Hi All,
So it's winter here in South Africa and I have been having trouble connecting to the internet lately, the storms we've been having had knocked out a tower. So I've been sitting here like it was the stone age, but good news we had electricity, so I just kept on writing.
I hope to post the next chapter really soon, if the weather permits, so please just be patient with me during this time. This is like the fourth time I'm trying to upload, so here goes nothing...
Thanks again and enjoy :)
Steph
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(Recap)
"I don't know, we'll just have to wait and see." I said from my perch on the floor in front of the door.
"Violet, you're injured." My aunt said, rushing over to see how badly that thing whatever it was raked me.
"Lily, get me that first aid kit over there." My aunt ordered as she looked at my ankles. They hurt more now than when it had first happened, maybe because the adrenaline was most probably wearing off.
Lily came back, first aid kit in tow and my aunt was about to start cleaning it when Van said shakily,
"Violet something's happening with the door." I turned towards the door and the black smoke that dragged me was seeping through from under it, and building up.
"I thought this room was supposed to be safe." Van said stepping away from the door.
"I thought so too." I said as I watched the smoke seep through. What are we going to do now? The room was a dead end, no window, no back door, not even a sizeable air vent. What is D going to do to my family once he gets in?
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Chapter 38
Violets POV
"Violet, What the hell is that?" My aunt asked me, I wanted to say it was D, but then it occurred to me that D never moved like that, I've only seen Reapers use that smoky way and it wasn't Ethan because that thing clawed the living hell out of my ankle, but then again, I hadn't spent much time with D to make that call so I still wasn't sure what or who that was.
"I-I don't know, whoever it is, it's not a friend." I said to Aunt Carry and motioned with my head towards Lily. She nodded and rushed over to her; holding Lily protectively behind her, as I slowly dragged my butt off the ground. Van was next to me in seconds helping me up.
The thick black smoke started to rise, the symbols and salt filled walls doing nothing to protect us against this new threat. Ethan had said that the salt walls were for the inks and the symbols for the Cecidit, so if he was right then whatever was pouring through the door, wasn't any of those, it must be a Reaper or D, but what if the salt and symbols weren't working and the thing now breaking into our only sanctuary was one of those monsters? I'm going to give myself a head ache trying to figure this out.
The smoke rose up until it seemed to take over the space in front of the door and then it started to solidify taking on a form of a man. Van went for a discarded pipe, but before she could get hold of it, a broken voice muttered, "Ah, ah, ah... you won't be doing that again." Then the pipe lifted off the ground and whacked Van over the head knocking her out. The pipe flew away out of reach before I could think of grabbing it.
"Van!" I shouted and raced over to her side to see if she was okay.
Her eyes were closed and she had blood running down the side of her face, I felt for a pulse and breathed a sigh of relief when I felt a steady heartbeat, just unconscious. She's going to have a killer headache when she wakes up.
I motioned for Aunt Carry to come to me and stay behind me as the man took his shape. I glared at him as I stepped forward, remembering my hand gun tucked neatly under my t-shirt behind my back. I was surprised it hadn't skidded out went I was pulled down by this ... thing.
I hadn't recognized the voice and he sounded as if he had an accent, one I seemed to recognize but barely.
"Who are you what do you want?" I asked the guy who was now fully corporal and he looked to be some Arabian guy, that looked a little like Jake Gyllenhaal, from Prince of Persia. He had the same coloring as Tommy and similar features, he must be an Egyptian too. I had never seen him before. I wonder if he works for D?
He wasn't dressed as an Egyptian, although I think that the Egyptian's had long since stopped wearing skirts and shirts or whatever they wore back in the day. He wore a plain blue t-shirt with a South Park character printed on it flipping the bird and plain blue worn denim jeans, not what I would have expected a bad guy to be wearing, but whatever.
"Who I am makes no difference to you and as for who I want... it's rather obvious don't you think? I'm here for the same person everyone else wants Violet." Said the Egyptian South Park guy.
I pulled out my gun aiming straight for his head. I wasn't sure if guns would work on Reapers but I did know it would hurt like hell.
"Well you can't have me." I said, widening my stance to take some of the pressure off my damaged leg and to make sure my aunt along with my sister and best friend were safely behind me.
