by C R Langille
Allison’s eyebrow arched in amusement, but it was a twisted, macabre representation of that emotion, the eyebrow stretching too far upward, pulling the skin on her face taught.
“Oh no, I’m making no mistakes, pitiful bug. I choose to talk to you because I’m bored and have the time. But I’ll play along for a bit longer to humor you; it will make the finale of this act that much sweeter when I see the pain on your face before we become one and the same.”
She shifted places again and was instantly in front of his face. Once again, she grabbed his jaw in her hand and a lance of pain barreled into his brain.
“I think you finally understand what’s happening. It’s you that I want, little bug. You are the host that will set me free,” Allison said.
***
Dan tried to rip the bone briar from his arm, but with each tug, it cut into his hand and tightened its coils even deeper. The pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced during his tenure in this world. To make matters worse, the puppet creature continuously came at him, causing Dan to have to constantly duck, dodge, and weave around the thing or suffer even more entanglement.
He tugged at the deadly vines and tried to free himself when the creature screamed and came at him again. He twisted to the side but not quickly enough as he felt another bony thorn rope grab hold of his shoulder and begin to wrap around his torso and wings. He screamed in pain, but the scream was cut short when a fleshy vine wrapped once across his face and mouth. He fell to the ground struggling.
The creature was on him in an instant, throwing blows at his form one after another like a tireless automaton. As the hits landed, the strands slithered from Troy’s body onto the kicking form of Dan. Within moments Dan was encased in an ever-constricting cocoon of bone and ligament. When the last strand left Troy’s body, Troy crumbled to the floor in a wet plop, never to move again.
“You are the host, Garrett. You are my freedom. You should be honored.”
“I won’t let you in! I would rather die!” Garrett said quietly.
“It would be best if you were alive—I could get more from you—but dead or alive, the vessel is what matters the most.”
Garrett looked into the thing’s eyes and strained to find anything of Allison left. Try as he might, all he could see was the coal and ember of this being’s gaze. As he locked stares with it, knowledge poured into his mind. He could see the vastness of space as it traveled throughout the cosmos. He watched as it passed by a planet of green and orange, and twin portals opened, spewing forth a horde of nightmarish demons. Garrett knew that all the life on that alien planet slowly died or turned into homicidal creatures bent on nothing but causing chaos and death. He then saw the Dark Tyrant leave the dead planet behind and move onward through the multi-verse with winged, demonic abominations dressed in the bloody skin of their kindred riding its coattails through the dark; leaving behind another conquered and corrupted planet full of undead cadavers. Garrett watched in horror as the being closed in on a newly forming Earth. As the vision ended, he was granted knowledge. Knowledge of what faced him and the entire world. A name came to his head and burrowed deep into his mind like a tick.
“Kylho’ghnat, the Dark Tyrant, Eater of Cosmos, Lord of Chaos.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
November 20, 1180
I awoke strapped to a rudimentary litter of some sorts. The native peoples moved me through the dusty desert of this land. A handful of primitives and I moved away from that accursed mountain.
I couldn’t see any of the warriors or the village elder around me. When I asked about their whereabouts, I was met with confused looks. I’ve come to find out that whatever power allowed communication between our two races has since departed.
As we travel away from the mountain, visions flitter into my mind. I hope they are just figments of an overactive imagination, yet I fear that they are the truth. The truth of what happened in that dark cavern, deep, deep, in the mountain. The truth of what we found, what it is, and what it wants. The truth of what it made me do.
I haven’t much longer of this world. I have seen enough battle to know when a wound is fatal. My wounds are grave, and I can feel my life slip away like my hope and faith.
There is no hope, for eventually it will be freed. There was nothing we could do; we were nothing but an amusement for the thing, pawns in a bigger game it plays. It will never give up, never stop. It is endless. It is angry with its imprisonment. It will exact its revenge on us and this world—in time. He waits deep in the mountain.
