Curse Of The Gods

Chapter 2

Hope you guys like it! :)

Duke on the side ------>

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I had just finished my shift at the library and started the walk home. I apprehensively looked around as I pulled on my scarf tightly and readjusted my bag. I had managed to cover some distance from the library, but my flat was still a little while away, and night was closely approaching.

The hustle and bustle of the night was not unknown to me, but I couldn't shake the sensation of fear that was occupying majority of my thoughts. Loud hollering caught my attention and made me immediately look up. A group of guys shoddily dressed, stood on the opposite sidewalk calling out obscene and vulgar things every now and again, and would break out into cackles of laughter at my disgusted yet fearful expression. Wanting to flee from them as quickly as possible, I surveyed the street in front of me and spotted an alleyway. I stopped at the opening of the alley feeling very hesitant, knowing that I had heard so many stories about people who walked into alleys at night. A loud boom of laughter made me jump. It seemed to be getting closer and I took one more look at the alley before making up my mind. 

I'll take my chances.  

I hurried into the alley and made sure to turn around to see if I was being pursued. Letting out a breath I had been holding in I continued my walk. As I was nearing the end of the long alley, I heard scuffling behind me and I whipped around. There was a dark silhouette walking through the alley with certain swiftness. Panic consumed me as my chest tightened. It almost seemed like I was being...  

No I'm being ridiculous.  

I resumed walking but I couldn't ignore the feeling of two eyes watching the back of my head. I risked a glance over my shoulder and felt my heart drop. The person had sped up and was getting closer to me. That made me freak out.  

All of a sudden I was sprinting, smelling the putrid aroma's of the alley at an increased rate, feeling the wind whip my body as my hair curtained my eyes. I quickly snatched a look behind me, regretting it immediately.  

My foot caught on what looked to be a mouldy pillow and I came crashing to the ground. The person's footsteps came to a halt behind me as I shook in fear. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping this to be another of my dreams. I slowly opened my eyes and got an up close view of the dirty ground. Two salty tears made their way down my face as I let the horror of the situation fully sink in. I let out a loud gasp as a hand gripped my leg and dragged me backwards. I was flipped over roughly and came face to face with my attacker.

Oh god.

What I was currently looking up at, was certainly not human. It had a pair of serrated, long leathery wings, sharp talons at the end of each human finger, a marred ugly face and glowing red eyes. Strangled 'hissing' noises tumbled out of it mouth. I made a noise of confusion, and it wrapped a hand around my throat, anchoring its talons. I immediately realised that it was speaking, and I found myself understanding it's every word.

"You could not have run from me Soceress," It hissed. "Even with your protection I was still able to find you. Would you like to know, little Soceress?" It cocked its head to the side, giving me cruel look before applying more pressure to my throat. I could no longer breathe. "It is because your soul is like a beacon," It slowly bought it leathery arm up in a striking position. My body went irrevocably numb.

"It attracts those who crave the light. Who would do anything to have a taste-" I waited for the inevitable but all I heard was a crash by the side of my head. Slowly I turned my head. I knew in that instant I was hallucinating.

A long skeletal arm was protruding from a hole in the concrete, and it slowly unclenched its fist. It was quickly followed by the rest of its anatomical body of bones. I heard several crashes around me and saw, what could possibly be a skeletal army. I slid my gaze back to the leathery creature and saw it had on a look of fear. It retracted its hand from my throat and took on an attacking stance. The skeletal army grouped and moved as one deadly unit to face the leathery creature. Then all hell broke loose.

All the flurry of bones charged at the leather creature, jumping on its back, pulling on its wings, anything to take the creature down. Of course the winged nightmare retaliated, flinging skeletons off its body and hurling them at the alley walls, making them disconnect and crumble. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw two black suede shoes calmly walking toward the battle. They paused briefly in front of me before continuing on it prior destination. The remaining skeletons looked up at the stranger and paused. They started to shake violently before turning to dust piles.

The winged creature, realising it was no longer under attack, stopped thrashing but still had a defensive stance. It started hissing and circling the stranger.

"Out of all of them, they sent you. You call yourself a god," It made a derisive noise and crawled closer. "You are useless!" The creature bared it yellow teeth. "All you can do is cower away in your dark fortess, letting your family do all the work". The stranger however, chuckled making the winged being frown in confusion.

"Ah, but you are wrong. I was never sent, and I was certainly not sent by my family.  I am merely collecting an asset which is of high value to me. So I suggest that you leave, that is, if you value your pityful life." Even though I couldn't see him, the deep timbre of his voice exuded power. I was happy I wasn't able to see him, because I assumed he was as intimidating as his voice.

"I saw her first!" The creature cried petulantly. The air was still for a moment, until the stranger let out a sigh. He walked a couple steps until he stood in front of me, making the creature back away.

"Very well. I do hope you realised that you will be the very first to never see her again," In the corner of my eye I saw a huge ball of light hurtle toward the beast. It let out an ear piercing shriek as it came in contact with the light. I lay there numbly. So many questions buzzed through my mind, but what surprised me the most, was that I felt safe. I had just witnessed something that was so completely inhuman, but it felt strangely familiar.

Movement in the corner of my eye made me turn my head. My heart rate spiked when I saw the stranger calmly start to walk towards me. He may have gotten rid of the creature, but there was no telling what he planned on doing. I shut my eyes tightly, feeling the hot trail of tears sliding down my cheeks. The footsteps stopped in front of me, and I couldn't stop the little sob that escaped. What was going to happen to Duke?

 I'm too young to die.

 "Kate?" My eyes snapped open at the softness of his tone.

There staring down at me was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. He had dark windswept hair that looked perfectly ruffled. An angular, sharp face with a strong jaw line and a mouth that was pressed flat. His body looked lithe and muscled and made me immediately think of a sleek panther. However the most distinguished aspect of his appearance were his eyes. They were a deep emerald green, and held a small amount of sadness in the depths of his eyes. His gaze was strong and unmasking; it was like he was looking straight through me. Dark spots clouded my vision, and I stopped breathing.

 Literally.