This fan fic is based on an original story
created by Azure Poe 21.
The story is written
Azure Poe 21 with help from Keyote
This story is released on
by Keyote with permission from Azure Poe 21
A Rhine Realm production...
{I}
I thought that day was going to be a great day.
The sun was out and shining brightly. The temperature was fair, neither to hot or to cold.
Me and my twenty seven fellow classmates, along with our teacher and the vice principle of our school, would be heading to the newly opened space observatory just outside of town for a field trip.
Yeah, that day was looking like it would be a great day.
Except, it would end up being a nightmare for all of us.
It was also in this same week that a man who was the leader of a notorious gang that had made their way into the area several months back was to be executed, a few days after the field trip was to happen. However, his loyal followers had other ideas.
They had decided to take hostages in order to barter for the release of their leader. Failing to do so would result in the death of the hostages. The group had looked around, trying to find the perfect victims to do this with.
They considered a bank, a bakery, even a hospital. But when one of their own read about the field trip in the local paper, they decided to use us as their hostages for the negotiation. After all, what better way to insure they got what they wanted to to use little kids.
Once they had learned of the time we'd be getting there and on what day, they went to a great deal of trouble to make the arrangements to pull this off. That's why on the day in question, approximately twenty minutes after we had arrived, they arrived and made their move.
They found us thirty student's there along with our chaperones rather quickly once inside. It didn't take long for these twelve men to tie us up and make the call. When the police found out about this, they wasted no time in coming to the observatory to try and stop rescue us hostages.
The national guard was also called in to help, but the gangs second in command made it very clear that they wouldn't hesitate to kill us if they didn't comply with their demands. And their demands were simple. The release of their leader and an armored car in which to escape in.
Naturally, the cops and national guard were complying with the demand, or at least making them think they were, while trying to find a way to save us with out letting these men or their leader go.
But saving us wouldn't be easy. With only three doors that led into the observatory being guarded by two men each and the rest watching us with guns held at the ready, things weren't looking to good. And the men were getting more impatient and angry by the delay's that seem to be coming in.
Meanwhile, outside saw some odd and interesting things going on. As the national guard worked on some sort of strategy and the police were forced to make the arrangements for both the armored car and the release of the gang leader, only a few noticed the gathering storm clouds that seemed to be gathering over the observatory.
It was strange in that the dark clouds seemed to be spiraling around the observatory. But this didn't matter much to the head of the task force as he talked to the second in command of the group. He threatened to start killing the kids one by one if they didn't have what they wanted with in the hour.
It was then that noise was heard in the back ground. The man in charge of the task force gathered that something was wrong. The one over the phone then said that it looked as if one of the kids was sick and he wasn't looking to good. The man then ordered one of his fellow gang members to check on the kid.
For just a moment, there was silence, then there was a sound heard from across the phone line. The sound of some one being sent flying and hitting the ground hard was heard. The second in command was yelling something, and then...shots were heard from both the phone and outside.
Had someone made a move with out authorization?
The head of the task force didn't know, but this couldn't be ignored. He ordered his men to storm the observatory and take those men out. And it was then he saw it. The dark clouds that had been spinning around over the observatory had opened up. For a second, there was silence...
And then, a bolt of lightning shot from the opening and hit the side of the observatory.
The loud explosion shook the ground and forced man of the men to cover their ears. The horror of what had happened sent chills down everyone spines. Had any of the hostage's been hurt? Had any been killed? All they could see was smoke and flying debris coming from the spot that had been hit.
And then, a body came flying out. It was the second in commands body. He landed on the ground on his stomach. As cops ran up, they could see his exposed back had been burned, likely by the lightning. But, as they turned him over, they realized that he was truly dead and that it wasn't the lightning that had killed him.
No, it was the deep and blood gash in his chest, running from his shoulder to his waist that had killed him. They wondered what the hell could have happened to cause this. As the men looked to the observatory, they saw the smoke began to clear and a figure began to emerge from the smoke.
Based on the size of the figure, they figured it was one of the 3rd graders. But, something was wrong. As the figure became more see-able, reality began to set in. As one of the men stood up, all he could utter at what he was seeing was "My...god..."
It was on that day...the end of the world began. But, in a strange way...
It was the beginning of my life as I would come to know it...
THE HARBINGER'S
tome 1: The Prophet
The sound of the alarm going off was the first thing that made Beth realize that she was awake. At first, she tried to ignore it as she buried her face deeper into her comfy pillow. However, the sound only got louder instead of softer, making her grumble in complaint as she groggily reach out from under the covers to turn the alarm off.
Her opened hand flayed all over the place as she sloppily felt for the alarm. She groaned in annoyance when her hand hit against the table next to her bed a little harder than she liked. But finally, she found her target and after several quick moments of feeling around, she found the snooze button and turned the alarm off.
Sighing contently, she snuggled back into her pillow and found the blissful realm of sleep slowly coming back to her when another sound was heard, this one even more annoying than the alarm. This sound was the sound of some one knocking on her door.
"Hey Beth, you awake yet? Beth?" came the voice from the other side of the door.
