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Chapter Three
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Mr Montford had cleared his desk of all the papers and other clutter by the time they got back. The top was now covered by a white sheet and illuminated by a strong lamp. Without specialist equipment it was the best he could do and, thankfully, his past tutors had taught him how to improvise when the need arose.
A half empty water bottle sat nearby by. He had been losing so much fluid by sweating it was well needed.
"Ah, good timing!" He beamed as the pair entered "Ash, you can hold the cloth steady and Isaac, you fetch the statue. I can take the scraping and send it off post haste, then we will have some answers, I hope! Until then it can be kept safe it
storage, I won't display it until we have more information, misleading the public leads to the wrong sort of publicity."
Ash moved over the smooth out the creases, his hands shaking his excitement and nerves as Isaac went to take the figure from the box.
As he leaned over, he felt a warmth at his neck and his heart trembled. A feeling of nausea washed over him as his picked the statue from the bed of shavings. His palms were damp and his throat tight as he turned to carry it over.
His eyes took in the figure that seemed to warm in his hands as if it were made of flesh and blood and his heart lurched, his head fogging for a moment with blurred imagery of worlds long gone. He tensed, trying to stop his hands shaking as he slowed his step, feeling the nervous sweat burning more.
As he made his way across the room, he did the exact thing he had not long joked about his employer doing. His foot snagging a pile of books left on the floor, and before he could right himself, he was tumbling over, everything moving in painfully slow motion. Dark ochre eyes watched in horror as the statue flew from his hand halfway across the room. Smashing into two pieces by his desk.
A priceless new discovery was now in pieces on the floor. Isaac stuttered for a moment, staring in disbelief.
Ash's mouth dropped open, his shoulders slumping. All joking aside this particular piece and any of such age could not be mended.
"You just broke..."
He didn't finish. Feeling his eyes widening as dark fluid began to seep from the sharp pieces.
"What's...going on?" His voice was barely a whisper as he watched transfixed as the crimson liquid flowed, a dark mist following close behind and seemingly without end.
All sense urged him to flee but his feet felt frozen to the spot in fearful awe. Looking to Isaac he was in the same predicament, his hands shaking and face pale.
The black mist was thick, clouding his vision and felt as if it clouded his mind also.
'Even a man who is pure of heart and says prayers by night will find himself condemned to the grave whether or not the time is right. That time is nigh...'
The voice echoed about them, bouncing from wall the wall and sending waves of freezing terror throughout body and soul.
Isaac felt his legs almost buckle as the mist slowly cleared revealing a figure in its place.
The man, if he could be called that, was the image of the statue that lay in pieces on the floor. A muscular, chiselled body and face concealed by the mask of a canine. His arms were folded as he regarded those before him but lengthy claws protruded from where nails should be.
"Bow down mortals!" The creature commanded in a strong and forceful tone, his eyes cold and calculating "and perhaps you will keep your bodies intact!"
Outside there was a loud clap of thunder, hard enough to make the entire building shake. A heavy rain began to fall down with a force that no one had seen before and a force that could cause damage and injury when it struck.
It was no normal rain. It couldn't be, Isaac had never known rain to be red.
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Mr Montford's entire body froze in horror at the condemning words and his Adam's apple bobbed as he choked on his own bile that had risen into his throat.His bewildered eyes took in the figure, roving over the curious mask, powerful muscles, and claw-tipped fingers. This was the exact image of the statue, somehow live and full-size in front of them.A spark of determination flickered across his eyes as they were commanded to kneel, and for a brief moment he met the terrifyingly-cold gaze of the creature. His heart skipped a beat at the pure malice he saw there, freezing him on the spot.Isaac unconsciously stepped closer to Ash whose pale face had become a waxen death mask, stealthily resting his hand on his upper arm in an effort to give some reassurance as another wave of natural fury rocked the sky.In the back of his mind a voice hissed. But like the leaves in autumn, it was a faraway cry. Audible but unable
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"What are you doing now?"Isaac's voice was cracked from lack of fluid, something he was hoping the God would take notice of.Am Heh barely looked over. He was not about to answer, the idea of responding to the mortals’ query felt beneath him but the knowledge that Isaac would most likely continue to question him came to the fore."Hastening my work," he said evasively, seizing a cloak that had appeared from thin air to throw about his shoulders. "You will remain here."The streets below were home only to ghosts and shadows now. The people were cowering in whatever safe haven they could find, whether it be the claustrophobic aisles of a department store or the dark back room of an office. Anywhere was better than the bubbling mire outside.The heat from the burning blood would not affect the deity who once walked in his own volcanic Eden. Nor did it affect the creatures he crafted but it
