Chapter 24
"Do you understand me?!" Vigo roared at the young woman.
The woman muttered something under her breath and Jack turned his head to the left to look at her better.
"Answer me!" Vigo roared again.
"Yes, My Lord," she replied her voice louder now.
Jack could see that she was genuflecting upon her left knee, worshiping Lord Vigo, but with being pregnant it was hard for her to do so.
After Jack had found her they had gone back to Lord Vigo's living quarters. She had dragged her feet the whole way there and had paused at the trailhead to "The Cliffs of Insanity" before finally sighing and walking on.
There was no escaping "The Cliffs" once you stood on their edge. No escape, but down. The voices, the phantom hands, the eeriness of the place, drew one near enough to commit suicide. The place was a dead end - literally and figuratively. No one who went there turned around and walked away. No one that was except Vigo and Gozer.
To escape the two Gods required a long fall to the bottom. Sometimes it was on purpose; when Vigo or Gozer would force a person over, or by accident; when the person was running away from the Gods and realized too late that they had run out of ground. There was no way to come back alive once you stepped off of the edge of the cliff.
Most of the time the people who lived here would commit suicide by jumping, because they thought that it was better to die than to be killed by the two Gods.
If there was some in-between place that existed, some other alternative to death, Jack suspected that many suicidal people would take it, but alas none existed in this place.
Jack could see the young woman trembling before Vigo. She was scared and rightly so. He had only crossed Lord Vigo once and had vowed not to do so again, yet something stirred inside him that day.
Having been granted special pardon by Vigo, so to speak, Jack had accompanied the God on his rounds. The people who lived here called it Vigo's reign of terror. Jack had been witness to many things and had learned to just avoid eye contact with everyone he met. It was easier that way. He knew that the people hated him. He knew that she probably hated him too, yet something was different. She held hatred in her eyes, but was it for him or for the two Gods? She had stood up to him when he had first found her and now she was doing the same to the two Gods. Almost as if she held defiance in her soul. "Yes," Jack thought to himself, "she was different."
Her unruly red hair hung in her face as she bowed her head to the ground before Vigo. Jack could see her tears as they silently fell onto the white marble floor under her. Tears? He had never known her to cry. So why now? Suddenly, like before, he felt sorry for this young woman beside him. But why?
She was young, early twenties if he had to guess, and she was new to the place. Jack had not seen her when he had first arrived here. It was only after about six years of his stay that she had shown up. A young girl, of about five years old, that had been whisked away by the Old Woman who lived in the caves in the mountains.
That had been the first time that Jack had seen her. Many years would pass until he saw her again. This time as a young teenager that was trading wood for food to one of the men that he had gotten to know better. A man that he had called a friend, but that had changed in the blink of an eye.
"You can go," Lord Vigo told the young woman, "but stay within the sound of my voice. We leave within the hour."
"Yes, My Lord," the young woman replied as she awkwardly got up on her feet, leaving him behind.
Jack went to get up too, but was stopped by Lord Vigo's hand on his shoulder pushing him back down to the ground.
"Stay there," the God told him standing in front of Jack to stop him from leaving.
"Yes, My Lord," Jack replied as he raised his right knee up so that he was genuflecting once again, his head bowed to the floor.
"I see that you have an interest in something that belongs to me," Vigo stated.
"I don't understand," Jack said as he raised his head up slightly.
"Yes, you do," Vigo replied turning and walking away from Jack, "but I must warn you, I don't take lightly to those who take things that belong to me."
Vigo settled himself into his chair at the end of the long hall and turned his attention back to Jack.
"She is very pretty, is she not?" Vigo said softly, "Don't you think so too?"
Jack now knew what the God was talking about and chose his words very, very carefully.
"I find her…," Jack paused dropping his head down, looking for the right word that wouldn't cause him instant death, "interesting," he finished raising his head back up.
Vigo smiled and leaned forward in his chair. As he did so his smile turned into a snarl.
"She's mine Jack!" Vigo hissed at the man, "If you insist on pursuing her know that you will have my wrath to deal with."
Jack lowered his head to look at the marble floor under him. She was a beautiful woman, but he didn't know if that was what drew him to her.
Vigo leaned back in his chair staring at the man in front of him.
"Raise your head up!" Vigo roared at Jack.
Jack did as he was told raising his head up to look at Vigo. Vigo smiled cruelly and raised himself up out of his chair. Slowly, menacingly, he walked towards Jack. When he reached the man Vigo stopped and looked down on him, hatred clearly written in the God's eyes.
"I will have her again," Vigo hissed at Jack, "mark my words. And if you cross me I will take her and make you watch before I punish you too. Just like I did to your friend," Vigo finished emphasizing the word 'friend'.
