Ascent, p.28
Ascent, page 28
part #2 of The Lit Series Series
“What do you want?” Jason sneered coldly, turning his back, and continuing forward.
“You didn't return my calls,” Luka whined, trotting behind him. Luka’s ignorance to what he caused yesterday was infuriating. As pitiful as he looked, as completely horrific as he more than likely felt, he deserved this.
“Luka not now.”
Luka’s shuffle slowed only for a second before he desperately scuttled up to Jason again. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry… come on. I’m sorry. I didn't know she would do that.”
“You look like shit,” Jason snapped viciously. He was sure, though he didn't look at him, he heard Luka muffle a sob. “You should sleep,” was as kind a remark as he was capable of.
Suddenly Luka stopped walking, a look of sheer dread on his grey face, “no.”
“Don’t push it today. I mean it. Don't do it.”
“I am asleep. I’m still asleep. I can't stop dreaming… I can't make it stop,” Luka said, his voice beginning to sound way too much like begging to inspire any respect from Jason.
Rolling his eyes with embarrassment, he turned to face him. Luka continued, “it's a nightmare… everywhere. The rain, the air, the… the wind. All just… dark. It's moving in me, and I can't stop it. I can't wake up.”
Jason didn't respond straight away. He didn't know what to say. This was the fate of all Devotees, but Luka had been fast tracked. What good was he to Jason now? He had only a few tricks left in him, at best. But those few tricks could make all the difference in the right situation. Luka had always been stupid, but now he would be stupid and desperate. Regardless, proximity to Jason would not help Luka. It would not stop the process of his descent into darkness, but he could still be useful until then. Jason would not let Luka off the hook, not yet. He needed to let him bathe in this a little bit longer.
“Just go home. Seriously, I've had it up to here with bullshit and I’m done. I’m that close…” Jason held up his thumb and index finger, pinching them together. “That close. So go away for now. Just leave.”
Luka watched as Jason walked away. He felt overcome with loneliness and despair. It was known what would happen to him. He had seen it and he had felt similar foreboding shadows in the past. But nothing like this. His life, the life of Luka was nearly over, and he would become something else. Did he ever really believe that this would happen before now? Did it ever truly sink in, how temporary he was? His only hope was that the secret could be found. To do that he had to cross over, and he would only have one chance. Those Grimoires, those he had taken and hidden deep in the other hell, held the only chance for his salvation. To get there, someone had to be taken. They would have to be close. They would have to be accessible. He was sure this required more of him than he had left, but he had no choice.
Turning, he stared into the street, dazed, and panicked. He found himself beginning to run. He ran from his sickness, this disease. But the darkness that would not lift was the creature whose hunger for chaos and blood pulsed in his veins.
The classroom seemed different than before. It was as bright and noisy as always, but Josh felt that, somehow, he was watching the room rather than being a part of it. They had done some maths in the morning and then they had done news. The teacher had walked past Josh whilst another student was talking and gave him a caring squeeze on his shoulder. Maybe she knew his Mum was gone. Of course she knew; everyone knew.
Lunch had been nice, and he got to sit on the bench with his friends who, after a chilly beginning, were now acting happy to have him back. He looked different perhaps. His clothes were nicer, and his hair was done. Pulling out his lunchbox, he scanned their eyes looking for a reaction, an acknowledgement. Perhaps jealousy at how nice his lunch box was, and they would ask what was inside? They didn’t.
They were going on an excursion in the afternoon to see some old people. His friends and the teacher had spoken about it. It had started the week before. He was told they made cakes, played games, and talked with the old people about all sorts of things. Josh was curious; he didn't know many old people, and he’d certainly never been somewhere where they all lived. He wondered what it might look like. He did know an old person once; she had eyes that were white, like the Dog. He hoped they didn't all have white eyes because he didn't like it.
