The Pieces Of Eight

Chapter Four: The Truth

                Everything Changed...

Gramma lead me to our antique oaken table and sat me down. I was totally confused.

    "Gramma" I said "What's wrong?"

    "Hush, sweety, we must ask questions later"

      Taking a long, anxious breath, Gramma began. "You might not understand this now, but you will, in due time. Our family has a long history. We might not have been the most trustworthy of people, but we where respected. A thirst for danger lurks in our blood, but it is not always a good thing. Because of your great- grandmother's actions, the Scath where returned. Not even she could fight them off. They where destined to destroy our bloodline so they could take over. I did not follow my mothers dangerous tracts because I wanted to live a peaceful life on the surface. But you have a special connection with your great-grandmother, something the Scath need. Somehow, three years after your birth, the Scath made it to the surface and killed your parents. Luckily, they did not get to you, but I realized that the surface was not as safe as I least expected." She pointed at the floor." You must go to the basement and look for the black box, from there the truth will be revealed." She closed her eyes. " I must leave quickly though, or risk losing my life."

      "But Gramma..." I grabbed my head. "Is this a joke to you!"

   "No, I would never lie to you."

    "It doesen't make any sense!" Tears weld up in my eyes. Gramma took hold of my chin.

   "I know, but you can't think about this right now, just do what I tell you." She got up and led me away.

      I followed Gramma to the staircase and she removed the second to last stair from the top hastily, so hastily in fact that she practically tore the rotting slab in half. From the area the slab was removed, a ladder, leading to a basement, appeared. Dusty, chilling wind blew up from below making my hairs stand on end.

       "Aspen, I must leave, now, I love you. If anything ever happens to me, just remember that it will be okay, and I will be watching over you." And like that, Gramma was gone. My mind was a blur, I was driven by pure instinct down into the basement, where a blanket of dust covered everything, I could hardly breathe. Across piles of junk and rotting wood, on the opposite wall, where two black doors, a black closet. From behind, thunder sounded, and this bright, cheerful day became dark and ominous. I ran across to the doors, grabbed the chilly hatch, and pulled it open, my stomach churned.

      It was a small room, only about seven by ten feet, lined with shelves that held many bottles of alcohol. Or at least, it used to. Now the room appeared like it had been rummaged through, almost all of the bottles where shattered, their liquid lay spilled across the entire floor. A putrid odor filled my lungs, making me gag horribly, as my eyes adjusted, I noticed something that made me shutter in distress. Crimson stains on the floor, the walls, on everything. Blood, I began force myself to cross the small room, gashes and scratches appeared on the walls near the left corner. The blood was the most prominent here, and the smell was killer. Thunder sounded again, making me jump backward and bump a small shelf, I heard glass shatter and a chilled liquid dripped down my back. Some of it dripped onto a box, badly beaten, but closed.

     I heard the creak of wood as a figure appeared behind me. I couldn't move. I just stood there, petrified. 

    "Aspen, it's Cecillia! Take the box, we need to go, or their gonna find you, and kill you!"

   A familiar voice wrung me out of my distressed state. I hauled the heavy box into my arms and we both ran out of my house.

   "What are you doing here!" I called.

    She looked into my eyes. "You'll see, just stay close."

    My eyes grew wide as Cici pushed open our door.

      The sky was dead black, and it wasn't fog this time. I felt drips of rain fall onto my arms and face, they where also bright crimson. What kind of cruel nightmare has dawned upon me? Cici also watched the blood rain begin to fall. 

      "Aspen, we have less time than I thought, you must follow me." She grabbed the pendant on her necklace as she ran. Fixated on Cici, I forgot to watch where I was going, with a gasp, I tripped and fell onto hard, black rock. I felt my skin split open and I almost screamed in pain. I struggled to push my self up when a hand grabbed my ankle. A man lay next to me, he looked like a rag doll, thrown into a wrinkled position. In his eyes flashed pure pain and terror. He coughed up some dry, painful breaths and muttered.

      "Help." Just then a horrific creature landed behind us. Deprived of any any color but black, It's starved, bony, dragon-like body slumped towards the man in spasm-like jolts. Spined scales and diseased flesh rolled and stuck out as the being moved. With, a long, rotting, jagged claw, the beast pulled the man towards it, held it's large black head over his, and opened up it's shockingly wide jaws. Just then, gallons upon gallons of blood sprouted out of it's throat like a sink faucet, covering the man. He shuddered, drowning under the unrelenting wall of liquid. I felt my body quiver, and looked away.

     I had not seen what had happened after that, I was already up, and running for my life, clutching the box. From behind me I heard a deep clicking noise and immediately I knew the creature was tearing after me. My legs moved faster than they ever have before, I had become desensitized to everything except getting away. I felt chills on my neck. Claws dug in to my shoulders brutally, and a shock spread through my body.