"I wouldn't do that if I was you." He said with a smirk on his face.
"V-Violet." I heard my Aunt call me and I moved slightly to see her while still keeping the Egyptian South park guy in view. What I saw made my breath leave me in a gush of air.
Above my aunt and sister was a gallon of Kerosene and a lit lighter. They would burn alive, and behind them was a gas canister, if that caught alight, then this house would be toast and everyone in it.
"Drop the gun." Said the Egyptian south park guy.
I moved closer to my aunt and sister, if they burn so do I and I didn't see this guy risking me.
"I can burn them and protect you. I am a Reaper after all." He chided like I was an ignorant child. I glared at him and turned the gun on myself, placing the nozzle of the gun to my temple and gave him a victorious look.
"Are you working for D?"
"Yes and no. I have a... personal interest in you." He said not looking at all upset over the fact that I had just put the gun against my own head and threatened to take myself out along with whatever he wanted to do with me.
"What do you want with me?" I asked then I remembered something Conquest suggested, "D-do you want to k-kill me?" I stuttered out, because let's face it. I was not ready to die yet no matter how many times I told myself that I was, even as I thought this I remembered the gun pressed firmly against my skull, by my own hands.
"Maybe." He purred and smirked at me as he leisurely paced in front of me with his hands behind his back. He stood and stared at me like he was in some art gallery, looking for a prospective buy or admiring a painting in some museum. He looked almost to be toying with me, like a cat would a mouse.
I watched his every movement, never stepping away from my aunt or moving the gun away. I knew if I did they would be dead and I would be in the clutches of whoever this dude was.
"I admire your courage, but your attempts are futile, and I have no time for this dallying, so you need to decide. Come freely now, or I will forcefully remove you." He said his calm façade giving away to his ire at me for wasting his time. Suddenly black smoke rose around him like wings of a fallen angel. His slightly tanned skin, and long black glossy mane made him look like some exotic and dangerous being, which if you think about it, he was. I was about to tell him to shove his ultimatum where the sun don't shine when my aunt shouted,
"Violet look out." And before I knew it, a bucket flew against my head, dropping me to the floor like a ton of bricks for the second time today. My arms automatically shot out to protect myself from the fall, the gun skidded away from me. I quickly reached out for it but before I could even touch it, a rope coiled around me like a snake, pulling me away from it and wrapping me tightly, binding my arms to my side and snaking its way around my body. I tried to kick it away or more like squirm it away, to get away from it, but it moved too fast and wound too tightly, twisting and turning my body until I felt like I was going to throw up from the rough handling.
It went all the way to my neck and the more I struggled the tighter it got. I started to see black spots dancing in my vision.
"No! Violet." I heard Lily's voice and with great effort opened my eyes to see her terrified face.
Egyptian South Park guy leaned down and grabbed a fistful of my hair, pulling me up by it, which made me scream out in pain as he held me close to him, my back to his front.
"Shall we watch your family die together?" He whispered into my ear almost seductively. He may not be D, but he acted a lot like him.
"You have me, please let them go. I will come peacefully, I won't resist."
"The time for peace is over and you made your choice. Now watch them burn."
"I won't scream or alert anyone. Just please don't harm them." I begged as I watched the kerosene tip ever so slightly, a few drops gushed out onto the floor, right in front of them.
"Please I'm begging you." I cried out, he yanked harder on my hair, twisting my head backwards in an uncomfortable position, it felt as if he was going to pull my head right off my shoulders.
"Say goodbye." He whispered and dropped the kerosene onto the ground, making it spill all over the floor around my aunt, sister and Van, then soon after he dropped the lighter. The kerosene ignited the flames sprang to life as if bursting straight out of a hellish pit.
"NO, NO! YOU ASSHOLE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" I screamed as I watched the flames lick the walls close to where an unconscious Van was lying.
I felt the rope tighten around my neck and I heard south park guy whisper, "Now I know you won't scream."
I craned my head to keep away from the tightening rope, even as I did this I knew there was no getting away. I was squirming, trying to free myself as the rope tightened. My nails scrapped against the coarse rope until they burned and there was no more room left for them to move. I was choking, the rope was getting tighter every time I inhaled, until I couldn't breathe anymore.