-Sir William Brock
Deep Under the Mountain
“Nine thousand of your star cycles have come and gone since I last heard that name uttered,” the Allison-thing said, grinning. “Your abilities are great indeed, whether you know it or not. Not many things can look into my essence and come through it unscathed. You are the host.”
“What are you?” Garrett asked.
“I am Chaos incarnate. I am the Dark Tyrant! I am the breakdown of order. I am the death, the destruction, the end of all. When I finally make my way through the multi-verse, I will be lord of an expanse of death. I am The End of Everything.”
As it spoke, another segment of vision filtered through Garrett’s mind, and he could see the thing sacking galaxies and worlds with ease. It spoke the truth and left behind nothing but death and woe in its wake.
“Now, enough talk. It’s time to move forward and break out of this rock,” Allison stated. It grabbed Garrett once again and locked gazes. Garrett tried to look away or shut his eyes, but he couldn’t find the strength. He once again saw into the thing’s very essence, and this time, it looked into his.
***
Dan couldn’t breathe, and even though he had only been trapped in the cocoon of barbs for mere seconds, it seemed like an eternity. He could hear nothing but his muffled screams and heartbeat. Dan slipped in and out of consciousness, and his struggles became less and less energetic.
All at once, the pain stopped, and he found himself standing in the small cavern room. The onyx monolith was there, but it was smooth and didn’t bear any of the sigils it had moments earlier. He looked around and saw no one else was there with him.
“Garrett? Rusty?” he called out.
He looked to his arms and legs; none of the wounds he suffered appeared. It dawned on him then, and his shoulders slumped in defeat.
I have failed. I died.
“That’s correct. You failed. You lost sight of your mission and disobeyed orders. Now Kylho’ghnat has the vessel and can break free from His prison,” a guttural voice rasped from the corner of the room.
Dan looked over at the corner where the voice was. The rock wall and floor gave way and fell to pieces, revealing a deep pit. An orange glow burned deep in the darkness, with an acrid stench of sulfur and brimstone crawling into his nose.
“So, Mr. Bumble Bee tasked you to reel me back to the Pit, eh Forras?” Dan said, facing the corner.
“Oh yes, and don’t think you’ll be getting off easy, Danjal. The Duke is very angry. You had orders—don’t let the vessel near the Tyrant. Easy enough, I thought,” the voice croaked getting louder.
A clawed hand grasped the corner of the pit. The fingers were long and tipped with sharp, curved talons that glowed the same fiery yellow burn of the pit below. The hand grabbed hold of a rock and lifted the rest of its body out from the hole. A lanky creature pulled itself up from the pit and crouched near the edge. Its skin was a deep burgundy, and small calcified horns jutted from various points of its frame. Its head looked much like a goat, and a larger set of curved horns twisted from its skull. It brought one of its enormous hands up to a scraggly goatee and stroked the twisted hair.
“You have erred this time, Dan. I don’t think you’re going to get away with just a verbal reprimand on this one. I’m sure it will be much more…” Forras looked up and smil
ed a crooked smile. “…time consuming.”
“Perhaps you should quit wasting time and send reinforcements to the mountain, Forras,” Dan said sternly.
“They are en route, as well as forces from above. Everything we’ve got nearby is closing in, but I doubt they will make it in time. I even heard a report that one of the archangels is on its way to level the mountain. Should be fun to watch.”
“They can’t do that! If they destroy the lock and the Dark Tyrant lives, all they will have done is set it free. Let me back into the living realm and I can stop it! I can save the girl,” Dan said.
“Ho, ho! You still pining after that one, eh? You had orders, from both sides it would seem. You still fancy her?”
“She didn’t deserve this.”
“You had your chance, now face your punishment.”
Fiery chains leaped from the pit, flying past Forras and wrapping around Dan’s arms and legs. Dan struggled to get free, but the Chains of Perdition were strong and unbreakable. They pulled Dan from his feet and dragged him toward the demon.