Spelling complete, Josh could see the school bus pull up outside where Ron's car had sat for a long time. He was glad it was gone. They all put on their coats, hats and scarfs and headed out to the road where they were loaded two by two onto the large bus. Josh became nervous. He hoped old people were nice and didn't make him feel anything bad. He would be so angry if the Dog ate an old person.
Josh hated it when it rained so hard when he was in a car, or in this case, a bus. He couldn't see out of the windows properly. He couldn’t watch the people and see the buildings. Just pellets of water, flashes of cars and, of course, the stupid large black Monster Dog running in the street. He wished that it couldn't run so fast. He had watched a movie once where a car went faster than a dinosaur. Dinosaurs could be very fast, but this Dog was even faster than a dinosaur.
The old people's place was not as Josh had expected. It looked old, but pretty, with big white windows and gardens that he was sure would be full of really nice flowers when the weather got better. He did know that old people liked flowers. He saw it on an advert once - they were in the garden doing things very slowly but looking really happy. He joined the other children leaving the school bus and waited whilst the teacher counted their heads. A “head count” she had called out. Josh always found this funny. Making sure no-one lost their head on the way there, made him giggle.
Inside, the building was just as nice. There was lots of wallpaper and nice pictures hanging on the walls. It did smell a bit funny, but then Josh thought that that was probably from the flowers in the vases that seemed to be upon every surface. The teacher walked them past three ladies at a desk. Only one called out “Aw, Hello!” Maybe the other two didn't see them.
They were then led through a large dining room with lots of tables and chairs. Josh noticed there were lots of placemats all with names on them. He thought this was kind of cool. At least they knew where they had to sit.
Through the dining room, they entered a large doorway where there were lots of old people. It was a very big room with lots of chairs and even more flowers and pictures on every single wall. Some of the kids waved hello and ran off to ones they had obviously met before. Two of the girls ran up to a big old lady with curly grey hair who was sitting in a wheelchair. She smiled and leant forward, giving them a little hug. She seemed friendly. So did the man in the armchair that his friend had run up to. Everyone seemed to be engaging in a conversation as Josh stood awkwardly in the middle of the room feeling increasingly alone.
He stared uneasily around the room, looking at the other children all of whom seemed so much happier to be there then he did. Some had taken games out of boxes. Others were showing pictures they had painted. He hadn't painted a picture and he didn't know any of these people. Turning around he looked at the door behind him. He saw his teacher approach. “Why don't you go and talk to someone?” she suggested gently as she crouched beside him.
“I don't know anyone,” he replied shyly.
Sitting before the large, arched window in a big comfy chair was an old man. Josh thought that he looked like he’d be a nice person to talk to. He was dressed in a comfy red shirt which came too low on his chest so Josh could see his white singlet underneath. Maybe he had no hair, except for the grey hairs on his chest? His pants were very baggy, and he wore funny big shoes which looked like two big pillows on his feet.
The man stared at him warily. Josh looked back. Maybe he wasn't looking at him? No-one was talking to him. Josh felt sad about that. Poor old man. His teacher gave him a nudge. “You want to go and say Hello?” Josh panicked. Just because he felt sad for him didn't mean he wanted to be the one to talk to him. The way the old man looked at him was strange. Josh couldn't tell if it was nice or not but there was definitely something about it that had made him curious. Maybe, thought Josh, it's because I look friendly.
The child and the old man stared at each other for an awkward moment longer before Josh summoned up all his courage and started to walk towards him. The old man glanced back at the window, carefully ignoring the cautiously advancing child. Then, hesitantly, he looked back at Josh as his old, small eyes grew larger and then narrowed. He had a very big nose and, Josh noted, big ears. He looked like a cartoon character and so he was bound to be friendly.
Josh took the final step towards him as the old man rubbed his chin apprehensively. Summoning up all his courage, Josh spoke “Hi, I’m Josh.”
The old man regarded him for a moment, taking a large, tired breath before forcing a reply. “Hello there young Josh. It’s a pleasure.” He held out his hand and Josh could tell that this was less a social grace than a lesson on proper introductions.
