by Milo Spires
They were so far down, that even the ground was making strange creaking noises.
Longinus told himself that it really wasn’t anything to worry about, and that it was just the sheer weight of the soil above that was causing the noises. But his subconscious mind intervened and said to him, ‘what a load of bolloxes, it ain’t that at all.’
Then as the creaking noise metastasized into a far more sinister note, the same voice in his head said in a cheery note, ‘see I told you, it’s fucking demons and they’re coming for you.’
The floor they were now on was so disgusting to look at, but even that could have been dismissed if not for the unbelievably vile, putrid stench that was hanging in the air. It was so horrid that it encroached on his senses, and as it burrowed its way deep inside of him, he felt utterly repulsed by it. The bile rose up, and, unable to use his arms or being able to bend over due to his four new friends, he vomited all over himself.
The smell was so revolting that Longinus felt absolutely certain that, if Satan appeared there, he would have just turned and charged back up the stairs with his hand over his mouth for fresher air.
His jailers laughed at him as they realized he wasn’t finding it too pleasurable. They said not to worry; he would get used to it. But by that time however, his insides would be so infected that not long afterwards, apart from the screaming pain inside, his vision would become blurred and he would start to see things. Then they added for good measure that maybe a month or two later, after the exceptionally cold nights without a blanket, his mind and thoughts would become twisted beyond belief. They laughed and told him he shouldn’t be concerned because soon afterwards, he would be dead and burning in hell.
As he was being dragged along the corridor, he tried to hold his breath and pucker his lips so as to limit his exposure to this obvious toxic filth.
Then looking around, he began to take in his new surroundings.
The passageway they were going down sloped for some fifty feet before leveling off. It was narrow, about five feet wide at the most. On one side was a rock wall, while the other side was lined with numerous empty cells. At least he thought they were empty; he did try to verify that no one was home, but the speed they were going, along with his left shoulder rammed up into his face, made it strangely, quite hard to tell.
Then when the jailers stopped outside the cell that he guessed was to be his new home, the door to it was already wide open, welcoming him in some strange way, as if it was trying to placate the forlorn feeling he was getting just being there. Inside it looked seriously pitiful, like it was from some third world country under an authoritarian regime, or something.
Looking lugubriously in through the array of rust-flaked bars that were joined together to make up the front, Longinus said, ‘I’ve changed my mind, I won’t be staying tonight after all.’
His attempt at trying to make himself feel slightly better by cracking a joke fell short as they threw him in. Then after they had thrown the old boy in with him as well, then, with a crash that made him jump, they slammed the heavy door shut behind him and went to walk away. Only as they were leaving, one of them paused and then turned back to look through the bars at him.
‘So sorry we can’t stay,’ he cracked. ‘You see, the air has a peculiar taste about it and we aren’t sure if we like it.’ He said and then they all laughed, before they walked away.
‘Fuck off!’ Longinus screamed. Then like a brick in the face to wake him up, he suddenly realized the reason why the jailers were wearing their masks. It wasn’t like he had first thought with them being executioners at all, no, no, it was simply to protect them from the hideous stench he was breathing in.
Even though his hands were far from clean after being immersed in his own vomit, instantly, he covered his nose and mouth with them, accepting that this was by far the lesser of two evils. But it didn’t help—the rancid, rotting smell was everywhere, and as his tongue touched his lips, he felt strangely dizzy by it and hurled a mouthful of spit on the floor.
Longinus realized he could even taste the fucking stuff too!
Chapter 29 – Truth Messenger
Kaine and co were listening to the angel who had just explained about how Raffious was trying to get the Trucale vase, and if he succeeded, how all vampires including him and his family would disappear forever.
Their reaction had been one of extreme shock and horror, but the angel had explained there was still time to stop him; only it was a job for his new Truth Messenger.
After they had calmed down and then settled back into the sofa to listen, he continued to enlighten them about their old friends, heinously evil ways.
----------
The angel started speaking.
‘Raffious knew he had to get the pieces of the vase somehow from the covens, and started to think of a way that he could do it without experiencing Lucifers’ wrath. Then he thought about how the Scottish vampires and the church didn’t agree, which made him wonder if maybe he could trade them a story, one where they could blackmail the church with it. Rex reasoned, it would have to be a really good story though, but what?’
‘He sounds like a devious swine.’ Regina said. The angel smiled at her in response before saying, ‘please let me continue.’
‘Feeling confident he was on the right track, Raffious started to think of what the story would be; the most powerful, that the Scots would trade almost anything for. Not long passed, and then he came up with one, and also thought he would be able to use it later against Rex, in a different plan too.’