Beth grumbled again as she curled further into the covers, doing her best to ignore that voice and the knocking. But, both refused to cease and finally, she gave up on getting any more shut eye as she finally sat up and looked to the door, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she did so.
"Yeah, I'm up Whitney No thanks to my alarm and your nagging" said Beth, her annoyance in her voice being fairly obvious.
"Well, you better hurry and get dressed, miss sleepy head. We don't have much time till classes start ya know" said Whitney before the sound of her foot steps were heard walking away.
"Yeah yeah, I know" said Beth as she looked to her clock. For a moment, she looked at it dumbfounded before the time finally registered in her head.
"Oh crap, it's already that late?" she shouts as she throws the covers off, jumps out of bed and makes a quick beeline for her bathroom. She didn't have much time to bathe and get ready for classes. And their teacher wasn't nice about tardiness from her students, no matter the excuse.
Twenty minutes later, Beth's door opened as she ran out. She just stopped long enough to lock up afterwords before continuing down the hall towards the stairs. With in minutes, she was outside and making for the main building as quickly as her legs could carry her.
Confused about where Beth is even at? You see, Beth was a student at St. Claire's, a religious school located in Salem, Massachusetts This was a special school, complete with its own dormitory for it's students to live in. It was something of an everything kind of school as it catered to Elementary, Junior High, and High School aged students. And it was a rather big place too.
As Beth neared the main building, she noticed her friends Eliza and Whitney beginning to walk inside. Eliza was a little more plump than the other girls do to her obsessive love of sweets, but she was still considered a looker by many of the guys who loved there. Probably because she was a little more developed than the average 15 or 16 year old girl in the chest area.
Whitney, on the other hand, despite being 15, still looked about ten do to her height and eternally flat chest. She didn't seem to mind though as she hated perverts and felt most guys in their age group only wanted one thing from girls. And Beth couldn't help but think she was right, given the guys they knew.
As for Beth herself, she was considered about average in every way. Her long hair reached down to the small of her back and was usually kept in a pony tail. Her slightly tanned skin went well with her personality just as Eliza's chocolate black skin went with her's and Whitney's more pale complexion suited her rather well.
"Hey, 'bout time you got up. So, what kept you sleeping over time this morning?" asked Eliza as the three girls began to walk together.
"Yeah, I know. Well, I guess you could say..." started Beth, but Whitney interrupted her.
"Having that "end of the world dream" again, I bet"
Beth looked at her, then smiled and said "Bingo. I wouldn't mind it so much if I would actually be shown something new every once in a while instead of the same thing over and over and over again. When you see the Four Horsemen all the time, it gets rather old"
"Sucks to be you, Bethany" said Eliza.
"Hey guys" came a voice from their right. The three girls stop and see Carlos, a dark haired guy walking towards them with his usual dopey look about him.
"What's up? Find any alien conspiracy theories on the web last night?" asked Whitney.
"Nah, to busy watching subtitled anime from Japan" said Carlos, who was a major anime otaku and was made fun of by many of the students for it, not that he cared.
"So, why are you all excited for? Find out there's gonna be a new series in the Dragon Ball storyline?" asked Beth.
"I wish. No, I just heard our class is getting that new transfer student from Rome today" said Carlos excitedly.
"Are class is? Wow, that's pretty cool. Wait, why are you excited about it? I heard the new kid is a guy. You're not secretly gay by any chance, are you?" asked Eliza.
"WHAT? Of course not, the only gay that I am is the happy kind. And as for why I'm excited? I heard he may be an otaku like me. Just think, I'm finally not going to be alone in my obsession here" said Carlos in a jubilant tone.
"How exciting for you. Well, I guess we better hurry to class so we can actually find out" said Whitney.
The others nodded in agreement as they continued walking. The prospect of a new friend was more than reason enough to make this day a little more interesting for them. And for Beth specifically, a new chance at finding a normal, decent guy she could like in a way that wasn't just friend based.
Soon enough, they had arrived in class and had taken their seats along with the other student's. And as always, their teacher would enter the room right as the bell rang. Her name was Nyasa Muldoon, a fifty nine year old women who was known for her punctuality and her quick wit.
Especially when she was punishing any who were tardy for her class.
As she took her usual place standing by her desk, she carefully looked over her class, making sure everyone was there. Satisfied, she reached up and adjusted her glasses before speaking loud enough so the whole class could hear her.
"Now, listen up and listen well. As you all know, a new transfer student all the way from Rome, Italy has arrived to be attending school here with us. I'm not sure if this is a permanent stay or just temporary, but I expect each and everyone of you to make sure he feels welcomed and do what you can to assist him if he needs any help. Is that understood?"
Seeing her class nod made her crack the slightest of smiles before turning to the door.
"You may enter now, Mr. Crowswell" said Muldoon.
The door opened and a boy of fifteen entered the room. He was already dressed in the typical attire of the school. A white, button up-ed shirt with a blue tie. Black pants and a blue vest. He had a light brown hair color and hazel colored eyes. He came to a stop beside Muldoon, who continued her speech.
