September 2006 Issue The Horror Library, your Haunted Home for Horror Fiction, Dark Art, Horror Games, Movie Reviews, Book Reviews, Non-Fiction, Alternative Music, Horror Authors, Horror Short Fiction and featuring The Terrible Twelve - RJ Cavender, Bailey Hunter, Boyd E Harris, Megg Roper, Jason Beirens, CJ Hurtt, Eric Stark, Cordelia Snow, Chris Perridas, Curt Mahr, Stephen Sommerville, M Louis Dixon, Kerry Drummond
"The universe is coming apart. The seams are flaying and whispers of weakness are circulating between the lesser gods and demons." One of the three traveling creatures said to the other two. Which said it is not important, only that it was said.
The three companions were on their way to Scotland, to a small cave where the three sisters and their student waited for the time to strike.
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"We come in peace!" screamed a voice from the companions, it was Joe.
The sisters fell back and away to let the little spirit in, Eve stood waiting. Bellows and Damian lagged behind to let what needed to happen, happen. All the others had seen the upcoming in their dreams, though Joe had no dreams left.
As Joe approached the cave creatures erupted from the rocks, the purple sky turned ink black. The creatures smelled the soul and their greed and hunger compelled them to reveal their presence. Eve appeared next to Joe, a green mist swirled about her form. It crawled around Joe's spirit and the creatures fell away. They tried to penetrate the light, even in great pain they pushed at the barrier and screeched. The tendrils attached to Joe trying to feed.
Eve felt the intrusion, she bit her lip and erupted in magic. The monsters trying to get at Joe were immediately destroyed, the others that were a bit farther back were ravaged with pain, and fell back dying.
All of this happened in less then a second. Millions of the creatures were killed, mortally wounded, or infected with the light that would spread and eat away at their population like a cancer.
Eve sighed in relief and collapsed onto the ground. Joe fell to his knees beside her.
"Is she alright?" he asked.
They all kept their distance. No one moved.
It was not over.
A single creature crawled through the gloaming's shadows, it held back screams of fear and pain, it was hungry, its need to feed was too much. It slithered up Joe's leg onto his back and attached itself to the spirit form. Tried to feed, before it could do so Eve rose from the ground and let out a scream and the creature exploded, Joe looked at her and smiled, his eyes rolled back and he fell to the ground. As he touched the earth he became mist and floated out and away.
Eve screamed and took a hold of a speck of smoke, she held it between her thumb and forefinger. She looked deeply into it and could see Joe's childhood. How he had been beaten, his mother leaving him to fend for himself, the sadness of a lost youth to neglect and abuse. She saw the newest moment contained in the swirl of his soul. She saw herself through his eyes.
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"He was to be destroyed totally you know." said Bellows, "He was told this by their leader. He was to be eaten protecting you. It was meant to throw you off."
Eve looked at Bellows, eyes wide, slick with tears.
"He loved me... he loved me so much. I was so beautiful to him. So kind and giving. He didn't know me at all, yet he loved me."
"You saved him, even just the tiniest portion of him, he is safe, and he is now with you forever."
"Lah-dee dah!" Damien broke into the conversation, "We have work to do and the git is now safe, we have to get them soon." he kept a few yards back from Eve, but he didn't act afraid, though they all could tell he was terrified of her. He twirled a forked stick about like a sword and then rested it on his shoulder.
"Who are you? No...don't tell me I can smell the brimstone from here." She attempted to laugh through her tears and instead vomited up what little she had eaten since she had become what she was.
"C'mon Miss Hero, we have work to do." Damien smiled at her and then tapped Bellows on the shoulder with the stick.
"He's right Eve. No time to loose. You have hurt them bad, many will die from the sickness you started, many will suffer, but enough will endure to cause trouble sooner then later."
"The Earth is becoming hollow Bellows," screamed one of the sisters, "and we have taught her all we can, hurry to the shallow end of the world. They are gathered but will begin to move soon."
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A roar of stone falling away beneath Cairo is heard for hundreds of miles. The city stands on near nothing anymore. The sick creatures feed and spread the magical virus one to another. Some falling back down into the blackness beneath them.