Tearing up as they coughed from the smoke, I had spied a fire hydrant just out of sight of Egyptian South park guy when I fell into the room with Van and with my last remaining energy I tried to show them with my eyes, so I wouldn't alert the asshole. I just hope that my aunt would be able to figure it out and get to it in time. There was a path to it, they could easily reach it, if only they would see it or at least see it in time. I watched as the flames grew before my eyes "Violet!" I heard Lily and my aunt scream from the burning room, right before I passed out.
Ethan's POV
"Conquest really came through this time. I thought that she wasn't going to show." Jonathan said as we fought alongside each other.
"You and me both." I replied as I dodged a claw from an ink. Just as I was about to stab at a Cecidit, War set him alight, with obvious joy.
He gave me a chilling smile, and I gave him a slight nod in thanks, even though I knew he didn't do it to save me, more for the fun of it, I then went back to the battle at hand.
"Horsemen, a bunch o' knobs with tae much power." Connor whispered while watching War off another ink by stabbing it with his flaming blade and then setting it alight, laughing like a mad man all the while. He was like a kid in a candy store; he was really enjoying this way too much.
"Hear, hear." Jonathan replied as he stabbed anther ink.
"We need to get them away from the house." I said noticing that the fight was slowly heading this way.
"How are we going to do that?" Jonathan asked, "They know Violet and the others are in there."
"We distract them. Get them to follow us."
"How?"
"Follow my lead." I said and started creating daggers. I threw a few Cecidit, getting their attention and shouted, "Come on you fallen pricks. I'm who you're master wants."
"We do not have a master, soul thief." Hissed one of the Cecidit right before he charged.
I started to run, with Connor and Jonathan behind me.
"Not tae question yer obviously well thought out plan, but how ye gonna get the inks to follow ye?" Connor asked when it was obvious that only the Cecidit were following us. Crap hadn't thought about that and that smart mouth Connor knew that.
"I got that covered." Jonathan smirked as he flipped a switch and spotlights shone from inside the house from unseen places.
"When did you do that?" I asked in awe.
"Jet helped me set it up a while ago. Figured it would come in handy."
"Well done lad." Connor said with a smirk.
"Quit calling me that, or I'll start calling you old fart." Jonathan shouted at Connor, making me smile at the old argument that they always had.
"Why the hurry Ethan? The fun's just getting started." D said, appearing in front of us. We all pulled out our weapons of choice.
"Hello boys. Is that any way to treat your sire?"
"Ye no sire." Connor spat out.
"You still mad over your girlfriend getting killed? Connor, she was going to die eventually... I just sped up the event. Let's face it, your relationship was doomed from the get go."
Connor almost snarled at him, he was about to say something back but I put my hand on his shoulder. There was no point; D was a certified crazy, no way to argue with crazy.
I noticed we were getting surrounded by inks and Cecidit, "Let's quit the chit chat and get down to business shall we?" I asked readying my grip on my two handed saber, while Jonathan pulled his shield in closer and Connor crossed his twin short swords in a scissor like fashion.
"As you wish." D said with a shrug and he raised his hands in like a prayer. I had seen him do this once before and that was to open the ground to the under realm. Right there I realized that this could be the last time I see my friends that were sort of like the brothers I never had. The ground started to shack, dread settled in, D was going to open the ground to the underworld so that we would be sucked in and tortured to death.
We looked at each other realizing that this might be the end; we didn't say anything, just looked at each other and gave a slight nod in goodbye.
I noticed inks crawling from D, crawling towards us as if hungry for the kill and before D could part the ground by separating his hands, it looked like lightning hit him, which sent him spiraling into the air.
"Now brother, you know its not nice to pick on the weak." Conquest said stepping out of the shadows, dragging a barely conscious Cecidit and before she reached us, she swiftly beheaded her and fried the two pieces until nothing was left but ash. She wore white gold armor, with a crown made of swords. She had a gold and silver bow strapped to her chest, and swords strapped to her side. Her hair was loose and whipped around her in the slight breeze, like she was an ethereal Valkyrie.
