BEGINNING OF THE END

CHAPTER 12

They both threw their arms around each other. Before the man in robes said anything else, his eyes averted to Harry and the woman he was carrying.

‘What happened?’ He asked as he walked up to Harry, inspecting the unconscious woman. Harry explained.

‘Honestly, we are not sure. We saw a man inject something in her, but she was already unconscious when he gave it to her.’

The man in robes pressed his wrist against her forehead.

‘She burning up, how long has she been like this?’

Whitey looked at his watch.

‘Since she been with us, about seven and a half hours now.’

The man in robes shook his head.

‘Follow me.’

He then started walking in the direction that they entered the church, rearing to the left, through a solid oak door, a symbol was carved into it. The man led them through, after unlocking the door with a skeleton key on a huge iron ring. The key looked as old as the church itself. He led them down a spiral staircase, the stone walls hugging them as they made their way down. Reaching the bottom, the man used the skeleton key on another iron door. The sound of metal banging against metal as the iron door swung open. It was a ritual chamber but looked like a torture room.

There was a wooden rack, there was some medieval - ish weaponry and what looked like an executioner’s axe propped against it. Fresh blood, trickling down the sharp blade, pooling onto the ground.

The man led them to an area near the back of the room, it was almost surreal, like walking into a completely different place all together. The floor had black and white tiles, there was a tub, vibrantly white with gold legs. There were candles, at least a hundred if not more. The flames were reflecting off the floor and walls, illuminating a golden glow. As Harry laid the woman on the table, he stared at the bald man blankly.

‘Ex…cuse mmmeee?’ he stuttered.

The man repeated himself.

‘You need to undress her,’ handing Harry a pair of scissors.

‘Afterwards, place her in the tub.’ Harry held the scissors, staring at them, then looking at her. His hands started to shake.

‘I can’t. I ….’

The man held his hand up, refusing to let them say anything more.’

‘She will not wake Harry, she’s dying.’

The man walked back over to the tub and continued to throw a bunch of different herbs and flowers into it. Harry’s hands continued to shake as he took the scissors in his hand. He looked at the woman as she lied there on the table, he grabbed the neck of her shirt, then a hand laid gently on his.

‘Harry, let me.’

Harry looked up to see Astrid, she took the scissors from his hand and stepped aside. He turned his back, listening to the scissors cut through the fabric of the woman’s clothes. Astrid threw the ripped clothes onto the floor by Harry’s feet.

‘Okay Harry, I’ll need your help.’

Astrid had thrown a blanket over the woman’s body before Harry turned around. He walked over to the woman and lifted her off the table and carried her to the tub. Gently he lowered her into the tub and immersed her in the ‘Water.’

‘What is this?’ Harry asked, shaking the water off his hands, then drying them on a towel the bald man handed to him. Harry backed away as the man started throwing more leaves and flowers into the tub. Another man entered the room. He quickly walked over to Astrid, Whitey and Harry.

‘COME, YOU MUST GO.’

He waved his hand to follow him. They were escorted back through the iron door, up the spiral staircase, and through the big oak doors. As Harry was about to ask the other man a question, he had closed the door behind them. There was a sound of a lock latching, keeping them from going back.

‘What the fuck Whitey?’ Harry snapped as he shot a perturbed look at him.

‘Don’t worry Harry, she’s going to be alright, It’s just a healing ritual. They’re going to help her.’ Whitey reassured him.

All kinds of emotions were running through Harry’s body. He wanted to know what was happening with the woman. Was she okay? Was she even aware? Question after question ran through his mind. He couldn’t think straight. Before he realized, he was at the base of the church cross. He bowed his head and found himself praying.

She couldn’t move, her brain was sending signals, but there was nothing happening. She felt like she was falling and there was nothing to grab onto, no one there to catch her, just endless falling. She fought, reaching for anything, but she felt exhausted, her arms barely moving. She continued to fall, feeling helpless, but then she seen a light. As she continued to fall, the light got brighter. She stared at it like a moth to a flame, trying to move her arms to reach for the light, but they felt like bricks were tied to them. Her body temperature started to rise as the light came closer to her. She felt cold even though she was now sweating. Still surrounded by darkness, but the light was coming even closer now. It crept to her like the shadow of the trees on a bright sunny day. Casting shade as the sun goes down.

Darkness enveloped everywhere you looked, just a sheet of blackness. This light, illuminating, inching closer to her.

Amelia wanted to reach the light, but a voice stopped her. She tried to listen, but her breathing echoed around her. She held her breath, listening intently. Amelia closed her eyes, feeling droplets of sweat running down the sides of her face and falling to her jaw line. Amelia sniffled, then realizing it wasn’t sweat, she was crying. Amelia had no idea why she was crying. She was in no pain, she wasn’t sad, and she wasn’t scared.

The light was now touching her toes. They felt tingly and warm as the light slowly crept up her feet. More tears fell from her eyes, so she closed them, basking in the warmth that crawled up her body. The voice was getting louder, but there was more than one.

‘She’s burning up,’ ‘But her clothes,’ ‘I can’t do this.’

None of it made any sense to her, it was like she was only getting pieces of the conversation. Listening, she knew somehow, they were talking about her.

The light had reached her thighs, her body tingled everywhere the light touched. Amelia heard the voices again, but they weren’t the same as before. They weren’t talking anymore, they were chanting. First, it was low and quiet. Then, it got louder, like a drum beating rhythmically, getting louder and louder. Amelia could feel something in her chest. As the light washed over the rest of her body, her chest felt warmer, yet cooling at the same time. Like when Dees would put vapour rub on her chest.