"This is Benjamin Crowswell. If you have any question's for him, ask them now so we can continue with today's lessons" said Muldoon as she took a seat at her desk.
"His name is Crows well? I guess that he must caw all over the place" said a boy a few rows behind Beth. She rolled her eyes and was reminded again why she didn't like most of the guys here at the school.
Of course, Muldoon was very good at hearing things in her class and had already grabbed an eraser and, with perfect aim and throwing speed, sent the eraser flying right at and hitting the smart mouth student on the forehead.
"I see someone here is looking for a little extra work from my class. That can be arranged" she said as she glared at the student.
"Um, yes ma'am" he said quickly before looking away, dreading what she was going to do to him after class.
Ben, meanwhile, made a mental note not to get on Muldoon's bad side. He then looked at the class and asked "So, does anyone have any question's?"
'He sounds normal enough' thought Carlos.
"Yes, I have one. Have you always lived in Rome? And have you ever been to Vatican City?" asked a girl in the first row.
"Actually, I use to live up in Maine with my family. But, some interesting things happened and I found myself moving to Rome. And yes, I actually have been to Vatican City. I was educated there for the last five years of my life" explained Ben.
"Have you been anywhere else?" asked Eliza.
"Sure, I traveled all over the world over the last few years. I've been to China, Russia, Japan, Nepal, and many other places. And I can speak about seven languages. Though, to be honest, three of them I don't speak quite well yet" said Ben.
"Why have you come here now?" asked Whitney.
"Well, um...I'm on a...secret mission?" said Ben as he nervously scratched his chin. Everyone looked at him for a second before they started laughing. And no one noticed Muldoon looking at Ben with both shock and worry on her face.
"Seriously though, I've been away from the States for far to long and I wanted to come back" explained Ben.
"But why here to Salem and not back to your home town?" asked a male student.
"Well, I guess I always wanted to see this place. And, the truth is...this is the place the school I was last at decided to drop me at after I decided to come back" said Ben.
"Are you a fan of anime, manga, and video games?" asked Carlos suddenly.
Everyone looked at him and he simply shrugged and said "What? It's a valid question."
"Yeah, I like them just fine. I'm especially a big fan of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series. I like a good head trip" said Ben.
'Alright, I'm finally not alone here anymore' Carlos thought as he mentally cheered.
"So, is there anymore question's for Mr. Crowswell?"
"Do you have any sibling's" asked Beth.
"Yeah, I have a little sister. But, she and I aren't really close" said Ben. 'Not anymore' he added mentally.
Beth wanted to ask about his parents and what they did, but something told her it was better to not ask right now. And seeing as no further question's were being asked, Muldoon stood up from her chair and spoke.
"Alright, it's time we begin today's lesson. Mr. Crowswell, please take that empty seat next to the window." She then pointed to the aforementioned seat. Ben nodded and started to move to his desk, but stopped when he heard Muldoon speak again.
"Oh, miss Whitetrain, will you do me a favor?" asked Muldoon.
Beth stood up and said "Sure, what is it ma'am?"
"After classes are over, would you show Mr. Crowswell around the school. It would really be helpful."
"Sure thing" said Beth as she turned to look at Ben. "I guess I'll be your escort for the day, huh?"
"Sure looks like it" said Ben, giving her a warm smile.
After they both sat down again, Muldoon started her daily lesson's which soon enough had everyone groaning in annoyance Well, everyone who knew how she was about educating her student's that is.
It was late afternoon and Beth was standing outside the main building as she patiently awaited Ben to come and join her. She thought about her first impression of him and thought to he did seem like some one she could be friends with. But, it would be this show and tell that would help her make a final call on that belief.
"Hey, why you hanging around out here? Shouldn't you be showing the new kid around?" asked Eliza as she walked up to Beth.
"He had to go see Father Cunningham first. He said he'd meet me out here afterwords" replied Beth.
Eliza nodded, then she blushed as she said "So, is he your type of guy or not?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?" asked Beth.
"Oh, come on. I know you well enough to know that it must have crossed your mind. Most of the guys here at St. Claire's are guys you have no interest in and from what I can tell based on my first impression on Ben is that he could be right up your ally" replied Eliza as she nudged her friend in the ribs.
Beth blushed, looking away and said "Don't tease me like that. I just met the guy so it's gonna be a while before I can tell something like that. Now, if you excuse me, I need to think about what order to show things to him."
"OK, I get the message. Just make sure you tell us all about it in the morning" said Eliza as she turned and walked away.
'Like there's anything that going to be worth telling' thought Beth as she returned to waiting.
(office of Father Cunningham)
"So, how was your first day, Ben?" asked the head of St. Claire's.
"About as well as can be expected. Rather plain, boring...normal. Well, normal for the average person and not so much for me, given my past and all" said Ben as he found himself enjoying the comfort of the chair he was sitting in.
"How true, and just how much of that past did you share with your classmates?" asked Cunningham.
"Do you need to ask? How would I even explain something like that? Most of my past involves things most people don't even believe in. And if at all possible, I'd rather it stay that way with everyone here" said Ben.
