The Dark Messenger

by Milo Spires

  When economies had crashed and countries were threatened with being sent back into the dark ages, governments who had been desperate to restore order, found they were overwhelmed with the astronomical numbers of dead to be disposed of.

  Since most funeral home employees had already died of the diseases it ruled graveyard burials out of the question, leaving burning of the corpses the only remaining viable solution. Often where there were no housing alongside the rivers, the toxic bodies were then stacked up high and a match was cast upon them. After the heinous stench had passed and the bones were reduced to ash, the winds blew what remained down river.

  Longinus found that even in tonight’s strong wind the smell of the corpses in their containers some fifty feet away, was unbelievably disgusting as he tried to overcome his time travel sickness.

  Then suddenly from deep inside his gut there was a massive surge, and he knew he was again going to be sick. Desperately he tried to resist it but the attempt was futile. He slammed his hand against his mouth but the force of vomit as it rode up inside him was too powerful, and it shot between his fingers.

  When it had stopped he brought his shaking hand up to his face and noticed there was coppery blood on it that had been leaking down from his nose.

  ‘Move, you imbecile!’ Raffious shouted at him from behind. He pushed Longinus forwards so hard that the warrior’s knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground with his hands spread out in yesterday’s dinner.

  ‘Please stop. Please!’ he pleaded in a fragile, broken voice. ‘If I die you won’t get the vase, and I feel really ill.’

  ‘STOP!?’ Raffious shouted into the wind. ‘Are you serious? You want me to STOP? After all my efforts planning everything, you want me to just STOP.’

  He blew out his breath in disgust, and kicked Longinus. ‘Move your pathetic self! And wipe your nose too--you are bleeding! Go get me that piece of the vase, or I might do something that you will regret.’

  Longinus snapped, ‘You won’t do anything you old idiot. Would you risk losing the vase when we are only minutes away from getting the last piece? No! So shut up and let me recover. Keep prodding me and maybe I will die. Then you would be buggered, wouldn’t you!’ He said as he twisted his head to look up at the old fool.

  Now exceptionally weak of mind and body he found himself drifting into a partial daydream, blocking out the sounds all around him as he began to remember back to when he was watching Kaine’s hidden entrance in the hills for any movement. The endless hours of waiting and not knowing if Rex would kill him for turning the wrong woman had tormented his brain.

  But still…the countryside had been so beautiful. There had been a soft breeze off the ocean, which felt clean and easy as it had flowed inside of him.

  Unlike this place, in this time! He thought.

  Suddenly as he felt Raffious’ boot firmly lodged in his side he was rudely jerked into coming back round, and heard the whiny old bastard’s voice screaming for him to move.

  As he began to stand and realized that blood was now dripping from his mouth as well, a thought crossed his mind.

  What good would jumping forwards be if the world was about to die anyway? Jumping back is the direction I need to go, NOT forwards.

  Thinking this, he highly doubted that he would want to go forwards ever again, and if he had done all of this with Raffious just to get a chance to be able to time travel into the future, then he had made a grave mistake.

  He felt sure by the way he was feeling that jumping forwards would kill him if he tried it one more time. He felt so much worse now than he had before when they had arrived at Rex’s prison. No, whatever happens here, I am not going to do any more time travel for some time, he told himself.

  Then another thought came into his mind, and he decided that he needed to air this one with the old fool behind him.

  ‘How can you only think of that stupid vase, when all around everything is either dying or is already dead? Can you NOT see that the planet is nearly done? Are you that stupid?’

  Raffious grinned and said, ‘I caused all of this you idiot as part of my plan. For years I have been causing wars, pollution, and death to the humans, for the bigger picture. When the world was near the end I knew that Rex would call a meeting, and then the fake sword would lure him out so I could kill him. My plans worked, and worked well.’

  He then shoved Longinus. “NOW MOVE!’ he shouted.

  Longinus forgot his illness for a second as he took in what Raffious had just said. He was completely horrified; this man was by far the sickest person he had ever met. Rex is most definitely demoted to second on my list of assholes now for sure! he thought.

  Walking forwards and covering his face to ward off the putrid stench, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he just leapt into the air right now and flew as fast as he could. Would he manage to get away? He knew he couldn’t try though, for fear of being on the run from two covens and Raffious. No he had no choice he had to follow this through. He thought as the words Viatis Onertiunes then suddenly resurfaced in his brain.

  As they reached the end of the road, the dark grey silhouette of the Tower of London loomed in front of them. Raffious told Longinus that he would be waiting for him where he had been when he had come to the interview with Rex all those years before. Longinus told him, his voice weak, that he knew where he meant.