‘Thinking the Scots wouldn’t be that easy to trick, he knew for them to believe it, the story would have to have been fabricated many years before. Then with this in mind, he jumped back in time to 1980 to create it. He picked this year primarily because he remembered a priest who he thought was perfect for it.’
‘The plan was to pay a prostitute to become a nun, and then to trick the priest into falling in love with her. Once that part was accomplished then, and it was imperative too, she had to fall pregnant with his child.’
‘Then when the baby was finally born Installis stole it before it was even a day old. Although the priest truly loved the baby and was deeply saddened as predicted, he still kept the theft quiet and never turned to the church for their help. He felt sure that if he had made a song and dance about it as any normal parent would have, his peers would have simply, and quietly to avoid publicity, then sacked him for breaking his vows.’
‘Using his magic, Raffious had shape shifted into looking like the priest as he stole the baby, and then discarded her on the steps of an old orphanage in Shoreham, where he knew it would never be found. After he had left and wasn’t seen, he then shape shifted back into the look he had before of the old man with a long knee length white flowing beard. Who you know and recognize as Raffious.’
‘The baby was me, wasn’t it?’ Jenny said. ‘Yes my darling you are the priests daughter and he loves you very much. Soon in the future you will be reunited with him, and with our heavenly father too.’ he said.
Regina then dived in and said, ‘Im so glad that we finally found out it wasn’t the priest who dumped you at birth though Jenny. I had hated him when I thought he had left you there, such a mean thing to do.’ Then she spun around and looked at Kaine and said, ‘Can you believe it too darling, we thought Raffious was so kind and our friend but actually it appears he is the most evil man to have ever existed. I wonder why he wanted to be our friend so much. I was only truly suspicious of his actions after your vision; up until that point in time, I had always trusted him completely. We both did, even the dogs liked him.’
‘I will tell you’ the angel said as he smiled at Jenny.
‘Installis was aware that Kaine was gifted with the sight of the future. His visions Raffious knew could damage his plans and so, he pretended to be your friend. He hoped that every vision Kaine had, you would then as friends tell him about them. You did have another vision Kaine, and then Regina you pla
yed into his hands as so to speak. You phoned him just as he wanted, and told him everything that Kaine had seen it that vision.’
Regina was lost for words. Her rage was doing something inside her that she truly had never felt before. It was climbing the very walls of her being.
‘So Raffious was using us throughout our whole friendship?’ Kaine said
‘Yes I'm sorry but this is the truth.’ the angel replied as he smiled at Regina and the rage vanished.
Regina smiled back at the angel and said thanks.
‘I want to track Raffious down and kill him.’ Kaine screamed, as his shoulder muscles then tensed to the point where he felt his own shirt beginning to tear.
‘You will find him Kaine but not as a vampire and he will be punished for his crimes.’ the angel said and then finished on a smile. With the smile, Kaine’s rage vanished, and his shirt was saved.
Kaine was deeply curious, had he just heard right? ‘Did the angel just say, NOT as a vampire though?’ he messaged Regina.
‘Yes Kaine I did and not as a vampire, which will be your old life if you want to accept my offer but we will come to that soon. Please let me continue.’
‘Installis’s plan had two directions, the first was to create the story, then he would trade it for the Scotts piece of the vase. They would be told about the illegitimate child and the priest and after they had verified it, Raffious would be given the vase. They had their own plans with the story regarding the priest, and their own demands for the church too. Then the second part of Raffious’ plan was far more involved.’
‘Are you all comfortable, it is quite long.’ The angel enquired, and his audience nodded with keen enthusiasm. They all wanted to hear The Dark Messengers plan, as it was to become unfurled before them.
‘OK then, Raffious in receipt of one piece of the vase from the Scots was ecstatic, he was over the moon with joy but, the vase needed two halves to make it produce the purest waters, not one. Getting the other half he felt wasn’t much of a problem, and was only a matter of time. Raffious had the plan he was going to use, he just needed to execute it.’
‘Raffious was fundamentally aware the story alone wouldn’t be enough regarding the priest, as Rex would never be so foolish as to trade a priceless relic for just a story.’
‘Raffious sent three vampires under the promise of a gift of time travel into the future, should they go to an interview with Rex from the White Coven. They were all grossly misled and were only sent to plant information into Rex’s depraved mind.’
‘The first vampire or interviewee had told Rex to keep werewolves, warning of the imminent destruction of the Earth in 2099. He had said to Rex that if he was in possession of the silver sword, he could release werewolves against humanity in order to save the planet from certain destruction—without the risk of starting another huge war between werewolves and vampires. Then in response to the message given by the vampire, Rex killed him at the interview. Raffious didn’t care either that he was dead, as all he had ever wanted by sending him there, was to plant the story in Rex’s thick head.’