Vigo turned his back on Jack and walked away, back to his chair.
"Now leave," Vigo sternly told Jack, "and make sure you find that Venkman child. He's here somewhere."
"Yes, My Lord," Jack said carefully getting up and bowing as he made his way out of the hall backwards.
As Jack exited the hall he bumped into someone. Raising himself up he turned around to look into Gozer's eyes.
"Excuse me," Jack stuttered as he went to bow down before the Goddess, "I'm so sorry."
Before he could make it to his knees Gozer stopped him, lifting him back up with her hands on his forearms.
"Jack Hardemeyer," Gozer said with a lilt in her voice, "What a pleasant surprise."
"I'm…," Jack started to say his face bent towards the ground before Gozer stopped him.
"Shush," she said softly as she lifted Jack's face up with her forefinger, "all is forgiven."
Gozer looked into Jack's eyes. There was a hunger there. A hunger for revenge on the men that had left him here, yet behind that hunger was something else. Gozer leaned in closer. Now she was within inches of his face. A face that she found to be beautiful, but his eyes held the real story. If she could only find out what he was hiding from her. But today Gozer wanted something else.
"I see you have come to see me," Gozer cooed as she played with Jack's hair.
Running her fingers into its depths she grabbed the back of his head, pulling his face into hers, as she kissed him gently. When she released him Jack took a step backwards.
"No I'm sorry," Jack quickly spat out, "Lord Vigo summoned me. I'm not here to see you."
Gozer grabbed the front of Jack's shirt and pulled him forward. As she did so she raised her right leg to place it around his waist.
"Lies," she said into his ear before she went for the base of his neck with her mouth.
"Jack!"
Gozer looked up to see Vigo standing in front of the open doorway.
"Is this how you repay my kindness to you?!" Vigo roared, "I told you, I don't take lightly to those who take things that belong to me!"
Vigo raised his right hand up but Gozer was faster. Using her right leg she propelled Jack behind her and raised her own left hand up, blocking the bolt of energy that came her way.
"Really Vigo," Gozer said as she pushed her left hand forward, sending the blue bolt of energy back the way it had come, "why do you insist on spoiling my fun?"
"Your fun?" Vigo questioned as he waved his right hand, dissipating the energy sent his way, "You're mine. Or have you forgotten that?"
"I belong to no one," Gozer replied stepping into the gap to stand face to face with Vigo, "Or have you forgotten that I told you so?"
Jack saw his chance and slowly started to back away as the two Gods became angry with one another. When he thought that he was a good safe distance away he turned and ran. He wasn't going to get caught in their lovers quarrel.
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Gozer liked Vigo's foreplay. Foreplay, to her, gradually built to a climax as in the unfolding of a life of two living as one. But Vigo's foreplay was nothing like the other mortal men that she had had before.
Vigo and her would fight before they would do the 'deed' as the mortal men would call it. Gozer turned on her right side, in the bed that they shared, to see Vigo sitting next to his crystal ball. He was different than the mortal man, insisting that she leave her clothes on as he grabbed her short hair pulling her closer to him.
Gozer had liked her last lover. He had been gentle with her. Sweet pecks on her lips before moving on to deep French kisses. Slowly removing her clothes, deliberately stopping to kiss and stroke the just-revealed spot before moving on to the next. Using a slow rocking motion, rather than Vigo's constant thrusting. And the best part of all was when she had climaxed, he had soulfully made eye contact with her and held it. Snuggling up to her when they were done.
Vigo did none of those things for her. Gozer had gone to find her last lover, wanting more from him, but she couldn't find him. She knew that Jack was close to the man and that was why she had approached him. Jack would have told her the truth if she had gotten him alone, but Vigo had spoiled that plan of hers. Sighing she sat up in bed.
"What are you doing?" she asked sliding out of the bed.
"Looking for our next opportunity to get out of here," Vigo replied waving a hand across the ball.
Gozer walked to where Vigo sat, lost in thought, and glanced down into the crystal ball. Sliding her left hip up and onto the wooden table, where the ball floated in the air, Gozer sat down on the tables edge.
"And?" she asked.
"I think I have found it," Vigo replied as he moved his hand across the surface to reveal a picture underneath.
Gozer looked at the picture. It showed a girl dressed in white lying in a bed. An older gentleman was sitting next to the bed in a chair. The man wore a funny blue hat, gloves, gown, and had something covering his face.
"Who is she?" Gozer asked screwing her face up into a scowl.
She didn't like the looks of the sickly girl. If she was going to possess a body for all of eternity she wanted to look beautiful.
