The Extremely crappy Days at Ashfield High
Chappy Thirty Six: On the Other Side; Part TWO
"...won't be long, maybe two hours or so. Yeah. Nah, just letting you know. Okay, bye." Joshua put his cellphone away, looking back out over the railing. Christian had gone inside a few minutes before he had decided to call his father and let him know he would be a bit late with getting home. He didn't have to accompany Christian to their teacher's home, but he felt he had little choice. He was somehow now part of the whole deal, and it troubled him. That town... those sickening creatures and that powerful humanoid thing with that sword. Even if those cultists had all died, and he felt a little pity for them, it didn't mean it was over. Not by a long shot.
He slid a hand through his hair, eyes darting around the area. There. The puppy, watching him from across the field. It was the same one, it had to be. For too long he'd disregarded it; it had to be a part of this. As if noticing it was being watched, the dog ran. Now was his chance. Going the usual way down to the field would take too long, and the animal would get away. Joshua ground his teeth and flipped over the railing, landing shakily on the grass below. He quickly stretched and hastily went after the puppy, the dog already nearing the metal fence.
It didn't matter if he ended up late for class-it was History II, very bland-, as this could be his only shot at finding out what the source of the dog was. It wasn't a normal puppy. There was something sinister about it. Joshua blinked. One second the dog was in front of the fence, the next he was on the other side. The teenager shrugged and scurried up the fence, dropping down to the other side. Glancing at both sides of the streets for cars, he continued after the puppy, sprinting down the block. They passed by several buildings-a Happy Burger, a shop, various others-, until the puppy dashed into an alley. The brunet followed him, stopping at the end. He was at a contrsuction site(a future bank), but no puppy was around. No workers were present, and Joshua doubted they were out for a luch break. The whole place had an eerie quality to it. Out among the dirt and stone, however, was a man.
Joshua recognized him instantly as the man that had visited him at the hospital several days ago. Lucas Schreiber. He was just standing there, holding a book out and reading it silently, mouthing the words. He did not seem to notice the teenager. "Hey," called Joshua, a bit unnerved. "Have you seen a dog around here? A little puppy-,"
"Indeed I have," responded Schreiber, his voice dark and broody. "But it's gone now." He closed the book and turned to Joshua, his eyes glinting with red. "Shouldn't you be at school, or something?" he asked with some impatience; Joshua shrugged.
"Lunch break, and I still have about twenty minutes."
"Twenty minutes? Hmm, how long is your lunch?" He took a few steps forward, the book hanging at his side. In response, Joshua stepped back. The book, Schreiber, the entire construction site was beginning to feel much more oppressive. He swallowed hard.
"Around thirty."
"And don't you eat?"
"I don't get near the hideous stuff they serve there."
Schreiber smiled, the red glint disappearing from his eyes. All at once, the heavy mood lifted, but it still lingered softly in the air. "Take the bus," he said, turning away. Fastest way to get to Noth Ashfield, where she lives." Joshua trembled. How would he know about that? He doubted it, but could the puppy have been acting under Schrieber's orders? Could it have been spying on him? Before he had the chance to ask, the man was gone.
---
Nicole dug her spork into the pile of imitation mashed potatoes, looking up at Christian. "I'd like to go with you two, but I'm a bit busy this afternoon. My cousin got in a couple of days ago, and since she and my uncle aren't going to be in town for long, well, I wanted to spend some time with them. Why exactly are you visiting Ms. Mason?"
Christian hesitated. Beside him, Faith cuddled the kitten. He couldn't start talking about something related to The Order in front of her, and Nicole most likely didn't want to hear about it. If what she said was the truth, those cultists had intended to kill her, back in Silent Hill. Somewhat traumatizing, if you think about it.
"Oh, it's just something I need to discuss with her, uh, some personal stuff."
Nicole popped the potatoe into her mouth. "I see," she replied after swallowing. And that was that. Christian rubbed his forearm; the sensation returned.
Lovely, is she not? The perfect host... well, maybe not perfect, but quite suitable.
'...Host...? What?'
...For our God.
'Hold on, what are you? You spoke to me before at the hospital, and I want answers.'
You shall get them, but I request patience; when the time is right-
Joshua jogged up to the cafeteria table, a tad sweaty. "What's wrong?" asked Nicole; the brunet shook his head.
"Uh, it's nothing, I just went for a small run; how much time do we have left?"
"Around ten minutes."
Joshua nodded. "Okay, thanks." He sat down and grinned at Christian. "We're clear, man."
---
Lucas Schreiber stormed angrily down the sidewalk. The people he passed glanced at him oddly, but it bothered him not. He was so close to completing his objective. 'That blasted Townsend! I could feel the seal breaking even as he spoke, but he blew my concentration! I need more time, I can't do it here...' He suddenly grew disoriented. Something lightly grasped at his brain, testing out its power. He brought a hand up to his forehead. That horrible feeling, but it had intensified this time. He groaned. '...I have to control it somehow... I need the seal broken...!' his mind screamed. Weariness overtook him, and he stumbled into the street.
For the most brief of moments, a sadistic smirk appeared on his face. His eyes burned crimson. A vehicle rushed toward him-a small car. The driver tried to stop, but it was too late. Holding up his hand in a peculiar fashion, the windshield and windows of the car shattered. The driver grasped his ears as blood streamed from them, and his automobile swerved, crashing into another. Lucas returned to normal, sweat pouring down his face. "Getting impatient, are we?" he thought aloud. "Heh..."
