Part 10: Into the Heart of Darkness
As we crossed over the precipice and back into the darkly lit hallway, the armed men who awaited us appeared momentarily out of place. It took me a second to recognize the tall and bulky man with the slicked back hair and high turtle neck.
”It ain’t that I don’t trust y’all to come along willingly or nothin’,” the old man said with a smile, ‘but it never hurts to have a few precautions in place.”
”Good to see you guys again,” Mr. Green said with a menacing grin, cocking the pistol he held for good measure.
The three others who stood by his side looked somewhat familiar as well; being that they were amongst Orchids security team, but none stood out in my mind’s eye quite as clearly as the less than friendly goon.
Grant still seemed out of it, and though he may not have a full recollection of the events that led us to this building in the first place, he couldn’t deny we were in quite the predicament. With him being powerless at the time, he followed the old man’s directions as I did, with the gunmen taking their old station at our backs.
As we began what was to be a very long walk, with the old man guiding the path ahead, I did not doubt that there was nothing we could do. With my mind still in utter chaos, I could barely form a rational thought, let alone piece together any means to escape this insanity. Even if Grant did somehow manage to come back to himself and break through whatever walls kept him from accessing his gifts, I doubted that would make much of a difference, all things considered.
After some time; once he was secure in the knowledge that we were not about to attempt some ill-fated attempt to escape, Max began to speak again.
”Back when I took yer mom and pop, I could feel it in the walls that somethin’ special was in yer momma’s belly. Can’t say I fully realized what it really was she was carryin’, but I knew I wanted it. Kinda hoped what we did to them would corrupt you enough to convince you to come to my door willingly, but it went the other way. Of course, when you ended up in my house anyway, I realized I might just have another chance.”
There was a strange sort of exhilaration to his voice as he spoke so casually. It was as though he was revelling in the fact that he had us exactly where he wanted.
”When yer buddy revealed himself to be the devil himself, sendin’ that idiot Orchid boy to Hell in the process, I knew I had to have ye both. I let y’all leave that day. I Coulda stopped you if I wanted, but you wasn’t ripe yet. That’s when I started conjurin’ a plan to take you both. Took me a while to come up with somethin’, but when I did, eveythin’ come together nicely. Even managed to have a lil fun along the way.”
The way he was droning on about these things as though it was just another day, involving matter-of-fact, run-of-the-mill shit, was infuriating me. Though I had still pretty much given in to the fact that the end of the road for Grant and I was just around the corner, I tried to hold it together and allow the old bastard to unveil his master plan, even if the chances of preventing it from coming to fruition were unlikely at best.
”I picked up the redhead a century or two ago; hard to recall exactly when though. I’m sure you can understand that. She was such a cute lil thing when she and her folks walked in; lil wanderin’ family, or somethin’, tryin’ to get clear of the storm that was brewin’ outside. I s’pose I took a fondness to her and raised her like my own after I fed her folks to the house. I actually sent her to keep an eye on you, but she took a likin’ to yer friend, and I didn’t see no reason to push her the other way. Still got the job done, when Lucifer finally come back into the picture.”
The further we walked, the more Grant was able to carry his own weight. When he rolled his neck, began walking upright, and no longer hunched over, he gave me that familiar smirk.
”Thanks, mate,” he said, winking with a click of the tongue, “I got it from here.”
”Grant?” I asked, following his example and keeping my voice low as we walked behind the old man.
He just gave a quick nod, turning his attention back to our guide as we walked down and across hallways, we had not yet seen.
”Keep moving,” Green said, butting the barrel of his gun against my back.
I gave a complimentary nod, looking back over my shoulder to see that arrogant and self-assured grin on his face. As tempting as it was to knock a dent into that smug smile, I fought the urge and continued to play the part of the hopeless victim. I think I was playing, anyway.
”Lilith was all kinda excited when she saw you at yer lil bar that night, but when she told Ashley it was about that time, she didn’t seem too happy that her lil romance was done. Still, she was always a good pet and did what she was told. Woulda been nice if y’all had been good enough to come home without a fight, but I can’t say it hurt my feelin’s that ye put an end to Orchid and Lilith. They always was a bit of a wild card, after all. Yeah, they helped fatten up the house some, but not nearly as much as you two will.”
