Cult of the Hexad (Afterlife saga Book 6) (4 page)

It wasn’t as if anything had happened to me in the past for me to be so scared but even now it was hard to get past the fear long enough to make my body work. The last time I had spent my time sat on the top step with my hand on the door. I remember when they finally opened the door seeing the light for the first time in two days. The first thing I saw was the bloody smears on the wood and when I looked down at my hand I saw my red raw bleeding knuckles where I had tried to punch my way out. Needless to say the wood won the fight.

That day they had broken me and I vowed I would never do anything that would land me back in this nightmare. Well little good that did me I thought with a groan. 

I closed my eyes and focused on the pain in both my stomach and my head so I wouldn’t panic. The last time I had hyperventilated until I passed out, only to wake to the sound of Ari’s voice bringing me back. I remembered her outrage and arguing with our mother on the other side of the door but it was all in vain as she had received ten lashes for the offence. So she had found another way to help me through and that’s where I needed to get to now.

There was a window down there, I remembered that much.

“Come on Kay, pull your shit together.” I said out loud, which actually helped calm my shattered nerves. Getting up took longer than it should have but with the added fear of falling off the edge I finally started to make progress. It was only when my foot touched the ground and came off the last step that I allowed myself a sigh of relief. I don’t know why or what had changed since last time but it felt like I had been through so much worse than this that it gave me a strength I didn’t understand.

The window was covered with an aged piece of cloth that allowed in the tiniest amount of light through th
e
threadbare holes. It was enough to feel my way there and after tripping only once, I finally reached it. I yanked the material from the dirty glass, ripping it from the rusty nails and felt better as soon as the looming darkness was taken away. The light danced on the particles of dust that floated in the air and I reached up on tip toes to see through the window. It was too high for me to see much so I looked around for something to stand on, which was when I saw it.

“What on earth is this?”
I muttered when coming across what looked like a primitive prison cell without the bars. There was an inflated bed which was covered in a thick layer of dust that had obvious not seen a warm body in a while.  An empty child’s plate and a plastic spoon were left on top of it with an old spider’s web waving at me in the air like a draft was coming from somewhere.

It was an eerie scene alright but one made even creepier by the broken music box that lay on its side. I swallowed hard and let my dangerous curiosity pull me closer to the broken shards that lay scattered around the tiny ballerina, one that had stopped dancing long ago. As I stepped closer I felt my hands start to shake as something was sickeningly wrong about all of this.

I stood over the box and looked down without moving as I tried to make sense of it all and the nauseating feeling looking at the broken glass brought me. Part of me didn’t want to move or was too scared to do so, but it was as if I needed to know what was going on and something in this scene would show me. So I bent on one knee, feeling as though I was disturbing history by touching the box.

I noticed the ballerina’s arms were broken off and as soon as I set it back down the broken sound of the Nutcracker’s Sugarplum Fairy started to play. That tiny tinkling sound hit me like a bulldozer and all I could smell was blood. That stomach-turning scent of copper wafted up my nose as if the room was flooding with it.

I looked around but saw nothing that would produce that smell but then I remembered my head and touched the sticky patch that must have explained it. I shook my head as if this would help me wash away the feeling that I had seen this all before but that was impossible. The last time I was forced down here I had stayed in the darkness and saw nothing of the room. I only knew there was a window because Ari had spoken to me through it, trying to coax me towards it. Needless to say my fear had won that day.  

A bright light flashed on the floor and I looked down to see that the biggest piece of the broken mirror had caught the light from the window. I frowned down at it and was about to turn my attention back to the window when something stopped me. It was as though I had no mind over my actions as I bent and grabbed it. I held it up to look at myself and instantly screamed.

“NOOO!” I shouted at the image of my other self looking back at me but it wasn’t seeing her that made me react this way. No, it was the shadowed figure reflecting back at me, one that stood at the top of the staircase with nothing but the light behind him framing the horror.

I looked back at the fear and tears in the girl’s eyes…
my eyes.
It was then that I knew this was her nightmare I was witnessing and just when I thought I couldn’t take much more I noticed the blood. At first a single droplet emerged on the glass and trickled across the reflection of our eyes. But soon I had no other choice but to view our faces through a red veil of crimson. I screamed again and threw the mirror shard down, letting it smash in the corner of the room.

I jumped and looked down at my shaking hands only to see our joint nightmare wasn’t over. My hands were covered in blood and as I lifted my hands up, I noticed the deep slashes cut into the flesh on my forearms.

I could hear my screaming and feel my head violently shaking back and forth, but the other side of me could hear nothing this world had to offer and my body was frozen in time. I just looked down at the horror of my mutilated arms and I knew.

I knew what she had done to try and get away from the Demon.

I knew what she had done to us…

She had tried to kill us.    

Chapter 3

Can Your Dreams Kill You?

“Kay…
Kay?”
As soon as I heard my sister’s voice the vision of blood disappeared. It was just like someone up there had snapped their fingers or flipped a switch ending the gruesome sight.

