Fate Ragnarok Chapter 16: Death and a Bloody Moon
Spellman Residence
November 20th
The day after the Feast-Of-Feasts
(And the Consumption of Mildred Milesbourne.)
With a sigh of pure tiredness, Sabrina flopped down onto the sofa, next to Ambrose. A moment later, Salem hopped onto her shoulder, and nuzzled against her neck and cheek with a small 'fou.'
Ambrose exited from the kitchen with a plate of food. "Care for some bacon, cous'?"
Sabrina shook her head with a look of disgust. "After that Feast business yesterday, I don't think I want to look at another slab of pork for a very long while," Sabrina said, as she idly scratched Salem behind his ears. "Matter of fact, I think I'm just going to fast for a while. Probably not for the rest of my life, but at least for tonight."
Ambrose raised an eyebrow at that as he took as eat, and gave Salem a few scratches himself. "Oh really? Big plans?"
Sabrina nodded. "Yep. After his shift is over, Harvey and I are going to the movies."
Ambrose rolled his eyes. "Oh, Satan's horns. It galls me how you just casually say that. Still, I cannot remain jealous for long, as Luke and I will soon be able to do the same."
Sabrina quirked an eyebrow. "Really? And how, pray tell, is that going to happen? Last I check, you're still on house arrest."
Ambrose grinned conspiratorially. "Well, as it happens, Luke has a connection with the High Priest. He's offered to speak with Father Blackwood on my behalf so as to get my conviction overturned."
He then chuckled, a beamy look on his face as he chewed on a strip of bacon.
Sabrina looked at her older cousin, and a smile jumped onto her lips. "Oh Ambrose...you're just smitten, aren't you?"
As they shared another grin, the tap-tap of Aunt Zelda's sharp heels announced her presence, along with the pungent scent of her cigar. "Sabrina, Ambrose. Have either of you seen my idiot sister?"
"She's down working at the bookstore, Auntie Zee," Sabrina replied. "Remember, it's Black Friday."
Aunt Zelda scoffed. "It most certainly is not."
Sabrina shook her head. "No, I meant its the mortal's Black Friday. Not ours. Mortal Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year."
"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot, Sabrina. However, it just so happens that this is also our busiest time of the year. Plenty of chokings, coronaries, clogged arteries, and, most importantly... suicides."
As she listed those wonderful facts, the phone rang.
With an elegant motion, Aunt Zelda answered the telephone. "Hello, Spellman Mortoraries. This is Zelda."
A moment later, her expression slackened and was replaced with shocked surprise. "What? No, we had not heard."
Her face grave, Aunt Zelda covered the phone's receiver. "Sabrina... there's been an accident down at the mines."
As shock and fear raced down her spine, Sabrina shot to her feet. "What!? But Harvey-"
Aunt Zelda waved her off. "Just go, and pray to Satan that he's alright."
A moment later, Sabrina was already running out the door.
Greendale Mines
His head hurt.
His head hurt, and there was a loud whine in his ears.
He felt a funny taste in his mouth... oh, wait.
That was blood.
And dust.
He was walking.
When had he started walking?
His head hurt.
Something ran down his face. What was it-
Oh, wait.
That was blood.
As the whine grew softer, the other sounds started to grow louder. Then, one started to cut through all the rest.
-arvey!? Harvey!"
Oh, it was her.
He blinked.
"Sabrina?
The moment she had arrived, Sabrina had already begun to fear the worst, despite doing her best to quash those fears down the deep.
Over and over she had called out his name, asking anyone if they had seen him.
Just when it seemed the worst had come to pass, she saw him. With a strangled gasp, she all but rushed towards him.
"Harvey? Harvey!"
He was just... standing there, covered in blood and dust. There was a slightly dazed look in his eyes, but they seemed to slightly brighten as he looked at her. "Sabrina?"
She hugged him tightly, and he dazedly hugged her back. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you," she repeated over and over again.
"I... I made it out in time," Harvey slowly said. "I think... Tommy..."
Then his eyes got a bit clearer. "Wait... Tommy? Oh god, I, I think he's still in there!"
He then tried to push past her. "Tommy! Tommy!"
But Sabrina would not be budged and pushed him back gently but firmly by his shoulders. "Harvey, no. Just hold on a minute. Harvey, you're in shock."
He shook his head. "Gotta... gotta find my dad."
He looked like he was about to collapse.
He almost did. Sabrina seemed to be all that was holding him up.
Several hours later
The next several hours seemed to both flash and trickle by. Susie and Roz had arrived soon after Sabrina.
Harvey still seemed dazed. All he could seem to do was just sit and let the paramedics look at his wounds. He had to get at least three stitches on his head, and several more for a deep cut on his hand.
