Gauntlet Rite of Ascension (8 page)

“I already told you, my name is Abaddon. I was a friend of your father’s.” He said, facing me squarely.

A strong smell of leather came to me on a slight breeze. I could smell other things with it, sweat, blood; chemicals used in the tanning process, the depth of the scents were amazing.

Abaddon watched me closely, correctly judging what was happening.

“Your powers are vast. The Beast has bestowed upon you a great gift. You will have much to learn and I will teach you. Your father asked this of me.” He said.

“How do I know I can trust you? I have spent the night in my own mind watching as this Beast killed people I cared for, how do I know this isn’t a trick?” I asked.

Abaddon nodded in understanding,

“Concentrate; attune your senses to me, your hearing, smell and sight. Take a deep breath and let your instincts tell you if I am lying.”

I wasn’t sure if he was messing with me, but he had helped in my return to human form. I decided it wouldn’t hurt to try.

I did as he suggested, I focused on him and tried to ignore everything else. The sounds of animals in the brush faded, the smells of the stream and the newly churned up mud disappeared.

His heartbeat came to me clearly. Thump-bump, thump-bump, his distinct scent filled my nose, his every feature grew clear and crisp as I watched him closely.

“Your father sent me to help you. I can help you manage the change, if you let me.” He said.

I detected no change in the rhythm of his heartbeat, his scent belied nothing of deceit and his features kept their calm demeanor. The overall impression the culmination of my senses gave me was truth. What he said rang with truth.

“Ok, what the hell is going on?” I asked.

“First things first, you have to go back home. The authorities will be looking for you. They have many questions about the girl you were with and the encounter with your family.” He said.

Walking up to me he gently guided me away from the stream and back toward the neighborhood.

“You have to convince them that you don’t know what happened. I don’t think that is too far from the truth. Tell them you were attacked by a large animal and your girl ran off in the woods and you ran home in panic.”

“I know it’s not very heroic, but what we need now is you to be cleared of any charges. Tell them you ran home and hid.” He finished.

“What about my mom and sister, they know I wasn’t there?” I asked.

“I’ll deal with that.” He said.

We walked out of the woods and down the street. The night was darker than I remembered, the shadows full of more dangers and threats. We made it to the house and I walked in and almost had my head taken off by a baseball bat.

Abaddon reached out and grabbed the bat in mid-swing, stopping it from colliding with my head. My mom stood there holding the handle with wild, scared eyes. When she saw me she immediately dropped the bat and rushed me, hugging me fiercely.

“It’s okay, mom.” I said.

“I didn’t know what to do, some monster attacked us. I was so scared. Thank god you’re alright.” She said.

“I’m fine mom, really.” I said.

She took me at arm’s length, looking at me. She turned her head and for the first time noticed Abaddon. Her reaction was immediate.

“What the hell are you doing here?” She said, strength filling her voice.

“It’s nice to see you to, Susan.” Abaddon said with calm sincerity.

“What’s going on?” I heard my sister say.

She sat with Ricky’s head in her lap. A washcloth pressed to his chest. It was a deep red from absorbing the blood Ricky’s wound was bleeding.

“May I speak with you in private for a few seconds?” Abaddon asked my mom.

My mom looked back to me then to my sister, worry on her face.

“We’ll be fine, go. I’ll help Susan.” I said.

My mom nodded once then walked off with Abaddon. They went into the kitchen, away from us.

I went over to the closet near the entrance and pulled out a towel, taking it over to Susan I sat down. She looked at me with pale skin, worry and fear draining the blood from her face.

“How bad is it?” I asked.

“I don’t know, it just keeps bleeding, if he doesn’t get help soon I…” She couldn’t continue.

The trauma and shock of sitting in her living room trying to keep the boy she was making out with a little while ago from bleeding to death was too much and she broke down in gut-wrenching sobs.

I put my hand on her shoulder and gently told her, “Here, let me take over, I have a fresh bandage.”

She shook her head vigorously once.

“No, I’ll do it. I want to do it.”

I was proud of her resolve. It gave me a small spark of hope that she would get through this okay. I gave her the fresh towel and as she removed the old one I could see the four deep gashes on Ricky’s chest where the Beast had hit him. They quickly filled up with fresh blood and my sister put the new towel down over them, applying pressure.

My mom and Abaddon were deep in a heated conversation as I heard my mom’s voice rise in agitation. I was just about to get up and make sure everything was okay when they both walked back in. My mom’s face was filled with worry and fear, but also determination.

Abaddon stood apart from us and drifted to the back door, he looked at me and nodded then walked out, leaving.

“The cops will be here in a few minutes. When they get here I want you to tell them that Eric came in a few hours ago and went upstairs. Everything else stays the same.” My mom said, looking directly at Susan.

My sister looked at my mom, unsure of what to say.

“You want me to lie to the cops?” She asked.

“Yes, that is exactly what I want. Can you do that?” She asked.

My sister looked from me to my mom.

“Fine, but after this is over I want to know what happened, I want the truth.” She said.

My mom nodded once, her composure holding together by the slightest thread.

“Done.” My mom said.

