The Forgotten God

Chapter 28

Kyle remained silent as his legs moved without thought, impelled on by the whim and will of the God, hidden from sight amongst the shadow.

'The blind following the blind.'

His mother would have said. Refusing to use the comparison to lemmings, saying it was an insult to a creature who she thought were rather intelligent,

Doubts and irritations circled his mind like dust in a coalmine and the fight to keep them away was intense. The beast could most likely decipher any slander against him or sense those qualms that could lead to betrayal. He already dreaded what they would return to.

Babi had given his ordered in shrill dictation, leaving no room to argue or suggest any alternative. Kyle was to follow in the footsteps of the dead ones and Aiden was to find some way of sending word to the thugs who fed his habit.

He had grinned at the pair as they unconsciously shared an uneasy look.

"They will come and obey. If they know what is good for them," he reached out and scraped a layer of skin from Aiden's forehead, the red mark wrinkling immediately with bemusement. "Show them that, and tell them it is a sign of power beyond their own."

Aiden touched his forehead, the scrape warm under his fingertips. The sting momentarily distracting him from the mess that had once been his leg.

He was about to ask how a simple scratch could prove anything but noticed Kyle's look of warning, the stern, almost invisible shake of his head.

"I can try. They won't be far from their normal hideout," he muttered "they'd be safe if an atomic bomb hit us. Gotta have that sort of protection to keep the cops off."

"They have not faced the wrath of a God, all the locks and bolts in the world will not save one from the rage of the divine," Babi sneered "nor the plague of a pesky spirit. Only those who know the symbols and rituals have any sway over those, the latter anyway."

Kyle looked down, nodding in unhappy agreement. He froze as he felt the rough fur brush his cheek as Babi leaned close.

"Bear with me, mortal. You must lose things to gain your desires. The more you obey, the less you are likely to lose, understand?"

The words were soft but the icy threat was clear. Kyle's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard and Babi snorted, patting his shoulder in terse dismissal, making it clear he was done with him.

Briefly their eyes met and for one moment Kyle feared he would fare the same as Lot's wife, or of Semele when she met the gaze of Zeus. The intensity of power that radiated from the narrow slits stilled the soul itself.

"Yes..." Kyle whispered barely, his knees weakening "master."

---

Decaying skin peeled from the knuckles as the female hammered weakly on the door, bloody stains remaining smeared on the once pristine paint.

A grunt left the airless throat as she continued, the futility of her task not registering, only the scent beyond and the commands given resonated in her mind.

Ash watched the door rattle, not too concerned as yet. It was the sound of other dragging feet in the near distance that worried him.

One or two were of little consequence, but a small horde would be far more difficult.

"Maybe we should let them in?" He offered aloud "maybe it's something in here they want, not us?"

Mr Montford shook his head, his skull throbbing from the mix of injury and tension. The entire world seemed to be in a tunnel, the sides of his eyes blurred and sparkling with static that echoed in his ears.