Death Whispers In The Wind

Chapter 8

At his age, it would frequently come and go, but when it was on, Castor's stamina was uncanny, especially for a man of his age who was now approaching his mid-60's. In the heat of the moment, Castor's movements were agile and quick. The way he moved resembled someone half his old age, as he frantically mustered up from deep within himself an almost impossible, yet insurmountable amount of stamina. A resource of surging, lightning-bolt electricity and all around explosive energy, a seemingly boundless adrenaline coursing through his veins. He couldn't explain why or how it happened to him.

Castor had accomplished this by willingly working himself up into a full-blown frenzy until his body felt amped up and his reflexes were now on full alert and prepared for anything. He was poised for action and he didn't hesitate, not even for a second. At the first sound of trouble, he reacted accordingly and quickly switched into high gear as he dashed towards the entrance where he stood before the church doors. His ability to quickly adapt and switch into this high gear of adrenaline was imperfect, it would come and go and be rife with unpredictability, sometimes finding himself completely unable to manifest this energy.

The look of concern and heightened anxiety that Ellie clearly displayed was blatantly written and permanently etched across her worried face. She became overwhelmed in a flurry of perpetual fear and moreover, clutched in a chokehold of insecurity as she instinctively followed Castor to the church doors, pacing just slightly behind her husband. The three of them stood near the front entrance doors, then Castor saw the look of dread that was drawn all over his wife's face. He pulled Ellie towards him, tenderly wrapping his arms around his wife, hugged her tightly for several moments and then finally kissed her on the lips, ending their embrace as Castor cautiously approached the door.

"Alright, listen.... whatever happens, I want you to stay in here with the pastor." Castor quipped.

Ellie went to speak, but was interrupted abruptly and before Ellie could even muster a single word of any kind of rebuttal, Castor interjected.

"Damn it, Ell! Don't argue with me and just listen, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something were to happen to you. So please... do as I say and stay indoors, it's safe in here. Now once I step outside and I mean the second I set foot out these doors, I want you guys to lock the doors. I mean it, not a second less! I need both of ya' to listen to me and do it as quickly as possible and lock 'em good and tight, ya' understand? Are we clear?! Do you understand me, Ellie?!!" Castor said defiantly.

"And no matter what you hear, stay inside. I'll handle this. Please just do as I say, honey. I want to know you're going to be safe. Whoever this is, they came here for a reason and they mean business."

Ellie seemed reluctant, but nonetheless she and the Pastor nodded in agreement.

Castor let out a desperately long-winded and bodily strained grunt when he failed in his initial attempt to shove both church doors out and open. Just another painful reminder that he's no longer young and agile, time had now railed against him and he tried his best to avoid the many voices of self-doubt that crept up and were now racing in his mind.

Castor took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes for a short minute while he continued to concentrate on this feeling of untapped adrenaline pumping through his entire body. He opened his eyes, then started staring long and hard at the pair of heavy pine-wood church doors that stood before him. This frenetic energy Castor possessed made him feel young again, vibrant and alive. But it wasn't without its faults as he sometimes struggled to find a way to properly harness this energy, his old age had left his mind less sharp and he'd occasionally start to slip, then fall into a spell of lost confusion. It could sway in Castor's favor or worse, could greatly hinder him.