Our ass would have been toast if it wasn't for Conquest and for the first time I didn't mind her condescending remarks, she had save our butts.
"Conquest." D said through a gritted teeth as if in greeting. He got up and dusted himself off as if he wasn't just hit by a freaking lightning bolt. "You always did pick the wrong sides." He sneered.
"By wrong I'm guessing you mean the winning sides."
"You would pick these... miscreants over your own brother?"
"Only when said brother tried to bring about the end of days in a futile attempt at being god for a day."
"I shan't be god for just a day sister."
"Your power source is limited and easily used up. You erred for dead dear brother. You court our extinction, you risk not only your life, but mine as well, and I shan't stand for it."
"You cannot kill death."
"No, but you can lock him up." Conquest said, a sinister smile spreading across her face.
"Kill them... Kill them all but the Somniator." D said and they all attacked at once.
We started to press close to each other, back to back as they closed in.
"Above you." Jonathan shouted.
"Cover me." I called back as I made my sabra's turn into a bow and arrow and started shooting the flying inks and Cecidit, while Connor and Jonathan protected me from the ground.
Conquest and D were at it, it sounded like a bad storm was on the ground, with the dark smoke and lightning that kept flashing, with thunderous sounds going off every time D and Conquest clashed swords.
"Shite ye bluidy cu-" Connor said when an ink raked his back. I cut him off by pushing him to the ground and shooting at a fast approaching flying ink.
I was shot another two demons and I hadn't seen the one sneak up behind me until it was too late. I felt something sharp bite into my shoulders right before the ground disappeared.
He raked my side; making me scream in pain and as I twisted around to looked up, I stared right into a Cecidit's face, he raised his bloody claw tipped hand and rasped, "Die, Reaper." But before he could do a killing blow I had created another blade and sliced off his hand. He screamed and dropped me, but I had long ago mastered my reapers shadow, and created wings to help bring me back to earth.
Creating wings and using them took a lot of strain and concentration, something I couldn't do often and right now I was at risk, exposing myself for an attack, but what choice did I have, plummet to my death okay not my death but some serious injuries that would in any case leave me vulnerable ... like creating the wings would.
I was ten feet from the ground when I got my back ploughed through. I screamed from the sharp pain and lost my concentration as well as my wings, and I closed my eyes preparing myself for the impact and hit the ground hard, landing a few feet away from Connor and Jonathan. I opened my eyes just in time to see a flying ink like monster with razor sharp claws extended and spread, ready to rip out my heart. Most likely it was the same one that shredded my back.
I rolled away, the ink hitting the ground hard. It screamed in frustration and went after me, but I rolled onto my feet in a better position and created my sabra and stabbed it through the head, making it turn into black sand. That's what inks turned into once they died... sand. Sometimes black, sometimes brown... I don't know why just that they do.
"Ethan! The house." I heard Jet shout as he ran towards us, his eyes as big as saucers. He had a few injuries and seemed to be favoring his left arm a little. I looked up towards him when he called me and saw that Jonathan and Connor was running in the direction of the house and I looked over and saw smoke rising above the surrounding houses rooftops.
We shadow ran towards the house and saw that there was a fire in the basement; the supposed place of safety, as we went inside I noticed that a window was broken. Someone or something must have broken in when no one was watching.
"Ethan there's fires in the basement." Jonathan said as we neared the house.
"Get a car ready to make a hasty escape. We can't have them out here for long with the inks and Cecidits so close, especially with Violet and Lily." I said, not looking at anyone particular as I threw out the order.
What are the odds that the fire was in the only safe place in this entire town? I rushed in and was engulfed in smoke; I went down stairs and heard coughing.
I ran as fast as I could and saw that the lights had been blown out, and as I neared I saw hazy figures standing in the smoke coughing.
There were inks lurking just out of the door, I could barely see them in the thick smoke. I took out two but there was just too much. Where did they come from, how did they get in, especially pass the safeguards.
"Ethan duck." I heard Jonathan shout and I spotted a flare sail overhead, chasing away the shadowy inks. They stayed in the dark, hissing as we passed.