“What’s going on mom?” I asked, truly surprised at her change. She was willing to lie to the police now? Have her daughter do the same? What the hell?

“Not now, do what you were told. Understand?” She asked, strength filled her voice that unnerved me.

“Okay, sure.” I said.

My mom nodded and went over to Susan; she knelt down and helped her apply pressure to the wound. I could already hear the distant sounds of an approaching ambulance, followed closely by a patrol car.

Chapter 10

The next few hours went by in a blur. Paramedics came in and took Ricky to the hospital. Susan wanted to go with him, but she had to stay to talk to the police. They came in and took each of our statements. They were especially interested in my account of things.

I repeated over and over what I was told to say. When one jerk cop told me about Sara’s death in a brash manner, hoping to get a reaction, I broke down. Seeing her smiling face in my mind was too much for me and I couldn’t stop crying. The emotions I showed were real, I was distraught at what had happened to her and I blamed myself.

If I only would have been faster or stronger, maybe I could have stopped the Beast.

The police took my reaction to Sara’s death as appropriate for someone who just found out. They still had me come to the police station and with my mom present they asked me again what happened.

We went over the incident over and over, the cops hoping to find some inconsistency or clue that would lead them to the killer or make me a suspect.

I think they believed I was guilty but had no real proof. My mom’s steady presence helped me keep my bearings and my story straight. She held my hand with a steel grip, willing this to be over.

I overheard some of the cops talking about an animal attack that had killed two of their own. Other law enforcement officials started showing up within a few hours. The death of two of their fellow men brought in the big guns.

Two men wearing smart suits came and questioned me again. The name badges on their chests read Kirby and Shultz. Somehow, with the support of my mom, I was able to tell them again and again what I had told the other cops.

Soon my mom grew agitated. She wanted to cooperate, but her protectiveness over me began to break.

“I think we’ve been over this enough. I have a daughter who watched her boyfriend attacked by a wild bear and I’d like to see to her, is my son free to go?” My mom asked.

The two suited men looked at each other then went to the corner of the room in a huddled conference. I concentrated slightly on what they were saying, trying to get a snippet of their conversation. In such a small space my budding senses allowed me to hear them as if they were standing in front of me.

“What do you think?” Kirby said.

“I don’t like it. My gut tells me he knows something he’s not telling us.” Shultz said.

“Forensics is saying there is corroborating evidence at all three scenes that for now show the same animal present.” Kirby said.

“Without any hard evidence we can’t keep him any longer. I just don’t like it, but we can’t hold him on a gut feeling. Let him go. Hopefully the C.S.I. guys will help us piece this together.” Shultz said.

They turned back to us and opened the door.

“You’re free to go. Thank you for your time, here’s my card. If you think of anything, anything else that might be useful give me a call. Even the smallest things can help.” Shultz said, handing me a small business card.

It was blank except for the name Detective Shultz and a phone number below it.

My mom reached out and took the card, putting her arm around me she guided me out and we found a police cruiser waiting to take us home.

Like that first night the next few weeks passed in a daze. So much happened, yet I was unable to engage in any of it.

My school allowed me to miss the rest of the year. There wasn’t much left anyway and my grades up to that point were stellar.

Georgetown sent a letter letting me know that due to the recent tragedy in my life the scholarship was secure and they looked forward to my attendance in the fall.

The news of the event went national and for a week the town was full of major news outlets trying to talk to me and my sister, we managed to avoid them and when the official report was released that a bear was behind the attacks, they left in search of a juicier story.

Life went back to some semblance of normalcy. For the next month I kept to myself. My sister had seemingly forgotten about trying to find the truth. She spent most of her time with Ricky, helping him recover.

He was doing better. The wounds were deep and had damaged some muscle, but he was healthy and had the resiliency of youth.

My mom never talked about how she knew Abaddon and I never asked.

I could feel the power of the Beast within me. At times, it would grow like a wave cresting then it would ease.

The few times I tried to channel it, the power came to me easily. I was scared by my newfound abilities and tried to ignore it.

I absently kept track of the cycle of the moon, subconsciously understanding that what happened to me, as far-fetched as it seemed, had something to do with werewolves. I studiously absorbed all the information I could about them. Using the internet I read everything.

Max called every day and wanted to come over and hang out. He was worried about me, but would never say as much. I told him I was fine and just needed more time. I did, however, ask him about what he knew about werewolves and he quickly turned his focus on something he was passionate about. He sent me article after article about animal attacks and missing person reports. He had a surprising amount of material on the subject.

A week before the full moon Abaddon showed up. I was lying in bed staring at the ceiling when I heard my name come from the open window.

“Eric.” Abaddon said.

I got up and tentatively looked out. He stood in the moon light, wearing the same dark coat as before and the same hat.

“It is time Eric, time to begin your training. We have wasted too much precious time. Come.” He said.

“What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere with you.” I said.

He never faltered or looked away. His steady countenance was unnerving.

“Do you know what happens when the moon is full? That is but four nights away. Are you willing to risk losing control? I can teach you to control the Beast. Come with me and I can help you. Right now you are a threat to your family.” He said.