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

Chapter 18 - The Mark (Edited)

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"Envy, my son, wears herself away, and droops like a lamb under the influence of the evil eye." Jacopo Sannazaro.

Clara washed her blood stained hands in the sink, the bucket of blood lay full at her feet, she hated herself for taking a life, even one as minuscule as a goat, but she knew what had to be done; her mother had taught her well.

She sighed as she remembered that horrific day, all those years ago; back when she was barely on the cusp of adolescence.

She remembered the wailing screams coming from the woods next to her house and she remembered the frantic look of desperation in her mother's eyes as she hurriedly took a knife to her own palm, and began to smear the pattern of the eye around her daughter.

"This will protect you, remember it well my dear, for evil; always returns."

The door exploded from its hinges, just as her mother finished the pattern.

Clara watched in terror as her deceased sister began to walk towards her mother, the sister was enveloped by moving, living shadows and pointed a finger at Clara with sadism; her sister's eye's flashed amber.

Clara screamed as her mother began to levitate from the floor, her mother hissed a warning as Clara tried to step over The Evil Eye in order to help her.

"Don't..."

Her sister flashed a grin as she walked closer and closer, she held out her hand to Clara and for one second Clara was almost fooled, right up until her sister saw the Evil Eye that Clara was stood in. Her sister screamed with rage, the bones in her lower jaw snapped, her jaw hung loose and revealed her bulbous tongue.

"Clara is protected..." Her mother cried out with defiance, she held her hand out to her daughter in the form of the banishment of evil.

Clara's sister howled in rage and dove at the levitating mother; she clung to her effortlessly, and wriggled her way around her mother's body like a snake, until finally; the daughter was sat on top of the mothers head.

Clara screamed and held her hand out to her mother; as she realized what was about to happen.

Her sister sneered at Clara and with one swift movement forced both her fingers into her mother's eyes and laughed inhumanly whilst she screamed in agony.

Clara looked down at the knife at her feet and had an epiphany, she snatched the knife and began to carve a symbol into her hand; never removing her eyes from both her sister and mother.

Her sister now reached into her mother's screaming mouth and started to slowly prize apart her jaws.

Clara stepped from the protection of the Evil Eye, her face stern and wrathful; her sister laughed and snapped her mother's neck, her purpose now fulfilled. Clara watched her mother's body fall to the floor as gravity finally resumed its natural course.

Her sister floated mere inches from Clara, any second now she'd strike, but Clara was ready, and waiting. The entire time her hand was held firmly behind her back.

As her sister lunged, Clara lifted up her carved hand and her sister slammed into it and screamed.

Clara held her grip tight, digging her nails into her sister's head as best as she could, her sister screamed and screeched but was firmly glued in place by some unknown power.

Smoke was rising from her sister, Clara could hear her sizzle before her, but she held on firmly.

Clara was growing weaker by the second and knew she would eventually collapse from exhaustion, long before her sister succumbed to the mark of the Eye. It was then that she felt hands on her body; firm but loving hands.

She tried to turn to look at them but they firmly held her head in place.

Her mother's voice whispered into her ear and Clara shuddered and burst into tears at the same time.

"Never look back..." Her mother warned.

Clara could hear the desperation and mixture of emotions in her mother's voice and it terrified her.

It still does to this day.

"Drive back this darkness; use our strength." Her dead Father whispered.

Clara ground her teeth and pushed forward.

She felt the many hands push along with her, and smiled fascinated, both Clara and her sister started to vacate the house and head back towards the woods; all the while Clara held her screaming and vengeful sister in place with the mark.

Clara walked further, guided by her ancestors until she finally heard her mother's voice once more.

"This is a place of binding..."

Clara looked around at the scattered cairns she could feel the mark getting stronger; it drew energy from the druidic stones before her.

This time she heard her father's stern but loving voice.

"Release your sister and step back."

She did as commanded and jumped back before her weakened but still very much dangerous sister; could swipe at her.

Her sister screamed, white noxious mist expelled from her mouth and Clara watched in awe as the druidic stones began to suck in the mist like a vacuous black hole.

Her sister fell to her knee's and glared at Clara one last time before the amber light left her eyes, her body fell face first in the dead leaves, and began to rot at a rapid rate the very moment she hit the floor.

Clara closed her eyes with relief and felt her mother's hands wipe away the tears on her face.

"Remember that we are kin, we will always be here watching over you."

Clara sighed and looked down at her old wrinkled hands, the scar from the Mark was barely visible, but she remembered its power to this very day. She wondered if its power would prevail this time, she wondered if she had the necessary energy needed to maintain it, she wondered if the dead kept their promises.

"Are you still watching over me Mother?" She asked and sounded eerily like an infant.

Clara paused and listened, she heard a faint noise coming from the living room where her cards were still abandoned; whispers.

Clara walked over to them with trepidation and gasped, she had left them discarded and in a chaotic state on the floor and now they were sat sorted and in a neat pile on her table; on top of the deck lay a dove's white feather.