Chapter Text
It starts off as a dream, maybe more a memory. Yet, that's how a lot of my nightmares start now days. My mother was sitting on the hill in her sundress, her smile warmer than the sun. Her light laugh sounded to my ears as she tried not to smile when she was scolding me for running off when playing. I asked her about the dog. I wish I didn't. I wish I had stayed just a little bit longer. She was looking at me and said something that did not reach my ears. I ran ahead of her, not heading her warnings. Of course I always run ahead in this dream. I wish I didn't, I wish I stayed with her. My mother behind me as I head into the thick woods.
I see it. The black dog emerged from the trees like the wind, its body appeared as if shadows were caught and sewn crewdly into a creature. Everything is silent as I look into the animals eyes.
Keeping eye contact, I lifted my hand for the animal to sniff as my mom had taught me to do. To show them that I mean no harm, to come to me on their own terms. However as I raised my arm it felt as if it was weighed down with bricks, but something was telling me to continue. The giant black dog nuzzled against my hand and its huge fluffy black head pushed into me gently. I had recalled my mother telling me many stories about Black dogs, how they were guardians. Omens of luck of many kinds. As a child I never understood what she meant by that. The giant dog was gently nudged me towards the forest, away from the path I had walked. However my feet would not move and felt as if they had become led. The silence started to become more suffocating. the sky started to turn red. Which the beasts eyes reflected.
My mother screamed, cutting the air like a rusted knife. I broke eye contact with the dog to see my mother being hurt by a tall man wearing a dog mask. Blood running down her head. I heard heavy drums in by ears beating as fast as my heart was going. I could taste something bad in the back of my throat. I could not open my mouth to scream. Blink. My mother was dead. Blink. The man was walking toward me. I closed my eyes. I felt something very bad, but I heard something even worse. His voice whispered in my ear, but before I could make sense of it all. An animalistic growl echoed around me. I felt hot breath and warm liquid as I heard something be torn apart. The beating of drums started to become louder and louder. And.
I jolt out of my bed to a rapid knocking at my door. It took a while before my brain caught up with me. Looking over at the clock I see it says 1:29pm, I suppose I can't sleep all day . It was probably Larry or Ash, since Todd respects the art of sleeping in. Getting up was a process, almost like going down a list and checking things off; Eye? I take the cup by the side of my bed, and carefully put the eyeballs inside into my skull. check. Clothing? my long sleeved, baggy black and for comfort some new checkered skinny jeans from the new Spicy Subject store a town over. Check. Mask? I pull it onto my head and click the buckles into place. Check. I look at myself in the mirror. Pulling my hair up into pigtails which no matter what I did always seemed slightly uneven. Even though it's never perfect. Hair? Check.
I open my door to of course, two of my favorite people. Larry and Ash stood outside both excitedly chatting away about something. “to what do I owe this pleasure?” I barely got out before I was being practically carried to the elevator as Larry and Ash both had one of their arms interlocked with mine. They both took turns speaking. “Ash was telling me about this wicked little shop in a town about 40 minutes away from here.” “yeah, I found out about it threw one of the new patients at my job. We had got to talking about death and ghosts and stuff and well. She told me about a shop she helped run with her younger sister that has been in her family for generations.” Ash pauses, then whispers “She said they have something to help with our little supernatural demon cult problem. ” I nod “Anything at all would help, especially since they've been so quiet since we graduated high school.” I shiver, I think we all have felt rather on edge lately. They say no news is good news but honestly, it's terrifying.
We pile into Lisa's old truck which she let Larry drive whenever she didn't need it. “
Two rules
.” I remember being there when she first lent him her keys saying. “
Be safe, which means don’t try anything dangerous on the roads. And make sure the tank is at least half way full when you come back.
” Reasonable demands for a mother to ask, and of course we understood.
The trip was not very eventful, but when we drove up into the small town I could sense an energy.
Not a bad energy or good energy, but a powerful old one. The streets were all set up in weird angles as if they were interwoven, all leading to the center of town. In the middle was a town hall that towered on top of a hill. At the top of a building was a bell tower, which gave the appearance of a watchful eye staring down upon the small town. Kind of feels like the building itself is an overprotective parent watching its kid over their shoulder.