"Agreed. So, what is your first impression of miss Whitetrain?" asked Cunningham.
"She's really nice and I can tell she's one of those dreamer's who has big plans for her life in the future. It's going to be nice to get to know her. And speaking of her, I better get going. She's waiting for me down by the entrance to give me the ground tour" said Ben as he got up and started for the door.
"One more thing" asked Cunningham, stopping Ben just as his hand touches the door knob.
"Have you...sensed anything unusual in the air since arriving here?" asked Cunningham in a more serious tone.
"No, I haven't. And yet, I still feel a little anxious about something. I have a feeling my arrival here couldn't have been better timed" said Ben, his tone more serious as well.
"I know as I can feel that foreboding feeling as well. So, what will you do?" asked Cunningham.
"What I was sent here to do, nothing more" was Ben's reply before opening the door and leaving.
'I just hope it won't get to difficult for you, Ben' thought Cunningham as he looked to the window.
As Ben exited the main building, he saw Beth sitting on a bench by the entrance. He allowed himself to smile a little as he approached her. In a way, he envied her. She was able to live such a normal and carefree life. Just like he had used to be able to do. But, that was another life time ago.
"Hey, sorry if I kept you waiting" said Ben as he came to a stop by Beth.
"Huh? Oh, don't worry about it. It's nice out here so it wasn't so bad. So, ready to start the tour?" she asked.
"Ready when ever you are" said Ben as Beth stood up.
"OK, but first thing's first. I think we should reintroduce ourselves to each other" said Beth.
Ben laughed and asked "Is that normal around here or something?"
Beth couldn't help but giggle as well as she said "Not really, but it seemed like a good idea."
Ben nodded and said "Good point, let's do it. Why don't you go ahead and start this off. Ladies first as they say."
"Thank you. Anyways, my full name is Bethany Whitetrain. But please, call me Beth."
"Benjamin Crowswell, it's a pleasure"
Ben then extended a hand and Beth took it and after a few quick shakes, they both broke out laughing.
"Well that was fun in a weird way" said Ben.
"Yeah, it really was. I have a feeling we'll be good friends" said Beth.
"Good to know. So, we ready to explore this place?" asked Ben.
"Sure thing. Just follow me and don't be afraid to ask any question's" said Beth as she turned around and began to walk. Ben fell instep beside her as the tour of his new home began.
{I}
"Man, why did I choose this damn job" complained Ed Rogers.
"Man, you going off about this again. Look, when you're a cop, you will have good days and you will have bad days. Today is just one of those "bad" ones. Now quit your bitch'n and go check that alleyway over there and I'll check this one" said his partner..
Ed was a thirty seven year old officer in the Salem Police force. He had joined because he wanted to have excitement and adventure in his life. However, he soon found life in Salem a little boring and repetitive.
'Man, I knew I should have moved to Manhattan or LA. At least I'd be getting a better kick out of my life than this' thought Ed as he entered the alleyway Both he and his partner had heard about a man getting drunk and having smashed up a liquor store, supposedly when he ran out of beer and found the place closed when he came to get more, and robbed the place. An eye witness saw him stumbling around this area and moving in and out of alleyways.
The small space was covered in grime and discarded food items that had fallen from the trash dumps in the alley. Also, there was a rather pungent scent in the air that was a real offence to one's nose.
A sound from up ahead caught his attention and he pressed forward. Though the sun was still out, the alley was darkening do to both how closely the buildings were spaced together and do to the fact the sun was setting.
"Hey, is anyone back here?" asked Ed as he shined a small light around, improving his field of vision.
He came to a stop and looked to his right, seeing nothing but a brick wall that blocked any escape from that direction. He shrugged and turned to look in the other direction when a sound caused him to jump. Ed immediately shined his light towards the ground, finally taking notice of what he had missed before.
A leg was sticking out from under some large boxes. He could also see some gin and Budweiser bottles laying around the boxes. 'Dumb idiot, probably passed out from having to much thought Ed as he approached the covered man.
As he used his foot to kick the box off the man, he said "OK buddy, rise and OH GOD!" Ed has to look away as he vomits with out warning. Once he was able to calm himself from the sight, he looks again at what brought on his sudden attack.
The man was dead, there was no question. But it was the fact his death was caused by something that had ripped into his chest and devoured several internal organs that had result in Ed's panic attacking and puking.
"What the hell happened here?" Ed asked himself aloud as he looked around for any evidence of who could have done this.
"NOT A GOOD FIT, TASTE GOOD THOUGH"
Ed shot his light around, darting it all over the place as he looked for the source of the voice. "Who's there?" he shouts.
"MAYBE YOU?"
Ed stops his light as he feels something above him. He slowly tilts it up only to see something lunge down at him. The quick glance at the form was enough to make him scream, or at least he would have if the thing didn't go right for his mouth and forcing its way inside and down his throat.
Ed's whole body convulses as he collapses to the ground, where it remains motionless for a few moments. The eyes then open, but with a slightly red hue rimmed around the irises as Ed gets up. After a few quick stretches, Ed smiles as he leaves the alleyway.