The air was continuously filled with groans and whimpers. Food lines were set up, while others were in the mines trying to find more survivors.
There were even prayer circles being held.
Harvey had tried to head back in, but his wounds were deemed too bad for him to go back. Sabrina had then managed to get him to sit in his truck and rest.
As she brought him lunch, he was still just sitting there, staring. His eyes were still glazed. "We... we have to do something... Tommy, he..."
Sabrina put a hand on his arm. "I know. I know. But right now, there's nothing you can do Harvey. The doctor said that if you tear your stitches, you could wind up with some serious damage."
He looked at her slowly, and she continued. "Besides, everyone is doing the best they can."
He slowly nodded. "I... I know."
She gave him a gentle pat on his uninjured cheek. "Look, just stay here, eat your food, and I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"
"... okay."
As she headed back into the makeshift trauma unit, she saw a large group huddled around the entrance to the mines. Curious, she got a doctor's attention. "Hey, what's going on?"
The doctor shrugged. "From what I heard, apparently some kid got the wild idea to slip into the mines when no one was looking."
As Sabrina puzzled over that, Roz then came running up. "Sabrina! Have you seen Susie? I can't seem to find her anywhere."
As she heard Roz's question, Sabrina slowly put two and two together, and her eyes widened. "Wait, you don't think..."
Then, a commotion could be made at the mine entrance. With fear and worry guiding them, Roz and Sabrina managed to push their way to the front of the little crowd. As they did, they watched as a dirty and disheveled Susie walked tiredly out of the mine, flanked by two other rescue workers.
"Susie, what is going on?" Sabrina demanded worriedly of her disheveled friend.
"What were you thinking," Roz all but screamed. "Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind? You could have been killed!"
Susie wearily shook her dusty head. "I was small enough to fit through the hole they had dug. Besides, it's what my Aunt Dorothea told me to do."
Roz's brow scrunched up in temporary confusion as she threw up her hands. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Susie seemed to understand what she had just said and cleared her throat. "Sorry, I mean that its what my Aunt Dorothea would have done. Sorry, just tired, I guess."
Her face then became downcast. "But... I didn't find anyone."
She then lifted up the bloody and dented helmet in her hands. "All I could find was this."
Roz's hands shot to her mouth in shock. "Oh, my god."
Then, a rough voice cut through. "What in the hell is going on here?"
It was Mr. Knikle, roughly shoving his way through the crowd.
Wordlessly, Susie handed him the helmet.
Almost as if in disbelief, he looked down at it. Then, a younger voice called out. "E-excuse me. Pardon me."
Sabrina looked up. It was Harvey. What was he doing!?
Before she could get to him, Harvey had reached his dad. Harvey then looked down at the bloody and dented helmet. His already pale face then turned as white as a sheet. "Wait... that's... that's Tommy's helmet."
He then looked around. "Did... did we find him?"
No one answered, save for a sad shake of Susie's head. Harvey's eyes grew more desperate. "Then... then we have to go back! We have to keep looking!"
Before he could head towards the mine entrance, Mr. Kinkle put a heavy hand on Harvey's shoulder. "And we will... but not today. Not right now."
Before anyone could protest, Mr. Kinkle continued. "For Christ's sake, it's turning into a fucking shit-show down there. The fast that we dig, the more that the tunnel's gonna collapse. We just don't have the right equipment for this, but we will get it tomorrow. Once we do, we'll pick right back up."
He then turned to fully address everyone. "I thank you all for coming here. However, unless you are an employee of the mine or a rescue worker for the town of Greendale, then I must ask you all to go home. But, again, thank you all for the support. I'll see you tomorrow."
As everyone began to slowly file out, Sabrina noted that Harvey was just... standing there.
When it was just the two of them, she went up to him.
He almost collapsed, and then just clung to her like a drowning man would to a raft.
Later
Snuggled under a blanket in the back of Harvey's truck, Sabrina handed her boyfriend a cup of coffee. As he sipped it, some color slowly returned to his pale cheeks.
After his sip, he sighed. "He saved me, y'know? Tommy did."
Sabrina leaned in a bit to listen, as Harvey took another sip of coffee. "When... when the mine was starting to collapse... Tommy, he pushed me out of the way. Just screamed at me to run, so... I did. I just... started running."
He sniffed and sighed. "Guess... guess I was just being a coward, again."
Sabrina adamantly shook her head, and gently took his hand. "No... no, you weren't."
He then shook his head and sniffed again. "It was kind of weird though... somehow, the tunnel seemed to hold long enough for me to get out."
He then chuckled darkly. "Though, not unscathed, I guess," he said, gesturing to his head.
He then looked at her. "Did ya cast some sort of protection on me or something?"