We arrived at our destination which was in the middle of a small town strip of old family run shops. A store which its sign read Healing Soul, a shop for all your spiritual desires.
Walking into the store felt like climbing under a warm fuzzy blanket. At first it looked almost like a den full of trinkets and old forgotten items. But upon closer investigation there was so much more than just a few old dusty things. Crystal and tarot decks lined the back wall, and dangling from the ceiling and the walls there was drying herbs and flowers. Jewelry also could also be found laying everywhere, next too incense. “This place really does have a lot of stuff…” Larry gags well picking up a rabbits foot and looking in disgust at a jar of teeth. “It has something for everyone, Deary .” We all jump at the voice of the old woman, we were in the shop for almost about 15 minutes before anyone actually showed up. Just when we were almost were starting to think that the shop might be abandoned.
The woman that stood behind the counter has messy hair whiter than snow, full of pins to keep it back and out of her frowning face. Her glasses thick and she looks to be in her late 60’s or early 70’s. She stumbles in and got a good look at the three of us, “Oh, you, I know what you need.” she says without any of us even so much as get out a sound. She leaves us alone again to go into the back room for something, coming back with three items. “My sister set these aside for you before she left, don't think this is a kindness from me.” In her hands there is one rather large old dusty book, a necklace with an eye as the pendant and a pile of dusty linens.
She hands to Ash the book which must be heavier then it looked, because ash immediately looked winded when as she took it. Then she turns to Larry and gives him the blanket which clinks like metal when he takes it. Turning to me, she looks me in the eyes. “You’ll need something a little bit stronger I suppose.” She says and takes a small necklace, and drapes it around my neck. My comfort must have shown because she scoffed, her hands just a little too close to my masks clasps. However she doesn't do anything to try and remove them or even touch them. I can feel my body relax as she backs away, which I didn't realize just how tense I was by her being so close...
“There.”
“The rest will find you, you will know what all this means when they find you.” She starts shoving the three of us out the door, but pauses for a second. “Come back with my sister and we will talk about having an energy cleansing ritual.
Honestly, you kids now days and your demons
.” she grumbles the last part and finishes with “Come back when I am actually open now, you interrupted me in a VERY important task.” She points to a very small piece of paper in the window which reads,
"hours mon-thurs: CLOSED, fri-sat:12PM-12AM, Sun: 12AM-4AM, 12PM-4PM.”
As all of our attention is turned to the sign, she slams the door in our faces. Quickly all the light go off within the small store.
“Who has these kinds of hours? I didn’t remember her sister saying anything about being open at such weird times” Ash laughs. Larry opens the door of the truck letting me slide to the middle so I can buckle up first. “Yeah, like there is plenty of really awesome stuff in there, but how does she get customers?” Larry says as he turns the key. “There must be some kind of reason. Maybe this town is more active in the nights?” I mumble. The whole town looked so empty, even with a few cars here and there. Everyone had their blinds drawn and most shops were closed on a beautiful summer afternoon on a Tuesday.
“Ya, Sal has a point. Something here feels weird.” Larry admits while tapping his fingers against the wheel. Ash nods “Maybe we should talk to her sister about what is up with the town, I’m sure she would be willing to tell us.” Larry and I both nod back.
We all fell into a comfortable silence during the drive home, but something felt strange. Something about that place felt so different from our town, looking down at the necklace, the eye in the center feels as if it is watching. “Hey” Ash pipes up, shaking us all from our thoughts she is looking through the book the woman gave to her. Pulling out a envelope that had been careful pressed in between the pages, it looks like it had been buried because of the stains and speckles of dirt. Ashley flips it over looking for a name or address but it's only distinguishing feature being the wax, golden with a dog and a small dry wolfsbane flower pressed in its center.
Ash runs her finger under the letters flap, opening it carefully and and read out loud
“My little angel, I must apologize.
You will someday see your father for who he truly is.
When I met him he was truly beautiful, angelic and spoke of a world of beauty.
Our God's world.
Fooled I was by love. Fooled by him. I have now seen his true form.
I believed he was an angel, but he is really satan himself.
Sorry I could not have been stronger. To stay on this world to see you grow stronger.
Do not make the same mistakes as I did. Do not fly so close to the sun my little icarus, for your wings will melt like mine and you will plummet to the sea.
Love,
Your mother”