Like a burst of energy flowing through her, her legs, arms, toes, and fingers began bursting with an orange glow. Then like flipping a switch, there was complete blackness. Like she lost every ounce of energy from her body. Amelia went limp, falling into a deep sleep.

Amelia jolted awake, realizing she dozed off, but something was different. She was no longer surrounded by darkness, she was in a room. The walls were made of stone, the bed was feathered with an oak wood frame. The room smelt of lavender. Amelia looked around the room, spotting a set of clothes on a small end table in the corner of the room.

She scooted herself off the bed, taking the top sheet with her as it caressed her curves and then dropping to the floor. There was a table by the door that had set of clothes, she took them quickly and dressed herself. When she finished, she pressed her ear against the door, listening. As there seemed to be nothing going on outside the door, she slowly turned the doorknob, but it was locked. Her heart started racing as she looked for anything in the room to unlock the door or something heavy enough, she could break the doorknob off.

She opened the drawer of the end table, but there was nothing. As she walked back towards the door, there was a sound. Someone on the other side of the door was unlocking it. Amelia backed away slowly, her backside now pressing against the bed. The door opened, it was a man in a dark hooded robe. He said nothing at first, but when his eyes met hers, he smiled.

‘You’re awake! How are you feeling child?’

Amelia said nothing, she stood there staring at him. ‘Who was this man? What did he want with her? Where was she?’ The man chuckled.

‘No need to worry, I won’t hurt you. The people that brought you here, arrived just in time. They saved your life.’

Amelia was puzzled.

‘Saved my life? What people?’

The man was now puzzled. He waved for her to follow him, and he left the room. Amelia stood there. ‘Was he serious?’

Resistant at first, however something inside her was telling her otherwise. Before she knew it, her legs were already moving, following right behind him. The two of them walked down a long, narrow hall with a wooden door at the end. The man unlocked and opened it. The wooden door swung in, wafting the air from the other side of the door and into Amelia’s face.

Metallic smell clung to the air leaving a taste on your tongue. Flies buzzing around some weaponry, the room itself looked like a torture chamber. Towards the middle of the room, there were a group of men. They were dressed just like the man she was following. These men were standing around one specific man in the middle. He was in different coloured robes than the others. He stuck out like a sore thumb, holding two silver sticks. One in each hand, he poked and prodded at something. A stone table before him, but there was someone blocking the way. She continued to follow the man in the dark robes. Just before going through an iron door, she took another look at the group of robed men. The gold one, he used his ‘sticks’ to move something around, covered in blood.

She walked through the iron door, following the man up the stone spiral staircase. There was another door, a big oak door. The robed man grabbed his key once again and unlocked it.

Whitey and Astrid stood by the Oak Door as they waited. Astrid was pacing, mostly out of boredom. She reminded Whitey of a teenage with an inferiority complex. Whitey looked over, Harry was still at the head of the church. He knew something was going on with him, but he hasn’t figured it out yet.

There were few people here and there, some were reading, another group praying, some were entering and exiting the confessionals. There were more men in robes walking around. Unlike some of the others, Whitey, Astrid and Harry came across, these ones had their hoods up.

Harry got up from where he was kneeling, taking one last look at the crucifix, he whispered.

‘Amen.’

He turned around and walked over to where Astrid and Whitey were waiting. Harry sat down next to Whitey, elbows to knees, leaning closer to Whitey. He whispered.

‘Anything?’

Whitey shook his head. Harry looked down at the floor, continuing to wait with them.

‘Okay, am I the only one wondering what was with the tub?’ Astrid blurted, starling Whitey and Harry. Whitey stood, walking over by the oak door, leaning against the frame as he spoke quietly.

‘It’s an ancient healing ritual. Blessed water, healing herbs, and time.’

Astrid gave Whitey an irritable glare.

‘Look, no offence, but this weird shit with the men in robes, the church, the tub. I feel like someone’s going to ask me to join their cult.’

Whitey stuck his hands in his front pocket and sighed.

‘Common misconception, they are religious practitioners.’

Astrid rolled her eyes.

‘Sounds like a crock of shit to me.’ She continued to pace back and forth in front of the oak door.

Just as Harry stood up, they heard the door unlocking. The tree of them glanced at the door, Whitey moving out of the way, smiling as he seen and old friend’s face.

‘Hey old man,’ Whitey walked up to the man in robes, threw his arms out and wrapped them around the man. He laughed as he patted Whitey’s back.

‘Old man? You’re whiter than I am,’ he chuckled.

Whitey leaned back to look at him.

‘That’s because you don’t have any hair!’ They both laughed, Whitey turned to Harry and Astrid.

‘This, is Jubel,’ Whitey put his hands together bowing towards his friend. Jubel extended a hand to Harry.

‘It’s an honour to meet all of you, I have the young woman with me. She’s going to be alright. She a…’ Jubel stopped midsentence, glancing back at the door. Harry looked to see the woman cautiously peeking from behind the door. Her body language reminded him of a small, shy child. Her long brown hair wisped in her face and her eyes were bluer than the ocean.

The old man in robes was greeted by people at the top of the stairs, through the oak door. A man with all white hair wrapped his arms around him. They seemed like they have known each other a long time. Amelia took another step up the stairs, she could hear more people speaking. There was a woman, young, about her age. She was standing next to another man. He had green eyes and dark brown hair. He was standing in front of the robed man, staring at her.

As Amelia walked further up the stairs, through the oak door, stopping the conversation. Everyone was now staring at her and for a moment, no one spoke. The robed man, Jubel, she heard the white - haired man say. He walked over next to her, shutting and locking the iron door behind her. Before anyone got the chance to ask her anything, Amelia leaned in, whispering in Jubel’s ear.

‘I need to speak to someone named Daniel Holmes….’