Chapter 23 Ann's Dilemma
Ann paced around in her room feeling rather lost. She couldn't get that dream out of her head. Ann found herself constantly thinking about the figure who appeared before her, and spoke to her in her sleep. Was it all just a dream? Or was it something more. Ann sighed, and sat down on her bed. She needed to clear her head. Ann rubbed her forehead viciously while trying to clear out those thoughts.
Ann finally gave up, and lay back on her bed. She reached over to her nightstand, and grabbed a photo in a heart shaped frame. Her mother had given it to her when she was a young child, and had instructed her to put the picture of her one true love in it. Now it had been filled. A couple of days ago Ann had gotten Zach to pose for a picture, and now it was inside the picture frame. In the picture Zach stood in front of the ocean, reminding Ann that Zach had traveled to Mineral Island from across the sea, like he was a gift from the Goddess. Or from God. Zach did not believe in the Goddess, and the Goddess hated him, so it definitely wasn't the Goddess who brought Zach there. In his arms, Zach held his staff, reminding Ann of the night he had saved her life. And the cross etched in the wood reminded Ann of Zach's relationship with God. Ann smiled at the picture, and held it to her chest. Ann leaned back, and sighed. This picture would always stay close to her. But it was only one picture out of the many she had collected. Ann sighed, put the picture back on her nightstand, and pulled a large photo album out from under her bed. Ann opened it, and flipped through it slowly. It was filled with many pictures of her and Zach, as well as other things. The first picture was one of Zach stepping off of the ferry. Ann hadn't taken this picture, but the Mayor had, so Ann had him give her a double of the photograph. The second picture was one of her which was taken prior to Zach's arrival on the island. The third picture was one of her and Zach standing up on Mother's Hill with their arms around each other. It continued like that. Pictures of Ann, Pictures of Zach, pictures of the two of them on "dates." The streams of pictures ended, and Ann looked at all of the blank pages which she had ready for pictures which would come in the future. Ann closed the album, and leaned back against the pillow. One day, when she finished the album, she would give it to Zach.
Suddenly someone knocked on her door. "Who is it?" Ann asked.
"Its me," said a familiar voice, "can I come in."
"Just a minute!" I heard Ann saying from inside. Then I heard a noise like a book sliding across the floor. Then the door opened, and I found myself looking into the eyes of Ann.
"Zach!" she said happily, while opening up her arms to me. I hugged her, and led her out of her room.
"I finished all of my work for today," I said. "So I was wondering if you'd like to go to the beach with me."
"Of course!" Ann said, grabbing my hand, and dragging me out towards the door.
As we walked out of the Inn, I saw Doug smiling and shaking his head. "Young love," he said quietly to himself. "Oh what a great thing."
The Harvest Goddess floated three feet above her spring on her small cloud. Carter walked into the clearing, with a bundle of flowers held tight in his fist. When he saw that the Goddess had already come up from her spring. Carter bowed before the Goddess, and tossed the flowers into the Spring.
"You requested a word with me oh high and mighty Goddess?" Carter said as he looked up at the Goddess.
"Yes," she said. "As you know, the Right Hand has awakened."
Carter pushed his face against the floor in honor of the Right Hand.
"The Harvest Sprites awoke him, and he is ready to descend upon this town and devour all enemies of me. But one thing remains. You know that a heathen walks among you now. Why have you not dealt with the heathen? Why do you embrace him as a friend, and stop my servants from destroying him?"
"Oh Holy Harvest Goddess," Carter said. "It is not my duty as the man of the church to destroy those against you. It is to lead those who are for you."
"And you have begun reading a Bible which Zach gave to you, isn't that correct?"
"Yes it is," Carter said, unhappy to admit it.
"That book is filled with lies! It is against all that I stand for!"
"Yes I know, you see..."
"I SEE MORE THAN YOU WILL EVER!" The Goddess fumed. "Burn that book. Burn it, and then bring double sacrifices to me on the Hail Goddess festival to proof your allegiance to me."
Carter bowed. "Yes Goddess." Carter stood up, and began walking away.
"And Carter," the Goddess said. Carter turned and faced the Goddess. "Inform Doug Donovan and his daughter that when the Right Hand descends upon the Island, they will be the first targets."