"The Stantz's child," Vigo replied focusing the picture closer in on the girl's face.
"I don't like her," Gozer replied as she took her own hand and waved it over the ball's surface.
"She's vulnerable right now," Vigo stated as he watched the picture fade away.
"I don't want her body," Gozer said looking away, "If I am going to possess one of their own I want beauty."
Vigo took his hand and waved it back over the crystal ball.
"I already have the Venkman child. He's here somewhere. Jack will find him for me. I've possessed him once before, for a short while, and I will do so again," Vigo stated to her, "so you choose."
"Choosing the form I want to be in is decided by my minions," Gozer stated back.
"I know," Vigo replied, "but they will choose what you desire or I will kill them all."
"Agreed," Gozer said looking back into the crystal ball.
Slowly Vigo waved his hand as each female member related to the 'Ghostbusters', in any way, crossed the surface of the ball.
Gozer watched the pictures go by. Too old, too young, too short, nothing caught her eye. Wait? There was one. She reached out and grabbed Vigo's hand before he could wave it across the surface of the ball again. There. Just what she wanted. A beautiful tall body, long flowing hair, deep green eyes. Yes! This one would do nicely.
"I want her!" Gozer said releasing Vigo's hand.
Vigo looked at the young woman. She was indeed beautiful. Gozer had chosen wisely.
"Plans will have to be changed," Vigo stated to her.
"Then do so," Gozer replied standing up.
Gozer walked away from Vigo and stopped at the door to the bedroom. Turning back to Vigo she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Don't fail me," she warned him.
"Yes," Vigo replied never turning around to look at her.
Vigo was hiding something, just like Jack, and she was determined to find out what. She turned and left the room. She needed some tenderness right now and turned towards were the mortals lived. She wanted her lover and she wasn't going to stop until she found him.
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Jack carried a torch as he followed Vigo up the never ending underground labyrinth tunnel. In all the years that he had been here he never knew that this place existed.
Before they had left Vigo had told Jack and the young woman that their plans had changed. Jack didn't care what happened to the 'Ghostbusters' or their family. He hated them all. Every day his hatred grew. It was their fault that he was here and they were going to pay, every last one.
Jack was also angry at the people who lived here too. He had gone in search of the Venkman child, after he had fled out of Gozer's grasp, and couldn't find the young man anywhere. It seemed that the people were either hiding the young man or were too afraid to say anything to him. Jack surmised that it was the latter. No one wanted him to go back and tell the two Gods that they were keeping the Venkman child from them.
Jack knew that there were not too many places to hide unless you lived in the mountains, but only a few brave people went there. The people told a legend about the mountains. They said that the mountains were haunted. Witches and Wizards lived there. No one who went there came back. Yet the young woman had lived there, or so the people said, and she had returned. Jack had seen her with his own eyes.
Jack heard a cry and then the sound of rocks coming loose. Stopping he looked behind him. The young woman had fallen again. They had just changed directions at a fork in the tunnel for the third time. This was also the third time that she had fallen behind.
"Lord Vigo," Jack called out to the God.
Vigo stopped, looked behind him to see what was wrong, and turned to face forward again.
"Go," Vigo sternly told Jack.
Jack retraced his steps to stand in front of the young woman as she untangled herself out of the loose, black with white striped rocks that she had tripped on.
"Can't you watch where you are going?" Jack questioned her becoming irritated at what little progress they were making.
"Not when you leave me in the dark," she spat back trying to get to her feet, but failing as she fell back onto her buttocks.
Jack had about as much as he could take and reached out, grabbing her arm to pull her to her feet.
"Don't touch me!" she screamed as she pulled away from him.
"I'm trying to help you," Jack said loudly, grabbing her arm tighter.
"No!" she screamed.
"Enough!" Vigo roared.
Jack saw the young woman rise up from the ground, her hands around her throat, as she floated over his head. He turned around to see Vigo's right hand held out in front of him, his hand slightly curved, as if the God was actually holding the woman's throat.
When the young woman came before Vigo she stopped. Jack could see Vigo making a fist and he looked away. The God had killed a man this way before and he didn't want to see another one killed. The image of the last man was still fresh in his mind. He heard choking sounds now and knew that the end was near, as he fell to the ground.
Suddenly he heard the body drop to the ground and shuttered at the loud thud that it made. Jack thought that he heard a gasping sound and shut his eyes tight trying to block out the sounds of the woman dying before him.
"Don't fall behind again!" Vigo roared, "or I'll kill you where you stand!"
Jack heard coughing and then a very weak crocking voice.
"Yes…, My…Lord."