The scenery drastically changed after we boarded another elevator, not unlike the one that carried us to that cathedral room, back at the Orchid Grand Festival. The descent was swift, but smooth, leading us to a far more cavernesque area of the mammoth building.
Though the walls and ceiling looked to be constructed of some sort of reflective black rock, they still maintained that pulsing throb. If anything, something about this area felt more raw; more primal than the endless floors above, with the walls heaving more erratically down below.
”Even though I couldn’t get the full Lucifer, I had the bits y’all left behind to play with. That’s when I discovered who you really are, Michael, after I dug deep enough into the scraps y’all left behind. Lucifer didn’t know who you was, even after all the time y’all spent together, but somewheres in the back of his brainpan, he had an idea. I tortured the both of you until I put it all together, and when you came back, I was able to confirm my suspicions.”
He stopped in place, turning to face me. ”That sensation you felt when you come back in; the one that give you a head rush. You know what that was?”
I just shook my head. Though I had assumed it to be an adrenaline rush from returning to this hellish place, it would seem I was mistaken.
*Soon as ye walked in, the part of you I was holdin’ on to, shot right back to you like a magnet. That ain’t no mortal man kinda business.”
His smile grew wide and maniacal again, while I felt my blood boiling over beneath my skin.
”Maybe it’s that lil bit of a connection to yer real daddy that made you take to my bait like a starvin’ fish. You was so desperate to get yer brother back, you took me in like a cute lil puppy dawg. I could barely believe it was that easy if I’m tellin’ you the truth. Even Malphas fell for it. Hell, I think he wanted Lucifer back almost as much as you did. Took me less work to convince him to come along for the ride. Oh yeah, I buttered him up good and drained him dry to make you whole again,” he said, giving Grant a wink, “and you didn’t even say thank you. Damn ungrateful, if ye ask me.”
”You’ll pay for that,” Grant sneered through gritted teeth.
The old man just laughed in response; a crazed laughter not unlike the quintessential nefarious movie villain. The goon squad at our backs mimicked the chuckling of our guide, having quickly resorted back to the well-trained attack dogs they had been in life. My friend looked back at me, wearing that same expression of sheer hatred he had worn in the presence of both the elder and younger Orchids.
”We ain’t far now,” the old man said, gesturing for us to follow along.
Part of me wanted to make a break for it, as my still reeling mind had been begging me to do over the entirety of our voyage into the depths of this place, but I knew there was no sense in it. Even if I could break through the heavily armed wall of muscled flesh behind us, they’d gun me down within seconds, leaving me nothing more than just another ghost this place had locked away.
At this point, any attempts to escape would not prevent our inevitable demise; I knew that much for a fact. Yes, I could let them fill me full of bullets, leaving the old man with nothing but those foggy remnants of me to feed to this damned place, but I was certain he wouldn’t leave it at that.
In his haste to restore me to my former glory, who would he sacrifice for me as he had for Grant? The only other fully living beings in this place were Brandon, Ed, and his friend, and while they may not pack the vitamin-infused ingredients a demon like Malphas could provide, it may not prevent the mad old bastard from trying anyway. Of course, I was certain that Ed was far from an average man, but I still couldn’t risk that. I wouldn’t risk that.
We were beaten; I couldn’t deny that. The things that the smug son of a bitch chose to share with us were not facts he would reveal to those who had a hope of making it out of here alive. Of course, alive or dead were no longer realistic factors to consider. I had a feeling that, by the end of this, Grant and I would be erased from existence, just as Malphas had been.
”So, what was all of this?” I asked, grasping to find reason in everything that had transpired since he summoned me to that pier, “the storm on the pier, the trees put on the road? Was it all just a game to you!?”
