CYOA Chapter 14: A Darker Image

The sounds just outside the bedroom were growing louder. Someone, or something, was coming closer and closer to the locked bedroom door. There was a struggle again, and you heard Ebal shouting and struggling with whatever it was. For a moment, you thought you should go out and help him, it didn’t seem fair for you to be hiding like this.

There was a loud bang at the door and you flinched, ducking down your head and thinking to yourself how you wish this could all be over. You wished this had never happened, that you never came to Hearthway Hollow and bothered all these people.

You thought at first that there was a sheet laid over your ankle, but it began to tighten and pull at you. Looking back, you saw nothing. The banging on the door continued until it finally broke from the lock. You were yanked by both ankles, pulled farther and farther away from the bed where you saw someone standing. You were pulled farther and farther away until the light from under the bed was a thin line upon the horizon. You had no idea what it could possibly be a horizon for.

Slipping further and further away the shadows from under the bed turned into dark twisting shapes that mingled with soft, colored lights that flickered and changed like clouds in a thunderstorm. Shimmering threads came down from these colored clouds, forming webs and clusters. There was a deep echo, and the soft murmuring of voices and sounds filled the air to somehow sound loud but silent all at once.

You passed through a cloud and saw out from the door of an open closet. You saw a woman standing there holding two babies in her arms. A man came to stand before her and he had the head of a white tiger. You were tugged out of the cloud, sliding down a shimmering thread and through another cloud.

Whatever held you released and you laid there on the floor underneath a bed. You stayed there still, unsure to believe what you just saw. Was it real? Was it a dream?

“There she is. I told you it would work.” You looked out from under the bed and nearly broke into tears.

“Nanny!” You hurriedly crawled out from under the bed, hitting your head as you frantically tried to get to Coraline.

“My poor girl,” Coraline wrapped her arms around you and stroked your hair. “There, there, my darling. You’re safe now,” she coaxed you.

It felt like such a relief to be held, to be with someone you knew and loved. You saw Bram standing behind you, as well as Luke and Remi.

“What happened?” You asked.

“Called upon a little help from an old friend.” Bram chuckled. “Back from my old stomping grounds.”

You tried to stand up but Coraline made you stay put. “You’ll fall if you stand up. Traveling through the Underneath can have it’s toll.”

Coraline’s face began to grow blurry as you looked at her. “The…that what?” You murmured as you vision came to a pinpoint. You passed out in Coraline’s arms, your vision going to black and your mind fading into the back.

You saw a black goat standing before you, but it wasn’t Remi. This goat had no eyes you could distinguish and its fur was thin and ragged. The fur hung in clumps and matted chunks around it’s body. The hooves were thick and had nails poking out from them. Its horns  were twisted and gnarled, cracking in some places.

“No,” you whispered.

The goat came closer.

“I said no!” You yelled.

Eyes shone under the matted fur of the goat. They were dark and bright. “No seat can remain empty in the pantheon.”

You couldn’t move, you were stuck in place.

“A god is dead and their throne must be filled.” The goat took a step closer towards you. “The blood of a god will fill the chalice.”

“Stay away from me!” You screamed at the goat. “I have nothing to do with my father! Stay away from me!”

The goat stood still again. “The blood from the chalice will be poured into the daughter.”

You clamped your hands over your ears and started singing a song to try and drown out the strange, wicked goat. But no matter how loud you sang or how tightly you clasped your hands around your ears, you could still hear them.

“It is either you, or another.”

You stopped breathing and looked back at the goat. The goat had grown in size and was standing on two legs. They were covered in a dark shroud that hid most of their hunched over body. They wore a crown of broken and thorny limbs and had candle wax dripped and piled along their shoulders and back.

You trembled as you looked at them. “Then why focus on me? If there is someone else to bother, then why not go and bother them? Surely there is someone who wants this! Leave me alone, let me be, unless you can give me good reason.”

The creature breathed and took a step towards you. You wanted to lunge away, but you were forced to remain still. The creature grabbed the top of your head, but it felt like it was holding onto something else. It felt like there was something coming from the top of your head.

“You are capable.”

“Capable of what?” You tried to thrash from their grasp. “Capable of what?” You screamed and a hand smoothed your hair away from your forehead.

“It’s okay. It’s alright.”

You were breathing hard and sweating profusely. You looked up into Luke’s eyes and the world became still.

“You were having a bad dream,” he whispered.

You choked and sniffled.

Luke gave you a soft smile, cupping your cheek in his hand. “I’m here. It’s okay.”

Tears flowed down your face and touched his palm. You swallowed hard despite the dryness of your throat. “Luke? Where am I? What's going on?”

“Remi contacted the carnival,” he started slowly. He helped you up off the bed. “Mr. Faire sent Coraline and Bram ahead in order to help you while he readied the rest of the carnival to arrive in Hearthway Hollow.” Luke then placed a bottle of water in your hands. “You’re in a rental cabin at the camping grounds right now.”

Your hands shook as you tried to open the water. Luke took it back and opened it for you. You then glugged it down as fast as you could.

“Are you okay?” He asked. “I looked like you were having-”

“A nightmare,” you huffed. “It’s fine.”

Luke didn't believe you, but he played along. “I called Mero, she said someone broke into the house. Probably a cult member.”

You thought of the terrifying goat creature. “Hopefully.”

