Age of Demons

Chapter 2: The Beginnning

Chapter 2:

Lost in my own misery I gazed out the window as Sarah kept up a continuous stream of chatter into my ear. Seriously what is it about girls that they cant just sit there. Hung-over and covered in bruises how could she think that I had the slightest bit  of interest in whatever gossip she was spewing out of her mouth.

The buildings flew by getting taller and taller as we travelled further into the city, I couldn’t quite lose the feeling that there was something in the corner of my eye, just out of sight. If I turned in that direction there was obviously nothing there other than more buildings, but ya there it is….as soon as my eyes lose focus on that area I can just make out a small object moving along with the bus.

I hope I don’t have a concussion, they did hit me a few good shots into the head ealier.

Sarah’s voice cut into my thoughts just as we reached the school “so, was it worth it? Was shifting Laura worth getting you’re arse kicked? I mean, I can see why you would like her she is really pretty and everything but you could find other pretty girls. You know girls without the drama”. Looking over at me expectantly.

“Ya maybe… look I’ll see you later on”, dragging myself off the bus I saw my best mate Eoin hanging around the front of the school with a few others, waiting for me while checking out the talent heading into class.

“Hey babes, you’re all looking really fit this morning. Except you Tara. You’re face looks like a horse’s arse that’s just been branded with an ugly stick.” Eoin shouted up towards the door at a group of girls and the rest of the lads almost fell of the steps with laughter.

Limping up towards them, I shout to him making sure everybody could hear, “Ya but she still looks twice as good at that bird you pulled last weekend in the club”.

Turning around to me with a comeback in his mouth, instead all he could say is “Whoa, what happened to you. When we left you outside your house last night you were fine.”

“Ya but that was until I met John at the bus stop this morning and you can guess the rest.”

“Ouch, on the plus side Laura is a lot fitter than the one I pulled last weekend.”

Smirking at him, I couldn’t resist “True, the only way you would have ended up like this over your one is if she rolled over in the bed on top of you”. Even Eoin couldn’t hold in the laughter at that stage.

“Always with the smart answer David, maybe if you were a bit smarter your face wouldn’t be purple today. C’mon might as well head into Bombers class”. With that we headed for class, as usual being the last two in the door.

School that day passed by in a blur which is just as well, otherwise I would have noticed all the pain I was in. As it was my mind kept wandering back to the dream I had last night. Its not the first time I have had this dream I just don’t know why.

Sure I knew who Brian Boru was, who didn’t. We all learned about him in history class, the first high king of Ireland, uniting the tribes to defeat their common enemy. Back then people would believe anything, all those stories my dad used to tell me about fairies and demons roaming the lands. Back when I was young I can’t believe I fell for his stories.

Yet there was still this little voice in the back of my head, niggling away, ”every story comes from somewhere”.

As the day finally came to an end I couldn’t wait to get out of school. At this stage my head was killing me and my body was barely holding together after a full day of sitting in a hard chair pretending to listen to whatever irrelevant lecture our teachers were giving today.

Waiting for the final bell of the day to ring a cold breeze swept around the room, raising goose bumps all over my body. Something wasn’t right

“Eoin, did you feel that?”

“Feel what. Relax man only two minutes left and were done” he replied with an air of uncaring about him.

“Nothing I guess” but just couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was not quite right.

As the bus pulled up to the stop beside my house I glanced around suspiciously. With rain pouring down from the sky all that was at the bus stop were two old ladies chatting away and waiting out the shower. Pulling my hood up over my head and taking one last look around the area just in case, I hurried as fast as my bruised body could take me towards my house and out of the soaking wet.

Unlocking the door I stuck my head inside cautiously.

“Dad, you back from work yet”. Dead silence answered my call.

The last thing I needed was dad seeing me in this state. Clothes torn, big black eye and bruises all over the rest of my body. Combine that with the drinking last night and even he would have to take some form of interest in what I was getting up to.

Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing…

Shaking that thought out of my head I went up to my room and stripped off my soaking wet clothes. Stepping into the hot shower all I could feel wash the burning hot water pounding onto my flesh, stripping away the dirt and pain. With steam rising from the shower and filling the bathroom I don’t know how long I stood there letting the water flow over me, but eventually the door slammed downstairs waking me from the trance I was in.

Stepping into my room, shivering and it wasn’t from the cold. That feeling that something was wrong hit me with more force than ever before. Peeking out through the curtains as I was only wearing a towel, the sky had turned almost black in places. It almost looked as if the sky was at war with itself. Black clouds swirling with white ones, thunder pounding every few seconds it felt like the storm was directly over my house.

Suddenly the room lit up from a flash of lightening. My outline was cast onto the wall behind me, yet it couldn’t be me. In the split second the room lit up, the shadow looked far too big. Almost impossibly big and as wide as three of me. It must just be the angle I told myself. What else could it be.

“David” I could hear the call from downstairs, “Turn on the TV, you’ll want to see this, RTÉ 1.”

Switching on the RTE news there was a reporter shouting over the storm;

“Coming to you live from Trinity College where it appears that a lightning strike has somehow managed to set the main building on fire. This is highly unusual as the building is mainly stone and as yet no witness has confirmed seeing lightning hit the building.”

Sure enough the pictures on the news said it all. People were huddled together in shock, while one of the most famous buildings in the country burned to its foundations in front of them. The flames reached into the night sky like some beautiful yet tragic symbol to the gods themselves.