King Avallach
Deity of the Old World
Disclaimer: This story has strong language and horrific themes. If you are liable to be disturbed by such material please abstain from reading.
Feel free to comment leaving either praise or constructive criticism.
2012 Copyright (C) Joshua Van-Cook
The Taunt
Chapter 1: Origins
I don’t know how it began but it was likely related to the strange nightmares that have been occurring to the population en masse for the past week. People claiming to have seen a face but of no real comparability to any sentient life form on the planet and I know this dream only too well, five eyes situated horizontally on a pentagonal face. The face had no nose, mouth or ears but a grotesque figure somewhat resembling a dog’s snout and mouth protruded just above the centre eye. As for the eyes themselves; they were the palest grey imaginable while still being recognisable as that colour. Unlike most nightmares I’d had before, this monstrosity did not give chase, did not seize me or allow do anything that would have sharply driven me into the comfort of consciousness it just watched and lulled mindlessly from side to side in a pendulum like fashion, I lost myself in its terrible gaze and woke up a lot more gently than I should have from such a disconcerting dream.
Whether these dreams were actually related to the current situation only God can tell but news items as of yesterday claimed there had been a series of several killings. The police have not issued a detailed report as to how exactly these murders were performed but each victim has been found with an expression of pure terror on their face with fatal injuries indicative of massive blunt force trauma to their heads and midsections and their legs had been broken. There had been seemingly no other pattern to the murders and no defining similarities amongst the victims which means that the police had already ruled out a serial killer. It was more likely to be a ritual means of execution employed either by a very widespread gang (the killings had been identical over the length and breadth of England) or that of an obscure cult but nothing more had apparently been discovered.
I suppose I should tell you whom it is who’s relating this story to you. My name is Theo Thomas. I don’t know what since recorded histories have told you and what the realms of physical and cosmic possibility have come to since my writing here but I will do my best to describe fully the terror that has dawned on England. I am writing from Manchester, perhaps the seat of the madness that has engulfed all other notable regions of the country since the most disturbing of scenes was here: Police cars trying to cover the pools of blood that would not disperse even though their owners had been moved over to the nearest morgue. The blood could not have been said to have coagulated and had, according to reports, changed to an almost gelatinous consistency. Whatever the consequences were of that, it was definitely a bizarre occurrence, giving the Mancunian murders one oddity atop all of the others.
Daryl, a friend of mine came around. He was a good friend albeit with a penchant for coming out with the most colourful vulgarisms and anatomic impossibilities heard this side of the states.
“Hi!”
“You alright Theo?” He asked off the cuff
“Surviving.” I replied
“More than can be said for those poor ****ers in the news, eh? It’s like the whole bastard country has kicked itself in the arse and started to scream for more and up in Manchester we’ve ended up wearing its favourite boot.”
“Well put.” I said
“Ah, sod all that really. I’ve brought a few drinks and some chipolatas. I figured as all’s going to **** quicker than anything, might as well have a good talk with drink and food to boot.”
“Sure, I’ll get the grill.”
I went to the grill and started to preheat it for chipolatas and then went into the sitting room where Daryl was now comfortably at home.
“I’m assuming we’re in here” He quipped with a small smile
“You have a bottle for me?” I asked making it sound, however mockingly that his situation there was dependant on it. He produced a bottle and turned to me with a look of ultimately feigned concern.
I raised my hands and conceded “Me casa es su casa.”
“Haven’t seen much of you lately, how’ve you been coping?” I asked
“About the same as ever, job’s a haughty bitch breathing down my neck about political correctness in the field of customer ****ting service. Aside from that I’ve been living the high life, just finished reading “The Illuminatus Trilogy.” ****ing hilarious and just about as bang on as anyone could be in relation to its content. Also found a few good vintners recently, I’ll check my rack back at home and forward you the ones I think you’d enjoy best. I’ve also watched a few decent films at the Cornerhouse.”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate it” I said
“Think nothing of it.” He replied affably
“So how are you and Kayleigh at present?” He asked off topic
“Doing well so far” I responded
Daryl nodded agreeably to this so I continued
“It’s been four months now, she is really finding a liking for the place and I’m quite happy to be quite a part of that. Probably best you still keep a distance from her though” I pointed out.
During one particularly shambolic New Year’s Eve Daryl had a massive falling out with Kayleigh, no one exactly recalls what the argument was about but everyone remembers the last words exchanged between them. The argument came to a climax resulting in Kayleigh calling him a “Fat wanker” and that if she ever saw him again “it would be six lifetimes too soon” to which he called her “a ****ty, meandering, drab, skinny, whorish ****er” and that she was only my girlfriend to compensate for the fact that all of her friends could be counted on one hand and what she actually knew about any of them could comfortably fit into a thimble, without taking it off her finger first.
“Well life’s no good without a good laugh, I’m glad you’ve found yours.” He responded idly
“Okay, drop it.” I said “I know you and Kayleigh didn’t part on the best of terms but you can still respect the fact that she does mean a lot to me.”
