“Here’s your chance,” he whispered into Alistair’s ear. “You promised to take these people to see their savior. I hope you can deliver.”
“Fuck you!” Alistair growled.
“Fair enough.” He released Alistair then spun around so he was facing the crowd again. “Tomorrow, my flock, tomorrow this man will take us to see our lord. But tonight, he must become one of us.”
The crowd roared with delight.
“They have been covered in unholy filth and scrubbed clean at the hands of the devout. They have been sullied, purified, and dressed in the clothes of our land. Now all that’s left is for them to say the words, to accept our lord as theirs.”
Moses paused and looked back at the group. Winking at Alistair, he smiled then thrust his arms into the air and turned back to the swaying congregation.
“That! That should be all but this man, this group…they are prophets and they must show us that the Earth God has chosen them.”
There was sudden racket behind the stage as Barnaby and the guards moved a large box covered with a tarp. They banged it around as they struggled to move the heavy crate up the stairs. Huffing, they dragged it onto the platform then quickly shuffled away.
Moses grinned then rubbed his fingers across the flashlight dangling from his hip. He beckoned another man forward who sat a bucket of water at his feet then vanished off to the side. He looked pleased with himself and the way he kept glancing at Alistair made his skin crawl.
The crowd grew anxious and began to shift uncomfortably. Moses flicked his hair out of his face then stared from the crate to his people and cleared his throat.
“If this man is truly our prophet,” Moses said in a booming voice, “Then the Earth God will save him from this wraith!”
Barnaby yanked away the tarp, exposing a metal cage with a massive heap of clumpy, white fur inside. The beast it belonged to didn’t move, it didn’t even seem to be breathing.
Alistair glared into the cage at what looked like the remains of a polar bear. He wondered what Moses could possibly have planned but after being doused with feces and human remains, he knew he didn’t have the imagination to conceive such things. He took a deep breath, and readied himself for whatever was coming.
“We’ve learned to live with these things,” Moses started as he picked up the bucket of water and walked towards the cage. “Paid the price for these lessons in blood. Now, this prophet must do the same if he wishes to become one of us.”
Moses held the bucket in both hands, hovering over the crate. The crowed gasped in unison, collectively holding their breath in anticipation. Moses teetered the bucket higher, relishing in his showmanship. Smiling, he tipped it and water toppled out and splashed into the cage, drenching the fur.
As soon as the water touched its coat, the creature jumped up and whipped its head from side to side. With an angry bellow, it snapped at the bars and whirled around, snarling and licking its lips. The hackles of its mangled coat were raised and its claws clanged against the floor as it paced back and forth.
Alistair’s eyes widened and Cindy nearly collapsed. MJ grabbed her by the arm and held her up. She leaned into MJ’s shoulder and balanced on wobbly legs.
“Don’t give them the satisfaction,” MJ whispered.
The crowd erupted in frightful gasps. A palpable wave of fear rushed over them as they pulled back. It was obvious, they knew the creature well and feared it down to their very core.
“No!” a man shouted and a few others echoed him. “You cannot awaken that here!”
Moses held his hands up. “Be calm…be calm,” he said in a soothing tone. “If it is true that God has chosen this man then he will not be harmed. This is the only way to know for sure. We can’t let an imposter lead us, not again.”
“If he dies, we will never see the Earth God,” a scraggily woman shouted in protest.
“No! No, that is not true. If he is the prophet, the Earth God will protect him, believe me, he offers his protection to all of his flock. If he’s not, then he deserves to die. My people, this is the only way.”
The woman considered his words then after a long pause she nodded slightly. One by one the people started to agree and a unified chant trembled the air. “Wraith! Wraith! Wraith!” they shouted.
“Remove the others,” Moses ordered. “Clear the platform.”
Barnaby and the guards moved toward MJ, Daniel, and Cindy. They moved swiftly but before they’d taken three steps, MJ charged at them. She swung wildly, her mind consumed with rage and an urge to protect what was hers.
“No!” she roared. “No, you’re not doing this!”