“Oh look,” cooed a nurse, forcing the old man to roll his eyes. “Grandpa Charlie has a new friend!” In response, Josh was sure the old man muttered, “bloody imbecile.”
The old man took Joshua's nervous hand in his, dwarfing it as he gave it a tight squeeze and a firm shake that nearly hurt.
“Are you Charlie?” Joshua asked.
“No young man. That’s what people call me after a time. I have only just had the pleasure of making your acquaintance. You can call me Mr. Russo and I will call you Master Josh. Is that acceptable?” Charlie sat back as Josh thought about it for a moment before smiling and nodding. He had never been called a ‘master’ before.
Sam drove silently, unsure of what to say to Ellie who rummaged in her backpack beside him. So many questions. She was about to go to work for the afternoon, cleaning at the school. She lived in a small one-bedroom apartment in a suitable area. She didn't drive, although there were many sensible reasons for this. Her backpack looked ready to die, frayed and battered. Her clothes were simple, dark and had no style whatsoever. However, she had just paid over thirty thousand dollars in debt in ten minutes… all for him. Every card, every bill, every car payment, and all the late mortgage payments were taken care of. His relief and gratitude were overwhelming. As was his curiosity. She sat there with the same demeanour. No big deal. It hadn't bothered her. Who was she?
“Can I make you dinner?” he asked sheepishly.
“Why?” Ellie asked, placing her bag on the floor.
“Because you just saved my ass.”
“You saved mine first, to be honest.” Ellie looked at him, “it's no big deal. Seriously.”
“That was a hell of a lot of money.”
“Yes,” she agreed. “Now you've got time.”
“To what?”
“To get a job. To be in a good place again,” Ellie said in an uncharacteristically upbeat voice. “Perhaps with everything else we’ve got going on, we can at least relax that money will never be a problem. Whatever we decide to do.”
Sam tapped the steering wheel in frustration. He loved the optimism, he really did. And he probably needed a good dose of it right now, but perhaps being in ‘a good place’ wasn't ever going to be realistic. Not for any of them. Ellie gazed out the window.
Ellie had money to run, yet she wouldn't. Why? As soon as he thought of this he wanted to ask. Why are you still here? Why don't you just go, run, get as far away from here as you can? Find somewhere quiet, somewhere far away where no-one would ever find you. Where no-one has ever heard the name Bael. He was worried. Where was her head at? What was she thinking? Where did she see herself in all of this? All these players. Josh, him, and now all the others emerging into the light: Bael, the Heretic, the Firewolf. But where amongst them all, did she see herself? Did she even consider herself a person worthy of being saved at all?
Chapter 21
Sitting at the bar, Noah quickly threw back another whiskey. He felt his throat burn and his head spin as he placed the glass down, giving it a tap for a refill. He liked this bar. Even after his sixth shot, the bartender didn't shoot him a look of disapproval like so many others. He wouldn't be here much longer. Only long enough to calm the nerves, dull the pain, before washing down the oxy and then… to the shed! Over the years this had increased his tolerance for all things intoxicating, which made nights like tonight much more expensive than they used to be.
There were times in the past when he was a little too eager, too keen, to nullify the upcoming events, but that never ended well. Can’t drink to excess, pass out and piss himself when he got ‘home’ or become so out of it that he lost control. As Mika had said, an Ace had two modes: on and off. An Underling however, had some form of control. Taking the small sheet of tablets out from his pocket he turned it over. Four left, only four! One for before and three to get him through the night until the phantom pain subsided. Too early yet, a few more shots should do it.
Turning his chair, he looked at the TV on the wall behind him. The bar was empty. Most people were still at work. This thought used to embarrass him, but not anymore. Being on the fringes made life so much easier. As far as Chelamah knew, he was still employed at the metal works. His stomach sank. The list of things Chelamah didn't know had grown so much. Heartbreakingly, there were many things she would never know before her end. His biggest guilt was taking advantage of that.