”In a lotta ways, yes it was,” Max replied in a very proud-sounding voice, “but I also wanted to ensure that you wouldn’t chicken out; makin’ you so damn desperate to git here, you didn’t even know what you was runnin’ towards. Also, it all served to secure me as your savior, somewheres in her mind. But I did have one hell of a good time if that makes you feel better.”
”What the hell are you?” I asked.
”Me? Nah, that don’t matter, really,” he said, still wearing that smile, “I’m just a servant. It’s this place that made me what I am now.”
”And what exactly is this place?” Grant asked, staring down our host with hatred in his eyes, “You owe us that much. If we are to be a sacrifice to this building, at least give us that.”
”Y’all know what a ziggurat is?” he replied, glancing over his shoulder at us.
Grant nodded, but I was stumped. I felt like the word sounded halfway familiar, but I hadn’t the foggiest idea what it meant.
”Essentially, it’s a place of worship; a place designed to bring people closer to their makers. It’s a link from one place to another; a link between us to our God’s. This one began construction thousands of years ago, designed to reconnect with the old ones; them that come before you two were even an itch in yer daddy’s pants. The more souls we fed to it, the further it reached out to them. Before y’all come into the picture, I figured it’d take us centuries to reach them; to open up that door and let ‘em in.”
He turned to face us again, still casually strolling backward.
”I’m gonna feed the two of you right into the heart of it. Reckon that’ll be enough to throw that door wide open, once and for all. It’s a damn shame y’all won’t be around to see it.”
His eyes glistened as he shuddered slightly. If I had to fully explain how he appeared at the time, I would have to say that he seemed in a fit of pure ecstasy.
”It’s gonna be a sight to see, boys! A damn fine sight indeed!”
As he whipped back around, we rounded a corner to an enormous and wide cavern, far taller and more imposing than anything we had yet seen. The bumpy, shimmering black rocks now smoothed out, appearing as a rippling blanket of blackened ocean. While the perfectly flat surface beneath our feet looked so flawless in its design that I thought I may slip and slide across it, the walls and ceiling were conjoined in a half circle around us.
I could almost hear the waves as they drifted up one wall, traveling high above, only to fall to the other side, almost crashing into the smooth floor. While I could make out no source of light, the illumination that reflected against the shimmering surface of the black water lit up our surroundings like moonlight dancing across the surface of the sea. I could not deny that, regardless of the fact we were clearly reaching the end of our journey, it was quite beautiful to behold.
I couldn’t help but gaze all around me as our guide with sinister intent led us down a seemingly endless path. As the rippling black waves around me cascaded from one side to the next, I was almost hypnotized by the sheer magnitude of it.
The old man no longer spoke, only strolled onwards, not so much as glancing back to ensure we still followed behind him. In all honesty, while my entire body still shuddered with the fearful anticipation of what was to come, I was in a certain degree of awe as I drank in my surroundings.
Even Grant looked accepting of the fact of our impending doom, as though he understood that this was truly the end for us; something even he couldn’t prevent with his powers stripped down by the powers that be within these hauntingly beautiful walls. Somehow, I had a feeling that even at his best, he couldn’t prevent what lay ahead for us.
After what felt like hours and mere seconds at the same time, our long walk led us to our final destination. It was just as intoxicating as the darkened waves that guided our path, but also quite horrific to look upon. The emerald green lighting that sparked from and around the enormous, pulsing, purple orb that stood at the very back of the cavern, seemed to be exactly what cast its reflection against the blackened ocean around us.
The sphere itself appeared both solid and liquid, while it beat and pulsed, not unlike the rapidly thumping heart that thundered within my chest. As I gazed upon this wondrous and terrifying object that stood the size of the largest building I had ever laid eyes on, I felt as though I could just walk right through it, to find another world within, to be caressed by its warm aura.
Judging by the expression of the old man who turned to face us, as he proudly stood at its base, I think that was exactly what he had in mind for us, though I highly doubted there would be anything wonderous awaiting us inside.
”You two should be honored,” he said, outstretching his arms, “no mortal has ever laid eyes on this before, and mortal you are, unless I say otherwise.”