She landed a sharp elbow into one of the guard’s stomachs then a punch to another guard’s head that sent him flying off the platform into the dirt.
In the midst of the scuffle, Barnaby rounded on MJ but before he could do anything Daniel leapt into action. He tackled Barnaby around the waist and rained down blows as Barnaby tried his best to protect himself.
MJ turned back to the first guard and grabbed him by the sides of his head. Roaring she delivered a knee to his face, punctuated with an audible snap. His nose broke and blood sprayed across the ground as his eyes glossed over.
Suddenly, a gunshot crackled the sky and everyone froze.
“Enough!” Moses screamed as he lowered the smoking pistol to his side. “Restrain them now!”
“Fuck you!” MJ growled as she turned to face him.
Moses pointed the gun at her and she glared back in defiance. He grinned and tilted his head to the side. MJ took a step toward him and Moses gritted his teeth, slowly increasing the pressure on the trigger.
“Stop!” Alistair yelled and stepped between them. “MJ, it’s fine. It’s fine.” He raised his hands and swallowed.
MJ took a deep breath and looked to Alistair with tears in her eyes. It was the mother in her, the protector that made her fight, that made her so dangerous. She’d let Moses dictate their life for long enough, she was a warrior, and at her core, she didn’t know how to yield. Shaking her head, she stared back to Moses with a stone face. “Fuck him.”
“MJ,” Alistair called again. “MJ, I got this. It’s fine. Please, please trust me. Everything is gonna be fine.”
Her eyes focused on Alistair again and she wanted to believe him, but it was her job to save them. If anyone was gonna risk their life, it had to be her.
“Please,” Alistair mumbled. “We do this together.”
MJ lowered her head and clenched her jaw. Fuming, she slowly raised her hands and backed away. Daniel stood up as Barnaby wiped blood from his lip and shuffled to his feet.
“That’s better,” Moses chimed.
The guards quickly swarmed them, binding their hands behind their backs and moving them off to the side. Moses smiled and turned toward the crowd with outstretched arms. They cheered and he leaned his head back as he celebrated in his increasing control.
Alistair shifted uncomfortably. He looked from the crowd to Moses again and again. The wicked chortle of the wraith echoed in his ears and terror stole his breath. Moses grinned at him and placed his hand onto his shoulder.
“Now’s your chance to be a real hero,” he jabbed and dropped his dagger at Alistair’s feet. “You stole this before, they think it’s full of power. When the wraith tears you apart, they’ll know it’s just me, it’s always been me.”
With a stern face, Moses nodded at Barnaby and he released the tension rope that held the cage closed. As soon as the metal door fell forward, the wraith leaned its head back and bellowed then charged out of the cage and slid across the landing.
It eagerly sniffed the air, inhaling the smell of human flesh and trembling with elation. Lowering its head, it locked onto Alistair as Moses moved further away. The wraith’s lips curled up along the sides of its mouth and it wailed a hell-raising growl. Alistair stumbled backward, fear seizing his chest and sucking the air from his lungs.
The sounds from the crowd vanished. The world fell
silent and all Alistair could see were the snapping jaws of the ravenous beast. Roaring, the wraith lunged toward him, its mouth gaping wide, its eyes burning with rage.
Stumbling over his feet, and falling backward, Alistair cried out, “Help!”
CHAPTER 23
SECOND CHANCES
Alistair cringed and brought his hands up to protect his face as he slammed his eyes shut. He heard the hoarse breath of the creature grow louder, almost as if it was struggling to breathe. He could smell it, feel the hot air emanating from its snout, he could taste the death lingering on the wind. But he was still alive. Fighting against his instincts, he forced his eyes open and stared across the platform.
The wraith was a few yards away. Its nails clawed into the wood as it tried to pull itself toward Alistair, but the thick chain hanging from the iron collar on its neck kept it from taking the last few steps.
Moses looked down at him and smiled. “Take your knife, hero,” he said coldly.
“No!” MJ shouted. “Let him go!”