“Be reasonable, Forras! All will be lost! Let me go, and I can stop all this!” Dan said through gritted teeth.
“That’s the problem with you Fallen; you just can’t accept your fate.”
Immense heat rolled from the pit, singeing his skin and clothes. He continued to struggle to no avail. He turned to God in one last desperate attempt.
“Please God, Father in Heaven. I need your help. I need your strength. Give me the direction to bring this darkness to an end. I beg of you.”
Silence greeted his pleas for help, and Forras looked all around. After a moment, Forras started laughing so hard he fell on the ground and started rolling and kicking his goatish hooves comically in the air.
“You crack me up, Danjal, I mean it. Please God, help me!” Forras said in an over-exaggerated stern voice.
Native American chanting and singing overpowered Forras’ laughter. It came from all directions and picked up in intensity and volume. As the chant filtered through the room, the living realm filtered in and out of existence. Garrett and Kylho’ghnat in Allison’s body locked together in a struggle for dominance faded in and out of view. He saw his body still wrapped in the animated briar vines of bone, unmoving on the ground. In the background, Rusty slowly hopped around in a ceremonial dance. Rusty became solid in both realms.
“Stay out of this, dog!” Forras spat in anger as he got to his feet.
The chanting and singing continued, but Rusty stopped his dance and stepped toward Dan and Forras. He was dressed in traditional garb: buckskins, beads, and bone.
“I’m afraid I can’t do that. Dan still owes me,” Rusty said.
Dan started struggling to get away from the chains again.
“So be it,” Forras sneered. “I’ll take your essence to the Pit as well, and you’ll see how we treat dogs in Hell!”
More chains shot from behind Forras and flew toward Rusty. Rusty danced and spun, dodging as several chains shot at him. The chains missed and hit the rock wall behind him, then slowly faded out of existence.
Rusty continued to dance around the room, dodging chains all along the way. Forras’ frustration became apparent when the shots went wild. Dan’s bonds loosened, and he started to wiggle free.
Forras snarled and doubled his efforts to snare Rusty and tried to tighten his hold on Dan, but it was too late. Within seconds, Dan was free.
Dan flew up into the cavern, his wings buffeting the wind toward Forras, knocking him off balance. Rusty took advantage of the momentary distraction and threw three obsidian knives, glowing with a strange green energy, toward the demon. They struck the hellspawn at the same moment and buried deep into its chest. He screamed in frustration and agony and clutched at the knives. The green energy spread from the weapons and encased the creature in a crackling cage of power.
Dan flew straight at the demon and shoulder-checked it up and off the ground. It slammed into the rocky ceiling and then fell screaming back into the fiery pits of Hell. A moment later, a green-tinged fire flared up from the open pit causing Dan and Rusty to shield their eyes from the bright flare. When it died down, the wall and floor were back intact. No remnant of the pit showed.
Dan turned to Rusty and found him once again wearing jeans and flannel. Dan walked up and nodded to his friend.
“Thanks,” Dan said.
“No problem. High five!” Rusty said holding his hand up.
Dan shot him a look but acquiesced. He brought his hand up and gave Rusty a high five. As soon as their hands met, Dan’s body filled with pain and he opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground in a pool of his blood. The boney briar vines sat dead and lifeless on the ground next to him, still crackling with a faint green energy.
Dan moved to get up and had to summon strength deep down in his core to even stand straight. He looked to where Rusty had been only to find the man gone entirely. He did, however, find Kylho’ghnat and Garrett still locked in a battle, and it was apparent that Garrett was losing badly.
***
Garrett tried to hold onto his sense of self while searching in Allison’s mind for a bit of her, any little piece he could grab onto and extract. He didn’t know how or exactly what he was doing, but something deep down inside guided his actions, as if something in his subconscious emerged and helped him. It was more reaction than action, but Garrett didn’t question it.