Jack turned his head and opened his eyes. There in front of Vigo, curled up in a ball, was the young woman, her right hand rubbing her throat. Jack watched as Vigo turned and walked away from her continuing up the tunnel. Jack got up and slowly made his way towards her. He could see that she had gotten to her knees and was crawling after the God.
When Jack reached her he bent down and helped her up. She didn't resist his help this time and even leaned into his chest as he wrapped his left arm around her upper body. He could feel that she was thin but she didn't look it. The young woman wore a homespun cotton blouse and skirt, with a worn pair of hand-me-down brown boots on her feet. Simple in clothes, but not in her demeanor.
"Leave her!" Vigo roared at Jack.
Jack looked up to see Vigo at the top of a rise with a choice of three tunnels before him.
"Leave her," Vigo stated, "and bring me the light."
Jack stopped walking and unwrapped his arm from around her. She seemed to sense what was coming and stood a little taller as she coughed into her hands. Jack didn't know if she was going to make a run for it or if she was being defiant and standing up against the God again. As he walked away he could see it was the latter as she stared at the ground with hatred burning in her eyes. She was planning something, but what?
Jack walked up to where Vigo stood and offered the God the torch he carried in his right hand. Vigo took it and waved it over the top of each of the passageways muttering as he did so. Finally he decided upon which way they were going and thrust the torch back into Jack's hand.
"This way," Vigo said as he walked towards the middle tunnel.
Jack followed and turned to make sure that the young woman was coming too. He saw a flash of white and saw her coughing into her hands again. As he turned around he thought he heard a faint clicking noise, but the young woman coughing again covered it up. He shrugged it off and continued on up the tunnel.
An hour later brought the trio to a dead end. Before Jack was a smooth wall but it was different from the other walls around him. Vigo had explained that Jack and the young woman were to go first into the world above. At their signal Vigo would follow. Then they would all come back to where they stood now.
Jack surveyed the smooth stone wall in front of him. Raising the torch he carried higher into the air, he could see abstract shapes carved into the wall. As he peered closer he could make out symbols arranged into rows on the smooth surface. Jack thought they looked a lot like Egyptian cuneiform and he wondered what they were doing here. Vigo taking the torch away from him bought his attention back to the present.
Vigo moved closer to the wall and placed his left finger on the glyphs. Following the row Vigo muttered under his breath. Jack leaned closer to the God to try and hear him better. He couldn't understand what Vigo was saying as the God spoke out a language that was foreign to him. Behind him Jack could hear that the young woman was copying what Vigo was saying, albeit softly. He didn't think anything of it until she became louder.
"Peta Babkama Luruba Anaku," Lord Vigo said.
Jack now heard the young woman copying Vigo's tone of voice and turned to look at her. "Was she trying to get herself killed?" he wondered.
"Silence!" Vigo roared turning around to face her.
"Do I need to put you back into your place?" Vigo questioned her taking a step forward to hold the torch in her face.
"No, My Lord," she quickly replied dropping down onto her left knee, her head bowed to the ground.
"Learn your place," Vigo sternly told her turning around and walking back to the wall, "you've spent too much time with the mortals that live in the mountains. I am your God and you will worship me."
Vigo stopped and turned around to face the young woman again.
"Do you understand me?" he spat at her.
"Yes, My Lord," she quietly replied genuflecting on the cold rocky floor.
"Here," Vigo said shoving the torch back into Jack's hands, "hold this."
Vigo raised both of his hands up into the air and pointed them towards the young woman. Jack thought that the God was going to punish her until he saw not a blue bolt of energy, but one of silver in color that Vigo sent her way. Jack watched as the energy gently lifted the pregnant woman up and softly turned her around. As she turned away from him he could see that her clothes were changing before his eyes.
Starting at her worn hand-me-down pair of brown boots and working its way up the silver energy slowly changed her appearance until it was finished. When it was done the energy gently set her back down onto her feet before him.
Jack couldn't take his eyes off of her. Gone were the home spun cotton blouse and skirt, replaced by a sheer silver floor length evening dress with a keyhole front drape and an asymmetrical skirt. The right side of the skirt was shorter than the left, which stopped right below her right knee. When the young woman saw the dress her face lit up into a smile. Jack smiled too as she took her hands and placed them on both sides of the dress, turning around to watch it flow. Turning her back towards him, Jack caught a glimpse of the back of the shimmering dress. It was open with two pieces of material running from her shoulders to the waistband which featured white pearl beads and rhinestones.
Her unruly red hair was done up into loose curls on the top of her head with one strand hanging down on her right side to offset the asymmetrical look of the dress. Placed into her hair were pearl hair pins. She was stunning to look at and he couldn't believe the transformation that had taken place right before his eyes. Jack saw out of the corner of his eye that Vigo was walking towards her and Jack's smile turned into a frown.
