Liar's Rise

Chapter 1

He is coming.

Be forewarned.

He will descend upon your world in a fortnight's time.

Be prepared.

You are the link.

The creature in the mist turned to face her, the eyes yellow and haunting. And, like before, the body was entirely composed of dark vapor, its shape resembling that of a human, yet with no distinct solid form, the perfect embodiment of a spirit waiting in the darkness.

Lea woke with a start at the vision. Although, she had such visions before, this dreamed had startled beyond her imagination. Never before had the message been so vague and daunting. The creatures would come to her with guidance and wisdom. Tonight, they had warned. What was it that they meant?

Lea Disas was an only daughter of an only daughter, who in turn was a daughter of an only daughter. This was the way of her family. For generations, the Disas' had only borne their mates female offspring, each of them with the mark and the visions of seers. Many said their line was blessed, others swore that it was a sign of black magic, and that they were occult witches. Either way, they were always in hiding or forced to be nomadic. Even those that deemed them blessed would keep their distance, only approaching them in times of need. Many of the daughters of Disas did not marry for fear of rejection, but all of them bore children, whether by choice or not. The tales of origin had been convoluted over the years, much like the origin of their homeland as each generation fled from persecution to somewhere new.

As a precocious child, Lea had accepted and embodied her role. She wore her gifts with pride. She knew what she was, and she would never pretend that part of her did not exist. As she grew older, she saw the need to conceal the truth, many did not accept her and others laughed. Over time she found the perfect balance; she learned when it was necessary and when it was not. But, never, did she see her sight as a crutch in her life. Much like her mother, Lea was seemingly normal.

Lea pushed her thoughts and the image of the creature to the back of her head and glanced over to the digital clock. The numbers 9:32 glared at her. Fuck. She was late.

She jumped out of bed and ran to her closet in a rushed effort to get ready. Third night this week. Clyde was definitely going to fire her ass today…

Lea ran past the Steve, the bouncer, and swung open the door to Fool's Paradise.

"Sorry, I'm late, Clyde!"

Clyde turned from the post she was scheduled to fill, and glared at her.

"Get your ass behind this bar, Disas! You've earned yourself a week of double shifts…"

Relief washed over her as she stepped up to counter and began taking orders.

"Thanks, Clyde; more money for me!"

Clyde fought to keep his angry gaze, but lost. He grinned at her then. She glanced back at him, catching him in his smile, and winked.

If there was one thing she was good at, it was manipulating others to put them at ease. She walked back and forth between customers without a hitch in her step, her effortlessness a marvel to watch. Years of family secrecy, had primed her at masking emotions, her efficiency and comfortable nature stemming from the confidence instilled in her as a child. She was good at whatever she set her mind to; she was downright brilliant at it.

It was then, through the corner of her eye, that she noticed the dark-skinned man at the end of the bar, his eerie yellow eyes stealing glances at her surreptitiously. Instantly, shivers ran down her spine. It couldn't be… She had never heard stories of them taking human form before. Nor had she ever heard of them materializing past the form of apparitions in dreams.

What the hell was going on?

She took a deep breath and turned slowly to look at him.

He had disappeared. There was nothing. There was no one. Before she had any time to think more on it; her cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She jumped back startled by the vibrations. Tentatively, she pulled it out, half expecting something eerie and surreal to gaze up at her from the phone. "Come over for dinner tomorrow. –Mom" She breathed a sigh of relief. After the evening she had been having, she welcomed the text. Dinner tomorrow night sounded like a good idea. She would be able to discuss her dream in depth with her mother. Another opinion wouldn't hurt.

Lea grabbed her coat and waved goodbye to Steve and Clyde. It had been a steady night, not overly crowded, just her regulars, the guys that came through every night after a long day of work. She glanced down at her watch. 2:26, not bad. There were nights where she had to stay till 4 AM cleaning up vomit in the bathroom stalls. She thought about how nice it would be to spend her day off with her family tomorrow. She hardly saw them anymore. Her hours were convoluted because of her work schedule. She slept all day and worked all night.

Lost in her thoughts of contentment, she didn't notice the hooded man walking towards her. He bumped into her as she walked past, causing her to stumble to the ground. He stopped then, turning around to help her to her feet. She took the extended hand and rose back up with very little difficulty. Though, he did not apologize, her own courtesies made her mumble a quiet 'thank you' to the stranger. She brushed off the dust and dirt from her pants and looked up to see him still standing before her, his pale golden eyes glaring into her soul. He spoke in a low rumble. "He is coming," and, then vanished before her eyes.

Lea blinked twice not sure what to make of it. She looked around her before making a mad run through the sudden fog that had descended towards her car. She fumbled slightly through her purse for the keys before getting in and speeding off.

As she drove home, she pondered the constant warnings. She couldn't make any sense of the most recent encounters with her visions, nor their words. Why were they so intent on speaking to her about this? What were they even speaking about? What was her place in all of it? She sighed as she approached the dimly lit driveway of her home. Her body felt exhausted and her mind weary.

He is coming and I'm not ready for it.