The door shook with the force of the crowd outside, throwing themselves against it blindly. Three had moved to the window and already, their palms were bleeding as the glass cracked and pierced their skin, staining the shards red. Mr Montford and Ash hauled a small book case across the room. The carpet and their haste making it all the more difficult. If there was something for it to snag on or get caught on, then it did. Penalty, perhaps, for dumping its contents into an unsightly pile as if they were logs for the fire. "Is there an attic?" Marie called as she leaned against the sideboard they'd positioned at the door. The drawers already flung from their cubby with the force from outside. "A basement is no good, we'd be completely trapped. But an attic...that seems safer." "I didn't see," Mr Montford answered, sweat pouring from his brow and impeding his grip. "I doubt it. I remember these houses being built. People exchanged attics for garages, easier to access." "And they didn
You have changed me by your love.Thus say I in my heart,In my soul, at my prayers:"I lack my commander tonight,I am as one dwelling in a tomb."Be you but in health and strength,Then the nearness of your countenanceSheds delight, by reason of your well-being,Over a heart, which seeks you with longing.Time felt as if it were slowing down as Isaac made his way over the debris and towards where the horrors had occurred. Everything frozen in eerie stillness under the decrepit skyline.Dust puffed up with each step he took, his heart beating harder as the shell of the main room opened up to greet him.Immediately he saw Atum, shifting from one foot to another as if he had a cramp he couldn't release. The look in the older God's eyes immediately heightened his anxiety and he hastened forward, only to be stopped when Atum lifted his hand.What is written on the brow would inevitably be seen by the eye and his silence said more than his words."Do not allow yourself to weaken. Your st
The dogs ran rampant through the living dead. Limbs flew, congealed blood oozed and the smell of rotting flesh permeated the air even more.Those who tried to fight back, biting and clawing were soon defeated, their blackened teeth unable to even scratch the thick skin.Blood and foam frothed at the mouths, neither willing to allow the rancid meat to drop down their gullets. They still remembered the luscious fresh meat that had been given in their best. Tender and prepared with care. What they caught now, on those rare occasions they needed to feed, was not a patch on it.And these beings were not fit for rats.They ignored the humans, save for knocking some over. None seemed injured, even if they hit the concrete hard enough to break a bone. They simply sat up, or lay there. Dazed and in a world of their own. With no voices ringing in their heads, their addled minds forged on to return to normal.They had long since given up on trying to understand anything.When they finished here,
Several Months LaterIt's strange how people react after disaster. You see the best of people and the worst. Thankfully, it's mostly been the former. Things are being repaired, getting back to normal with the help of big companies and small. Not to mention the dedicated do-it-yourself people.Scientists have been wracking their brains to find the cause of such a global phenomenon. The best they have come up with so far is an imbalance in the eco-system and perhaps in the space around. And, of course, religious nut-jobs have been having a field day preaching about how sin and immorality is the cause. They haven't pinpointed a particular sin this time, they can't, it's too wide. So, the whole world has been tarnished. Except for themselves of course.Funny. They're actually closer than the scientists when it comes down to it. Except that it isn't the doing of the God who watches now.Mysteries come out daily. Strange creatures spotted in the sea, too rapid for anyone to get hold of, a
The sands were on fire. Billowing in heated heats and crashing like dusty waves against the half-finished structures that would house the earthly remains of Kings.They should have been finished now but the tools had been dropped, the slaves and overseers fleeing from their work, prostrating themselves before their ruler for forgiveness. Forgiveness he could do naught but grant for who could face the wrath of a God?From the vast world beyond the eyes a great court was in session. Masked forms that seemed hybrids of man and beast discussed the events that blighted progress.One hand rose and all fell silent. None would speak over the creator of all.Atum slowly rose to his feet, making no sound as he paced some the flight of steps to the stone hall below him.His eyes were hard as the door flew open, revealing the one who made them tremble.Powerful in figure and fierce in face when covered with the
Isaac remained quiet as they wandered down to the car park, a small area that always seemed practically empty even when the museum was fairly full. He preferred the bus since he always found his car seemed under siege by the birds nesting in the trees lining near the tarmac. And car wash cost added up over time, he needed those wages for living and not cleaning bird mess from his windows."When I looked online at the menu it all looked pretty good," Ash broke the silence as they turned onto the street."Decent range of prices as well which is rare for around here, people take advantage of the visitors."He looked at the scenery as it passed. Grey, concrete and tarmac, so different from the materials they were surrounded by in the museum. Each piece telling a story of a long-lost land, he couldn't imagine any of the modern architecture doing that in years to come. Mass produced and almost identical.Further from the city, past the outskirts the view looked
Mr Montford had cleared his desk of all the papers and other clutter by the time they got back. The top was now covered by a white sheet and illuminated by a strong lamp. Without specialist equipment it was the best he could do and, thankfully, his past tutors had taught him how to improvise when the need arose.A half empty water bottle sat nearby by. He had been losing so much fluid by sweating it was well needed."Ah, good timing!" He beamed as the pair entered "Ash, you can hold the cloth steady and Isaac, you fetch the statue. I can take the scraping and send it off post haste, then we will have some answers, I hope! Until then it can be kept safe itstorage, I won't display it until we have more information, misleading the public leads to the wrong sort of publicity."Ash moved over the smooth out the creases, his hands shaking his excitement and nerves as Isaac went to take the figure from the box.As he leaned ov
Mr Montford's entire body froze in horror at the condemning words and his Adam's apple bobbed as he choked on his own bile that had risen into his throat.His bewildered eyes took in the figure, roving over the curious mask, powerful muscles, and claw-tipped fingers. This was the exact image of the statue, somehow live and full-size in front of them.A spark of determination flickered across his eyes as they were commanded to kneel, and for a brief moment he met the terrifyingly-cold gaze of the creature. His heart skipped a beat at the pure malice he saw there, freezing him on the spot.Isaac unconsciously stepped closer to Ash whose pale face had become a waxen death mask, stealthily resting his hand on his upper arm in an effort to give some reassurance as another wave of natural fury rocked the sky.In the back of his mind a voice hissed. But like the leaves in autumn, it was a faraway cry. Audible but unable