Gast: Volume 1: Dead to rights. (Gothic Horror) (Completed)

Chapter 16 - Greater Good (Edited)

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"When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you." Friedrich Nietzsche

Clara sighed in relief as Frank shut the door behind him. She had convinced him to return home, it was a good job she had, she couldn't hide her fear for another moment longer.

He had recalled the events of the dream and her heart has responded with terror. She naturally disguised the fear, in only the way the elderly can.

She scolded and reassured at the same time, it was the best thing to do. If he had known that Clara had been dreaming about the same black dog, it would only open a can of worms. A can that Clara wasn't ready to open. That can had been sealed tight ever since she was sixteen. And if she was honest with herself, she would admit that she fully intended to pass through the veil, with that can of worms still sealed tightly.

Clara shuddered; her hand worked automatically and retrieved the Tarot cards from her secret hiding place.

She laid the cards down on the dining room table with a mixture of both loathing and respect. The cards were covered by a mauve silk cloth but she could still feel the energy radiating out from it.

As her hand hovered over, she could feel that warm sensation slithering up her hand and to her heart. The cards wanted to be played with, they wanted to be touched, admired, feared and respected.

However, for the moment at least, Clara couldn't justify their use. Not yet. Not when their biggest problem was dreams. The warm sensation intensified to a burning heat. If Clara was just a novice dabbler in mysticism then she would panic and suspect she was having a heart attack. This wasn't a heart attack this was the cards; screaming and ranting for attention.

She made a pact to never use them again, and this pact had been upheld since that hot summer day when she was both orphaned and adopted on the same day.

However things were stirring, she could feel familiar forces at play. Forces she blatantly hoped had forgotten about her.

She realized she had been a fool. She had forgotten a cardinal rule. The dead never forget neither do they forgive.

"Fuck it." Clara hissed as she pulled back the cloth to reveal the cards.

In one swift and faultless movement, she had six cards lined up in front of her. Six voices sang the loudest. Clara held her breath as she flipped them over one by one.

The Lovers.

Five of Wands.

The Devil.

The Tower.

Death and last of all.

The Sun.

The message was crystal clear, yet despite the message, it was the cards themselves that disgusted her.

Each card that was as familiar as her limbs had changed slightly.

The lovers who normally embraced under a star filled sky, was now a man holding onto a woman with all his might, as a purple storm dragged her upwards by her feet.

The Five of wands which normally showed a man back to back with a woman with five lanterns encircling them had also changed.

The couple now stood face to face, the man was snarling, eyes blazing with anger at the women whilst she wept in her hands like a weeping angel.

The Devil used to show a man and a women hand in hand before an altar. Now they were no longer holding hands, instead, their flesh was now interwoven. They pulled apart, trying fruitlessly to rip the stitches. While a yellow eyed shadow grinned.

The Tower showed a woman falling from the highest balcony whilst the man looked up in horror, a dark feminine shadow stood on the balcony only the amber eyes showed emotion and that emotion was malice.

Death showed a man lying asleep with blood around his head whilst the woman was being dragged into a dark forest her nails dug in the ground for purchase.

Worst of all was The Sun. It showed a woman laid on a table in a dark room, with a shroud over her head, a man dressed in white with a hygiene mask pulled a small baby from her body, the body was deathly white, clearly dead; but to her horror, the baby was still crying.

She thought that the crying was only in her mind, she blamed her imagination. She soon realized the truth; the crying was coming from her cards.

The sound only lasted a matter of seconds but it was enough for Clara to cry out in rage and agony.

Like a bullet to the temple she knew and understood what the cards were telling her.

She remembered the day Frank had come straight from the hospital. It was strange to think that that had only happened last week.

xxx

Frank was sat across from her holding Roses engagement ring, he fondled it absently and the sight of this broke Clara's, heart.

"We can't change the past Frank we can only safeguard the future."

Frank nodded Clara knew why he had come to her and not Emily, and she couldn't blame him.

"I'm glad you feel the same way but even now I feel selfish and sick to my stomach Clara."

"Yes... but you told me first for a reason didn't you?"

Clara pulled a cigarette from her purse, she saw the look in Franks' eyes, and tossed him a cigarette; Frank smiled.

"I know, but, still it's not right it's just so fucking mental, I still can't wrap my head around it."

"Well to be blunt, what you don't know doesn't hurt you, does it?"

"No .... we've suffered enough lately, I know that I just thank God that Emily wasn't there with me when I found out, I think she would have dropped dead with shock."

Clara remained silent, Frank stared at her unnerved. Clara's eyes had become vacant, cold and emotionless.

"Some secrets are better left buried..." She said finally breaking the awkward silence.

Frank pulled back on his cigarette and reluctantly stomped it out.

"Why do I think that this isn't your first?"

Clara smiled with wickedness.

"I've lived a long life..."

Xxx

Clara ran from the room as the lights began to pulsate. She knew what had happened; the same evil that taunted her families' dreams had now taken possession of her cards.

She ran to the kitchen and grabbed the closest purification agent at hand, one in every household; salt.

She ran back into the room and watched as her Tarot cards began to float and arrange themselves into a very human appearance. She sucked in her breath as they pointed an accusatory finger at her.

Clara didn't hesitate at all; she tossed the salt all over the cards. She continued to do so until no salt was left in the container. As soon as the salt touched the cards they sizzled and eventually fell back to the ground, no longer the agents of chaos.

Clara looked down at the one card that had fallen and landed upright.

Judgement.

"Yeah, yeah." She hissed to her now pacified cards.

She snatched a carving knife from the knife rack and stormed outside to where her goat lived.

"Sorry dear." She said looking at her confused but still grazing goat. The goat glared at her suspiciously but after a quick petting, relaxed.

It didn't bother to wonder why her hand was behind her back.

Clara's hand moved fast and struck hard, blood oozed down the blade and dropped to land in the grass.