"This one will do nicely. Now, I can go looking for the target" said Ed, though his voice was distorted and garbled.
As he exited the alley, his partner walks up and ask "Any luck?"
"Luck? Oh, no I mean. The guy wasn't there. To be honest, I think he's already moved to another street. Assuming he hasn't headed home already" said Ed.
"You may be right. Wanna go check it out?" asked the other man.
"Might as well, staying here is useless" said Ed as they got into the car.
"Hey man, you OK? You sound different."
"Who me? Naw, I'm fine. Say, mind if I use the computer to find someone? I just remembered I have an old friend in town I wanna check in on and maybe we may have an address in the database" asked Ed.
"As long as you don't tell anyone, sure."
'Perfect, humans are always so easy to use' thinks Ed as he enters into the computer and types in his targets name.
(St. Claire's)
"And here we are, the dorms" said Beth as she and Ben came to a stop.
"Hm, four total huh? So, which is which?" asked Ben as he looked them both over.
"The two on the right are four the girls and the left side ones are for the guys. Seeing as we cater to kids of all ages from across the country, we need a lot of sleeping space" explained Beth.
"I see your point. And seeing how big this place is itself, the dorms being big doesn't surprise me that much" said Ben.
"So, you know where your room is?" asked Beth.
Ben nods and points towards it as he says "Yeah. I'm in Dorm C, third floor, room 53 on the end there."
"No way, that's directly across from my room. I'm the same way, mirroring yours" said Beth.
"That's cool. I can use my telescope to peek in on you when you're changing" joked Ben.
Catching the joke, Beth laughs and says "Maybe, if I didn't have my windows covered when I did though. So, anything else you need before we part for the night?"
"Nope, I'm good" said Ben.
"OK then, I'll see you tomorrow then" said Beth as she waved to him while walking to her dorm.
'Pleasant dreams, Bethany' thinks Ben as he heads to his dorm.
(a few hours later)
"Hey, where's Ed at?" asked Chief Walson, head of the Salem police force.
"Not sure. I think he clocked out early. Said something about feeling sick" said Ed's partner.
"Really, he wasn't just skipping out early again, was he?" asked Wilson.
"I don't think so. He was looking rather pale and his eyes were a little red around them rims."
"Well, he better not be joking about this. His attitude lately has been pissing me off" said Wilson as he turned back to go to his office.
(elsewhere)
A car came to a stop just outside St. Claire's and Ed emerged from the vehicle. He looked around, seeing no sign of anybody around. Once in the clear, he some how jumped up and over a twenty five foot tall steel gate with little effort, and proceeded deeper into the academy grounds.
'If I remember correctly, I's suppose to place it in the center of this place to insure maximum effect' thought Ed as he looked around.
Using his enhanced senses, he was able to find it soon enough. As he arrived in the center of the academy, he pressed a hand to his stomach, creating a low gurgling sound. After a moment, his neck buldged as he vomited up a small black, marble sized sphere, which landed in his opened hand.
"So disgusting" he said to himself as he held the sphere in place and squeezed hard, causing it to shatter. The moment the orb shattered, a pulse of energy shot out, covering the whole academy grounds causing the affected area to be covered in a light, grayish fog.
"Just like I was told it would work" thought Ed as he turned his attention back to the dorm buildings.
Once he was standing between the four buildings, he closed his eyes and focused on finding his target. She would be unaffected by what he had just done, which made finding her both easier and harder. Easier as her presence would be the only living thing detected with in the barriers space. And harder because she would be the only one not effected by what he had just done.
No matter. Like any human girl could outmatch him anyways.
As he took a step towards the girls dorm,his body froze as he spun around, his eyes falling onto the boys dorm section. For just a moment, his eyes remained fixated on the dorm as his vision darted around, trying to locate the presence he had just sensed.
'What the hell was that?' he thought, feeling uncomfortable all of the sudden.
Seeing as he couldn't detect anything else, he simply shrugged and returned to his mission. 'It must have been just a fluke' he thought. After all, it wasn't like he had detected a life form per say. But there was something about it that had sent chills up his spine.
Beth had just finished getting ready for bed and was wearing her emerald green night dress. She took a moment to look through her charm box as she had decided to give Ben a welcome gift in the morning when she suddenly felt the air become just the slightest bit cooler.
'That's strange. Did the air cooler for the building turn on?' she wondered. It was strange if it had seeing as it was early October. But then again, the thing was old and needing to be replaced.
But the weird feeling didn't go away. It just kept growing. Not sure why, she walked over to the window and pushed the curtain out of the way to see outside. 'When did it become foggy outside?' she wondered, feeling even more nervous because of the weird weather outside.
KNOCK KNOCK
"AHH" she screamed in surprise at the sound of someone knocking at her door.
"Um, yes? Who is it?" she asked nervously as she turned around.
"Miss Whitetrain?" came a male voice from the other side of the door.
"Y..yes, that's me" she said in reply.
"Officer Ed of the Salem Police department. Would you please open up" was the reply.