When she came full circle the young woman saw Vigo standing before her and stopped. Vigo was smiling down at her and Jack saw her face melt realizing who she had to thank for her new clothes. Releasing the sides of her dress and dropping her face to the ground she finally spoke.
"Thank you Lord Vigo," she stuttered out, "but I like my old clothes better. Can I have them back now?"
"Nonsense," Vigo purred at her as he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him.
Taking his right hand Vigo turned her face to look into his eyes before he bent down to kiss her on the lips. Jack could see the young woman struggling to get away from the God, but Vigo only held her tighter to his chest. Jack wanted to say something, but he knew that if he did Vigo would punish him so he turned his back on the pair.
Jack couldn't see what was happening, but he could definitely still hear what was going on. Vigo had told Jack that he would have the young woman again and as he listened he knew that was what Vigo was doing. Jack tried to close out the young woman's cries for the God to stop what he was doing but he couldn't. Finally he had had enough when he heard her start to plead to the God that he was hurting her. Taking a deep breath, to summon up his courage, Jack finally opened his mouth.
"Lord Vigo," Jack said loudly over the young woman's cries.
Jack braced himself waiting for the bolt of energy that the God would send his way. When it didn't come, he glanced over his left shoulder for a look before he turned back to face the wall before him. Jack held up the torch so that Vigo couldn't see the tear that had started to form in his eye.
Quickly wiping his left eye with his wrist Jack asked, "Lord Vigo should we not get going soon?"
"You said yourself that we don't have much time," Jack stated pretending he was looking at the writing on the wall.
Jack had seen all that he needed to see when he had glanced behind him. He had seen that Vigo had the young woman tight against his body with his left leg between hers. The top of her keyhole front draped dress had been ripped open. The two pieces of material hung around her arms, revealing her large breasts. Jack was sure that if he hadn't spoken up that Vigo would have taken her on the rocky floor of the tunnel, not caring if he was watching or not.
"Yes," Vigo hissed as Jack heard the God release the young woman and she fell to the floor.
"Come," Vigo said as he walked past Jack and up to the wall taking the torch away from him.
Jack turned to see that the young girl had gotten to her feet and was pulling the pieces of her dress up to cover her breasts.
"Leave her!" Vigo sternly told Jack as he held out a hand towards him.
The same silver bolt of energy that Vigo had used on the young woman was sent his way. Jack looked down to see his clothes changing into blue jeans and a short sleeve, striped shirt, with a band collar. Vigo then turned his hand towards the young woman and when she stepped up to Jack's side he could see that she was wearing black pants and a cream colored top with her hair in a ponytail.
Having finished, Vigo turned his attention back to the wall and place the torch into an iron ring that hung in the center. Raising both of his hands up and into the air Vigo spoke in a loud demanding voice.
"Peta Babkama Luruba Anaku!"
Jack felt the earth move beneath his feet and heard a low rumbling sound. Before him the rock wall was slowly cracking down the center where the torch sat. When the crack had traveled all the way from the top to the bottom, the two pieces of rock swung inward towards the trio. Stepping back to allow the rock door to open fully Jack tried to see beyond, but all he could see was darkness as the door came to a rest. Taking a step forward, Jack was stopped by a hand on his arm. Looking to his left he saw Vigo glaring at him.
"Remember our plan," the God hissed at him before he turned to look behind Jack.
Leaning into Jack's ear Vigo whispered, "Remember what I said about taking things that belong to me. She's mine."
Vigo released Jack's arm and walked towards the young woman. Taking her arm Vigo pulled the woman next to his chest.
"I will have you before the night is out," Vigo said into her ear, "Mark my words."
Jack saw the young woman forcibly remove her arm from Vigo's grasp and stare up at the God with anger in her face. Jack quickly walked forward and grabbed her arm, turning her towards the opened door, hoping that Vigo wouldn't punish them both. He didn't want a repeat of what had just happened or better yet a dead body on the floor. Reaching the opened door he pushed the young woman through it before he turned back towards Vigo.
"I will send the signal when we have found the girl you want," he said to Vigo.
"See that you do," Vigo said as the stone door started to swing shut, "or you will be joining your friend," the God finished emphasizing the word 'friend'.
For just a minute Jack stood still. Something stirred within him. He was angry and thought about rushing at the God. Jack held his ground trying to decide how best to go after someone so powerful. "Now is not the time," a voice said in his head and he bowed his head to the ground in defeat.
"Yes, My Lord," Jack replied as the door slid shut in front of him.