"Set up lights here." I shouted back and ran towards the open door. I heard shouts inside the room, they couldn't get out because of the inks outside the door, so they were forced to stay inside the room, the inks kept them there. The safeguard in the room had held up and kept them out at least but the fire was slowly killing them. Please let them be okay, I silently pleaded.
When I got inside I saw Violets aunt putting the fire out with a fire extinguisher and Van was swatting the flames with a broom. There was a figure huddled in the corner under a soaking wet blanket. They kept the door open so that the smoke could make its way out, but the fresh air was also aiding the flames to grow.
"Is everyone okay?" I asked looking over at them and rushed over to the figure under the wet blanket.
"Violet are you..." My words died when I lifted the blanket and saw only Lily. My heart sank to my toes. Where was Violet?
"He took her. That jerk whacked me and took her" Van said while she coughed and leaned on her knees, Jonathan was there in an instant, but she brushed away his hand and continued, "That jerk fuu-ooo-lishly took her." Van said, about to cuss in front of Lily but creatively changed the word after seeing Lily in my arms. I could see that she was livid, she had a nasty bump on her head and her eyes were teary. I wasn't sure if that was from the smoke or the fact that Violet was missing.
"We need to get you guys out of here. Connor is the passage secured and the transport ready and waiting?"
"Aye." He said, his face in hard lines as he stood guard at the door.
"Good, there'll be time to explain when you're out of here." I said even though my insides were screaming for me to find out who took Violet was she alive?
We ran out of the smoky room and passed the hissing inks. There were oil lanterns set up like an airport landing strip along the wall, keeping the inks away.
The smoke by now was so thick that we were practically feeling our way out, the lanterns offered little light. I spotted the door, and by now the sun had already completely set, how will we get out of here and to the car without incident?
As we neared the door, there was a bright light shining through the door, lighting our way through the darken house.
We stopped within the light shining through the door, "You guys ready? Connor, Jet you're on defense, Jonathan get them inside." They nodded and didn't wait any longer as I held onto Lily, and ran outside.
There were inks and Demons everywhere, even a few ghosts that D had caught and was now using.
The moonless sky didn't help much, it only aided the inks. Tommy had parked the car right on the door step of the house with the headlights facing the door. He was behind the wheel with the lights inside the car on.
Connor and Jet raced out first killing the first few that tried to take us on, there were still Reapers fighting and when they saw that we needed help, they raced over to help us. Lily had grown on many of them, sort of reminding them of a time when they weren't servants of death and she kind of helped them to discover what it was like to live.
The doors to the car were already opened and we jumped in. "Connor, Jet, get in." I shouted.
"Take care of the wee lass. We'll be staying here, finish off these screwballs."
"Yeah Ethan, how it'll look if we all leave, go on, get. We'll be okay."
"Thanks guys... I owe you one."
"Shoot, I still owe from back in Fall of '08. Consider this a down payment." Jet said winking at me as he dodged a sharp beak of an ink. Connor just nodded, and kept fighting without looking at us.
"We got to go." Tommy shouted as he shot out of his window at an attacking demon and when he was out of bullets threw his gun at a nearby ink.
We slammed the doors shut and took off, down the dark road. The power had been cut so there were no extra lights to keep the inks away. There was a safe area for the Reapers, for the injured and for them to catch their breath. It was kind of like the safe room we made for Violet and the others, only difference was that it was outside and a little bit bigger and there was a constant bonfire fueled by Greek Fire that stayed lit to illuminate the camp. We roughly paved the floor of the whole area with salt from the river Styx and etched protective symbols into the ground and surrounding areas.
"Faster Tommy, they're gaining." I shouted as I glanced back at the scene.
"I'm going as fast as this contraption would allow Ethan." Tommy said with irritation.
I heard a sudden screech right before a loud thump on the roof of the car. The girls screamed when the car swerved when we were impacted.
The screeching was louder, then the roof of the car started to cave in as the creature slammed against it. The metal groaned from the force of the impact, the sound echoing in the hollow car and with every hit the girls would scream in terror. Soon the roof split in two, long claws cut the roof wide open like it was a flimsy can.
"Get down." I shouted at them, trying to get them as low down as this small car would allow, as I created a sword. I waited for the creature to try and dig into the roof again before stabbing my blade up into it, making sure that I hit my mark. I heard a confirming howl and glanced back through the tinted windows to watch it roll onto the ground.