The wraith snarled and made unworldly noises as it choked itself trying to get to Alistair. Moses cackled and kicked the knife across the ground. The crowd waited with an ominous silence and the screams of Daniel’s friends seemed to float on the air as if they were coming from miles away.
He reached out and picked up the blade. It felt heavy in his hand but wildly insignificant. Grunting, he scampered to his feet which seemed to agitate the wraith. It yelped and snapped its jaws, reaching for Alistair with husky, padded claws.
“Alistair, no!” MJ cried as she struggled in vain to get back to the stage.
“Go on,” Moses said and backed away. “Go on and prove me wrong, prophet.”
Alistair took a deep breath just as one of the guards loosened the chain that was holding the beast. The wraith charged forward and Alistair braced himself, gripping the dagger tightly in his hand. He stared into the beast’s yellow eyes and tried to swallow back fear but choked as it spread its tentacles deep into his heart. Just before the wraith was on him, he closed his eyes and swung the dagger with all his might.
“Argh!” he roared.
His attack went wide and the creature clamped down on his arm. They both tumbled to the ground and rolled in a tangled mess of torn flesh and blood.
The dagger dropped from Alistair’s hand as he tried to wrench his wrist free from the monster’s jaws. It reared back and shook its head, lifting Alistair off the platform and slamming him back down. His head hit the wooden boards with a resounding clunk and for a minute everything faded into a hazy reality where nothing mattered.
“Alistair!” MJ screamed. “Alistair, get up!”
“Get the fuck off me!” Daniel roared as he rushed toward the stage.
They kicked and scratched their way forward until the guards unleashed a flurry of strikes with their wooden spears. Daniel and MJ collapsed beneath the assault as Cindy dove into the fray trying to block them with her own body.
“Keep them under control!” Moses ordered.
Alistair shook his head and cleared the cobwebs, the glimmer of Moses’ knife shining just a few feet from his reach. With a surge of energy, he thrust his thumb into the wraith’s eye and it released his arm and howled. Blood ran down its black lips then it turned and lunged at Alistair’s face.
Alistair grabbed it by the side of the head with his good hand and thrust his body in a crooked arc, pushing the creature off of him. It rolled to the side and shook its mangled white fur, snorting and growling in agitation.
Grimacing in pain, Alistair scampered onto all fours and crawled a few feet before the wraith was back on him. It bit into his leg and yanked him backward. As the monster pulled him toward the cage, he stretched out his hand and wrapped his fingers around the dagger. With only dumb luck on his side, he turned and drove the rusted blade into the creature’s head, which did little more than annoy it.
The wraith roared in a high-pitched screech then dove back on top of him. Alistair pushed and kicked, trying to keep the creature from clamping down again but it was only a matter of time.
He reached up and yanked the dagger from its head, sending a shower of blood into the air. Drops of crimson peppered his face like paint. The wraith growled and lurched forward with its gnashing canines, slamming shut so close to Alistair’s face that the creature’s lips rubbed across his nose. He yelped in panic and stabbed the dagger into the wraith’s neck, yanked it back, then buried it up to the hilt in its snout. The dagger pierced the bottom of the creature’s jaw, effectively stapling its mouth shut.
Gasping for air, Alistair stood up and looked down on the beast. It scuttled across the floor, whining and trying to pry the knife out with it paws. Blood stained the entire platform and dripped down into the sand. The wraith’s horrific screams echoed throughout the pit, carrying on the wind across the wasteland.
Wincing, Alistair looked at his wrist and pressed his hand against it to staunch the flow of blood. He balanced on his good leg then stared out into the crowd as a hundred awe-struck eyes stared back at him.
“Lead us to the Earth God!” a woman roared and held her hands into the air.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Their outstretched hands reached toward Alistair as if he was close enough to touch. Applause and cries of joy grew louder and louder as Alistair swayed from side to side.
His head spun wildly as he looked from the crowd to the ground in front of the platform. MJ and Daniel were just standing up as the guards backed away in shock. They looked relieved but he could still see the trace of worry on MJ’s face. He smiled at her then turned his head and found Moses glaring at his congregation in shock.