He would have to retreat back to the apartment and gather the Aphaoglotis; Linda wouldn't notice, but she would be a nuisance. Best to get rid of her, however now was not the time. He had to rest, decode the book completely. Easier said than done. Slipping away from the carnage, Lucas disappeared into an alleyway...
---
Joshua looked down at his watch, the breeze catching his sleeves. He sighed, tugging at his backpack strap. They'd been waiting for the bus for awhile now. Still, though, Lucas Schreiber dawdled in his head. He was different, earlier that day, different than he had been that day at St. Jerome's hospital. He watched the cars pass by the bus stop. There was a crash earlier, as well, around the time he got back to school. He wasn't sure about the details, but it had supposedly been pretty bad.
Finally, a bus pulled up. "...About time," muttered Joshua. "Come on, Chris." They boarded it, both of them dropping some change into the small metallic box. Not many citizens were on that particular bus that day, which surprised Joshua for a second, but at least there was a varied selection of seats. They chose one near the back, Christian sitting beside the window. The other yawned while taking a seat. "She might not even be home."
"I'm pretty sure she is. You do know where her home is, right?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry. I ended up visiting there during this one fundraiser, anyway."
Christian said nothing else, leaning his head against the window. He was tired, and had been for the past few days. He felt like he was being pulled in a certain, complex way by some alien force, and it all started when that symbol engraved itself onto his arm. That voice too... was it just his imagination? The bus suddenly stopped; the driver sighed loudly. The blond peered straight ahead, seeing the traffic. 'Perfect,' he complained inwardly. Then, however, he felt that familiar stirring in the back of his head.
...The Conjurer.
'Huh?'
Beside you... Yes... What a spectacular oppurtunity...
Christian glanced over at Joshua, who was busy fiddling with his cellphone. He thought he also spotted someone looking at him from across the other side of the bus. A man, with what seemed like a scar under his eye. Too late to get a good look; he was staring straight. The entity chuckled.
The Conjurer poses a threat... he will serve only to complicate matters... Now, before I fade away too much...
His head burned with the greatest agony. He cried out, lurching forward and colliding with the leather seat in front. His cry attracted views from nearly everyone else, and Joshua quickly knelt down to his level. "Chris, Chris, what's wrong? Chris!" A young businessman approached, nervously kneeling down.
"What-What happened? We need to call an ambulance or-,"
With one hand Joshua was shoved away, and the other wrapped itself around the man's throat. Rising him into the air, Christian smirked slyly. "You inferiors never know when to mind your own business, do you? You never will, either."
"Christian, what are you doing?" demanded Joshua, getting to his feet. People were about to stand, about to act, but it didn't matter. The man's head was slammed through the window, the laminated glass spilling to the asphalt. There were screams, hysteric mumblings. Christian threw the man to the side, his face blotched with blood and cuts.
"What in God's name is going on back there?" hollered the driver as he stood from his seat and turned around. A mistake. The shard of glass was already flying towards him; he managed an unfinished scream before it lodged itself into his throat, the sanguine leaking out at an alarming rate. One or two rushed to the driver's side, but Joshua furrowed his brow.
"What the hell are you doing, Christian? Have you gone insane?"
The blond laughed smugly, waving a finger in the air. "Firstly, you are quite mistaken. The one you refer to as Christian, is asleep. I am the one in control. And secondly, insanity is but a word you inferiors have crafted to justify your incomprehension of things beyond your understanding, is it not? Not everything is insane, even if it appears so."
Joshua stared Christian-or whatever it was-directly in the eye, gasping. The deepest shade of crimson had engulfed his pupils. Now that was something he'd call just plain freaky. "Now, Conjurer, enough talk. I have waited so long to act, biding my time while incoherent inferiors worked out the design I was meant to. And like typical inferiors they misinterpreted the entirety of it. No longer shall that be the case. I will right the wrongs they committed, and I shall begin by eliminating your presence permanently!"
The entity fetched a random piece of broken glass from the floor, lunging at Joshua at dazzling speeds. In an instant he was down in one of the aisles, locked in a struggle as the shard was held up just inches from his face. "Why are you... doing this?" he questioned, gradually losing his control.
Christian's face contorted into a wicked grin. "Because, Conjurer, you and I are alike in one way; the quality of our souls. The spirits residing within us-in my case, within him- are extremely powerful, and it is the ability to harness that power that I fear! Allowing a threat like you to exist is ludacris!"
"Oh? And what about killing some innocent man? Isn't that ludacris?"
"You could not understand, imbecillic boy! I cannot, and will not, take any chances!" At that moment the entity gained the upper hand in the struggle, driving the shard of glass downward. Joshua diverted it at the last second, though, and the shard only slashed him across the face, leaving a small gash; droplets of blood flew up with the knife and hit Christian's face; he winced. "N-No!"
Joshua felt all of Christian's strength give way all of a sudden. "Get off!" he exclaimed, pushing him back towards the ruined window. The man with the scar stepped between them.
---
Abraham watched as the blond boy tackled the other one down, attempting to strike him with a jagged piece of glass. He noticed him nail a small cut. '...Just like that day...' And then he remembered. That red haze, it had been in Lucas's eyes as well, all those years ago. As the brunet boy pushed his attacker away, Abraham moved inbetween them.
"Wait!" he said, pointing at Christian. "Whatever you are, I remember you! So, it wasn't Lucas that day, but it was you! You're the one who gave me this scar!" He adjusted his finger so that it now pointed at the feature beneath his right eye.
Christian's eyes widened, and his maniacal smile grew as well. "...Ah yes, I recall that. But it was not I, specifically, who dealt you that scar; it was my other, more complete self: the part I yearn to be with again."
The boy collapsed.