He could feel Kylho’ghnat’s will pressing in on him from all sides, and for some odd reason it reminded him of a certain scene from one of his favorite sci-fi movies involving a trash compactor on the detention level.
Voices assaulted his senses, and he heard his wife calling for him.
Let Him in, Bee, and we can be together forever. Wouldn’t that be nice? It could be like old times, like before. He can make that happen for us! Just let Him in.
Garrett tried his best to ignore the voice, but he still had an involuntary, emotional knee-jerk reaction. It was enough that Kylho’ghnat could get a firmer grasp on his being. Garrett fished around deeper and saw something, far in the darkness of Allison’s form. He grasped it and pulled with all his will when he saw what it was he smiled.
“I will break you,” Garrett said in a bad Russian accent. It was a favorite quote of Allison’s, and he felt the grip on his mind waver, and he was able to regain some ground.
“You sure are pretty when you’re angry, waahaa!” Garrett said in a bad western drawl.
The tension in his head lightened a bit more and Garrett retook even more ground. He was gaining momentum and pushing forward. He may just have a chance.
Daddy?
A vision of his dead daughter, Maddie, broken and bloody in the front seat of a broken and wrecked vehicle broke his concentration.
Why weren’t you there, Daddy? I cried out for you for so long before I died. I was all alone. I was scared. I’m still scared, Daddy.
Kylho’ghnat took advantage of the turn of events and crashed fully into Garrett’s defenses, tearing them down like they were made of papier mache. It sent Garrett’s mind reeling and grasping for any handhold he could find. But the assault came fast, ferocious, and relentless.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Date Unknown
I think I have been infected by whatever it was that we encountered deep in that mountain. I can feel my sanity slipping with each passing moment. The locals sensed the same and have left me behind. I was able to crawl to some cover, but it is no use. Without food or water, I cannot hope to survive long in this harsh land.
It is for the best though. I will die, and whatever is with me will die as well.
-Sir William Brock
Deep Under the Mountain
Dan watched helplessly as the struggle occurred between Garett and the Dark Tyrant. Garrett’s body was drenched in sweat and trembling while Al
lison stood nearby motionless. Dan was running out of ideas and time was almost up.
He grabbed Ishiel and moved toward the pair. He was broken, bloody, and almost dead, but he summoned as much energy as he could. As he neared them, they both fell to the ground, and Dan stopped short. Seconds later Allison sat upright and gasped for air. Tears ran down her cheeks, and she started rocking back and forth, clutching her shoulders.
“Allison?” Dan asked.
Allison looked up to Dan wide-eyed and afraid. After a moment, she shot up and embraced him sobbing into his shoulder. Dan didn’t return the embrace, rather he moved her back with a rough shove.
“Dan? It’s me.”
Dan looked from Allison to Garrett’s still form. Garrett mimicked Allison’s awakening and sat upright gasping for air. He clutched at his head and kicked at the ground. Blood spilled from his nose, and his eyes were bloodshot.
“Garrett, can you hear me?” Dan asked.
Allison moved to help, but Dan grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back.
“Don’t,” was all he said.
“Garret!” Dan shouted.
Garrett stood up and stumbled toward the pair. Allison squeaked and shrank back. Dan stood his ground and moved Ishiel into a ready position.
Garrett let out an inhuman growl and looked up at Dan. His eyes turned orange and black, veins raised, pulsating with the same chaotic glow of the deep mountain. A second later, it all subdued and Garrett’s eyes returned to normal, and he continued to clutch at his head.
“Kill me!” Garrett cried.
Dan raised his blade, but Allison jumped in the way and held her arms up.
“No! Don’t do it!” she pleaded, “There has to be another way!”
“Move out of the way, Allison. Even if there is another way, I don’t know what it is, and we don’t have the time. That thing was in you; you know what it will do.”
“Listen to him; I’m losing my hold on it. It’s too strong!” Garrett stated through gritted teeth.
“Please, this is our only option,” Dan said as gently as he could, looking her in the eyes.