Uncanny Tales of Crush and Pound 5, Page 3

  “You’re the Angel of Death,” he replied without considering the consequences.

  “I prefer to be thought of as the Gatekeeper of Life, but the names are synonymous.” More memories rushed through Crush’s mind as he lay beneath the living orb.

  “I’ve met you before, in the water,” he said gazing at his palms that were once paws. “Why am I still here?”

  “I cannot answer what your future holds, but yes, we met once before on a joyous occasion,” said the eye as it came down close to him. “I can smell your death in the air, but it is not your time again.”

  “Again?” Crush snorted. “I’m only going to say this one more time. Let . . . me . . . go!”

  “Soon, but you will not stand in the way of her,” said the eye. “She must have the Staff as my brother Bear has told you.” Crush put two and two together, and came up with Sherry.

  “You can’t have Sherry!” protested Crush.

  “The passing of Life and Death is not in your power to grant,” replied the eye.

  “They aren’t in your power either,” remarked Crush with a finger pointed in indignation. “If you were the final authority, I would not be here still.”

  “True, but some paths must be followed, and her time has come,” said the Angel. “I have held you back long enough, hero. I do so look forward to our next meeting,” the eye continued as it faded into nothingness. Crush looked around in surprise as the tentacles faded, and he was left alone in the cave with the sounds of dripping water. Then a crack opened in the ceiling above, and the weight of the moat filled the air pocket of the cave with the bitter water. Crush leaped upward and swam through the crack in the ceiling, once again choosing to break the surface inside the castle.

  As his head popped out of the water, he gazed at the surroundings of the enclosed room to find it empty and the bars closed. Swimming to the ledge, he climbed onto the cold castle floor where he finally stood to his feet on solid ground. Racing over to the cell door, Crush shook the bars in desperation, but the door was locked shut.

  He then caught a whisper coming from down the hallway, and he quickly hid behind a stone pillar along the granite the wall of the domed room. The clank of keys sounded, followed by the turning of a lock, and Crush was surprised and ecstatic to hear the door slowly creak open. Butterflies rushed into Crush’s stomach as he peeked around the corner to see who was entering the chamber.

  “Possum?” whispered Crush as the little imp entered the room.

  “Crush,” Possum answered and motioned for the wet captive to follow him into the hallway. “Hurry, before we are caught.” Crush sloshed over to the bars and followed the imp down to the hallway. They ran down a flight of steps and into another long corridor. When they reached the mid-point of the corridor, Crush heard footsteps pacing down the steps behind.

  “We are being followed,” stated Possum matter-of-factly.

  “No kidding,” said Crush sarcastically as he grabbed the slower moving imp and dashed for the curved stairs leading upward at the end of the corridor. They reached the stairs just in time to avoid the first set of arrows that ricocheted off the wall behind. Crush bounded up the stairs two at a time and slammed through the wooden door at the top, only to find a ledge to a raised drawbridge.

  “Now what!” exclaimed Crush as he fought to stop his momentum and to regain his balance.

  “Up,” said Possum pointing up the wall to a tower high above.

  “Nuts,” Crush cursed as he slung the imp over his shoulders and tied his shoes to his side so that his feet were bare. He then jammed the door shut with a rock and began to climb the wall with bare feet and extended claws. The distance to the tower window was at least forty feet, and before they could get halfway up, the door below burst open with a parade of clambering demons. Crush stayed focused and kept climbing, and they were only discovered when he dislodged a stone which then fell onto the head of a guard below. Armed with a crossbow, the guard loaded his weapon with lightning speed, leaving Crush exposed and with few options for survival. Before the imp could protest, Crush flung Possum upwards like a bale of hay into the open window of the tower just in time to escape the first arrow. When Possum disappeared through the window, Crush scrambled the last twenty feet like a bug on a hot plate. Grabbing hold of the ledge, he pulled himself inward and barely escaped a speeding arrow that struck the window sill and splintered onto the ceiling.