Then, with a flash, the Goddess disappeared. Carter's eyes opened as he realized what this meant. The Goddess could have written out a death sentence for the two of them, and it wouldn't have the same effect as this did. The Goddess had now turned against two of her followers. Now the Goddess would carry out her wrath, swiftly and surely.
"Ere it is," Captain Bates said proudly, patting the side of the large fishing boat. "This ere's Joanna. A faithful boat named for a faithful wife."
Kai smiled. "Its a pretty little thing."
"Sure 'is matey!" the captain laughed hard, as any sea dog would, before climbing aboard. "C'mon! Lets hit the ocean."
"That's about the weirdest thing I've ever heard before," Kai said stepping up onto the boat.
"Well excuse me Kai," Joe Bates joked. "At least its original."
"Hey," Kai said, "injecting your dinner into yourself through a needle is an original way of eating, but few people choose to eat in such a way if they have a choice."
"Oh shut up!" Bates laughed. "Ere's yore fishin rod. Use it well."
"Thanks," Kai said as the captain began instructing him in the ways of fishing.
Salty, sea air fluttered through my hair as I relaxed on the dock which extended out into the ocean. Without thinking, I gently put my arm around the girl next to me, and held her in close. We shared this experience together. It was ours. And nothing, not even death, could ever destroy these experiences. As the salty breath of the ocean blew by, I thought of Kai, and how he must be doing in Australia. I silently wondered what I would do without the support of another Christian, but my worries were cut off by one voice which spoke up deep inside of me.
'Find the third disciple,' it said over and over again. I knew it was right, it was what God had instructed me to do. But who was the third disciple? I turned and looked at the girl next to me. Perhaps it was Ann. Perhaps God wished for me to convert her, and then she would be a disciple of God. Or maybe not. But out of all the people in the town besides Kai and me, Ann was the closest to God. But would she ever accept Christ as her savior? It was all up to her. It was her choice, her dilemma.
A feeling of darkness flowed shapelessly through the air above the town. As it passed over, the town's people below became disturbed. "Did you just feel a chill?" one asked. "Yeah," replied another. "It felt kind of like someone ran their fingers down a chalkboard. Except nobody did." "Where did that come from?"
But the dark being which was passing over cared not of what they felt, or of what they thought was happening. The dark being cared only for the completion of its task. As it moved, it felt a greater presence coming. The creature looked, and saw a bright figure shoot up from the mountains. The voidy creature bowed at the feet of its master.
'Arise Darkfor,' the shining Harvest Goddess said to the shadow which bowed at her feet.
'My forces are on the move Oh Goddess. We are ready for the arrival of the Demigod.'
'Unfortunately all else is not ready. Spiritloosener has fallen to the Abyss, and you are busy with the tasks of watching over the island. Spiritloosener was in charge of defeating Zach, but fell to his power. You provided ample support in Spiritloosener's cause, so I would ask of you to continue. Try and catch him outside at night. Then you can bring forth Caenumens and whatever else you wish to conjure up. Try and kill him. Then we can sacrifice his body to the Right Hand, and we will be ready to carry out the master plan.'
'Yes my Goddess. I will do my best. But you are aware, that I am unable to do what Spiritloosener did. I am unable to tear souls from bodies, and I am unable to stop hearts, and breath.'
'I am aware of that. I will assign another Spirit to stalk the threat. I will choose a better Spirit than Spiritloosener. I will choose a stronger Spirit than Spiritloosener. One who will not be sent to the Abyss so easily.'
'Yes my Goddess. This is a most excellent plan.'
'You are the greatest of all the Spirits. Do not fail me Darkfor. You are the King of the Spirits. Do not fail.'
'I am King of the Spirits, and the Right Hand, he is the King of-'
'And I am the Empress. Both you and he, and both of your minions are under my command. See that you obey it.'
'Yes Harvest Goddess.'
I walked Ann back to the Inn before heading back to my house. As I walked in, I felt a strange feeling of Darkness hanging over my farm. I looked around, but saw no one. The sun was going down slowly, and it was still perfectly light outside. But, somehow, the sunlight seemed dimmer. I shrugged it off, and opened the door to my house. I stepped inside, and then looked back behind me. For a second I thought that I could still see the skull markers which had been set up around my house, but then I realized that this was all nonsense. I closed my door for the final time that night.
