Gerald came in. “The odd couple from the other day is here again.”
Arthur laughed, at the thought Gerald considered himself normal. From the first day they had started to imbibe the crystals, they had not been normal, and he would not go back to what they had been before.
“Show them in. I’ll take you with me tonight. I don’t like being with them on my own anyway. I feel they’d like to kill me as much as I would them.”
Gerald started to cough, a hacking cough accompanied by blood. Arthur hugged him.
“Just hold on a bit longer. We’re so close to being one with our lord, Awhen.”
“I’ll not let you down.” Gerald left the room to bring the others in, while Arthur swallowed another two Endone tablets.
The smug pair walked in, and he noticed how they sneered and wriggled their noses up in distaste. They were right: the house smelt of death. But that would change. It would reek of power and money soon enough.
“Good evening, gentlemen. I hope you’re ready for our nigh of fun and frivolity, and possibly a bit of murder and kidnapping.”
Charles snickered. “I think it would be better for all of us if we can avoid attracting the attention of the law. However, I’m not opposed to a little mayhem. Are you ready to go?”
“Gerald and I are ready. He has the knife we used before. That should do what you require.” Arthur saw Sayell’s fingers twitching as if he could not wait to get his hands on the blade.
Arthur sat in the back of the fancy car with Gerald beside him. He thought it was a BMW. What they could do if they had the money these men had. Money always attracted people. It attracted him.
He ran his sweaty hands on his pants as they drove up to the manor house. He wanted the angel but had seen the power the man had displayed, even after he was wounded and bleeding. This Heath would not go down without a fight. Arthur peered back to see the van behind them contained six more men. He hoped it would be enough. They dropped Sayell off at the large gates to the house and made their way down the lane to the field at the back and waited.
Sayell said he would send a text when they should make their move. Arthur was getting nervous sitting there, his heart beating wildly in his chest. Life would be cruel if he were to die of a heart attack when they were so close to attaining their goal.
The text came through, and Charles checked his phone.
“It seems we’re too late. They’ve left already. Sayell will be waiting by the gate for us.”
A part of Arthur was relieved they would not have to fight, but another part screamed in protest. They could not afford more delays. He doubted he would last more than a few weeks, and Gerald might last six months, if that. Sayell jumped in the car, and they headed off.
“So what happened?” Arthur asked, as he grabbed the back of Sayell’s shoulder. The man turned around, and the look threatened the infliction of pain if Arthur touched him again. Arthur pulled his hand back and bit his nails. He didn’t want to be beaten up, but he needed to know what was going on.
“I read the mind of the gardener. He said they left this afternoon, for Jamaica it seems. Evie’s aunt is some sort of voodoo woman, and it appears they believe she can help cure Evie of whatever ails her.”
“What do we do now?” Gerald’s voice was cracking, and Arthur feared his friend would burst into tears.
“We follow them. I’ll drop you off at your home, so you can both pack. Sayell and I will arrange the flight and inform you of the times. We’ve no intention of giving up if you don’t. We want Evie, and you want Heath,” Charles said.
Arthur wasn’t so sure about this. He had never travelled much and didn’t like flying. He would have to overcome his fear. If this was the trial Awhen was sending him, then he would not fail his lord.
They packed their bags and sat, waiting for the call. Luckily, their passports were still in date, though when he looked at the picture taken five years ago, he realized how gaunt and sallow he looked now. He made sure he had sufficient medication for himself, and the correct paperwork from his doctor. He wouldn’t need these awful painkillers anymore soon enough. They numbed the brain too much.
“Do you really think they’ll be able to help us?” Gerald asked.
“They will because we have something they want. The minute they get the woman, I believe they will steal the crystal powder from us. They don’t have a belief in a higher force like you and I. I think they just want anything they believe will give them power.”
The phone rang, and Gerald jumped up to answer it.
“They’ll be here first thing in the morning to drive to Gatwick. We should be in Jamaica tomorrow afternoon. I shall retire to bed now. The others have all gone home. I told them what was happening and that we would be back soon with some good news. Is there anything else you need?”
“No. I’ll pray to Awhen and ask for his guidance. I don’t think I could sleep, even if I tried.” Arthur went to the basement and knelt before his makeshift altar.
“Lord Awhen, we are so close. We almost had the alien, but he slipped through our fingers. We should have heeded your warnings more and known how powerful he would be. We have help now from others who want the woman. They think they are stronger than us, but once we join with you, we shall be stronger than ever, and no one will be able to defeat us. The world will see a new golden dawn.”
The pain returned to Arthur’s stomach, as if a rat were gnawing away at its lining. His back ached where his kidneys were failing. It did not matter because he would not give up. He would fight until his last breath to join with his master. He slumped to the floor and leant back against the cupboard. This would be where he would spend the night. Near Awhen.
Arthur’s neck ached, along with the rest of his body. He must have drifted off to sleep at some point with his head at an awkward angle. Gerald came in and helped him up. Sayell and Charles would be here soon, and he should try to make himself more presentable. When he returned from his shower, they were waiting. The trip to Gatwick was mostly in silence. He and Gerald had little left to tell them, and they were sharing nothing. They checked in and found they were flying business class. Yet again another sign of how the other half live. He would be rich soon enough, and he would fly first class.
Their seats were on the opposite side from Sayell and Charles, so he was pleased. He found them intimidating and didn’t want them to see his hands shaking all the time. Due to the drugs, some wine, and exhaustion, he slept through the flight. Hopefully, by the time they returned home, they would be strong again.
They collected their luggage, and Charles ordered a taxi to take them to a hotel. Maybe soon they would let them know what would happen next. The hotel was grandiose, and he felt out of place. In their room, he collapsed on the bed. The trip had taken too much out of him. Gerald wasn’t much better and lay on the other bed looking pale.
“Rest for now. They’ll come when they need us,” Arthur reassured him.
Arthur struggled to open his eyes, as if he had weights upon them. Rolling onto his side, he peered across to the other bed and found it empty. Maybe Gerald was in the bathroom. He dragged his body into an upright position and shuffled to the bathroom. He found Gerald. He was dead and lying in a pool of his own vomit. Arthur’s legs gave out, no longer willing to hold him up anymore. Tears came to his eyes as he grabbed a towel and tried to clean away the vomit. They were so close. Gerald had been like a son to him, and he wondered if there was any point in continuing, now that he was gone. He took Gerald in his arms and rocked back and forth, as the tears streamed down his face.
He had to survive. There were others at home waiting for his return. There was a knock on the door. Pulling himself up, he made it to the other room and opened the door. His face must have said it all because Charles turned on him immediately.
“What’s happened? Where is Gerald?” Charles asked.
“In there.” It was all he could say as he pointed to the bathroom.
Sayell followed him and came back out, shaking his head. He was followed by Charles.
“Well, I thought he might have lasted a bit longer, but we’ll have to get rid of him before the hotel staff discovers the body,” Charles said, as he shook his head.
“What do you mean ‘get rid of him’?” Arthur asked.
Charles came across the room and pushed his face up close. “Do you really want the police crawling all over this place?”
He had a point, but he didn’t like the sound of just getting rid of Gerald’s body. Who were these men he had attached himself to, who could just get rid of bodies without the authorities knowing.
“The rooms will not get cleaned until the morning. I’ll sort it out when the sun goes down,” Sayell said.
“Have you discovered where they are? We don’t have much time. I won’t live much longer. You’ll never get my secrets and capture the girl if I don’t get Heath’s blood.” He knew they were not happy he was yelling and might attract unwanted attention from the hotel staff, but losing Gerald made him realize more than ever that he needed the blood immediately.