The Lost Soul (26 page)

Soon, it was full.

There were thirty of them. From a distance you'd be forgiven for thinking they were human but Jack's bird's eye view enabled him to see all of them perfectly with his 20-20 vision. Ugly, scaly creatures with pale long hair, feline-like eyes which continued to dart right and left, and clawed fingers.

Something above them caught Jack's eye just as it was lowered so it was level with all their faces. It was one long tube containing a thick red substance.

Each creature pulled down what looked like a straw and began drinking from the tube. Sucking and sucking until it was completely dry.

"Now we are satiated, we can begin," said one of the creatures who rose from his seat and turned, revealing his lower half matched that of the dragon-like beasts Jack had seen before.

"As you already know, tonight is the night we have been waiting for, for a very, long time. The arrival of the distant comet combined with the full moon is of special importance. Tonight is the night when we will finally be able to return above ground and claim ourselves as the rightful heirs to the world. We will reap revenge on man, enslaving them, feeding from them and doing anything else we so desire," he said with a smile as the others smirked too. "Our destiny will be fulfilled," he laughed and the rest of them cheered.

"Although she has been somewhat... disobedient... in the past, Calliope was the chosen one. She has finally done the right thing and has arranged for our pyramid to be in place in time for the opening this evening. When the comet flashes across the sky, the same time the light of the full moon crosses the pinnacle of the golden eagle, we will be freed from this hell hole where we have been trapped for thousands of years."

More cheering ensued.

"But first, we shall release our elders to dispose of those near to Calliope... as well as Calliope herself, of course. She shall be our first sacrifice."

His laughter, and the laughter of those around him, echoed throughout the caves. It was the perfect time for Jack to make a quick escape. Hopping off of the rock where he had been perched, a small stone dropped to the ground, making a loud pinging noise.

Suddenly all went quiet and every head turned in his direction.

He held his breath, waiting.

Content there was nothing to worry about, the creatures turned back to their leader and continued their laughter.

Jack let out a low breath and very slowly and carefully took to flight. He re-traced his previous journey until he flew out into the large cavern which held such terrifying memories for him. Before heading back to the others, he flew upwards towards the cages.

Men, women and teenagers were wasting away, helpless. The stale smell of sweat, urine and blood surrounded him as he tried so hard to remember what had happened to him in the end. Why had he survived when so many others had perished? How had he escaped? It was just one question, one memory, that evaded him, locked away in his subconscious refusing to be found.

Looking at a woman who was once probably so beautiful in her youth, he was startled when she opened her eyes and looked right at him. She snarled like a wild animal and hissed. She thought he was the enemy. He was just a bird yet she thought he was the enemy.

Even if she survived this, there was no way she would ever be the same again. Not even years of therapy could help this poor soul. She was as good as dead, he thought sadly, turning away and flying across to another cage further away.

There lay a man possibly in his 30s, but it was difficult to tell. He too opened his eyes but he looked different. He sat upright and smiled at him. Smiled. Wishing he could return the gesture, Jack moved a little closer and watched as the man tried to speak. His throat so dry that it came out all croaky

"Hey....little b....bird. I'm Joseph. It's nice to meet you..." but before he could utter another word, a familiar sound filled the air. The slaves were coming. It was feeding time.

Jack looked at Joseph one last time before he turned away, flapping his wings and flying back into the tunnel from where he had come.

It didn't take long for him to locate Zalea and Eric. They were huddled together in a little cave just metres from where he had left them. Before they heard his return, he looked at them for a moment. Both were filthy, sitting there sweating, hoping they would get out of there alive.

He let out a quiet squawk and watched as their faces lit up.

"Jack," they whispered, grins spreading across their faces.

"I'm here," he said after he'd made his transformation, "I'm here," he repeated, hugging Zalea tightly before patting Eric on the back. "I told you I'd come back."

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

The Sheriff's deputy, Shirley Brown, had brought all the weapons she could find to the Community Centre, in the back of her station wagon.