"Sure, OK" she said as she walked to the door, taking a moment to grab her night robe to cover herself. It was strange that a police officer had come to see her seeing as she hadn't broken any laws (as far as she knew). Once the robe was on and tied, she walked up to the door, unlocked it, and opened it up.
"Can I help y...ou" she said, stopping as she saw him.
The obvious thing she had notice was his face. His skin was very pale and it seemed to be peeling a bit. His eyes were blood shot and wide. And there was a growing stench coming off him that wasn't normal for a person. She also noticed that Ms. Hobbin's, the woman in charge of her dorm wasn't there. Which made her worry even more.
He stared down at her and said "I want you."
"Before she could respond in any way, his hand came up and shoved her back hard. The force caused her to trip and fall onto her back with him right on top of her. She had cried out from the push and hitting the ground. And she screamed loudly as he got on top of her.
"HELP ME. SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP ME."
"Yell all you want girl. No one can hear you now. As far as we're concerned, me and you are the only conscious people here" he said as he pinned both her arms over her head with one hand.
'Oh god, he's gonna rape me' she thought in horror as she struggled to break free.
"No, I'm not interested in defiling your puny body" he said, reading her mind.
"Your not? Then why are you...hey, what do you mean by "puny"? I happen to think I have a well developed body for a girl my age" she complained as she was more offended at what he said than what he might be trying to do right now.
"Like I said before, I want you" said Ed as he took his free hand and brought it up close to her left eye.
"I want...your eyes" he said as he pressed his fingers up against the skin around her eyes and pressed against them.
Beth froze in fear at what was about to happen, feeling her eye beginning to move out of its socket.
BAM
Ed screamed as his head shot back, both hands shooting to his face as he fell away from Beth. She laid there for just a moment, processing what had just happened when she snapped back to reality Freeing a leg from being pinned down by her attacker, she kicked him in the groin, causing him to finish falling off her. She then got to her feet and made a run for it.
As she raced down the stairs, her mind raced as to what was going on. And who was it that had saved her. She quickly made her way to Ms. Hobbin's room and opened the door with out taking time to knocking.
"Ms. Hobbin's, there's..." She stopped mid-sentence when Beth saw her. The older woman was frozen in place, almost like time was standing still. But she noticed the TV was still normal and a fan on the ceiling was still slowly spinning. Did this mean only living things had been affected by this odd force.
"You can't escape me" was heard from not far away. Realizing she was still in danger, Beth ran straight to the door and out into the open. As she ran, she decided to make for the entrance to St. Claire's and hope she might find help outside the academy grounds.
As she reached the main gate, she quickly grabbed onto it and tried to open the gate up, but it had already been locked. "Damn it, open up" she shouts as she rattles the gate in vain. The thought of trying to slide in between the bars passed her mind, but that was already an obvious impossibility
"There you are. It's rude to try to run when we have things to do" said Ed from behind her.
She spun around and found herself pressing her back against the bars. She could see that his right eye was missing and blood was gushing from the wound. And yet, he was still alive.
"How are you still alive? You got shot in the eye" asked Beth, trying her best to remain calm and to think of something.
"Who ever said this body was still alive?" asked Ed as he smiled at her. "I don't have time for games. So be a good girl and give me your eyes" he shouts as he rushes at her.
Finding her legs frozen in place, refusing to move for her, Beth just closed her eyes and prayed to god for someone to come and save her.
BAM BAM BAM
"GGAAHH" shouts Ed as he stumbles to the ground hard. One bullet hit the back of his leg. Another his shoulder. And a third had hit the back of his head.
"Beth, you OK?" asked a familiar voice, bringing Beth to open her eyes and look at her rescuer.
"Ben?" she asked as she looked at him. He was standing a little ways back from Ed with what appeared to be a revolver in his hand.
"Sorry for being a little late. It took forever to get down those stairs and get the door opened" said Ben as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment
"Ben? What are you doing here? What's going on?" asked Beth, confused.
"Damn you, you little shit. Where did you come from? And why aren't you being affected by the freeze mist?" asked Ed as he started to pick himself up.
"Beth, quick. Get over here" shouts Ben. Needing no further incentive, Beth ran over and got behind Ben, yet keeping herself ready to move again if need be.
As Ed got back to his feet, he looked at Ben and Beth and glared with his one eye. "Answer me" he shouts.
It was then he noticed it. Located around Ben's neck was a pendant with a familiar crest engraved on it. He then looked at the gun and realized he recognized the design of it too.
"Now I see. I should have realized it before. You're a Paladin, aren't you. One of the Vatican's secret military dogs. I should have realized they'd send one of you here to protect her" said Ed.
"And I'm also the one that shot you before, case you didn't figure that one out" said Ben.
'Paladin? The Vatican? Just what is going on here?' wondered Beth.
Ed cursed under his breath before saying "No matter. I came here to get her eyes and no one will stop me. Not even a dog of the Vatican." Ed then rushes forward.