“Kay, come on!” 
My sister hissed in panic. Hearing this was enough to get me moving. I looked around getting back to my original plan and trying to find something to stand on. I almost wept with joy when I saw a step ladder. I grabbed it and rushed to window knowing that Ari could get into trouble if she was seen. I pushed it up against the wall and after taking that first big step to avoid the broken slat, I was there. I pushed the window and muttered a ‘thank you God’ when it opened with only a little elbow grease.

“Ari!” I said to her feet that were level with my head.

“Come on, I’m getting you out of here.”
  I smiled at her determination and said the only thing that needed to be said.

“Oh, Hell yes.” I then put both my arms through the small space and dragged my body the rest of the way gripping onto the grass. Ari helped me up and after giving me the once over she gritted her teeth against the anger she no doubt felt at seeing what our mother had done to me.

“Let’s go.” I nodded and after making sure the coast was clear we ran for the barn. The Colony was a pretty remote place, one that was flat, full of fields and therefore easy to spot runaways. However if you could make it past the vast open space then you could easily get lost in the surrounding woodland that framed the Colony.

I was about to ask about being caught when one look at my twin and I knew I just needed to trust her. So when she took my hand in hers I just let my worries go and let my feet carry me away. We ran towards one of the older barns, that these days held nothing but old rusty farm equipment and surplus hay. I wanted to ask why no one was around but thought it best not to stop mid getaway for a chat.

Thankfully the doors weren’t locked and were only held together with a heavy chain wrapped around the handles. We crept inside making sure not to let the large doors give us away as it creaked on its aging hinges. Once we were inside we both leant our backs to the door and took a moment to catch our breaths.

“I hate to be the killjoy in this great escape but what now?” I asked after leaning forward to make it easier to breathe.

“I overheard our Bitch of a mother telling Uncle that you would be locked down there until tomorrow night. As soon as I heard that’s what she had planned I knew I couldn’t let it happen again.” I gave my sister a sad smile before concern outweighed my relief.

“But you could have been caught!”

“Nah, I let the horses out of their stables, so that should keep them busy…now stop worrying and come on, I have a surprise for you.” I stopped myself before bombarding her with loads of questions and number one on that list was ‘what if they knew it was her’.

I followed her through to the back of the barn until we came to a rickety looking ladder that led to a mezzanine level. I ignored the next question I wanted to ask and just went on up. Once I reached the top I saw that this was obviously where they stored most of the hay. I looked back at Ari but she just nodded to a small triangle window that was the only source of light. I climbed my way over the bales to see someone had made what looked like a straw fort.

“Did you do this?” I asked in awe.

“Okay, so it’s no New York penthouse but welcome to your new home…for two days at least.” I looked around the hidden space finding blankets, pillows and best of all, a basket of food. She had even placed a small pile of books next to the make shift bed with a small flashlight resting on the top. I wanted to cry out my thanks and weep at the feet of the only person who loved me in this world. I said it once and thought it a million times before but I just knew I would never have survived without my twin.

In the end I didn’t cry and crumble to her feet. No, I simply stepped into her body, put my arms around her and then whispered in her ear,

“I love you.” 

“I know you do, Kay Bear.”

“How did you have time to do all this?” I asked in awe. She looked back at me and the confusion was clear to see.

“How long do you think you have been down there?” Now it was my turn to frown at her question.

“I don’t know, ten, fifteen minutes tops…Ari? What is it?”

“Kay, you were down there for hours.”

Shortly after that Ari left so she could sneak back into the house and act like she had no clue what had happened. I spent that time eating the leftovers from last night’s meatloaf dinner with a piece of stale bread that would go unnoticed for that very reason. I also spent the time wondering how on earth I had lost so much time down there.

I was trying to get my head sorted out and figure out what these dreams and visions actually meant. Had the figure at the top of the stairs been a vision of my Demon? Had that hellhole been where he had kept her?

I turned my head to one side and frowned at my own thoughts. It seemed the most logical explanation but if that was the case then why did that idea not sit well with me? Actually the thought made me sick to my stomach and not just because I found it hard to believe anyone could do that to someone they loved. Now this was one thought that made me laugh out loud considering the things my own mother
did to me.
But it was something else within me that felt so wrong just thinking that it could have been
him.
Or was that just all part of his mind control?

“Hey, I’m back.”

“Jesus!” I shouted, jumping a mile when Ari popped her head over the top of the ladder.

“That’s a sin you know.” She said but as soon as the words were out I no longer heard them being spoken just now by my sister.

“What did you say?”
I asked on a freaked out whisper. I saw her lips start to move but then softly the world around her started to change.  

“That's a sin you know.” A different voice overrode my sister’s, replaced suddenly by a man’s deep and sensual voice. It spoke to me and my hand went to my chest feeling it thump erratically under my palm. I felt my lips start to move and I frowned at the voice I heard playing back at me, one that was full of confidence and feisty playfulness.     

“This is never going to work if you keep creeping up on me and nearly scaring me to death!”

“Kay...Are you alright?” I heard my sister’s voice as if it was being spoken at the end of a tunnel.

“I…I…” I shook my head and closed my eyes at the painful pressure building at my temple.  

