The First Male

by Lee Hayes

  “Adelaide, why do you still resist, even in this final hour? You can still join us and be spared from the death that most assuredly awaits you. Why not join us and live?”

  “I will not live on my knees, worshipping false gods,” she said as she motioned toward Eli.

  “Fuck you!” Eli lashed out. “You will bow down to me!” He sent a blast of shadowmagic toward Addie that she deflected and sent back to him. When his own power hit him, he screamed and shook violently, as if overcome by a seizure.

  Rebecca clawed the air and instantly Addie felt the flesh on her arm rip. She screamed out in pain and blood poured from her forearm. Addie blasted Rebecca so hard with her power that she flew across the room and Addie kept her pinned to the wall, as if she had been nailed there. Addie then looked down at her arm, waved her hand across it and sealed the wound.

  “Release her!” Eli screamed and he flicked his wrist as if he were backhanding someone across the face. Addie felt his blow from across the room but absorbed it, painfully.

  In retribution, she clenched her fists and he collapsed to the floor and screamed.

  Then, the room started to vibrate, shift out of phase. The feeling sent a wave of nausea to Addie’s stomach and she lost focus, momentarily. Her hold on Rebecca broke and she slid down the wall to the floor.

  Everything in the room continued to vibrate, only much faster. The smell of sulfur filled the room and the ground beneath their feet rocked back and forth violently. The furniture, spaced sparsely throughout the room, slid from side to side as if tossed by an earthquake.

  Rebecca stood up and ran her fingers through her red hair. “Yes, come to us. The time is now!” she screamed. “Give me your hand, Eli—quickly.” Eli paused, but Rebecca took her hand into his. “We must help Eetwidomayloh.”

  “How? We can’t open the gate.”

  “We can on this day and with his power, we can rid ourselves of that bitch once and for all,” she said, a snarl curing her lips at the corner.

  They joined hands and foul sounds escaped from Rebecca’s mouth; her head snapped back as if she were possessed. The sky suddenly darkened as day instantly turned to night, and the dizzying smell of sulfur intensified in the room; the wounded sky bled thick, gray ash, which fell like snowflakes in a heavy blizzard. Tremendous claps of thunder, exploding in rapid succession, shook the antiquated walls of the cabin, causing pieces of rotting wood to fall from the ceiling onto the floor and crash with a thud. In the middle of the room a black, oval-shaped vortex appeared—a rip in the veil that separated the Shadowland from this world. From the black space of the vortex, shadows emerged, slithering out quickly and coiling around each other. The shadowserpents coiled around each other and soon began to give shape to a man. The shadow grew until finally the outline of a giant man, at least eight feet tall, stood in the center of the room. The vortex closed.

  “No!” Addie screamed, but her protest was met with a severe blast of shadowmagic. The blow hit her so hard that the room spun and she felt as if she would lose consciousness.

  The shadows continued to circle and coil around the man and flesh appeared on thick bones. Rebecca clapped wildly.

  Addie gasped.

  “Eetwidomayloh,” Eli whispered.

  Soon, the Shadowman stood in the center of the room, only now more flesh than shadow. His tremendous legs were as thick as tree trunks and his forearms looked as powerful as jackhammers. He stretched his body, as if to adjust to this world and to acquaint himself to his newly formed flesh.

  He slowly removed the black hood that covered his face and revealed his enormous head, the size of a lumpy, overgrown pumpkin. His head was completely hairless, as was the rest of the pale skin on his body. His enormous body was void of even a single strand of hair. The angry orbs that were his eyes were the size of fists and took up half his face. His piercing gaze ripped through the silence of the room. He looked around the room as if to orientate himself to the space. His thin lips were tightly drawn, but then he opened his mouth widely and a hideous stench poured out, drowning the room in a nauseous gas.

  “Where is Simon?” Eetwidomayloh bellowed. “Where is he?”

  “Do not worry. He will be here soon,” Rebecca offered quickly. “Very soon.”