Becky smiled at the thick head comment, hardly expecting his holiness to have such thoughts. The angel smiled back at her, before he continued.
‘Then the second interviewee told Rex the exact location of the Silver Sword. Raffious had one made quickly by a blacksmith, who he then killed afterwards to keep the myth a secret.’
‘With the fake silver sword now in hand, Raffious buried it in St Paul’s Cathedral, the place where Rex had been told it was buried. His warriors went there and dug it up foolishly thinking they finally had the all magical archaic Silver Sword, only they didn’t, all they had was a silver sword. Rex was tricked and nothing more.’
‘Now Rex thinking he was smart, remembered the myth suggested that the sword was locked by a Christian spell, and until the spell was lifted over it, the sword would be useless. He knew this because he had been told, but still he thought he was clever. Anyway in Rex’s unstable, sick mind, he believed that the only way his arch enemies, the church, would ever comprehend the idea of lifting the spell, would be if they were blackmailed into doing so. Rex from that point on then rummaged around and tried fruitlessly to come up with a story to blackmail them with, only because he is so stupid, he never did---until one day that is. The third interviewee arrived. A vampire by the name of Longinus.’
‘That’s not Longinus who….. ,’ Becky had started to say who had turned her, but the angel held his hand up and she paused.
‘Please I am sorry to stop you, but this is very important and I would like you to hear the whole story. I will continue.’ He said with a smile.
‘So with Rex being completely desperate for the story to unlock the spell, Raphious sent Longinus to the third interview with the ……’
‘Story,’ Becky said.
‘Exactly my darling.’ The angel replied with a smile.
‘Then when Longinus was there he had been told to tell Rex that he had a story concerning the church, only Raffious’ plans nearly failed him.’
‘Longinus being deeply intimidated by Rex who was sharpening his nails, nearly forgot to mention the story, that is until moments before he was going to be executed. Then suddenly his brain had kicked into gear, and he mentioned it.’
‘So at that point, Rex was told about the priest having an illegitimate child with a nun, and the baby being discarded at birth to an orphanage. Hearing the news, Rex was almost dancing with immense joy because of it. He couldn’t wait to unleash the powers of the sword. In his mind, he had the story now and knew the church had no choice but to release the spell for him; they absolutely couldn’t refuse. Then for the days leading up to the meeting, he had been wildly anxious and nothing was more foremost in his mind, except the meet. He had even taken out his new purple velvet robe and polished his grotesque fingers too. Shame he couldn’t have fixed his face while he was at it, but still.’ The angel smiled, and his audience before him, laughed concerning his views.
‘So, Rex sent a messenger to the church to arrange the meeting with the priest. The messenger met with Raffious who had shape shifted into looking like the priest. Raffious in his best rendition of a priests’ voice had told him to go back and tell Rex that he was agreeing to the meeting but under his terms only. Raffious told the messenger to tell Rex he insisted he picked the meeting place. The messenger who knew he couldn’t agree without his master’s prior consent, looked at him dumb for a second. Raffious had already expected him to be a bit null in the brain, so took out a pen and after snatching his hand, wrote the address of the meet on his skin.’
‘The address Raffious wanted the meet to be at was a reservoir in Kent, called Bewl Waters.’
‘Anyway upon the messengers return to his coven, Rex who thought it better to keep the address from prying eyes, instead of copying it to a piece of paper like one would normally do, he simply chopped the messengers hand off. Then he put it in his pocket to roll around with the rotting eye that he already had in there from Vius, his leader of the Elite Warriors.’
‘Eye,’ Jenny said, somewhat alarmed. ‘Yes he had an eye in his pocket that he cut out of his warriors head in France, but that story is for another day. So I will continue.’
‘A little time passed and as the moment happened and the meeting was taking place, Installis looking like the priest, then spoke with Rex for a short time before using his dark magic to imprison the heinous beast on his raft in the center of the reservoir. He then said to him that it was going to be for eternity and walked off across the waters surface. His warriors never actually saw the priest as Raffious had summoned an illusion spell. All they saw was their leader rambling on to thin air as if he was crazy, which he is, but still. Then the warriors saw him fall backwards into the waters and he vanished. Only he never fell in, because the illusion spell had masked that from view too.’
‘Then without Rex in his way, he felt sure that the third vampire Longinus, who Rex had foolishly allowed to joi
n his coven some years previously, would then be able to enter Rex’s chambers without concern of being caught. When inside he would steal the last piece of the vase and Satan wouldn’t ever know about it, as magic was never used inside the coven.’