She smiled gently. "Something like that."
His face then grew somber again, and his voice started to shake a bit. "They... they say that the first twelve hours... after any mining accident are the most..."
He swallowed, almost afraid to continue speaking. "...Most crucial. If you don't find survivors in that time..."
He trailed off, and tears began to form in the corner of his eyes.
Sabrina took his hands and gently embraced him. "It's going to be alright, Harvey. Everything's gonna be okay."
As he nodded at that, he felt her hands. "Huh... you feel cold. Here."
Gently, he began to rub her hands. It was a nice feeling and made her smile again. "I'm okay," she whispered to him.
She then leaned in and kissed him upon the lips.
They kissed once more, and then, his large arm comfortingly around her, she and Harvey lowered themselves down under the thick blanket.
Sabrina snuggled into his broad chest, and he held her close.
"Will you stay with me, Sabrina Spellman?" he whispered.
"All night, Harvey Kinkle," she replied.
Nothing more was said, as they looked up at the stars...
The next day
Saturday, November 21st
Spellman House
With a yawn, Sabrina trudged up the walkway to the stairs of her house.
To her slight surprise, she saw Aunt Hilda in her coffee-shop costume, ambling up the driveway. She also looked tired.
Their eyes met, and her aunt gave her a tired grin. "Sabrina," she said.
"Aunt Hilda... Wait, have you been working all night?" Sabrina asked.
Aunt Hilda nodded. "Yes, I have been. Doctor Cee had kept the bookstore open all through the night, just to give coffee and hot chocolate to all the volunteers."
She then lightly grasped Sabrina's hand. "So... how's our sweet Harvey?"
Sabrina sighed. 'He went home with his dad. I'm just here to get changed, then we're all meeting back at the mines."
As the pair then turned to head inside, Aunt Zelda suddenly appeared on the porch. She looked... tired, and oddly unkempt.
"Come inside, the both of you."
Later
The four of them were all sat at the kitchen table.
Aunt Zelda took a long draw of her cigar, and then cleared her throat. "Ambrose and I... have news. However, I must ask you to brace yourselves, as it is not pleasant."
A cold knot of fear clenched itself inside Sabrina's stomach.
Ambrose then continued. "I was astral-projecting, with Aunt Zee keeping watch... and I went to the mines."
He sighed heavily. "...There were no survivors."
The silence in the room became deafening. Sabrina felt speechless.
Aunt Hilda whimpered in sadness. "Dear Lucifer... Are... are you sure?"
Ambrose turned to look at her. "I'm fairly certain, yes."
"Well, in that case, we have to tell them. Harvey is just sick with worry, and people might get hurt if they keep looking," Sabrina stammered.
Aunt Zelda gave a rueful shake of her head. "Unfortunately, we can't do that, Sabrina."
Before Sabrina could protest, Aunt Zelda looked at her with sadness in her eyes. "Now, you have to understand... this is the perilousness of being a witch who consorts with mortals. To have knowledge that they don;t, and be completely unable to share it or act upon it."
Sabrina shook her head in disbelief. "But... it... it just doesn;t make any sense."
Aunt Zelda simply sighed. "The sad truth is that thing... sometimes just happen. Accidents happen, awful accidents. But, alas, the natural order is to be maintained, at all costs. That is one of our most basic tenets. Things must play out as they would, and they must do so without our interference. If not, then-"
"Bad things will happen. Yeah, I get it," Sabrina said, morosely.
"It is a most terrible tragedy for all of those pour souls in there. At best, we can hope they are all at peace now," Aunt Zelda said, with some rather uncharacteristic kindness.
Ambrose awkwardly cleared his throat. "Did... did you know him at all, Sabrina?"
"You mean Tommy?"
Ambrose nodded.
Sabrina sighed. "Well, I met him a few times, but... he meant the world to Harvey. And now... Harvey's going to be devastated."
Meanwhile,
Kinkle Residence
Feeling much better, Harvey headed downstairs. "Hey dad, are we heading back to..."
He trailed off when he saw his dad and another man, seated over a plethora of papers on the living room ottoman.
His dad looked up, glared at him, and then sighed. "Harvey, this is Mr. Morris, from the bank. Mr. Morris, this is Harvey."
Harvey looked at the bookish man as he stood. "...Hey."
The man cleared his throat. "Hello, Harvey. I am so very sorry about your brother."
What? What was he talking about? "We... we still haven't found him."
Harvey's dad sighed. "Look, Harvey, I... I don't like making this decision any more than you like hearing it."
Oh no. "...Hearing what? What decision are you talking about, dad?"
"It's just that... I have the safety of the other men to consider..."