  Eetwidomayloh growled with displeasure and then released a scream that sounded as if it originated from a deep, cavernous space. “He should be here now!” He took two giant steps toward Eli that shook the cabin. “Where is your brother, Eli?”

  “As Mother said, he’ll be here shortly. Don’t worry.”

  “I have waited a millennium for this moment. All that we desire is at hand. I ask you again, where is Simon?”

  “He won’t come,” Addie said, projecting confidence. “He will not serve you. You will fail as you have always failed.”

  Quickly, Eetwidomayloh turned and faced Addie. “Even now, you continue to resist?” he asked incredulously.

  “I will always resist.” Addie’s fists glowed yellow; she blasted the giant with her magic and made him stumble. “Until they ascend and tear down the veil, your tether on this world is tenuous.” She hit him again. Again, he stumbled. “Your new flesh is weak, Eetwidomayloh,” she said as she sliced her fingers through the air, tearing his flesh. Eetwidomayloh screamed and fell to one knee, his head dangling on his unsteady neck.

  “Stop it!” Rebecca screamed, but Addie simply flicked her wrist and sent the woman hurling through the air.

  Eetwidomayloh screamed and raised his hand, blasting Addie. His power stung her in her left shoulder. She stumbled.

  “I am many things, you foolish witch. Weak is not one of them!”

  Eli stepped forward and blasted Addie. She deflected his blow. “Let’s kill her now!”

  The Shadowman rose to his feet just as Rebecca regained her footing. The trio—Eetwidomayloh, Rebecca and Eli—formed an offensive line, staring Addie down.

  “I think we can take you now,” Rebecca said gleefully.

  “Three on one? Now, you might have a fighting chance.” Addie’s words were fused with confidence, even though her heart trembled, slightly. “I will send us all straight to hell before I let you burn this world.” Addie started chanting to herself; it was a chant she hoped she’d never have to use. It was a spell to detonate her power. She was confident that it would decimate everything for miles in all directions. It might be enough to stop Eli from ascending and to blast Eetwidomayloh back to the Shadowland.

  Addie’s voice rattled throughout the room. As the words left her mouth they thickened the atmosphere so much that the trio could barely move. Addie continued to chant and watched as they struggled to free themselves; they moved as if held in thick molasses.

  Addie felt the power in her body surge. Quick flashes of light flickered throughout the room. The temperature of her body swelled and she felt the impending explosion.

  Right before the tremendous explosion, screams echoed through the swamp, including Eetwidomayloh’s.

  Then, everything went silent.

  CHAPTER 29

  “What, what happened?” Addie asked.

  “There was this . . . this heat—this fire. I felt my skin burning,” Rebecca said, speaking slowly. She looked around the room as if it were unfamiliar. “You tried to kill us,” she said to Addie as if the knowledge suddenly dawned on her. She turned her head. “Eli. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I think,” he said and looked at his arms as if he couldn’t believe they were still attached to his body. “My arms were ripped from my body. What the fuck?”

  “My Lord, you contained the witch’s power. You are indeed powerful.” Rebecca bowed.

  Eetwidomayloh grumbled. “I did nothing.”

  “If not you, then who?” she asked.

  The door to the cabin suddenly blasted open with a spectacular flash of light that ripped the flimsy wooden door right off its hinges. Eetwidomayloh cowered, grumbling loudly as he covered his face with his arms to shield himself from the flash.r />
  “Me,” Simon said, confidently, as he walked into the room with the regal swagger of an emperor. The door flew back on its hinges, closing hard behind him. Simon stepped into the center of the room and took time to make eye contact with everyone. He slowly sized them up as his eyes sparkled; his gaze was haughty and self-assured. Even though Eetwidomayloh towered over him, Simon’s gaze cut him down. Everything about Simon had changed, including the power of his gait, the strength of his shoulders and the boldness of his chest. He held his head high and wore the arrogance of a hundred kings as if it were a gilded coat; it was a perfect fit.