This was his role now. He was an on-call henchman, unleashing himself on anyone without question. He had access to the Pantheon. He had been granted a Devotee. This had not sat comfortably with some of the Aces and he understood why. He was not an Ace. He was not a Devotee. An Underling was caught between. At first it appeared that Mika simply didn't know what to do with him or how to use him. But he knew.
Mika paid a retainer that enabled him to sit here, drink and have accommodation to prevent Chelamah getting suspicious. That was all that mattered. He had already received the picture via his phone. The target was fixed. Chelamah had messaged him. He had responded that he was working late. Although she had not, until recently, turned up at his ‘dwelling’, he couldn't take that risk tonight.
Spinning back around to face the bar, he knocked back the latest glass, repeating his request for more to the bartender who had begun to give him ‘the look.’ It was OK. This guy still had at least three more shots to offer before he would say anything.
Charlie spun his chair around at the top of the indoor ramp, watching Josh wheel a badly behaved trolley of seedlings in front of him. “Come on young man,” he called impatiently. “It’ll be winter again before we put those in pots.”
“The wheel keeps going the other way,” Josh complained, fighting his way up the carpeted incline.
“Don't blame your equipment Master Josh. Put your back into it, come on.”
Josh didn't understand the phrase. Put his back into it? Did he mean, push it backwards? He wasn't sure. He was about to ask when Mr. Russo wheeled himself away down the corridor, “this way Master Josh!”
Holding the trolley steady on the incline, Josh looked back at the dining room. He was pretty sure he should be with his classmates, but the teacher had told them that it was OK to be helpful on their visits here. He thought that he was being very helpful, so that should be OK. Taking a deep breath, he threw his weight behind the skewed wheels and continued up to the corridor that Charlie had rolled down.
“You, my boy, are very, very strong,” Charlie beamed watching Joshua fight his way towards him. Josh grunted. Charlie couldn’t be sure what he said. Wheeling himself back into his room, he turned the chair to face the door and waited as first the trolley then the red-faced boy entered.
“Ah wonderful. Wonderful.” Charlie cast a sneaky look over Josh's shoulder. “Now, we must get them in the pots! I think four will do it, then we must get the trolley back.”
Four?! Joshua couldn't believe it. He could have carried four. He didn't have to bring up the whole trolley!
“Why did we have to bring everything then?” Josh asked in astonishment. Charlie rolled his eyes. “Because we need to choose the best ones. As soon as Doris - Did you see Doris?”
Josh shook his head, no.
“Doris, the highland cow of a woman from room 9? No? Well, she would have told Sister Landsdale that we were rummaging, and then right after tea she would’ve been straight at them! No sir! Not on my watch. We need to see them all and claim the best ones. Last year, that grey heifer managed to steal all the begonias and she only had one leg then! Now she's got wheels, so we must be quick.”
Josh felt a sense of urgency, even though he didn't quite understand what Charlie was going on about. The old man gestured to the confused boy who quickly closed the door.
Charlie examined his bounty, picking up the small seedlings and looking intently at their leaves. Josh looked about. The room was very strange and smelt like old clothes. There was a simple dresser with a few pictures on it. They would be his family. He must love these people very much; they were the only pictures he had.
“Hmmm” Charlie pondered. “A little too wet but never bother. Begonias need little care Master Josh. Not too wet, mind, not too much water.”
“They’re very small.” Josh spoke quietly, watching Charlie turn one over, before placing it back on the trolley and picking up another.
“Yes, but they grow big in nice, fluffy dirt. We look after small things. It's what we do when you are as big as you and I.”
Josh wondered what fluffy dirt looked like. He stepped closer to try and see whatever was so interesting to the old man. He peered over his shoulder. “Do they grow inside?”
“Yes, yes they do. With a bit of sun,” Charlie smiled, admiring the little green leaves. “Keep them out of the cold. They like it better here.”