Later, Spellman Residence
"He called off the fucking search!" Harvey exclaimed in anger, as he slammed the door.
Sabrina watched him as he started pacing back and forth. "Who did?" she asked.
"My asshole of a father. He spewed some bullshit about how he 'can't risk the loss of any more lives,' but, like I just said, that's bullshit! For fuck's sake, he was already talking to the insurance company and the bank, because he cares more about some stupid payout then he does about finding Tommy!"
At the mention of finding his brother, Sabrina flinched. In his anger, Harvey did not notice. "I don't think it's like that, Harvey. I think he's just worried, like you."
Harvey shook his head. "No, Sabrina. He's coming here. He's coming here to plan Toomy's funeral. For Tomorrow! The bastard's rushing it because he can't collect the insurance check until there's been a funeral."
Harvey wiped at his face. "A funeral tomorrow. And we... we haven't even found Tommy's body yet."
Sabrina put a sorrowful hand on Harvey's shoulder as his breath hitched. "What... what kind of man does that?"
The Next Day,
Sunday, November 22nd
Spellman Residence
The morning before the Funeral of Tommy Kinkle
As Aunt Hilda fiddled with the stitching on Sabrina's black funeral shirt, Sabrina spoke. "Auntie?" she asked.
"Yes, my lamb?"
This would be a difficult subject to broach. Taking a deep breath, Sabrina sat down beside her aunt. "What exactly happens when you die?"
Her aunt paused in her stitching and looked up. "Hmm?"
"Where do you go, after you pass?"
Her aunt swallowed, sighed, and then shrugged. "Well, uh... I can only speak for witches. And, I suppose that you're only asking me this on account of being curious as to what happens to mortals like young Tommy Kinkle.
Sabrina nodded. In response, Aunt Hilda shook her head. "I honestly do not know."
Oh.
Sabrina then asked another question. "Does it hurt? Dying? All of those times with Aunt Zelda, I mean."
Aunt Hilda sighed and then gave a nervous chuckle. 'Well, that usually depends on what she uses to murder me, I suppose."
Sabrina swallowed a third time. "And... how exactly does she bring you back? Is it through a spell... or are you under some sort of curse?"
In her pocket, Wednesday's coin grew cold.
Aunt Hilda paused in her stitching again. Then, for a second time, she nervously chuckled, only this time, it was tinged with sadness. "No. Nothing like that, I'm afraid. It's just... just soil. The plot she buries me in? Supposedly, it's from the garden of Cain, stained forever with Abel's blood. Blasted plot has been in our family for generations. Within that soil lies all the mysteries of life and death."
She then beamed and held up Sabrina's shirt. 'There. All done. Now, let's try it on, shall we?"
They both stood, and Aunt Hilda slid it onto Sabrina. It felt good. Aunt Hilda did wonderful work, as always.
Her aunt's face then grew a bit stern. "Now, try not to take me for a fool, my lamb. I know perfectly well why you are asking me all this. You want to know if you can bring back your boyfriend's dead brother. If so, then I must implore you to quash that thought from your mind at once. Life and death... they are forces that no one, mortal or witch, are ever meant to tangle with, let alone understand."
Her face then softened again, and she gently took Sabrina's hands in her own worn ones. "Besides... there is a difference, my lamb, between being brought back, and wanting to come back," Aunt Hilda said, as she picked at Sabrina's black shirt for any last little bits of lint. "Now, your Aunt Zelda, she will never give me the chance to... rest. But young Thomas? He died saving his brother. He died a hero. He's earned his rest. So please... let him keep it."
Before Sabrina could say anything, Aunt Hilda's face grew pensive. "Please."
Sabrina slowly nodded. "I won't try anything. I promise."
She then sighed. "Besides, we don't even have a body to bury. Just his hat."
Aunt Hilda gave a sad sigh and hugged Sabrina tightly.
Later
The Funeral of Tommy Kinkle
As solemn organ music echoed through the house, the guests, friends, and family of the Kinkles filed into the house. Harvey's father must have called them the day of the collapse.
Sabrina watched as he didn;t even try to comfort Harvey.
"Ever solemn are these funerals, are they not?"
Sabrina looked behind her. It was... "Mr. Wednesday?"
The teacher smiled sadly. He was garbed in solemn mourner's clothes, all black. Dangling from his arm was a solid black cane. "Hello, Sabrina. Were that this was a happier occasion."
He then looked about. "Amazing how many have deigned to show up and pay their respects. But, that is a mining town for you; they breed hardy, and they stick together."
He then sighed. "How is our young Harvey holding up?"
She shook her head. "He's... doing his best."
He nodded. "I see. Well, at least he made it out."