  But just to be completely annoying, Raffious reminded him of the place anyway. ‘See where the boats are moored? I will be waiting by the jetty on the other side.’

  Feeling it pointless to hurl abuse at him as he obviously didn’t listen to a damn thing, Longinus simply sighed at the old man’s stupidity.

  ‘Make sure that you get the vase, or I will be very angry,’ Raffious said as he drifted away towards the boats that were moored to his left.

  Longinus added in thought alone that he doubted Raffious would get the chance to be angry for soon he felt sure he would be receiving the white coven’s punishment for trapping Rex.

  Surreptitiously gliding up the pathway and double-checking that no one was about, he stepped over the knee-high wire fence and made his way along to where the covens secret door was located. The castle’s walls were now almost completely covered with graffiti, so much in fact that it was almost impossible to see the original stone beneath it.

  Checking one more final time that no one was around, he slid his hand inside the brickwork and felt for the hidden latch.

  Chapter 25 – A Celestial Attendant

  After witnessing Arquin’s brutal execution, Jenny had been so mad with Kaine that she said many rude and spiteful things to him. Regina brought her into a girlie counseling session and told her that Arquin had been a traitor. Jenny realizing the truth, had felt bad about what she had said to Kaine. However, she had spouted so much vitriol that she found it difficult to apologise for it.

  Kaine however, with his big friendly personality, let them flow off him like water off a ducks back. He found some of them so amusing in fact, that he even made notes for future reference.

  In Jenny’s defense, she was still a kind, loving, gentle human. Her reaction was accepted as fairly normal by the rest, in light of the fact that her understanding of torture and death had been given a whole new meaning in the last couple of weeks. It was not something that she had welcomed. Back in the hospital, which seemed like a lifetime ago, she had told herself that when all this was over, she would quit the newspapers and bin the horror movies, because she didn’t want to see or hear about any more violence or gore.

  It was surprising that she had accepted Regina’s explanations, because Arquin’s execution had been quite graphic, to say the least.

  Jenny had been cleaning up the dust in the kitchen and was inside the oven pulling out the shelves when Kaine had roared. She had been so startled by how evil it had sounded, that she banged her head as she spun round to see what was happening. Then, in the millisecond before he had his hand around Arquin’s throat, she ha
d caught sight of his well-matured fangs, twice longer than Becky’s, and had almost shit herself in terror.

  Time had frozen as fear raced through her veins. She had wanted to scream, but it was as if she was paralysed. She couldn’t move or make any sound at all.

  Then when the skin on Arquin’s neck had stretched and a second later his head had been ripped off, her stomach acid with other vile slime had, without permission, blasted through her teeth.

  Moments later from her doubled over position she had wearily raised her head. Then with long lines of slime drooling down from her lips, she had seen the headless body spraying precious pints of coppery blood. Only when she had realized the now, should be dead corpse, was still alive and using its arms to look for the head, she had given out the most harrowing of screams.

  Now though after Regina had done her fast clean-up the room looked brand new again and order was restored. Even the dogs had been given a bath, which had been more difficult than usual because of the congealed blood in the plughole. Kaine had said he was pretty sure that if they had been entered into The Crufts dog competition, because of how well they looked, he thought they would have won first prize too.

  He had also explained to Jenny how Arquin was messaging his warriors so they could triangulate his location, and pinpoint the right direction to dig in. Also through his messages they knew the layout inside his home for when they finally did break through.

  He said that it was his foolishness giving Arquin blood in the garage that had allowed the traitor to be able to read his telepathic thoughts in the first place. He had also commented on Longinus following him back to their house, and was furious at his own stupidity in allowing him to do so. He had said that both things had serious consequences, and he hoped that as a result none of them died today because he would never be able to forgive himself if they did.

  As he had finished Jenny had got up and ran over to give him a big hug, she said he didn’t do it on purpose so he couldn’t blame himself. He had then wrapped his massive arms around her tiny frame, and kissed her on the forehead. They were friends again.

  --------

  Now though minute’s later, things changed again in the vampire household and in the most unpredictable way too.

  The room was filled with garish white light, and everyone had no choice but to close their eyes due to its intensity.

  Then as it began to fade they could see in the center of the light, there was the silhouette of a man with pearl-white wings on his back. He was wearing simple robes and his arms and legs gleamed like burnished bronze. His hair was blonde and flowed past his shoulders, and his face was full of beauty, purity, and kindliness, with ocean-blue eyes that gazed out tenderly on those assembled before him.

