His Promise

Chapter 24

All I could think about was running. My chest was heaving and I was gasping for air, but I forced myself to keep running. I got to the edge of town, and then kept running. The map Zack had drawn showed me exactly where I needed to go to find the entrance. Then, I finally reached it. A small opening in the ground. It looked like a sewage pipe entrance. As I lifted off the cover of the entrance, a waft of hot, rank air blasted my face. Holding my breath, I stood over it, and jumped down.

I hit the floor hard, but after a moment I had recovered. I stood up and looked around. It was dark, and reeked of musty water and rotting things. I gagged, but made myself continue walking.

After a few minutes, the hard floor started changing to the white tile I remember seeing the last time I was here. I held back a yell of delight and simply smiled instead. I was here, and I was going to find Zack. I found the first door. It was just around the corner. Two robed figures were standing guard outside of it. From the shadow of the hall, I watched them. Gathering all my courage, I jumped out and stabbed the first one. He slumped to the floor, and the second one started to charge towards me. Again, I stabbed him right before he had the chance to pull his sword out. I only got lucky. If I had to actually fight them, I was sure to lose with my little experience.

"You should put more lighting in here. The dim light makes it easy to hide in the shadows." I muttered to the bodies. I felt terrible for what I just did. People should not murder other people. I shook my head. Now was not the time to worry about that. I just had to find Zack right now. Trying to be as quiet as possible, I sneaked through the door. Luckily, no one was on guard on this side of the door. I kept walking down twisting, winding hallways. I walked for what seemed like hours, but I couldn't find anyone or anything important. I was about to give up when the hallway I was walking down ended. At the end was a large double door. I stepped up to it carefully. It was plain white, like everything in this wretched place. I took a deep breath, and slowly pushed it open. What I saw there shocked me.

Tons of the robed figures, standing in a circle around a slightly raised platform. A large chandelier hung from the ceiling. None of them seemed to notice me; not yet, anyway. I hid behind a wide pillar as I tried to see what they were staring at, when I saw it.

Up on a raised platform was Zack. He was on his knees, and his head was down. He didn't even seem to struggle. Also, another robed figure was sitting next to him. But this one's mask had been taken off, exposing his face. His eyes were filled with panic as he frantically looked around. Why would one of their own be afraid? Why didn't he have a mask on?

"...And now, we are truly ready." Truly ready for what? What were they doing to Zack? "Now, we can bring Erebus back to a real body! Then, we can begin our plan." The robed figure yelled, his voice echoing around the room eerily. The crowd began to cheer enthusiastically.

My heart dropped into my stomach. One of them up there was the blood sacrifice; the other, the body for transfer. Panic began to rise up inside me. Either way, Zack would be hurt. I had to get him out of here somehow, before they started.

C'mon, look up! I yelled in my head. If he would just look up at me, then he would know that he had help. That it wasn't over yet.

"...No." Zack muttered. The person talking earlier looked down at him.

"Excuse me, boy?" he asked. The crowd's cheers died down.

"You will never, ever win. Whether I die here today or not, Lilita will come eventually. And she will destroy Erebus, along with all of you dirty scum." Zack spat darkly, as he rose his head up the look at the man. He didn't see my head poking out from behind the pillar; or if he did, he didn't acknowledge me.

"You're the dirty scum." he laughed, then kicked Zack in the ribs, making him fall over to one side. "And, it's too late. We have already won. Once we're done here, Erebus will have a body. He will strengthen, and we will take over."

Zack groaned, then forced himself back up. I was proud of his bravery. He was facing death, but refused to show weakness. I wanted to leap up there to his defense, but I knew if I did it would only end with both of us dying. There were too many of them for me to fight alone. I let out a growl of frustration. What was I supposed to do? I got here, but now I can't do anything.

"Let us begin. First, the sacrifice." He pushed the unmasked man's head over a bowl. So he was the sacrifice, but then...

Zack was the body of transfer. They wanted to put Erebus inside of him. How could they do that to Zack? Him becoming something as evil as Erebus was worse than him simply dying. I wanted to scream, grab my sword, do something. But I couldn't... I wouldn't be able to kill more than a few before the surprise of my attack went away and they all turned their swords on me. Again, I was completely useless.

"N-no!! Wait, I-I've been faithful to our god! I swear! I've never done anything wrong, can't you pick another person? Please, I'm begging you!" the sacrifice screamed as he squirmed around, trying to escape.

"Shut up. You should be honored that you're dying for our god." the man growled. He brought his sword down heavily at the back of the man's neck. I choked back vomit as blood sprayed up in the air, and his screams were cut off. My knees buckled and I fell to the ground like a limp doll. It was brutal. So much blood... It sprayed in the air, onto the man, onto Zack, onto the first few rows of people watching the ritual. The bowl had been filled, with much, much more blood to spare. I was glad I wasn't close enough to see the disembodied head or the body.

The man muttered something under his breath, then turned to Zack. "Your turn." he laughed. "Finally, we get what we have dreamed of all these years. Quickly, bring Erebus in."

My mouth gaped open. Erebus was here? They were bring him into this room? Doors shifted, and another follower stood next to it.

It was the ugliest thing I had ever seen. His body was pale and wrinkled. The body was extremely disformed, his head was basically on his side he was so hunched over. It had no hair. The face was frozen in a soundless scream of pure hatred and agony. It's arms and legs were bent at unnatural angles. I could feel the evil rolling off of him in waves. Again, I held back vomit as I stared at the horrible creature. No wonder he needed a new body. It could barely even walk, and with every step it's wheezing echoed around the room.

"We will begin now." The man's voice boomed. He started chanting foreign words. Soon, everyone in the room had joined into the increasingly paced chant. Zack held his head up high, inviting whatever fate he had to endure. The man, still chanting, took the bowl and poured some into Erebus's mouth. Then, down Zack's throat. On instinct he tried to cough it back up, but the man held his mouth closed, forcing him to swallow it. Zack's head drooped again, and he went completely limp as the chant grew faster and faster. With one last chanted word, everyone stopped. No one moved, no one even dared to breathe.

Suddenly, Zack's head lurched up and he leaned backward, a distorted scream coming from his lips. I covered my ears at the ugly sound.

"What's going on? What happened?" Voices broke out all over the room.

The man cursed, then faced the crowd. "Calm, everyone. The transfer was unsucsessful. The blood was not strong enough. But, the boy is still under our control. With him, he will do whatever we order him to. The blood was at least strong enough to grant him some more strength, so that along with his 'fighting' background, he will be useful." he yelled.

I gasped. No, it couldn't be. He was completely under their control? No. I wouldn't let it happen. I won't let him be used like that against his will.

The man's head snapped in my direction. Everyone else turned to follow his gaze.

"Crap." I muttered. They had found me. There was no way I'd be able to defeat all of them. I was dead for sure.

"No one move." the man barked. "Let's test this puppet, shall we? It will be fun to watch the guardian rip the one they are supposed to be guarding to pieces. Am I right, puppet?" his laugh was full of malice. "Go, kill her. Now." And with that order, the man handed him a sword. It probably belonged to the man who had been sacrificed.

Zack grabbed it, then walked slowly towards me.

He was coming to kill me. And there was nothing I could do about it.