With that, he let out a frenzied shriek of a laugh, securing himself in my mind as the true villain at the end of my story. He continued to wail his mad laughter, even after Grant began to join him in a chuckle.
For the briefest of moments, my frenzied mind almost entertained the idea that he was a part of this; that he had been all along, but as he turned to me with that all too familiar smirk once again, I felt guilty for allowing my thoughts to even conceive of such a betrayal. All things considered, his reaction to the madness of the old bastard was only proof that he was back to himself again, for the most part anyway.
”Now,” Max said, finally having settled back down from his fit of laughter, “if you two would be so kind as to approach the heart without makin’ a fuss, I sure would appreciate it.”
”Are you taking the sodding piss!?” Grant said, chuckling at the nerve of the question.
The man looked stunned; not only at the insolence of one of his unwilling sacrifices but the attitude with which he spoke.
”Oh yeah, just walk on up, jump on in and let your whole bloody planet get swallowed up,” Grant said so theatrically, it was as if he was reciting Shakespeare for a crowd of adoring fans, “you’re having a bloody laugh, I’ll tell you that!”
”How dare you! I can make this ordeal so much more agonizin’ than you can even imagine, you pathetic fool!”
”Likely so,” Grant replied, “but that doesn’t change things. Have your goons shoot us down, drag us over and throw us in. I couldn’t give a toss, but don’t you bloody think for a second I’m stepping in there willingly.”
Max looked fit to burst as he stared down the arrogant limey. In all honesty, I couldn’t figure out why he hadn’t just thrown us in yet.
”You can’t,” Grant said smiling at the old man, “can you? We have to walk in willingly, yeah?”
”Don’t have to be willingly; not really,* Max replied through his gritted teeth.
”An angelic sacrifice, directly into a power source linking between two worlds. This isn’t as simple as just siphoning the essence of your victims in whatever rooms you have them tucked away in, gov. You can’t just feed such things,” Grant said, holding his posture straight to glance down his nose at the mad old bastard, “they must be offered. Even the ancient ones have rules which must be followed.”
Max glared at my friend, clearly attempting to puzzle together the apparent flaw in his master plan. As he paced back and forth, not breaking his gaze from Grant, he began to smile again; something I knew to mean he was onto something.
”Maybe I can’t just toss y’all in,” he said, nodding his head, “but I might can convince you to take a stroll.”
He outstretched his arms to his sides, inspiring the rippling black waves on either side of us to react as though a storm was brewing overhead. When I noticed something seemingly pushing against that shimmering surface, it didn’t take long for the people to begin forcing themselves through and into the cavern in which we stood.
Brandon, hand in hand with Ashley, strolled out first, while so many others both familiar and foreign to me passed through at varying intervals. Each of the men who had completed alongside us at the Orchid Grand Festival almost casually strolled out as the waves cascaded more erratically from one side to the other.
The remaining Orchid goons accompanied our ‘betters’ who had sat upon the chairs lining the room we almost lost our lives in, along with so many others from generations long since passed who I had never laid eyes on before.
They held no weapons, nor did they seem especially expressive or agitated as they shambled towards us, but I was uncertain if even Grant would have anything to offer on this. With the large crowd gathering only ten feet at most from us, consisting of so many people that I could only vaguely pick out the familiar faces, I could only imagine what Max was planning.
It wasn’t until two of the many souls this sinister building held captive pushed their way to the front of the crowd, that I understood part of the old man’s reasoning. While my parents did not appear as mutated and grotesquely deformed as the last time I came across them within these walls, they most certainly did not look like they were here to help; not to help me anyway.
It was then that I understood what the old man had in mind; to beat us into submission, one way or another.
”You’ll beg for the end before this is done, boys,” Max said, staring down at us with as much contempt as the Orchid family had what felt like decades ago, “or you could make this so much easier on yerselves, and just do what yer told!”
I had no words to offer as my parents drew closer. Even Grant looked lost for words, but we were on the same page, as always. Yes, we were not going to survive this, but I would be damned if I was about to just give the old bastard what he wanted, regardless of what may be left of me by the time this was done.