Darkfor bristled as Zach closed the door to his home. Darkfor motioned with one claw, and five shadowy figures flowed over out from behind the house. The dark beings flanked him on both sides, as if preparing for war. Slowly, the six supernatural beings approached the house. Two of the voidy spirits charged towards the door, with open arms. Cackling viciously, they prepared to attack the mortal who dwelt within the house.
'No!' Darkfor shouted at the two Spirits. 'The threat is too strong to be defeated that way. You are not as strong as Spiritloosener was, and Spiritloosener was defeated. Remember? Do you want to end up in hell as well?'
The two demons stopped, and turned to their master. 'What do you propose we do then?' one asked.
'We will not go in there. He is a mortal. He can die. That is what we need, is it not? We need him to die. Who cares if his soul doesn't make it to hell!'
'The master does, and we do too.' 'Yes, but how easily do you think that could be accomplished? The important thing is taking him out of the picture. We must do that. Then we can complete the master plan!'
'Then what do you propose we do?' The voidy shape of Darkfor trembled a little, as if relishing in the ingeniousness of his own idea. 'Darkness. Wait until the coming of darkness. Then we will strike!'
A flash of darkness. A vicious roar. The death scream of some forsaken creature. That was enough to push fear into my heart. I looked around the darkened cavern which I had suddenly found myself in. The stone walls loomed around me, as I tried to figure out where I was. I slowly crept forward. The least I could do was try and help whoever had screamed. I stopped. A low, mournful howl echoed through the corridors, reminding me of the danger which could be lurking deep in these catacombs, waiting for me. I searched everywhere for something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing.
I took a deep breath, and continued walking. The hallway extended further on, making me wonder if there would be an end somewhere. I could hear water dripping, but the walls around me were dry. I smelled some rank scent, but saw nothing which appeared to be responsible for the smell. I noticed that as I traveled down the corridors, it grew steadily darker, and darker. Don't ask me where the dim lighting came from, because I don't know. Then I saw the source of the stench. A severed arm lay on the ground just ahead of me. Where the rest of the body was, I didn't know. I ran over, and examined it. The arm was cut off at the elbow, which would have only left a short stump of an arm behind. Based on the appearance, I believed the arm came from a girl, for it had less hair than a man's, and seemed rather delicate. The skin was white and pale, a sharp contrast with the dark red blood which flowed all around it. A scrap of a yellow sleeve lay next to it, along with a shred of jean material.
I could only wonder who's arm this belonged to. I pitied that person, for having it removed must have been very very painful. But the red blood all around it, and the fragment of white bone sticking out of the end made me wonder. What had removed the arm? I suddenly became afraid. Very afraid. This was no hospital. It hadn't been amputated. This was a cavern of darkness, with little room to run, and no place to hide.
A piercing howl shattered the silence, and I stopped, and listened. Something was out there. I realized with some horror that my rucksack was gone, and my sword with it. My staff was no where to be seen, and the only thing that I could possibly use as a weapon was the severed arm at my feet. The image of swinging around a shattered arm like a sword sent a shiver down my spine. I would not, no, could not use an arm as a weapon. I almost turned around, and walked back the way I came, but I knew that the owner of the severed arm was still in here, probably dying of loss of blood. Perhaps I could save her. Did the Bible not say that blessed is the one who lays down there life to save the life of another? I did not know if I was brave enough to say that I could lay down my life to save the life of another, but I still could try and help this person.
I walked down the cavern, forcing myself not to think of the impending doom which very well may be awaiting me. The howling grew louder as I stepped through the dark hallways, and the light grew dimmer. Suddenly the catacombs opened up into a large room. I gasped. In the center of the room lay the body of a girl I knew all too well. Ann was missing one of her arms, sending streams of shock up and down my spine. It was her arm I had found back there. And now her body lay on the ground before me. It lay still. She was dead.
Getting darker, and a bit high on the gore level. I'm sorry if this chapter bothered anyone. I just really want to capture the cold hearted nature of demons. And I'm afraid that means that their conversations with each other will become more violent later on (as in they will be threatening each other with damnation and stuff like that). And what ever happened to my reviewers? Last chapter got zero reviews. Can't you guys please review?