  No one for obvious reasons needed an explanation of who he was. It was clear just by how his presence lit up the entire room that he was a celestial attendant of God. He was an angel.

  ‘Fear not. I come down from Heaven to bring you an offer.’ He said in a voice that sounded so soft and pure.

  No one moved or said anything. They couldn’t—they were all simply at a loss for words. They didn’t even turn to look at each other. All they could do was look in awe and reverence, marveling at his extreme beauty.

  Solomon and Bruce raced across to his sides and sat there like statues. The angel reached down and stroked them across their heads, and their eyes sparkled with a divine energy. Craning their heads back, they looked up at him in a way their parents had never seen before. They looked like perhaps they had known him from another life. To see them so calm and peaceful by his side was a profound experience for them all.

  The angel stretched out his hand. ‘Kaine, please kneel before me. I would like to address you directly with the offer I have for you.’

  Kaine tried to get up from the sofa and walk over to him, but because of the way he was feeling inside, he wasn’t sure if he had even told his legs to move. No one had ever made him feel this way before.

  Jenny realized that he couldn’t move and nudged him gently in the side, helping him to partially find his senses again. He managed to finally stand and put one foot ahead of the other.

  Kaine bowed his head and collapsed to his knees before the angel, who then laid his hand upon his forehead. As his fingers touched, Kaine felt relief in a way he had never felt before. All of his vampire tension and stresses left his body, and he felt reborn and clean inside, as if he were a human again.

  ‘It has been very concerning seeing your current situation,’ the angel said. ‘You have shown more good in the past few weeks than I have been able to see in many people in their whole lives. You are truly the right man for what I am here to offer you.’

  Kaine swallowed and could feel that his throat was quite dry.

  ‘Regina, would you please give your husband some water. His throat is dry,’ the angel said.

  Kaine looked in disbelief as he realized the angel knew his feelings.

  Regina quickly offered drinks to everyone and then raced into the kitchen. Moments later she returned with three glasses of spring water and placed them down on their coffee table.

  The angel asked Regina to please take a seat. Obliging him, she quickly sat down on the sofa next to Jenny and Becky.

  ‘Firstly, I would like to say that this all started because of something which happened many thousands of years ago,’ the angel began. ‘Installis, or Raffious as you know him, is out of control and must be punished.’

  Kaine and Regina looked at each other in amazement when they heard Raffious’ name mentioned.

  ‘That man has been spoken about so very much in such a short time,’ Regina messaged Kaine.

  ‘Oops—sorry. Force of habit,’ she said aloud to the angel in apology, for she felt that it had been rude of her to send a telepathic message in his presence.

  ‘I thank you for your apology, but you must speak with words and not your thoughts. This is not for me, but because of Jenny being human and Becky’s inability to communicate telepathically at this point. She is relatively new to your species and has not developed that talent yet.

  ‘As for me, I hear your thoughts and feel your emotions before you do. Please do not be scared of this, for it is who I am,’ he said.

  He continued, ‘A long time ago, Raffious was a kind and gentle man who used to work by my side as my truth messenger, providing very important information to me. He was allowed into Heaven, but had never met our heavenly father as I have.

  ‘At the time of Christ’s crucifixion, Installis had fallen in love with a woman with nullifidian beliefs. Her name was Adina, and she was Christ’s aide.

  ‘Christ was arrested by a 60-strong legion under the command of Centurion Flavicus Rexious, and soon after he was crucified. He died an appalling, humiliating death, reserved by the Romans for the most contemptible of criminals.

  ‘Adina was brutally murdered too, and by some of the same men who had crucified Christ. When the news of her death reached Installis, his heart was broken into a myriad of pieces.

  ‘He begged Heaven to undo her killing, and he thought his prayers went unheard, which left him feeling betrayed by the ones who had loved him so very much. His powers of time travel were then restricted so that he wouldn’t be able to jump back in time and alter her fate. Installis couldn’t understand why Heaven had done this, and was furious with both me and with our heavenly father for thinking that we simply let Christ, and Adina, die.’

  ‘He was very confused and not commanding his thoughts properly. I know he fully understands that changing one thing in time does not necessarily alter that which may be sought to be changed.’

  ‘The Roman centurion Rex and his soldiers who were directly involved in Christ’s crucifixion were all punished by our heavenly father. They died an unimaginably painful death from a sickness that befell them after the incident. As their souls wandered the empty planes of time, Lucifer granted them eternal life again, but as vampires. Installis was so angry when he heard this
that, against our wishes, he left Heaven and came to Earth, intent on revenge against your species.’