  “My son!” Rebecca exclaimed loudly as she rushed over to him and threw her arms around her long, lost son. “I can’t believe it’s you; after all this time. You’ve come home. You don’t know how long we’ve looked for you.” She pulled back slightly, and rubbed her hands on his face, touching him to make sure that he was real.

  “Simon! I knew you’d come,” Eli said. “I knew you’d come.”

  Simon pulled away from Rebecca and looked her up and down. He smiled politely.

  “Do you have no love for your mother?” she asked.

  Simon wanted to feel love; he wanted to feel something—anything—for her, but there was nothing there. He emoted no love or excitement at meeting his mother for the very first time, contrary to what he had always hoped. As a child he had imagined racing into his mother’s arms and feeling the warmth of her embrace. She’d tell him how much she loved and missed him and would promise to always take care of him. As he stood before her now, he felt none of that; he was empty.

  Rebecca stood in front of him waiting for an embrace that never came.

  “Mother,” he simply said and offered a perfunctory peck on her cheek. He moved her to the side, out of his way. “And Brother. And Grandmother.” Simon strolled around the room with carefully measured footsteps. “And Eetwidomayloh—the one who has haunted my dreams and terrified me for weeks. The whole gang is here. My family. I guess the question then becomes, what do we do next?” He looked around the room as if he awaited an answer.

  “How did you do that?” Eli asked, confusion furling his brow.

  “Do what?”

  “The explosion. You contained Grandmother’s power, didn’t you? Not even he could,” Eli said, gesturing toward the Shadowman.

  Eetwidomayloh snarled.

  “That was nothing, Eli. I can do things you cannot imagine.” Simon’s tone was boastful, gloating. He stepped closer and whispered in Eli’s ear. “You see, Brother, I have ascended.”

  “What?” Eli exclaimed.

  “You heard me, Eli,” he said and then turned to address the room. “What I told my brother, you all should know. I have ascended. I see the world through newly formed eyes. I know the answers to the mysteries of the world and the secrets of the universe. I am connected to everything and everyone and it is all connected to me. My body tingles with absolute power.” He inhaled deeply and stretched out his arms. His eyes quickly flashed to black but returned immediately to blue. “I am a force; a hurricane.”

  There were audible gasps in the room.

  “You ascended? When? How? Does that mean that we have our full power now?” Excitement danced in Eli’s eyes and echoed in his voice. “I don’t feel any different.”

  Simon smiled and shook his head. “No, we don’t have our full power. I have my full power.”

  Eli paused. “Huh? I don’t understand.”

  Simon exhaled loudly. “Would someone please explain this to my simple brother? He doesn’t seem to get it. Surely one of the learned witches in the room understands.”

  For a few seconds the room was silent.

  “He’s not the first,” Addie began. “I get it. You may be twins, but one of you was born first—Simon.”

  “Right you are!” Simon said and the boisterous sound of clapping was heard throughout the room. Then, Simon made it stop.

  Eli gasped. “I won’t get any new powers? I won’t ascend? This is it?” The shock of his new reality carved deep lines into Eli’s face. His jaw tightened and his breathing quickened. “This doesn’t make sense. They said we’d ascend together; we’re supposed to rule together! We are from the same womb—the same egg. I thought we were one!”

  Simon waved his hand at Eli, flippantly. “Eli, calm down. The power you have now is great, just not nearly as great as mine.”

  “I’m not going to ascend?” Eli said to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’ve waited all my life for this and now I get nothing? You stole my power!” Eli suddenly lunged at Simon. Simon simply looked at Eli and immobilized him; Eli immediately froze in position.

  “Behave, Eli. We’re brothers. Now, sit down.” Immediately, Eli dropped to the floor. He struggled to get up, but could not.

  “Mother! Help me!”

  Rebecca looked at Eli with disdain and moved to Simon. “My son, I can feel the power in you,” she said lustfully. She waved her hands inches from his body. “You are indeed The One.” She took in his scent and released an orgasmic breath.

  “Ha, ha, ha, ha.” A gritty laugh rumbled from Eetwidomayloh’s throat. He stepped to Simon and circled him, sniffing and snorting like a pig. “Ahhhh, The One. Let us end this. Kill the witch and set me free—permanently,” he said. “Let our reign begin.”