  “Look!” shouted Possum as he pointed out the window on the opposite wall. Crush ran over and peered out at the sight. Carol and her father were in the center of a castle courtyard and surrounded by demons on all sides. Carol then did something very unusual, something Crush could not have predicted. Carol Fromage held aloft the Staff of Helios and slammed the end into the ground, creating a portal to another dimension.

  “How’d she get the Staff?” Crush mumbled more to himself than to Possum, and he already knew the answer to that question. As they watched Carol and her father entered the portal, followed closely behind by a legion of demons.

  “The portal remains open,” said Possum as the courtyard cleared. The imp then changed his attention to Crush. “Hurry! You must go while the way is open!”

  “Where are the others, Possum? Bat and Justin?” asked Crush as he gripped Possum’s arms in eagerness.

  “I have not seen them,” he answered as if he had completely forgotten about them. An arrow ricocheted between them, and Crush realized that they had to find his friends or his struggle would be for nothing. Crush stuck one leg out the window to the courtyard and turned back to Possum.

  “You coming with me?” he asked. Possum hesitated before answering.

  “Of course. Your friends are my friends,” the imp agreed with a smile.

  “Climb on then,” Crush instructed, and Possum held onto his back as they scaled down the back side of the tower to the parapet below. Once on foot again, they ran down the length of the wall to a corner. Crush leaned upside down over the edge of the roof to look in a window in the hallway beneath, and when he found it empty, they swung back inside the castle again. Crush opened a nearby door to a stairwell, and they went down one floor to a hallway.

  “Where do you think they are, little buddy?” whispered Crush.

  “Prisoners are kept in the basement where they are forgotten,” Possum said with a look of shame.

  “It’s a good thing we haven’t forgotten, huh,” Crush said as he gritted his teeth. “Let’s keep moving.” Activity began to pick up in the hallway, and they made another escape down the stairway. They rounded two more flights and came back out in the dungeon, not so very far from where Crush had just been freed. They turned two more corners and entered a dark hallway lined with eight solid doors that were closed to seal off the rooms on the other side. The stench wafting down the corridor reminded Crush of death, yet he held out some hope that Bat and Justin were still alive. Crush chose one side of the hallway, and Possum chose the other, both of them knocking lightly on each door. Waiting for a response, none came until Crush knocked on the last door at the dead end of the passage. At the last knock, a scratching came from inside the room as of fingernails scraping down a chalkboard, and Crush backed away from the door as black smoke then billowed out between the cracks. When Crush heard coughing come from inside, he knew he had to act.

  “It’s them, or some other poor souls that we can’t abandon,” Crush said. “Stand away! I’m kicking in the door!” Before he could follow through, Possum tugged as his arm, holding him back.

  “Don’t do it! The Lamlap has them!” exclaimed Possum desperately.

  “The what!”

  “Lamlap! A beast of smoke and ash!”

  “We can’t leave anyone here to die, no matter what is behind that door,” he assured the imp. “No one deserves to be tortured.” Crush leaned back and kicked the door in with all his might.

  The room inside was filled with black smoke, and a grotesque form compris
ed of hot ash stood between two figures chained to the wall. Crush gave Possum a silent order and shoved him down the hallway where he vanished around a corner. He then inhaled the last bit of fresh air left in the hall and strode inside to face the mysterious creature. Crush covered each fist with a shoe and met the creature head on in a duel to the death. Crush led with a right, a left, an uppercut, and the beast staggered backward with the blows, leading Crush to falsely believe he could easily defeat the creature with his fists. When he was far enough into the chamber, two fiery claws wrapped around his covered fists, and the ashen head leaned in to blow a chimney load of hot air and smoke into Crush’s face. Seconds later the creature had Crush pinned down on the floor with no chance of escape. As the billows of thick smoke choked him almost to unconsciousness, Crush exerted the last bit of strength in his body to bring his knees to the creature’s chest, and he hefted the smoking villain through the open doorway where it slammed into the corridor wall with a thump. Crush struggled to his feet as the beast shook off the attack and spewed flames of rage from its open mouth. Making one step toward the door, its head turned just in time to catch a full bucket of water to the face. The creature roared in pain, and the ashes poured to the floor in a steaming mass as the creature separated and drained down the cracks of the stone floor.

