Golden Hour (Part 4)
The dilapidated entrance had grown cancerous with age, riddled with uneven floorboards, dusted with fallen plaster and masonry. I snapped a photo. The flash bloomed light into a waiting area, capturing soiled chairs, backs missing with perforated upholstery. The union of a table and chandelier behind them, combined shards of wood and glass so that it looked as though they were eating each other. Broken arms and twisted shade bands bit down into the lacquered top, while in the centre the prisms had slipped into an awning wooden maw. Joe had already moved through, picking his way through the debris to a staircase, Donny a couple of steps ahead. Their positions changed by the time I reached the top, breathless. I’d missed the point in the gloom where the dog had slowed and Joe took the lead. The air was think with spores, a dank musk and I a soft furry body brush against my cheek. Instinctively, I flinched, swatting at it with the camera. The lens cover made contact, and I felt a gentle vibration through the camera chassis, then saw the moth spiral into the gloom, becoming another stain on the thread bare carpet.
It should have been dark, only it wasn’t.
The corridor was illuminated by a glow coming from beneath a door half-way along. The light was languid, reaching up from beneath the door frame, caressing dancing motes, making them shine like embers. Moths flittered across our path, their ungainly flight erratic. It stung my eyes, a corrosive brightness that ached and pricked. “Max is behind that door.” “Max?” I said. “It’s easier if I don’t say anything, I’ll let you take him at face value.” “Anything I need to know?” “Be respectful, he’s the only person who can help us find Charlotte.” “What makes him so special?” He motioned to the semi-circular hole in the carpet in front of the door, where radiance flashed and licked at the remaining fibres. At the edge of the penumbra, a raised mound of mutilated and burnt insects lay, dead or dying. As I watched another drew too close, the tip of a wing sparking and bursting into brief flame before it tumbled to the floor. Donny struggled against the leash, eyes wide backing away. “Calm down, boy, easy. Easy.” Joe bent, stroking the animal’s head. It whimpered, claws pushing backwards. The hind legs of the dog pushed into mine, and it turned to see what it was backing into, only for Joe to scoop it up into his arms. Don stopped struggling, head under Joe’s chin burrowing into his coat. “Don’t do anything to catch his attention and you’ll be all right.” Joe said.
Joe pushed the door open with the heel of his shoulder and ducked inside the room. Squinting against the harshness, I could feel pricks against my exposed skin. Grains of dust, dirt, or even the hostile light bombarding me. My lips cracked, drying in an instant, and I could feel blood oozing from a multitude of abrasions. My hair wilted, feeling stripped of moisture and my breath caught at the back of my throat. Using the crook of my elbow, I shielded my face, keeping my back against the bare wall. Sipping the air, I could make out bare batons protruded hollows in the plaster where it had been constantly worn away.
I felt confident, right up until the point when Joe hissed, “If anything happens to me, run!”
The light was coming from a figure seated at the head of a bare table. At first I thought it was naked, in the bleaching light that radiated from this… thing, for I could see now that it wasn’t a man, rather a dishevelled accumulation of rags, layers and layers of colours, wrinkled together like rings through a tree trunk, as though it had dipped itself in shallower and shallower pools of dye. Dancing jewels sparkled, metal disks and piercings gleamed brightly, sometimes hanging from velvet threads from the creases within its skin. I don’t know if the overbearing atmosphere lessened, or I adjusted, imperceptibly, but I could make out more detail. It was a skeletal frame, encased in mummified flesh, rags and clothes rotted into place so that it all looked the colour of death. Its jaw moved, slowly, rolling around as though it was trying to re-seat loose dentures. It was also very, very alive. Joe’s eyes were wide, somehow balanced Don in his coat and was holding a finger in front of his face. “Holy shit!” I exclaimed. I didn’t mean to, it just fell out. Above the grinning rictus, the rest of the features were sunken hollows, two blisters beneath at the side of its cheek, but otherwise devoid of features. It cocked a non existent ear my way. “Now, who do we have here. The door opened for the count of six, long time for a single visitor, is it not?” It sniffed the air, “Two, people, and a small offering perhaps?” The voice sent chills through me, I could feel the contents of my bowels turn to ice, sending shooting pains through my abdomen. “Indeed, I have something for you, but not the boy. He is under my protection.” “Is he now, Joe? And whose protection are you under?”