Sabrina in turn nodded and then leaned in conspiratorially. "Yeah... I think it's because I placed a protective charm on him."
Mr. Wednesday, in turn, grinned through his beard. "Well done."
He then straightened up. "Now then, I think I shall pay my respects to young Harvey. See you in class, my dear."
As he left, Sabrina mused how lucky it had been that she had placed that protection on Harvey after the incident in the familiar forest... with the Weird Sisters.
...
...
...
No.
As they stood at the entrance to the parlor, handing out brochures, Ambrose and Zelda watched the growing crowd of mortals.
Ambrose leaned in and sighed heavily. "Oh Auntie Zee," he murmured. "Do you think that there are ever any mortals who realize life while they are living it? Every fleeting, precious moment?"
Zelda shrugged and sighed herself. "I don't think so, save for the poets and the artists, perhaps. Though we are not much better, mind you. None of us are."
As she headed off to hand out more brochures, Ambrose scanned the crowd. Then, his eye caught something.
A flash of red hair.
Could it be...
Yes. It was. It was the woman from the nightmare. Same red hair, same height. An unlit cigarette dangle from her lips.
She then looked at him and smirked.
He then blinked... and she was gone.
With a shrug, Ambrose entered the parlor. The ceremony was about to begin anyway...
From sorrow, toil and pain
And sin, we shall be free
And perfect love
and friendship reign
Through all eternity
Roz sang beautifully.
As the music gently ground to a halt, she took her seat.
Aunt Hilda then gently gestured to Harvey. "Harvey, it's your turn, love."
With a final squeeze of his hand, Sabrina watched as Harvey slowly walked to the podium beside the empty casket.
He took a deep breath as he looked over at everyone, unshed tears in his eyes.
He took another breath. "We... we are gathered here today... to say goodbye to my brother... Thomas Kinkle."
He paused. "Tommy... he was not just my brother... but also my best friend. He is... was..."
He sniffled, and then lightly raised up his hands, as if in surrender. "Oh, God... I just don't know what to say. It's just crazy... It's just crazy."
He attempted a shaky smile. "Tommy though... he always knew what to say, if you were feeling down, to make you feel better, to make you laugh. He sometimes called me 'nerd.' He was the kind of guy who would drop any and everything to help you. He always bought me my school supplies, every year... He was my best friend. He was my brother. We talked about everything under the sun. We talked about girls."
He then looked at Sabrina. "Well, one girl."
Sabrina felt sorrow melt her heart as he continued. "One time... I asked him what his dreams were. He just said that they were to make sure that my dreams came true. That's... that's just the kind of person he was. That was Tommy, and I... I miss him."
He slowly exhaled and wiped at his eye for a moment. "Thank you."
With another shaky breath, he sat back down next to Sabrina. She put an arm around his shoulder.
Then, Harvey's dad stood up. He already seemed a bit off-balance.
When he reached the podium, he cleared his throat. "My son, Thomas Kinkle, he was a good man, and honorable man. I'm sure that we can all take comfort knowing that he's reunited with his mother up in heaven."
Next to her, Sabrina felt Harvey suddenly tense, as his dad continued. "Above all, Tommy valued his family and his duty. He did whatever was asked of him, and he never once complained."
Sabrina heard the pop of Harvey's knuckles as he clenched them. "Tommy, he understood the danger... but he also understood that the mines are the lifeblood and beating heart of Greendale. And Tommy... he loved our mines."
Then, Harvey spoke up. "No, he didn't."
The moment he spoke, every head in the parlor turned towards him. His father's face then grew angry. "Boy..." he began.
But Harvey would not stop, and he continued to speak as he stood up. "Tommy hated those mines, dad! The only reason that he even worked there at all was because you forced him to. And for what? Some stupid family legacy?
"The only reason he was still in this town was because of me! I got him killed!"
His father's face grew more wrathful. "Boy, you better watch your mouth..."
"No! Tommy, he could have gotten out of this god-forsaken hellhole if it wasn't for you! But no! You just couldn;t let him go, could you? But of course not, because just how would that look!?"
His father stalked towards him, a snarl on his face. "That's it. Sit down, boy."
Harvey remained standing. Mr. Kinkle then grabbed him by his coat. "I said sit down, you little bastard."
Harvey resisted As they struggled, the back of Harvey's dad collided with the casket. It was then sent crashing to the ground, letting its contents, Tommy's helmet, roll out.
For a long moment, everyone just looked at it, that dented helmet.
A moment later, Harvey promptly dashed out of the parlor.
Sabrina followed after him. "Harvey," she called out.
While Sabrina followed out after Harvey, Roz walked over to Tommy's helmet and bent down to pick it up.
The moment her fingers touched it...