“And what do I get in return?” The man’s voice asked again and this time sounding just as playful as mine had. My eyes snapped open despite the pain and I gasped without making a sound. My mind tried to force my body to do as it was told and that was to turn around and run. But none of that happened. Not now…it was too late for running because there he was.

Stood right in front of me.

I looked down and let the shorter parts of my hair fall forward only to see my hand outstretched as if trying to take something from him. He had something in his hand and was keeping it from me, holding it behind his back. He playfully looked down at me given the vast difference in height and I felt myself bite my bottom lip, something I had never done before. He raised one eyebrow and smirked when seeing the evidence of what his presence obviously provoked from within me.     

“And here was me thinking that you were the type to just take whatever you wanted…oh well.”
I said shocking myself enough that my instincts would have had my hands flying to my mouth in regret. But that never happened. Instead I turned my back to him only to find his speed was nothing short of superhuman.

He was stood back in front of me by the time I turned and grinning at me like he…well, like he wanted to take a bite out of me! He held out what looked like a small phone and my hand reached out to take it with no choice on my part.

I knew it was a mistake, I was screaming that mistake out at myself but it was all in vain. He grabbed my body, pulling it forward so I had no choice but to go to him. Then he spun me around so he was at my back and I felt my neck being arched to one side. Oh God, he was going to bite me! He was going to feed from me and then there would be no going back.

I would be his forever.

I looked up as my head was forced into the position he wanted me in and the sight I saw was like someone dumping me into an icy river. A large mirror stood in front of us, one that was framed in the exact replica of our church’s main window. I couldn’t understand what I was seeing but more so the sight of me as my other self, the miserable part of me in the broken window that was no longer looking so desolate. No, she was long gone and in her place was a girl that only needed one word to describe her…

She was
free.

The blissful look on her face said there was nowhere in her world that she would rather be than in his arms. It wasn’t the frightened face of my world. It wasn’t the supressed girl’s hands that gripped onto his arm, holding him to her. It wasn’t the confining coarse dress covering a body quivering at his touch. It was her, not me and for once I hated it!

“I want it to be me.” I said and just for a few seconds her image flickered to mine. As soon as this happened I realised my mistake as it wasn’t me that he wanted…

It was her.

His arm tightened painfully around my torso and anger overtook his once lustful face. His eyes found my frightened ones staring back at him in the mirror and they ignited into a deep purple fire that blazed at the sight of which girl he held captive in front of him.

“It can never be you!”
He hissed through gritted teeth and then it happened. Time seemed to speed up and in a blur of movement I only had enough time to see my doomed fate in the form of dangerous fangs flashing white before I felt them bury themselves into my jugular…

My Demon wanted to kill me. 

“Katie!” I heard the name but for the first time it no longer felt like my own.

“What happened? Are you okay?” My sister asked as I felt myself collapse to the straw bed in what felt more like defeat than exhaustion.

“Katie?”

“I don’t know.” I answered honestly wondering if I would ever be okay again. That lasting image of the Demon I was becoming obsessed with, trying to destroy me was one that I knew would haunt me for the rest of my days. It was almost as if he blamed me for something…
or someone?
 

“What happened just then, you started to go all weird, like you were hallucinating or something?” Ari asked handing me a cup of water she had just poured from a flask. I took great gulps of my water before answering her as it suddenly felt like I hadn’t drank anything for days.

“I don’t know, it’s never happened to me before…well before today that is
.
Something you said must have triggered a vision, like being in that basement did.” Ari frowned at me, folding her arms.

“Okay, start talking Kay.” She demanded sitting down on an opposite hay bale. I didn’t think talking about it was a good idea but I found that once I started that I just couldn’t stop. I told her everything starting backwards with the vision I just had.

“She spoke to me Ari.”

“She spoke to you? But I thought you said…”

“Yes I know but something must have happened. Something…
broke through…”
  I said this last part leaning forward and in a whisper as though the reasons just hit me.

“…The window.” I added before she had chance to ask me what.

“The one you see your dreams through?”

“Yes and the very same one that’s in our church…could it really all be inside my head? Could my mind really be making all this up because I will tell you Ari, it really doesn’t feel that way.”

“I know. It doesn’t for me either. I was thinking about this earlier and I have a theory.” I took the last few sips left of my water and said,

“Well thank God one of us does,” over my metal cup.

“What if there is something more going on around here, you know apart from all that prophecy, Chosen One crap?” I closed my eyes again as if hearing all the Colony’s crazy wacked up shit caused me actual physical pain.

The Six ‘Fathers’ or ‘Elders’ as they were also called, were like the leaders of the Colony and each had their own family household surrounding one communal farm. Mostly the Colony remained self-sufficient, growing its own food and our energy coming from solar panels and wind generators. 

However there was a blacked out van that would turn up once a week with what we gathered to be more supplies. We never saw what was being unloaded as we knew that as soon as the van was seen on the boundaries of our land we had to disappear inside our rooms. Only the elders knew what came and went in the unmarked van and no one questioned the Elders…
ever.

“Well needless to say that neither of us believes a word they preach and all this rubbish about Rory being the ‘Chosen One’ and carrying the prophecy inside her is just another way to control us.” I said knowing that nothing about this place was even on the radar of being normal.