his relationship with Stephanie, and whenever he saw it regret pinched at his heart. There had been so many times when he had tried to throw it all out, but every time he went to do it he couldn't quite bring himself to go through with it. This time, however, he ignored those boxes and went to a cupboard in the back, stepping over various bags and drawers. A wry smile crossed his face as he remembered how much Stephanie hated his untidiness, and what a fit she would have if she saw the state of this room. Then a wave of sadness ran through him as he thought about the way he had treated her and all the things he would do differently if he had another chance.