"Just in case," she'd said, handing the guns around. "But don't just go shooting around anywhere and everywhere, ladies. You aim only at those beasts, nobody else. We don't want a blood bath of our own kind."

"Thank you, Shirley," Rose said, "it's good to know you understand our plight."

"That's quite all right, Rose. I'm the Sheriff's Deputy and I'm here to take out the enemy."

So there they stood, women of all ages, some carrying hand guns, machine guns, rifles, knives, kitchen knives, baseball bats, and so on. Some were dressed in head to toe black, others simply wore what they always wore, floral dresses, pinafores, dungarees, trouser suits, skirt suits, etc.

They stood to attention, waiting for the go ahead to move on to the pyramid and get their men back.

But just as they were making their final preparations, December's head began to throb incessantly.

"It's Jack," she shouted to anybody nearby, "He must have some news for us," she said with a grunt, falling to the floor in a heap.

"He wanted me to repeat exactly what he heard....'When the comet flashes across the sky and when the light of the full moon crosses the pinnacle of the golden eagle, we will be freed from this hell hole where we have been trapped for thousands of years. It's the pyramid. He said something about Calliope having been disobedient in the past but that she created the pyramid for their release. But, they're going to sacrifice her before they kill everyone near to her. They plan to claim their title as the rightful heirs to this world..."

December's head fell back on to Moira's lap as she carefully dampened her brow with a wet cloth.

"She's feeling worse than she usually does," said Millicent, "It was a lot to take in... she really needs some rest."

"No," muttered December, lifting herself up, "No. I'm fighting too, you're not leaving me here."

Moira looked across at Lilly.

"It's no use, you know. If you try and stop her, she'll only go and orb herself there which will be more dangerous," Lilly added.

Gabriel and the elders stood by her side discussing Jack's findings.

"We must stop them. Can we destroy the pyramid? he asked, looking at Michael.

"We can try but I believe the clue lies with the Golden Eagle. Perhaps if we destroy that first?"

"We can only try," said some of the others as Gabriel turned to face the crowd.

"But what about this comet? This is the first we've heard about it?" he said.

Michael shook his head, "I'm afraid there is no time to find out about that."

"It's time," Gabriel announced to the crowd. "We must destroy the pyramid, and the Golden Eagle that rests on its pinnacle. Let's hope that is enough. My friends, those of you that can change, I would advise you to. Good luck to us all. Let's go!" he yelled before they all piled out of the Community Centre and into their vehicles.

#

"I can't hold on for much longer," said Zoltan as his grip began to loosen around the smooth pillar.

"You must," yelled Walter, "they will try to rip you apart if you fall and we cannot risk harming any of them. They are innocents in all of this, after all."

A low growl was released from his lips as he held on tight but it was no use. His fingers gave way and he fell below right into the crowd of men below.

Within seconds, Zoltan's clothes ripped from his body and he jumped up growling at those that surrounded him. The men, unsure how to react to a huge wolf, hovered, waiting to pounce.

The roar of engines suddenly filled the air as the men's attention was temporarily wavered. Zoltan used the moment to pounce high over them, landing close to the pyramid's entrance, growling loudly, followed by a piercing howl while he glanced out onto the moon.

The men followed him, ready to attack when there was suddenly an almighty crash as several large vehicles ploughed into the side of the building, causing the men to scatter in different directions.

Before they could gather back together, two mountain lions appeared out of nowhere, growling and keeping them at bay. Behind them stood several witches, all reciting a spell, trying to overturn Calliope's hold on the men. When nothing happened, the women of Powell River barged forward shouting and yelling, brandishing their weapons.

The men appeared to be confused.

"Wait," shouted Ms Hathermere, "I can see my son..let me try to talk to him..." she said, pushing forward until she stood face to face with the boy she had given birth to thirty-three years earlier.

"No!" yelled Moira as the woman suddenly disappeared within the crowd. "Ms Hathermere!" she yelled. But the woman re-appeared unharmed.

"I think he recognises me," she shouted back. "Find your loved ones and talk to them... I think it's helping," she said, gently stroking her son's face who looked at her in confusion.