Outside
When Sabrina got outside, she saw Harvey, hunched over and leaning against the fence.
As she approached, he was breathing heavily. "I can't do it. I can't live in that fucking house without him, Sabrina. I can't live alone with my dad."
Slowly, Sabrina reached out to touch Harvey's arm. He was trembling. "Harvey. I... I'm so sorry."
Harvey shook his head. "And you know what the worst part is? It's all my fault. I'm the reason he's dead!"
What? Why would he say that? "Harvey. You know that's not true."
"Yes, it is!" he screamed. "Take a look at this!"
As he turned to look at her, he reached into his coat and pulled out a worn and folded sheet of paper.
Gingerly, she took it and unfolded it. It was... "A letter from Notre Dame?"
Harvey nodded, tears in his eyes. "It's an acceptance letter. For Tommy. He had applied three years ago, and he had gotten in. They had even offered him a full football scholarship, a full fucking ride!"
He sniffed. "I found it in his room while I was looking for a photo to use for the funeral."
"I... I don't understand," Sabrina said.
Harvey shook his head, his trembling increasing as he grabbed at the sheet of paper. "He had an out! He had a chance to get out of this shithole of a town! But he didn't! He stayed, and you know why!? It was because of me! I know it! It's all because of me! I got him killed!"
As he screamed this, tears streamed down his face, and he slowly sank to the ground. "I killed him," he whispered. "I killed my brother."
Sabrina knelt down by him and cradled his head against her chest as he sobbed. "What am I gonna do?"
Angry footsteps cut through their sorrow. "You can man up, you miserable little piece of shit!" his father bellowed.
Harvey and Sabrina shot to their feet, with Harvey stepping in front of Sabrina protectively.
"You think it's okay for you to go and embarrass me like that, huh? In front of our family? To just spit and shit on Tommy's memory like that, huh!?" As he spoke, he grabbed the front of Harvey's coat.
"Let go of him, Mr. Kinkle!" Sabrina exclaimed.
"Stay out this!" he said to her, before turning back to Harvey. "It shouldn;t have been Tommy. It should have been you, you little bastard."
Harvey's face was downcast. "I really wish it had been me," he said.
That seemed to only make his father more angry. "Oh, you little bastard!"
His fist reared back.
But, before he could strike, a gloved hand grabbed him by his wrist."
"Mr. Kinkle," said Mr. Wednesday.
Mr. Kinkle turned, and then Mr. Wednesday proceeded to punch him in the face, sending him careening to the muddy ground.
Before he could get up, Mr. Wednesday's foot stepped heavily on the man's wrist, making him yelp in pain. Sabrina and Harvey watched as their history teacher leaned in close to Harvey's dad. "This is your son's funeral, Mr. Kinkle. Stop acting like a child, so that we may all honor his memory in piece. Although, since your guests are leaving, I suggest that you do the same. Now, will you do that, or shall I give you a second thrashing?"
Mr. Kinkle struggled for a moment and then nodded angrily. As he got to his feet, he glared daggers at Harvey one more time, and then stalked off.
A moment later, Harvey headed towards his truck. "Harvey-" Sabrina called out.
"I'm sorry, 'Brina," he said. "I just... I need to be alone right now."
As she made to go after him, she felt Mr. Wednesday's hand on her shoulder. "Just give him time, my dear," he said. "Just give him time."
As everyone started to leave, Roz excused herself to the bathroom. Once inside, she proceeded to scrub at her face vigorously with water.
When she had picked up Tommy's helmet...
A strange room covered with pentagrams...
Three girls, each with cruelty in their eyes, all laughing as they smashed rocks into two dolls, over and over and over again...
What was all that?
Then, the door opened, and, to her slight surprise, in walked Mr. Wednesday's friend, Ms. Touko.
Roz looked at her in surprise, and the woman smiled back. "Sorry," she said. "Didn't know this was occupied. I just needed to wash my hands. May I?"
"Uh... sure," Roz said, as she stepped aside.
Now that she was seeing her for more than a moment, Roz saw that she was rather tall. She was also very beautiful, with lips that seemed almost made to be kissed, wrought as they were in a smirk.
As she washed her hands, Ms. Aozaki smirked again. "So... what did you see?"
Roz's head shot up. "Wh-what? What are you talking about?"
Ms. Aozaki leaned in, her face very close to Roz's. Her's eyes seemed almost as if they were searching for something. "Was it your first vision? Oh, it was, wasn't it? How very interesting."
"I... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't lie to me, pretty girl. You saw something. What did you see?"
Roz swallowed. "I... I have to go."