Ben sighs as he aims he gun at Ed and fires off a shot. But Ed dodges it and jumps into the air. Beth is surprised by how high he reached, but reminds herself that he had taken several hits from Ben's gun, two in the head. And yet he was still alive.
Ben readjusted his aim and fired again. Somehow, Ed managed to dodge it while in the air as he laughed. He raised his right hand, which looked as if it had become more claw like as he approached Ben and Beth.
"Ben?" said Beth, thinking they should run.
"Don't worry, I got him" said Ben, showing no sign of worry in his voice.
But instead of firing the shot, he allows Ed to land before him while pushing Beth back along with himself to avoid Ed's attack. Ed attempted to come up from his landing quickly to strike down Ben, both his move was stopped as Ben planted a foot to his gut.
As he recovered, he opened his mouth to talk, but Ben took the opportunity to shove his gun into Ed's mouth. There was no words spoken or any moments wasted, Ben just pulled the trigger, blowing the back of Ed's head off.
Beth screamed as his body fell back onto the ground. "Wha...what...what are you doing? You...you killed him" she stammered out, now feeling afraid of Ben.
Ben didn't turn his attention away from the body. He could tell she was moving away from him which led him to say "The man has been dead for some time."
That stopped Beth's retreat as she asked "What? But, how do you know that?"
DAMN YOU, PALADIN SHIT
"Who said that?" asked Beth as she looked around quickly.
"He did" stated Ben as he pointed at Ed's body.
Beth turned her attention to the body, seeing nothing at first. But then, she saw his chest bulge several moments before it burst open and a green and black skinned creature the size of a Chihuahua popped out. It had paper thin arms and legs, a long pointy and bent nosed, and three eyes, and a short tail.
Beth couldn't stop herself from vomiting at the sight, while Ben took a moment to load a bullet into his gun. The creature tried to hop away, but Ben was faster and quickly pinned it down with one foot, just leaving its head and upper body exposed.
"What is that?" asked Beth. She had gotten over her sudden vomiting episode and had walked up beside Ben, looking at the creature before her..
"He's a Oja, a lower class of Imp demon. They're not very strong themselves, but they can posess humans by entering through their mouths" explained while never taking his eyes off the Oja.
"And what about that man? You said he was already dead" asked Beth.
"When an Oja enters a person's body, it will eat the host heart and several other inner organs Once done, it will tap into the host central nervous system and control them for as long as the body holds out. The fact his body was already starting to decay in an accelerated way was the proof" said Ben.
Beth looked at the Oja with disgust and said "How horrible. Just what kind of monster would do that?"
"You'd be surprised" said Ben. He then leaned down and placed the barrel of the gun to the Oja's face and asked "OK, who sent you?"
GO TO HELL, HUMAN FUCK
The Oja knew that if it talked, he would be in worse danger than he was right now. But still, even for a Paladin, how did this human avoid being affected by the enchantment he had used. He couldn't see any form of protection on him that could ward off such magicks.
It was then it hit him. The weird feeling he had sensed earlier. The only thing that could have caused that was...
"Now, that isn't very nice" said Ben as he pulled back on the hammer.
Of course, there was no question about it for the Oja. This Paladin had to be...
The shot from Ben's gun rang across the academy grounds. The head of the Oja had been completely destroyed by the shot. As Ben took his foot off it's body, what was left turned to dust and then blew away in the wind.
"Is it over?" asked Beth as Ben put his gun away.
"For the moment. But there will be more. And many of those will be more difficult to deal with than this one" said Ben.
Beth was about to ask him a question that had been bugging her, but she suddenly noticed the air change just a little and the weird gray fog finally let up.
"What happened?" she asked.
"Seeing as the Oja is dead and he was the one who froze all living mater with some magicks, everything is returning to normal. Now, to make a call" said Ben as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. He dialed in a number and awaited it to connect with the other end of the line.
Beth remained quiet as Ben started to talk. "Father Cunningham, it's me. We had an...unwanted guest show up for Beth. But I took care of it. But, you might want to send someone over here. It was an Oja and we have a dead body to deal with."
"Understood, it'll be taken care of" was heard from the other end before the line went silent.
As Ben put his cell phone away, he looked at Beth and awaited the question's he knew was coming. "OK Ben, just what the hell is going on here? Why was that thing after me? And...and what about you?"
Ben sighed as he had hoped he could spare her from knowing these things. At the very least, he had wanted to keep the truth from her longer than he had been able to. "Walk with me" was his reply as he turned away. Beth followed him, awaiting his reply to her question.
As they moved around the academy, Ben started talking and explaining things to her.
"Like I said before, that creature was an Oja, an imp like demon sent here for your eyes. However, I doubt he was expected to succeed in that mission. It's more likely he was just sent in to see if the Vatican had already acted. Now that it is known that the Vatican has, they will act more accordingly in the future" said Ben.
"And who are "they" exactly?" asked Beth.
Ben shrugs and says "We're not sure. However, he or they have been smart enough to stay cloaked in the shadows and away from Paladin's well trained eyes."
"And what is Paladin exactly? And why hasn't it ever been talked before when it comes to the church?" asked Beth.