I felt confident, right up until the point when Joe hissed, "“If anything happens to me, run!” “What do you require from me?” “I am here to seek your wisdom,” Joe said. The creature laughed, head back, mouth awning wide grotesquely. Dimly I remembered the camera dangling in my hand. So fucking crazy, that I had to take a picture they simply wouldn’t believe me otherwise. So it had good hearing, but I couldn’t make out any eyes. If it couldn’t see me, what sort of trouble could I get in? Joe took a step forward, adjusting Donny under his arms. I took the opportunity to slide pop the lens cover off, bringing it up to my eye. “Not many people ask for that pleasure Joe. Gladly, gladly, I will share what I have. Such desperation should be rewarded.” I had no idea what was going on.
“Answer truthfully, and I will let you live. What did you do?”
I could feel the air around my head crackle. “It’s a… a camera. It captures your image.”
Joe did a double take, alarm all over his face.
“Capture!?,” the creature snarled, “you wish to imprison me?”
With the shot in frame, I squeezed the shutter open. The camera made no sound. The image momentarily froze on the LCD screen and the saving icon flashed up. “What was that!?” It boomed. A tremor started in my hand. The thing was facing me, and would have been staring if it had had eyes, but it was just a snarling visage. Deliberately, it lifted a gnarled hand from the table, barbed fingers curling until one was pointing directly at me. “What was that? It blinked at me!” Joe slowly turned on his heels. One eyebrow askew. “What the fuck are you thinking?” he mouthed. “The juvenile holding the black square. I saw it blink.” I said nothing, feeling its sightless gaze like a weight falling on me. “Do I address the one eye, or the palanquin bearer?” the creature asked Joe. “The bearer,” Joe sighed, shaking his head. He shrugged when I looked at him, turning his back to me, shaking his head. “Answer truthfully, and I will let you live. What did you do?” I could feel the air around my head crackle. “It’s a… a camera. It captures your image.” Joe did a double take, alarm all over his face.
“Capture!?,” the creature snarled, “you wish to imprison me?”
“No, no, no, no, no! Just your likeness!” Shit, how could I explain the arrangement of light waves passing through the glass lens onto a light sensitive material… to something that thought I was holding a creature? “It does nothing. It observes, like a watcher, or…” Where was I going with this? Shit, shit shit! “Impression, like a footprint…” I took a breath, “No, no more than a footprint captures the shoe.”
A dreadful silence followed. It seemed to consider this for a moment. My heart pounding on the inside of my ribs like a brick in a washing machine. slowly started coming back to a ‘just panicked’. Joe nodded, impressed. “Feel free to absorb whatever ambiance you wish, discarded light is of no consequence, to me.” Stunned, I took another couple of photos, but my hands were shaking too much and I gave up. Joe carefully lifted Donny onto the table. It stared up, head low, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. Donny was watching me, big brown eyes on mine.
It stood from the table, chair pushed back with its legs. With its head nearly touching the ceiling, the bloom of light masked the awfulness of its features, hiding it in shadow, while the rest of the room scorched and cracked with a new intensity.