As she slipped by the woman, Ms. Aozaki smirked, and then laid a hand on her shoulder, making her stop cold. "You know, the more you try to repress it, the more you deny it... the worse it will get. At best, you'll end up a cackling, insane madwoman, eking out her days on society's fringes. At worse? You'll be a drooling vegetable. It might just be intuition, but I don;t think you want to be either of those things, right?"
She leaned in close. "When you feel ready to know more, come find me at the Nameless Inn."
The woman then sauntered out of the restroom, leaving a very confused, and slightly frightened, Roz.
Later that evening.
The house bell rang.
Ding-Dong.
A bit confused as to who would be calling upon the house this late, Zelda answered the door.
To her surprise, it was "Father Blackwood?"
He nodded. "Sister Zelda," he said, as he strode past her, a heavy tome under his arm.
She swallowed. "We've had quite the day here, but, do come in. May I ask as to why you are visiting us?"
He took off his hat and handed it to her. "As a matter of fact, I am here to see your nephew."
She raised an eyebrow. "Why? What's he done now?"
"Nothing. It would seem that someone has appealed to get his house arrest lifted."
Ambrose resisted the urge to rub his hands together, as Father Blackwood leafed through Ambrose's personal transcripts.
The High Priest then looked up at him. "I must admit, brother Ambrose, I am at a bit of a loss. The moment that Brother Luca came to me about you, I took a look into your personal dossier. What I found was nothing short of astounding and contradictory: You went to Oxford on a full scholarship and published a book of poetry at the age of Seventeen. Then after graduation, you traveled. You painted with the surrealists, taught stage magic to Houdini himself. With the way things were going, you were on the fast track to being one of the most urbane and well-traveled geniuses of the age. So, of course, when I discovered the reason for your imprisonment, I was left quite perplexed. Just how did one such as you get involved in a plot to blow up the Vatican?"
Oh boy.
Ambrose swallowed. Well, better to lay everything on the table.
He sighed and began. "My father, he died when I was at school Killed in an accident. One day he was there, and the next... just gone."
He shook his head as the sorrow eked up. "After that, things just felt... empty. I felt empty, drifting from university to university, just trying to find a father figure, I suppose."
He sighed again. "And then... I found one."
"Go on."
"He was brilliant, charismatic, and absolutely devoted to the Dark Lord. It was a young Aleister Crowly."
Father Blackwood quirked an eyebrow. "The heretic?"
Ambrose nodded. "Yes. And the day that I met him... his mission became my mission."
Father Blackwood sighed. "And yet, you were the only one arrested for the plot. More to the point, the only one alive. And you were not so much arrested as you had simply... turned yourself in. Why?"
"Me and the others... we had gone forward with the plan. But... there had been a snag. Were stopped. By a single priest."
"A priest?"
Ambrose shook his head, as the screams returned to his memories. "Less a priest, and more some... demon of the battlefield. He slaughtered all my friends in seconds. Then, he started to hunt me down. No matter where I fled to, he always seemed on my trail. Eventually... I turned myself in and confessed to everything. Then... he vanished."
Father Blackwood nodded. "And yet, though you were offered the chance to name the rest of your co-conspirators, you chose not to. Why?"
Ambrose shrugged. "Loyalty, I suppose."
"Admirable."
Ambrose nodded and then chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Fat lot of good it did. The rest are all dead, anyhow." He then looked up. "But... I've changed. Truly, I have. I just want the chance to show that I have changed. I want the chance to be better."
Father Blackwood was silent for a long moment and then stood up. "Well, seeing as how you seem sincere, I shall review your case, and bring it to the council. I cannot promise anything, but, they will probably look favorably upon you."
That was the best Ambrose could hope for at the moment. "Thank you, Father Blackwood."
The High Priest nodded. Then, as he turned to leave, he stopped and turned back. "Out of curiosity, did you happen to know the name of the priest who slaughtered your compatriots?"
Ambrose nodded, though a bit perplexed by the question. "Yeah. I'll never forget it for as long as I walk this earth... Alexander Anderson."
Father Blackwood quirked an eyebrow at the mention of that name, but that was it. He then smiled. "I bid you a good night, Brother Ambrose."
With that, he left.
As he stepped outside the Spellman House, the thing masquerading as Faustus Blackwood shook his head and chuckled. "Anderson... so the church actually did it. How amusing."
As he chuckled, memories of Aylesbury filled his mind...
Putnam Residence
It was hard to sleep. Susie had spent a great deal of time tossing and turning. It was just hard to sleep.
For the umpteenth time, she was on her back. Hmmm... she actually felt comfortable this time.
"Susie," came Dorothea's voice, a whisper on a still wind.
Without fear, Susie sat up and saw her ancestor, standing before her.
Susie smiled at her ancestor. "Dorothea. I did what you asked. I went to the mines."