  “There will be no killing around here until I say so.” Simon spoke with authority; he had no intention of taking orders.

  “Kill the witch!” Eetwidomayloh commanded in a rough voice that hammered through the room. “Kill the witch!”

  “You, too, Eetwidomayloh will behave.” Simon’s voice was less patient.

  “Who are you to speak to me like that? It is because of me that there is you. I am older than time itself; I am larger than the breadth and scope of night. I have always been. Your arrogance offends me, young one.”

  “Who am I, you ask? I AM THAT I AM.” Simon’s eyes turned black and his voice deepened, rumbling loudly and digging into the ground, shaking the earth like a quake and tossing everyone around. Strong winds hissed throughout the room.

  “You are not God, Simon,” Addie interjected as she struggled to regain balance.

  “Aren’t I though, Grandmother? Aren’t I now to be feared and worshipped? Can I not part the sea or drown the world in flood? I tell you again, I AM THAT I AM. Do not question me again—none of you. And don’t waste your powers on fighting each other. I have an entire world to rebuild in my image.” Simon exhaled. “Now, who’s with me?”

  At that moment, the door to the cabin opened and Brooke walked in; the winds stopped howling and Simon’s eyes and voice returned to their natural states. Brooke’s expression was dull and her body language stiff. She looked around the room as if she was unsure whether she should be there.

  “Simon,” she said timidly, her voice trembling.

  “Brooke, my love,” Simon said as he moved over to her and pulled her into his embrace. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is my duty and my honor to present to you—your new queen. She and I are to be married and we shall rule as sovereigns.” He hugged her tightly. “Our wedding will be seen all across the world in the skies,” he said as he released his grip on her. “And, nothing would make me prouder than for my whole family to be there to witness the event. All my life all I’ve wanted was a family, a real family. Now, here we are, but we are not complete.” Everyone looked around the room. “I knew you’d all be here—in this shack—waiting for The Ascension like it was some grand event. Sorry you missed it; but since you came all this way, not only did I want to announce my queen, but I also wanted to complete my family.”

  “Simon,” Addie said gently.

  “Be silent, Grandmother.” Simon moved to the door and placed his hand on the knob. “For the benefit of you who do not believe in me, I want you to bear witness to my power. I’m going to scream three times and it shall be done.” His voice was full of bravado, unwavering self-assuredness.

  “What are you talking ab
out, my son?” Rebecca asked. Simon shot her a look that silenced her.

  “Be silent and know that I am God,” he said with impatience. Then, as he said he would do, he screamed loudly three times before speaking again. His screams were loud, piercing, and felt alive as his voice fanned out in all directions like a sudden heat wave.

  “Please, come on in,” he said to someone as he opened the door. Audible gasps flew rapidly around the room when he stepped into the room, looking as youthful and spry as he had twenty years ago. “Come in, Father,” Simon said, speaking with tremendous hubris; a wide smiled decorated his face.

  Rebecca screamed as Thomas Thibodeaux walked into the room with the zeal of a twenty-year-old.

  “This cannot be!” Addie screamed.

  “Grandmother, meet your long, lost son and my father,” Simon said. Before Addie could speak, Rebecca raced over to Thomas and kissed and hugged him tightly.

  “Rebecca, is it really you?” Thomas asked with astonishment as he pushed her back so that he could look at her. His eyes grew wide with excitement. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. I was so lost.”

  “What manner of dark magic is this?” Addie asked. Her eyes bulged as she clutched the neckline of her dress. “What have you done?”

  “Magic is neither light nor dark—magic simply is. Moments ago, you told me I am not God,” Simon said as his eyes quickly flashed to black, “but look at what I have done. I have raised the dead! Behold my father, a modern-day Lazarus. You may have to reconsider your statement, Addie.”

  Eetwidomayloh hissed, joyously.

  “Our father?” Eli said, more to himself than to Simon. “What’s going on here?”