"Ben," said Crystal as she too pushed through the throng until she stood in front of him. "Ben, baby, it's me, Crystal. Baby?"

A look of recognition flashed across his face.

"Dad? It's me, Cynthia"

"Duncan? It's me, Ellen..."

"David? Honey..."

"Wolfgang? It's your wife, Arianne..."

All over the pyramid, the women stood in front of their loved ones, trying and hoping their love would bring them back, return them to the men they were before Calliope had appeared on the scene.

Carmelo, Jo and Walter jumped down from the columns and rushed over to their friends, followed by Zoltan who had been given Carmelo's long trench coat to cover himself with.

"What's going on?" asked Carmelo, "What do we know?"

"We've joined forces with the women of the town. They know about us, Carmelo, about all of us. They've vowed to help fight the Nephilim too. They're going to try and come through when the moon is at its fullest tonight, when a comet can be seen. We understand the key is the Golden Eagle on top of the structure. If we can just destroy it, and the pyramid, we might just be able to block them from coming through..." said Gabriel, filling them in.

"It must be pretty close to that now. Look," said Zoltan, "I can feel it. I am at my strongest during a full moon...we've got to get up there," he said as they looked up at the sky as the men of the town slowly began returning to their senses.

All around them there were families hugging and crying, the men unaware of the dangers that were upon them. As the women dragged their sons, husbands, brothers, fathers, uncles, etc., to the front of the pyramid, they all gathered together to listen to what Gabriel had to say.

"Friends, this woman, Calliope, possessed you... she took you from your wives, daughters and mothers. She is of the Nephilim, an evil breed of creature intent on destroying our lives. For thousands of years they have been trapped in caves far below ground but tonight they are attempting a mass escape. If they succeed, our world as we know it will be lost. We will be murdered or enslaved. We cannot let this happen. Help us to destroy this structure and help us to put a stop to the Nephilim," he shouted loudly as cheers erupted from the crowd.

Gabriel immediately changed form, joining the rest of the Tulugaq family who flew upwards towards the Golden Eagle that perched on top of the pyramid. They tapped and tugged at the sculpture but it wouldn't budge. Seconds later they were joined by Sammy, who carried a hammer and chisel. Hovering with his huge wings flapping up and down, he banged away at it, but nothing happened. The Eagle wasn't even dented.

They all returned to the ground as the pyramid was being smashed to pieces by the people of Powell River. Chaos surrounded them as it fell bit by bit, to the ground. But the pinnacle remained in place. No matter how hard they smashed at it and drove into it, it wouldn't budge, and the moon seemed to grow larger and brighter by the minute.

"What do we do?" shouted Carmelo across the crowd.

"Moira and the girls have been trying a spell but it's no good... nothing seems to be working," shouted Gabriel. "Just keep trying."

Sammy continued his efforts atop the pyramid but they were in vain. Nothing would damage the Eagle. Tears began to fall down his cheeks as the realisation hit him. They weren't going to make it. The Nephilim were going to win.

Just as the thought passed through his mind, a sudden flash threw him from the pyramid. Unconscious, he fell towards the ground but moments before he landed with a thud, he stopped mid-air and was gently guided to the floor. December rushed to his side, letting out a sigh of relief. Without her magic he might have been killed.

Zoltan watched and ran over, picking him up and carrying him out of harm's way before running back into the building and continuing to try and destroy it piece by piece. Neither of them had noticed the flash that caused his fall. The second one caught everybody's attention.

A flash like a silver rainbow appeared from the Golden Eagle, making its way towards the moon where a small comet with a long silvery tail could be seen flying through the sky.

"Oh no!" yelled Lilly, "We're too late," she shouted, pointing to the sky, "Look."

The commotion below came to a standstill as everyone's eyes focussed upwards, watching as the silver light flashed across the night sky.

With all eyes on the sky, there were no eyes on the ground, where Calliope was delicately tiptoeing back towards the crumbling pyramid.