Her ancestor smiled back. "That you did. You are a very brave boy. But, that is to be expected, I suppose. We Putnams have always been brave, ever since this township was founded." She then leaned in slightly. "Tell me... how did it feel?"
"Scary," Susie admitted. "But, at the same time? Really good."
Dorothea joined in on her chuckling. "That's good. You need to hold on to that feeling. Because that was just the beginning..."
Meanwhile, Kinkle Residence
Harvey had spent most of the day idling about town, but, eventually, he had to go home.
Fucking fantastic.
As he pulled into the driveway, he saw many of his relatives were still about. The whole place now and truly reeked of booze.
He ignored them all as best he could as he slipped past them. He had just gotten past the top of the stairs when...
"You and me have some unfinished business, boy," came a slurring voice.
Harvey sighed, his fists clenched. "Not tonight dad."
He heard his dad spit on the ground behind him. "Y'know... I always hate when you call me 'dad,' you little bastard."
"And why's that?" Harvey asked as he turned to face his drunk dad. "Because you can't stand the fact that I'm your son?"
His dad then grabbed him hard by the arm. "When you talk like that, you remind me of your cunt of a mother!"
Harvey felt a rage boil up. "Don't talk about my mother like that, you miserable drunk!"
"Shut the fuck up, you little bastard! You think you're better than me!? Just like her. Your whore of a mother, she always thought she was too fucking good for me. After Tommy was born, she started opening her legs for half the fucking men in this fucking town! It made me a fucking laughing stock! Then, one day, she heads out, doesn't come back for a week. Then, she comes back, acting as if nothing had ever happened, even acted like a wife for a change. Then, nine months later, along comes you!"
Harvey's eyes widened in shock at this, so he didn't see his father's fist until it slammed into his jaw, knocking him down, and making him slide down to the bottom floor. As Harvey spat out a tooth, the man he had thought was his father then proceeded to stomp on his ribs with a heavy crunch, making Harvey scream out in agony.
The rest of the Kinkle clan just watched. Some even cheered.
"Everyone could fucking see it! That whore tried to play me for a fool, but I knew that you weren't mine the moment that you were born! She let some other sap fuck her, and so she had you! The only consolation was that she died popping you out!"
His dad... no, Mr. Kinkle, kept kicking and hitting him. "You're nothing but a little bastard! A stain on my name, my reputation! 'Cause of you, my son is dead!"
The edges of Harvey's vision were starting to blacken. The taste of blood was in Harvey's mouth, and pain lanced its way through his spine.
Outside, the clouds parted, and the full moon shone.
A lance of cold shot through Harvey's entire being.
"You're nothing but a filthy little bastard monkey!"
Suddenly the kicking stopped because Harvey had caught his foot. "No…" he groaned out, as his bones and flesh began to twist and grow, and claws extended from his fingers. "Not… monkey!"
Fight.
Prey.
Eat.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
KILL
KILL!
KILL!
KILKILKILKILKILIKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILLKILL!
The last thing Harvey heard was the sound of his father and the rest of the Kinkle family, screaming….
Outside the Kinkle Household, the two Ravens were perched on a tree branch and listened to the screams...
Monday, November 23rd
Spellman Residence
The day after Tommy's funeral felt just as depressing as the day of the funeral. Everything had closed down for the day, even the school.
The town had lost a true son, after all.
Sabrina idly looked out over the Spellman property from the porch, alongside Ambrose, as she stroked Salem. her familiar was currently nestled on her blanket-covered lap.
"Penny for your thoughts, cous?" Ambrose asked as he sipped at his coffee.
"Just... worried about Harvey, I guess."
Ambrose nodded. "Have you called him yet?"
Sabrina shook her head. "No. Mr. Wednesday suggested that he just have time to himself for a bit."
"Sounds logical."
Anything else either of them would have said then died in their throats as they then looked down the driveway. A scream burst out of Sabrina's lips.
It was Harvey.
He was completely naked, and covered in scratches and dirt and… blood, swaying as he walked up to the house, before collapsing to the ground in front of the steps.
The moment he collapsed, the paralysis dissipated, and Sabrina burst up from her seat and scrambled down the steps, with Ambrose trailing right behind her with a blanket. As her cousin gently wrapped her shivering boyfriend in the blanket, Sabrina was all the while whispering to him, stroking his head.
"Harvey? Harvey, are you okay? What happened?"
In lieu of an answer, all he did was simply look up at her with bloodshot eyes, and then throw up what seemed like the entire contents of his stomach onto the ground, before passing out.
What the hell happened to him!?
A/N. Canon has now been officially derailed!
Sorry this chapter took so long. Hope you all enjoy it.
Read, review, and enjoy!