As soon as I knew we were out of trouble, I turned to the girls and asked them to tell me everything that had happened.
Once they had gotten over their shakiness, they spoke excitedly, often speaking over each other, it was hard to understand what they were saying, but soon I had realized that they were attacked, pacifically Violet, while she was on her way to the safe room and injured her ankle badly. The other thing that I got was that they were attacked by a reaper, that wore a south park t-shit and no one that I fought alongside wore a south park t-shit, at least none that I had noticed.
When they were done, Tommy said, "It was Akil." As he said the Reaper Killers name he gripped the steering wheel so hard he practically imprinted his hands on them.
"Why would the Reaper killer take her? Is he still working for D?" I asked, trying to get over the fear of knowing that the Reaper Killer had Violet and he was just as bad as D, perhaps worse, because he enjoyed his job more than any of us did.
"Akil is doing this for his own gain. He no longer does the bidding of Death as do we all." Tommy said, a hard edge taking over his mouth.
"What does he want with her?" Violets aunt asked, while comforting a crying Lily.
"He wishes to do the same as Death. I do not yet know why he wishes to use the army, perhaps just for the power or to vanquish me." He said while his mouth thinned.
"Where is he taking her?" Van asked before I could ask him why The Reaper Killer wanted to vanquish him, and would go through such lengths to do so.
"To the Well." He answered without missing a step.
"The Well? Is that actually a place or like an actual well?" Van asked still shaking from the close call we had earlier.
"You don't mean, 'The Well'? Are you sure he wouldn't take her to Pennsylvania, the Hellfire is closer than the Well."
"Whoa, wait. Hellfire is better than a well? In what world is it better?"
"The Well of Cenote is guarded by millions of the tortured and sacrificed dead. It's also a bottomless pit, technically a watery grave... she could drown." I said, recalling my experience with the last time I was submerged in water a fraction that deep and immediately my heart beat increased and a slight sweat started on my upper lip and forehead. I would need to dive in after her. I remembered the pressure of the water, closing around me, I remembered the intense burning as it filled my lungs... Violet might die like that...I think I'm going to hyperventilate.
"He's after her blood, if she does not survive the descend and she drowns none of her blood would be spilled unlike the Hellfire, which would render her blood useless. I do not think she'll even get a chance to get to the well before the Forgotten go after her."
"Are you sure he's taking her to the well?" I asked, my hand started shaking at the thought of diving in after them. Water closing over me, no air... I can't breathe.
"Ethan are you okay?" violets aunt asked me as she carefully watched me.
"Yeah, I'm good. It's been a long night, and I'm worried about Violet." I said dodging the fact that I was terrified of water, but Tommy knew what my problem was and he said in Latin,
"He knows your aversion to water. He's not just taking her to the Well as a quick access, and an assurance of her blood that won't be spilled. He'll use your weakness against you in this Ethan, perhaps it best if you-"
"No, I'm going. I do not care that the Reaper Killer knows my fear, I'm going after her Tommy." I replied in Latin so that the other's wouldn't know what we were saying.
"As you wish Ethan, but know that I'm here and if ever you are in need..." Tommy said, glancing over at me and I gave him a tight nod in thanks.
"Okay, firstly... that's rude. You can't just speak some lord knows what other language while we're in the car. What's going on? So is he taking her to this Well or not?" Van asked, sounding scared and pissed all at the same time. She glared at me and I was afraid that she would notice the slight sweat that had built up due to my fear.
"Carry on Tommy." I said to Tommy to take the attention off me.
"Yes... he's taking her to the Well of Death. The Hellfire Lake in Pennsylvania is too close to the conflict and would prove more of a challenge with Death so close by, and the Well is the fastest route to the underworld especially to the Forgotten Army." I let out a huge breath because passing through the portal alone could kill Violet, not to mention that the Well wasn't in America... it was in Mexico, more precisely, the Mayan runes and with all those violent deaths and sacrifices there was bound to be a more than a few tormented ghosts around and Violet passing through that part of the world, would attract them like moths to the brightest flame.