  “Dumb ash,” said Crush, and he staggered over to free Bat and Justin from their magical bonds. Being a vampire, Bat recovered with amazing resilience, but Justin had to be carried down the corridor to where there was fresh air. After giving him mouth to mouth resuscitation, Crush felt a faint pulse on Justin’s wrist as he lay just outside the pool where Crush had surfaced earlier. The water bubbled and rippled at the surface, catching Crush’s attention for a moment. When he looked back at Justin, he realized just how close to death the old fellow was, so he picked him up with both arms and carried him down the stairs to the next long corridor.

  “Bat, can you check the curved stairwell and see if we’re clear,” asked Crush, and Bat put the speed that he was well known for to good use. He found that the way was clear to the top of the stairs, but just outside the exit, demons were gathering.

  “I don’t think we can get out that way, Crush,” said Bat. “Not without a fight. There are just too many demons gathering up there.” Crush seemed to take this news in stride, and he offered up a suggestion.

  “In the courtyard, Carol opened a portal and escaped this dimension using the Staff,” Crush started and then was interrupted just as quickly by Bat.

  “You gave her the Staff?! Are you crazy?!” Bat wailed in annoyance.

  “It’s a long story that I’ll explain to you some other time, but it was taken from me,” Crush explained. “When I discovered she had it, I was too late to stop her and her father. I don’t know how Carol could have the ability to use the Staff, but she did, and the portal is open. If we can make it to the courtyard, then we’re home free,” he advised, though he wondered where the portal went and what was happening on the other side. Given Justin’s condition, Crush did not feel that staying in the dungeon was an apt solution, but Justin would be helpless if there were a fight. They were caught between a rock and a hard place, and there was no time for indecision. Turning to the imp, Crush felt that he had to trust him yet again.

  “Possum, could you stay with Justin at the pool while Bat and I get help?” Crush asked.

  “Yes . . . but are you coming back?” the imp said as he considered the implications.

  “Of course,” Crush answered reassuringly as he carried him back to the room. “I have a feeling that our work here is far from complete.” Looking back down the corridor and recalling his recent experiences, he offered up one more piece of advice. “No matter what happens, stay out of the water.”

  Leaving Justin and Possum behind, Crush and Bat ran out of the room, down and back up the stairs to the door at the top of the steps where they waited for a break in the steady line of demons pouring into the courtyard. Within a few short minutes, the courtyard was clear as all of the demons present passed through the portal, leaving just their small group of adventurers to man the castle. Heading straight for the portal without hesitation, Crush and Bat were halfway to the brightly lit opening in space when the owl that had entered the dark realm with them swooped down like a missile to thread the portal hole ahead of them. Before Crush and Bat could get any closer, the portal sealed itself shut, and they were once again trapped on the wrong side of destiny.

  Chapter 3

  *

  From Death to Life

  *

  One flip of the switch, and the video and voice recorder was active.

  “My name is Sherry Lance, and I have opened the doors to the church here on the roof of the skyscraper that tobacco built in downtown Winston-Salem,” she said as she placed the recorder on the floor and tilted against the wall so that it would record her entrance. As she walked down the center aisle between the pews, a laugh echoed through the rafters, and Sherry stopped to examine the scene. To her left, Phil’s body laid limp on the floor under a pew, his neck obviously snapped to one side.

  “Deals with demons,” she thought to herself and shook her head in disgust.

  “Come on out and get this over with,” shouted Sherry to the ceiling. The crimson rug beneath her feet began to roll up to the altar and into the air, twirling into the shape of a human tapestry. The minister that had been there earlier was now gone, replaced by this mockery of human life.

  “Welcome back to the service again, my dear. I do so believe that you will enjoy your stay in the dark dimension,” Drakthos said with a laugh.

  “I don’t know what your aim is, rug rat, but you won’t succeed,” Sherry threatened.