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Mr Montford winced as the sting from the antiseptic burned the deep wounds. Tears sprung to his eyes but he swiftly blinked them back, offering a shrug to Ash."A bit like garlic, the smell makes the eyes water."The room Marie had taken them back to had been the office of the security officer. The glass front gave an overview of the entrance and the additional monitors, now a haze of silver static, had meant he could observe the rest of the building. The small space reeked of coffee, spilled over the equipment in his haste to flee, and the undertones of sweat and antiperspirant.Ash smiled slightly, shifting uncomfortably. The smell did indeed bring tears to the eyes but the pain in those watery orbs showed it was much more.He didn't comment on it, focusing on the patterns on the monitors that made his head feel strange."Suck it up," Marie elbowed Mr Montford gently as she tossed the soiled
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Shu beckoned the mortals down one of the alleyways that cut through the buildings to the once bustling streets. People had emerged, loitering hopelessly about the abandoned cars, their eyes glazed and their ears deaf to anything but the words of an unseen being."I cannot guide you to safety," Shu said, his voice full of remorse. "I must find Atum. This battle will ricochet about the world, and you humans do enough damage without the added help. Please," he looked at the four imploring. "These humans are bedevilled. If you can avoid harming them, I would be grateful.""We won't," Isaac spoke up, still struggling with the tight ropes about him. Try and they might, the bonds refused to give. "But you must tell Atum that Am-Heh is not behind all of this. There has to be mercy in him." Tears stung his eyes. Glistening droplets he swiftly blinked back. His voice becoming soft. "I don't want to lose him."Shu gazed at him. Lost for words. No reassurance could be uttered, he couldn't read At
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A shrill shriek shattered the atmosphere as Babi tore towards Am-Heh, the sword raised high. It swung down, shattering through the arm of the reaching demon.One bite from the blade meant agony. And the wail that left the putrid mouth told of it.The eyes glazed with bubbling anger, and it swung, showering the area in burning blood. All the while trying to rise further, stopped only by the undigested meal in its stomach.Mr Montford grimaced as the warm blood descended, trickling in thick droplets like the vilest of rain. It wouldn't stop him. One dig he was on, many moons ago, never stopped even when they hit a sewage pipe.Although it delayed them when trying to clean. And when the local authorities got involved to remedy it.He slipped on the gore, trying his best to avoid it as he made his way over to where Ash indicated. As he neared, the air seemed to become thicker, as if he was walking through tar or against a high wind.His breath became harsh as the pressure became stronger.
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Am-Heh didn't baulk at the chaotic sight that met him. Instead, he looked with disdain at the gangly beast that was struggling to free itself and the summoned spirits that hissed at it.It seemed humans were not the only beings that refused to work in tandem.He offered a curt nod as the injured Templar. His use, and that of the others, were over. The last thing was to strengthen the rising forces, and his blood would suffice.It would give the might to break the chains but keep him tethered until, and if, he was required.He didn't watch as the broken body struggled to its feet, stumbling over the remains of his shattered horse, wielding his sword. He heard the clang of steel, the swing striking tough, leathery skin that refused to break under the blade. In the corner of his vision, he saw sparks as the steel chipped, flakes of flesh flying amongst them. He could picture the defeat from the violent, wet noises that sounded beh
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In Egypt; Anubis watched as the city smouldered. The cyclone sliding back down from the bubbling skies like a reverse volcano, sweeping away the crumbled remains of homes and business.He hung his head, feeling powerless for once in his long existence. The help he could give was like sharing a grain of rice among a starving village.Worthless.In London; the Thames bubbled. Strange beasts rose and fell in the boiling water that threatened to burst the banks and roast alive anyone who fell in its path.People sheltered in basements, in attics and had even pried the covers off manholes, only to find the threat beneath just as great.In Africa; the rich were crushed by the opulence they had hoarded, money unable to save them from the rage of nature. And the poor cowered, finding dents in the ground or concealed hidey-holes in desperate attempts to shield the most needy of them all.All over the world, s
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Kyle had no idea on how to approach the gathered dead. It seemed, rather stereotypically, a blow to their skulls finished them, but there were more than ten of them. Not to mention the mounted templar who, eyeless as he was, looked thirsty for more blood to stain his hands."Why are you listening to him?" Marie whispered, lifting her voice enough to be heard over the grunts and groans. She wasn't sure why she was showing him any pity, not after what he'd done. She assumed it was just her social conscious, and the strict teaching of her mother, never to turn ones' back. "You could do so much better.""Shut your mouth," Kyle snapped, feeling Babi's icy gaze on him. "You don't know anything! This is my only chance in life to get anywhere, to get anything. Life doesn't care about people like me.""I thought that. Once."Kyle wrinkled with nose and picked up a fallen plank. It would do. With enou