“I think I might be a hero now,” Alistair said in a frail voice.
Moses glared at him and clenched his jaw. He’d lost his flock and he knew that now he had no choice but to follow Alistair. With a grimace, Moses stared at the wraith as it flopped across the floor, moaning and wailing. He felt nothing but anger at the pathetic creature and while he couldn’t seek retribution against Alistair yet, the wraith was the next best thing.
Sneering, he reached down to his holster for his second knife. As he did, he fumbled across the flashlight he’d taken earlier. A greedy smile stretched across his face and he looked up toward Alistair as he slipped the flashlight from his waist.
Alistair had turned his back. He was staring into the crowd as they cheered and cried out to him. Moses gripped the light and moved swiftly toward the groaning beast. He clicked the flashlight and turned the beam toward the wraith. As the light hit it, the wraith immediately froze and collapsed to the ground like it was sleeping.
“You’re no hero,” Moses mumbled.
Reaching down, he yanked his dagger out of the wraith’s snout and tucked it back into his holster. He slowly backed away, keeping the light trained on the creature. Once he’d moved so that Alistair was now between him and the wraith, he clicked the light off and grinned with satisfaction.
Alistair looked at him and cocked his head to the side. “What’s so funny? You thought I’d die, you thought that thing would kill me? All you did was make me untouchable.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Alistair turned just in time to see the wraith soaring through the air with it’s gaping mouth stretched wide enough to swallow the world. Its hefty paws sung as they sliced their way forward while blood and drool rolled across the wraith’s snout.
Alistair froze and his life flashed before his eyes. The future he’d never see, the children he’d never have. He saw his mom wither with age, his brothers as they grew old and had children of their own, he saw the world spin away. Then he heard a loud crackle and felt a searing fear rush through his veins as blood sprayed across his face and everything went dark.
CHAPTER 24
PRAY FOR YOUR WICKED SAVIOR
Seconds passed as Alistair stood motionless with his eyes sealed. Seconds that turned into minutes, that might as well have been a lifetime. All he seemed t
o have was time, time to ponder what great horror awaited him. Time to fear death and time to fear life.
There was a sudden quiet to everything that he knew only led to one conclusion. Life was so messy, so noisy and full of chaos. Only death could offer the solitude he felt. Only death could offer the calm that made the world stand still.
It was the only conclusion he could come to. It was the only conclusion that made sense. The wraith was already on him by the time he’d turned around. His brain had just spared him the pain of being torn to shreds. So, he was dead. He had to be dead. He knew it, his mind just needed to catch up.
“Amazing,” someone called out, followed by echoes of agreement.
The words floated to him like they’d travelled across a distant sea. Is this what death was like? Is this how it ended for everyone?
With a slow, deep breath, he tried to collect himself and face whatever reality was waiting on the other side of his eyelids. As the sounds of the world around him slowly came to life he blinked and found himself standing on the platform, still very much alive.
The wraith was sprawled across the wooden floor in front of him, its head nothing more than a mess of fur and fragments of bone. Its leg twitched and Alistair jumped and shuffled backward. He bumped into Moses who was staring the other way with shock staining his face.
Alistair slowly turned and followed his gaze. He found Persephone near the edge of the platform, Moses’ gun still smoked as she held it in her trembling hands. The look on her face was calm, but the quiver in her legs betrayed her.
“Blasphemy,” Moses mumbled and spat onto the ground. Sneering, he turned back to the crowd and cleared his throat. “This man was judged and the Earth God did not save him. Instead, one of our own took it upon herself to intervene. This cannot be allowed. Now, they must both be punished. Feed em to the Vees!”
His words stabbed into Alistair’s heart. Images of shredded limbs and gore stole his thoughts and a cold shiver spread through his body. The Vees, the gap between monsters and men. What we once were and what we’d return to if we weren’t careful. Alistair had only seen a glimpse but that glimpse was more than enough to make him fear the name alone.
Deconstruction- The Complete series Box Set Page 96