  “Oh, I have succeeded already,” he explained. “I have gained a foothold in the mortal life once again, as has the witch who sacrificed my descendent there beneath the pew, and we don’t intend on losing it to you or your colleagues.” Sherry considered what the demon was revealing to her, and she began to understand her place in this charade.

  “You’ve been between life and death for many years now, and you need more than just a sacrifice to come back to earth. You need for me to switch places with you permanently in order for you to remain on earth,” Sherry deduced.

  “My, my, you are the perceptive one, indeed,” the carpet grinned with a stapled smile. “You may survive your stay in purgatory much longer than I originally anticipated.”

  “I’ve got news for you, shaggy. I’m not leaving earth again without you,” said Sherry. The remaining witch sister floated down from the rafters and eased one grimy hand around Sherry’s neck. Then she applied some small pressure to close off her wind pipe.

  “Choking . . . me . . . like . . . Phil . . . but . . . you . . . need . . . me . . . alive,” she gasped the words out. With that the witch loosened the grip enough to let her breathe in again. A bright light began to appear in the aisle ahead, and as the light intensified, a hand and leg appeared in the center of the radiance. Another leg and head followed, and an all too familiar Staff of Helios emerged. Even stranger than that, another person materialized from the other dimension, an older gentlemen and statesman. Sherry recognized the haggard face of the man as Senator Fromage, but she had no recollection at all of the woman who wielded the Staff.

  “Senator Fromage! You’re alive!” Sherry proclaimed with effusive joy, not only for the recovery of the kidnapped congressman, but also for the absolution of the charges that had been leveled against her. “Who is this with you?” she asked of the lady holding the Staff.

  “I am Carol Fromage, and judging by the way your eyes are drawn to the Staff, you must be Sherry Lance,” replied the Senator’s daughter with a bow. “It is a pleasure to have met you at least once,” she said as she made her way over to the draped demon at the altar. Kneeling at his feet, she offered the Staff to him.

  “My lord, the Staff is yours,” Carol said as she offered the ant
iquity to the demon.

  At that moment the remaining witch sister descended upon Sherry and laid one hand upon her forehead, forming a mental bond between them. Thoughts rushed into her mind, confusion, intrusion, and then an open battle for control. The witch’s hands grasped her neck in the fog and applied the pressure to inhibit her breathing. Sherry then choked and struggled until she realized that her mental body, her spirit, did not need the air to thrive. It was then that Sherry found her strength, for it had been her spirit that had willed the Staff to her command, her spirit that had fought the demon Drakthos, and her spirit that would prevail over his wicked servant. Sherry punched the witch’s torso and wrenched her hands loose from her neck. With a head butt to her crooked nose, she broke the hag’s concentration in the struggle for mental control and usurped the victory from the hands of misery. Sherry Lance placed her hand on the witch’s forehead, and with a force of will unmatched by the evil twin, Sherry forced the demonic tendrils back out of the privacy of her mind.

  The witch screamed and shook in agony and frustration, releasing the mental connection that she had forged with the frail human. Before Sherry could awake from the mental struggle, the witch metamorphosed herself into a translucent form and dove into the heart of the triumphant human. Sherry staggered back and fell to her knees in exhaustion as a halo of evil enveloped her being.

  “My dear, you fought well, but I cannot allow you to hold me back any longer,” uttered Drakthos as he reached for the Staff. “The world will be mine once again, thanks to my servants,” he proclaimed with a nod to Carol. “When I control the Staff, darkness will rule the earth as well, and I shall be Lord of All, while you Sherry will be my queen.”

  “You said that I would be queen, my lord,” said Carol with a hint of jealousy, and she drew back the Staff to her chest and out of the demon’s reach.

  “That is true,” he admitted as the other demons poured into the sanctuary from the other dimension. “But you are weak, and I despise weakness,” he continued as he waited for her to hand over the Staff in shame. Sherry could not recall all of the events that transpired at that moment, but one memory did stick with her to the end. A winged creature flew through the portal and wrapped its talons around the shaft of the Staff of Helios, wrenching it from Carol’s timid clutches. Immediately the portal closed as the very large owl soared away with the charmed wooden relic, leaving the swarm of demons trapped on earth.