"Again, as you heard before, Paladin is a secret force under the Vatican's control that exist for the sole purpose of fighting back the darker forces that exist in this world. Forces that the Vatican and several other powerful groups want to keep from the minds of the people in this world" said Ben.
"Why?" asked Beth.
"Well, there are some things that would be hard to believe for some people. Trust me, you and everyone else would be happier not knowing what is really out there. I should know because it's how I feel" said Ben.
"How did you get involved in this then? I mean, your the same age as me and all?" asked Beth.
"Yeah, that is true. Let's just say for now that a few years ago, I found myself being involved in an incident with one of those other forces people weren't meant to know about" said Ben, a hint of sadness in his voice.
Beth wanted to ask him more about it, but something in her gut told her to drop it for now. So, she moved on to her last big question. "Why me? What's so special about me?"
"It's your dreams" was Ben's reply.
"My dreams? What do my dreams have anything to do with this? And how would they or you or anyone know about them anyways? I've only told my closest friends and I know they've kept them secret" said Beth.
"Just as there are forces out there that people have never known to be real, so to are there ways for people to know about certain things. Things like your dreams. We know about the dream you've been having recently. A dream of four figures astride on horse back with the world around them ablaze with fire and sorrow" said Ben.
"How...how do you know that?" she asked, amazed that he did know.
"Like I said. There are ways of knowing" replied Ben.
"Then what does that dream represent?" asked Beth.
"Your dream...represents the sign of the Harbinger's; the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that will herald the beginning of the end"aid Ben as he stopped walking and looked at her.
Beth stopped as well and looked into his eyes to see if he was lying to her. But not seeing any falsehood, she asked "Then, what does that mean for me?"
"You, Beth, are a Prophet. You were graced, or maybe cursed depending on how you look at it, with the gift of sight. The power to see the future in this case. And the future you can see in the end of the world. And in time, you will begin to see more than just the four" said Ben.
Beth took a step back, shaking her head as her mind refused to accept this. "No, it can't be. This can't be true, be real. I'm just dreaming all this and I want to wake up. I NEED TO WAKE UP! She screamed out the last part as she clutched her head between her hands.
Before she realized it, Ben had moved forward and wrapped her into a tight hug. She was to surprised to try to free herself, instead finding some level of comfort in the hug.
"I'm so sorry, Beth. I wanted to to keep this from you. I wanted to preserve you innocence of knowing all this for as long as I could, if not forever. But, this is real and no amount of denial will change that" said Ben in as comforting a tone as he could.
"Ben" she said before burying her face into his shoulder and started to cry.
Ben rub a hand up and down her back, giving her some comfort as he said "But don't worry. I'm here now and I will protect you from anything that comes after you. No one will hurt you, I swear it."
For a few minutes, they remained like that as Beth finished crying her tears and even for a while after she had stopped. But finally, she pulled away and looked at Ben before smiling at him just a little. Seeing that she was tired, Ben escorted her back to the dorms.
As they walked up, they saw several men taking care of Ed's body. One of them saw Ben and walked over. "The usual?" asked Ben.
"Killed in a robber gone bad" was all that was said before the man turned and rejoined the others as the took Ed's body away.
As the got to the entrance of the girls dorm, Beth pulled away from Ben and looked at him. "Ben, did you mean it when you said you will protect me?"
"Yeah, of course I will. That's why I'm here after all" said Ben, giving her a reassuring smile.
She smiled as well, then asked "Is there anything else I should know about?"
Ben was quiet for a moment, then said "No, nothing that's important anyways."
"Alright. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then" she said as she walked up to the door.
But as she entered the dorm, she stopped and turned back, saying "Ben, thank you." And with that, she entered the dorm.
Ben remained there for a moment before turning around and walking towards the boys dorm. But, as he approached the door, he saw a figure there awaiting him.
"Father Cunningham" said Ben as he walked up to the older man.
"So, you had to tell her everything then?"asked Cunningham.
"Not everything, just what she needed to know now. If possible, I'd like to keep that bit of truth from her for a little longer if I can" said Ben as he looked up at the moon.
Cunningham did this as well and said "I know. Something like that is better left unknown."
(the next morning)
'Man, I couldn't sleep at all' groaned Ben as he wobbled down the stairs. The fear another attack could happen so soon had kept him awake and it didn't help he was never a morning person to begin with. As he exited the boys dorm, he was stopped by a person standing before him.
"Beth?" said Ben as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"Good morning, Ben. Ready for another great day?" she asked as she gave him an encouraging smile.
Despite how tired he was, Ben returned her smile. 'Maybe it will, Beth, maybe it will' he thought as they began their walk to class together.
"So, did you get any sleep last night?" asked Ben.
"Not even a seconds worth. I doubt I'll ever sleep right again" replied Beth, making them both laughed as they entered the mainb building. Yup, today was gonna be a good day...to sleep through class.
{I}
next time:
a day of fun
a man with a need for revenge
an unforgivable act
The Harbinger's
chpt.2: The Weekend
have a great day
Next chapter will have first set of character bio's and creature info...