He frowned a bit.

“Where’s Remi? Is he still here?” You asked.

Luke shook his head. “He left not long after you passed out. He said he had something he needed to take care of.”

“Great,” you grumbled. Just when you had something you needed to ask him.

“But Bram and Coraline are just outside. They’ve been setting up pumpkins all around the campgrounds.”

You laid back in bed, relieved to hear this news.

“Should I go get Coraline to come sit with you?” Luke offered.

You shook your head. “No. Stay here.” You reached out and took his hand. “I’m actually relieved to see you.”

Luke smiled unsurely. “Really? Me of all people?”

“It could be a lot worse,” you sighed.

Luke held your hand and tightened his grip. “Do you need anything?”

“I don’t know,” you sighed. “Maybe just talk to me about something normal.”

“Something normal?”

You took a slow, purposefully breath. “Yeah. You know, like maybe something with the apartment? Has there been any important mail?” You asked.

“No. Not really. There’s been a lot of political flyers as of late. I’ve just been leaving them in the mail box because I don’t feel like getting mad.”

You smiled. “I can only imagine. I bet there’s some real awful gems.”

“Yeah, saw one that tried to replicate a really old meme.”

You chuckled, looking up into Luke’s eyes and feeling relaxed. “No wonder you just leave them in the mailbox.”

“Aside from…everything, how have you liked Hearthway Hollow?” Luke asked. “It’s a pretty nice town…most of the time.”

“Yeah,” you murmured. You rolled your head to the side and sighed. “It’s been nice enough. The people here are great. I’ve even made some friends.”

“That’s good.”

“I would like it a lot more if I could relax though. Here I was hoping to get some writing done so I could take care of my car, get it fixed, figure out…” You stopped and looked back into his now sorrowful eyes. “Well, you know.”

He nodded. “Last thing I want you worrying about is me, let alone us.”

“I still do. Can’t help that,” you grumbled.

Luke squeezed your hand again. “I’m so sorry.”

“Not now,” you breathed.

The door opened and Remi came trotting inside. You sat up on the bed, seeing he had a plate in his mouth. Luke stood and took the plate then Remi hopped up on the bed and nestled there.

“Sorry, had to go check on my family,” he said.

“Family?” Luke asked. He removed plastic wrap from the plate to reveal a bunch of misshapen cookies.

Remi grunted. “None of your business.” he looked dead into your eyes. “Now. What about you?”

You huffed. “What about me?”

“How are you?” He asked. “Just a general question.”

You pouted. “You think I know?”

Remi chuckled. “Yes. I know. Hard to say with so much going on. And after going through the Underneath, I’m sure you’re feeling exhausted. That’s not an easy journey for humans.” He stopped. “Then again, you’re not fully human.”

“No, unfortunately,” you groused. You then furrowed your brow and looked back at Remi. “How many goats are there like you?”

“Oh goodness, no clue these days. I don’t keep track with that side.” He shook his head side to side. “There used to be a whole bunch of us back in the day.”

“Talking goats?” Luke asked.

“Satyrs,” Remi huffed. “We were very important people, used to be the middle ground between the mortals and the well, they called themselves gods back in those days.”

You frowned. “What about a goat that looked like it had been through hell and back? Had…nails through the hooves.”

Remi glared at you. “Why do you want to know?”

“Because he’s been in my dreams,” you said. “I thought it was some ghostly image of Pan. But I don’t think it is anymore.”

Remi sighed and hung his head. “That would be Charon. Creepy fellow, but he is well meaning. He was burdened with a lot of responsibility compared to the rest of us. And he has been appearing in your dreams, you say?” he lifted his head back up to look into your eyes.

“Since I was little,” you admitted. “But he’s never spoken to me until now.”

Remi frowned. “I wonder…”

Luke sat down on the edge of the bed again. “What is it?”

“Young Luke!” Bram called from the front of the cabin. “Could you come and help us for a moment?”

You patted Luke’s hand. “Go on. I’d like this to be private anyways.”

Luke nodded. “Alright. But if you need me, don't hesitate to call me.” He stood up front he bed, hesitating only for a moment. He then placed a kiss on your forehead and left the room.

Remi waited until Luke was gone before he turned back to you. “What did Charon say to you?” He asked.

You thought hard about it. You mostly remember what Charon looked like. What he said was something else. You’d been close to panicking in your dream, not much of what was said was fully absorbed. “He said that there’s an empty seat at the pantheon. Blood in a chalice…I’m trying to remember. I was so scared I don’t think I took it all in.”

Remi sighed. “Since Pan is gone, then a seat would be vacant.”

“He said I was the most capable.”

Remi glared. “Capable?”

You nodded. “I woke up after that. I don’t know what it means.”

“Blood in a chalice-” Remi whispered. “Dammit, I thought the cult was all we had to worry about.”

“Don’t say that,” you groaned. “Please don’t say that.”

Remi nuzzled up close to you. “I’m sorry, my friend.”

You sighed heavily. “What do I do?”

“For now, I suggest resting.” Remi stood up from the bed and stepped down. “Your family will be here soon, and with them more power than you’ll need to protect yourself. The cult will be dealt with first. After that, who knows.” He transformed into his human from then took hold of your hand.

“You seem oddly calm about this,” you murmured.

Remi squeezed your hand. “Oh no, I am freaking the fuck out.”

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