I didn’t know what was going to happen, hell, I knew something bad was going to happen. At the mention of an offering, alarm bells had started ringing and wouldn’t shut off. This dog, lifelong companion to Hank, was staring at me. Soft brown eyes accusing me of the misfortune that was about to befall. You let this man take me, you could have stopped him. You let him take me from Hank, bring me here. How did you think it would end? You had the chance to stop this. Why didn’t you? Why don’t you?… One of the creatures hands pinned it to the table. Donny whimpered and then tried to raise a paw, but it couldn’t push itself upwards. It let out a howl, trying to twist out from under the vice like grip, the tone rose as shrill and piercing as a kettle. The creature’s hand continued, cracking bone breaking the spine. The other hand lunged with the speed of a viper, splayed fingers pierced the flank and the whole arm disappearing into the chest cavity. One moment Donny had been alive, a warm, living breathing animal, one where you could see the vitality that life exudes, the next, nothing. Donny had been reduced to a wet meat shell. I watched. I couldn’t blink. It was like watching a car crash. Donny slowly turned inside out, against a low thrum that increased until it was as loud as a vacuum drawing up water. The dog shook, its skin shrivelling. Where the creatures arms vanished into the corpse, the blood stained fur had started to ride up the creatures arms, being drawn up, bunching at the elbows like sleeves. I followed its progress, seeing the wrinkled creases, watching a line of colour flatten and get pulled up to its forearms. The flesh there popped over the elbows, and I could make out an elongated face, a human face: eye holes, nostrils, and lips that were stretched like braces beneath the elbow. With a soft pop, the lower part came free, replaced by a red band. The quivering mouth started to close, but the skin had been stretched beyond elasticity, instead, it hung open. I could see now, stripes of colour moving, buckles and tags glimmered like jewels embedded in the creatures body, some with names and addresses on. Finally, the flesh across Donny’s muzzle split, peeled back revealing the bones beneath. Each eyeball rolled back and vanished into the skull with a pop. I could see now, that the writhing surface that was the creatures outer shell, was hundreds of different skins, like lines within a tree, each a demarcation of a life stolen. Of the hollowed out husk, all that remained was a collection of steaming red bones, held together by gristle and sinew. The creature’s arms were clothed in fur, spiked and stained from the viscera It removed one hand, scraps of muscle dangling from between its fingers as it hooked into the eye cavities. With a snarl, it swept the remained of the carcass against the wall where it shattered, bones rattling against the skirting board. We both jumped, startled by the suddenness. A low hiss escaped the leathery lips, teeth bared in ecstasy. I couldn’t take my eyes from the skull, now being turned in its hand like an ornament.. “What is it you wish of me?” it intoned. “I need to find someone.” “I thought that you were better than that Joe, needing my help?” “I need to find her now.” “Ahh. Yes, there is a way. Not without risk, but you already know that, otherwise you wouldn’t be here.” The creature nodded, “You have something from her? Finger, hand?” I saw the flash of silver from Joe’s hand as he took out the strand of hair. Placing the skull on the table, it drew a black talon along length of his forearm, opening a black gaping rent in the pale sinew. Black blood slid and crawled out of its veins, as there was no heartbeat to push it, spilling into the upturned skull. Joe shrank back, holding his own arm, the feathered scars on his wrist poking out from beneath his cuff. “Put it in.” Joe reached out, holding the hair at arm’s length above the bowl. Elongated fingers stroked the underside of his palm as it gathered the gleaming thread, and pushed it beneath the black surface. It stirred the dark cocktail with a finger, I could hear the nail scraping on the inside of the skull. “Here,” it offered Joe. “Drink.” “Wh-what?” “You want to find her, this is the quickest way.” It stood from the table, chair pushed back with its legs. With its head nearly touching the ceiling, the bloom of light masked the awfulness of its features, hiding it in shadow, while the rest of the room scorched and cracked with a new intensity. I watched Joe take the cranium and peer at the roiling surface. “You want to find her. I offer you this.” He looked so far away, glanced at me. Something was moving on the surface, I could see it writhe against the side, a thin strand whipping backwards and forwards. “No,” I whispered. The creatures head swivelled towards me, mouth open in that ever grinning smile. Joe’s eyes were closed, lifting the grotesque cup to his lips. “No!” I bellowed. He swallowed, face ashen and pale. One gulp, two. Joe coughed into his hand, painting it red. Joe’s face creased in pain, hands dropping to his stomach. “Oh, my… fuck! What is it?” “What you wanted.” Joe took a step back from the table, holding on to the end for support. I saw his eyes roll upwards, just before his knees buckled and he dropped out of sight. I rushed forwards, aware that I was passing beneath a huge shadow as I did. My vision was filled with red and gold as hands swooped towards me. I ducked, tensing for impact, my finger curled over the camera, bringing it up to hide behind. Long fingers, darted around, piercing my arm. I howled, looking down at the talons embedded in my flesh. My skin was already puckering and flowing along the nails, and I could feel the muscle and flesh tear slightly. Stretching upwards. I tried to shrink away, but was slammed against the table. My teeth snapped together, taking a couple of layers of skin off my tongue, and fire coursed along my arm. “Enough!” Joe bellowed. The hum subsided and the nails retracted from the wounds, leaving bleeding half moons. Each one a fire, throbbing and swelling. Then Joe was next to me, pulling me out of the room.
Stumbling against each other, we fled.
