Spectrum: Breaking Light
Page 21
"Preaching to the choir, my friend. These people have been so wonderful. They have stuck by me for so long and through so much. They deserve this win. I'm only too happy to give it to them."
"You and me both, Pastor."
As the bus zipped along the highway, they could see the lights of Towers City come into sight. They could see the shadow of the Manicore Dragon hanging high in the sky. Pastor Von Auster was growing anxious. The bus then jerked to the left.
"Herb! What was that?"
"I don't know. I thought I saw something run along the road."
"Don't be ridiculous. Just keep straight on the path."
"Yes, Pastor." Herb kept his eyes focused on the highway. The painted lines slid out of sight one after the other; faster and faster. His eyes were growing heavy and then he looked up and he saw two shining dots in the darkness ahead. They looked like there were fixed in the air, but they moved to the right. He spun around in his seat, sending the bus to the shoulder of the road and waking up the rest of the bus.
"Damn it, Herb! Watch the road!"
"I'm sorry, Pastor, but I know I saw something that time!"
"There's nothing out there except for a city full of lost souls who need saving."
Herb got back on the road and as his eyes focused, the two dots appeared again, but he ignored them. He just kept going, but soon he heard the screaming of the others behind him. He felt the Pastor pulling at his shoulder.
"Stop! Stop! For the love of God! Stop!" Pastor Von Auster cried, but that was the last thing anyone heard before the flash of light.
The bus landed in a nearby field as it burned. It had been completely destroyed and anyone who did not die in the crash, had been eviscerated by whatever attacked it. Their bodies were burned and fused to their seats with long, bloody gashes sliced up and down their torsos. Pastor Von Auster was the only one with any life left, although it was not to last for much longer, he knew. He had been thrown from the wreckage and he looked up as the bus burned. He cried one final prayer and asked for his flock to be guided to the hereafter safely, but as he prayed to his God, what was left of the bus shook and buckled. He looked up and the twisted, burning metal fell away and a figure rose up out of the orange and red flames that were bursting up all around. It stood tall like a man, but it had the features of a beast. Of a jackal. Its eyes glinted with sinful joy as it stared down upon the carnage it had brought. It then rose up on its legs and the Pastor could see the creature's hands. His claws were as long as machetes and were doused in blood. It looked upon its blood stained appendages and it looked as though it was smiling. It looked up to the sky and let out a loud and most inhuman howl. When it was done, its eyes found the Pastor and the last thing Pastor Von Auster ever saw was his killers glowing, yellow eyes.
When the hound was done, it looked upon the destruction it had inspired. The hunter had found its kill, but it was not enough. These things were not its prey. They were not what drove it. It looked to the city ahead. That was where his prey was to be found, and the hunter knew it could not rest. Not yet.
To The Reader
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this book. Spectrum is my first creation and I have spent years trying to bring him to life. I had wanted to do it as a comic book, clearly, but that’s a dream yet to come true.
I really do appreciate the time you took to read this work. As a writer, I spend a lot of time playing alone in my fantasy world and when I ask someone to read my book, I’m inviting them to join me in that strange world. Thanks for accepting my invite. Hope you’ll come back again soon!
Spectrum: Breaking Light