“It’s not just that.” He quibbled “Before her you were someone with whom I always knew where I stood. I know I’m about as subtle as an alien craft crash landing on the M6 but you were too. Now you’ve pretty much adopted a new personality to suit her. I need to know if I really knew you, mate ‘cos you’re pretty good at changing costumes.” He gave a look of absurd hurt and innocence.
I played along with the joke though:
“Daryl, we’ve known each other since high school, of course you really know me, you’re not about to burst out in tears now are you?” I laughed
“You really are a **** sometimes, you know that?”
“It’s part of my charm. Aren’t you aware, we Thomases have it by the boatload.”
“Theo, how about we check up by that scene in Piccadilly?”
“Seriously, Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin, it’s like you knew what I was going to suggest.”
“Why, you think it would make me feel better because I’m a sick bastard.”
“That and you and I have the same sense of adventure, and that is how you know me.”
Then we were off…
Chapter 2: Revelation
We got into Piccadilly from Mauldeth Road Station it was relatively busting as was to be expected at the time. People were walking slightly faster than normal, by which I mean they almost were walking at the same pace as me or Daryl. We hadn’t gotten far when a voice stopped us in our tracks “Well, what are the happy couple here for today?”
I turned around and it was Kayleigh “Hi Kay, what are you doing here?”
“Shopping” She said with a certain amount of glee and then indicated to a mass of bags that looked like they would over encumber someone whose frame was twice the size of hers but she was surprisingly strong, particularly when it came to taking home things that she liked. I don’t mean to make her sound like a pack mule but you get the idea. I will admit she has more physical and emotional stamina than me when it comes to spending hours around the town center mostly window shopping, sometimes actually shopping and all in all, I doubt I’d have half the possessions I own if not for her influence.
“So what are you two doing here, I can’t usually get you into town without an amount of grumbling not usually heard outside of parliament building.”
“Just looking around” I replied diplomatically
“Okay, I’ll see you later. Be sure to pick up.”
“Sure will”
She then took a glance at Daryl and then looked back at me
“Keep out of trouble.”
I thought it best to end the encounter there so I smiled and replied softly
“Love you”
“Love you too”
We hugged and then parted ways
“She’s going to go ape-**** if she finds out why we’re here.” Daryl said with a mischievous grin
“Don’t even joke about it.” I said
“New Year’s Eve saw her face go through normalcy, to pale, to yellow to red, then to blue, indigo and purple. It is quite an entertaining thought to see how many others on the spectrum I can get, without buckets of paint, then for the real fun.” He sniggered at I can only assume at the mental image of the entire Dulux colour range being poured over my girlfriend I gave him a stern nudge to the ribs with my elbow, that stopped him having a fit of laughter.
“So police lines or shopping?” Daryl asked redundantly
“Let’s go.” I said
We got to the police line where the blood still hadn’t dispersed, in spite of torrential rain throughout the night. “Sirs, unless you have any information regarding the perpetrators or the victims of the crime scene here, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Said a male police officer
“My friend and I are curious as to what has kept the blood here.” Daryl volunteered
“Heh, you and we are in the same boat in that case.” The PC replied
“If it was simply a preservative or an anti-coagulant, it would go some way to explaining the viscosity of the blood but to keep it all intact through torrential rain. I don’t know a lot that could do that.” I contributed
“Well aren’t you a regular Sherlock Holmes, I’m afraid I can’t comment on all of our findings so far, you’ll find out in the news soon enough I’d think.”
Seeing that we weren’t going to get any more out of him, we thanked him for his time and then left.
We toured around Piccadilly and the Northern Quarter for a few hours. I got a call, it was from Kayleigh. I answered
“Hey, you” I said
“When are you coming down?” She asked
“Soon as I can get the next train” I replied
“Okay”
“Love you.”
“You too”
I knew there was still some time before I could get the next train to Holmes Chapel so I looked over to the police line, something had got their attention. Then I saw it too, the blood began to glow, not a reflection of the bright night lights of the city centre but its own scarlet glow that then went into topaz and finally into amethyst. Then the pools roared and rose up in a spectacular fashion engulfing the entire crime scene. The waves of amethyst then became a mist of impenetrable darkness. Out of the mist came a figure, a vaguely humanoid figure. Its eyes, gaping hollows of a startled but deep rooted madness, darted a glance all around. Me and Daryl had more than started to back away, we ran as far as we could in one go, we made it to underneath the bridge just coming out of Piccadilly Gardens on the 50 bus route.
“Da-**** was that!?” Daryl cursed
“My guess, not friendly” I panted
“Well I guess we know what those killings were for now” Daryl said grimly
“Oh, pray tell professor, what were they for?”
“The blood must have acted as a conduit of sorts for that thing to come out of.”
“Have you any idea what it was?”
“I’m ruling out zombie, bogeyman, alien and it doesn’t match any description of a demon I’ve seen.”
“So what, we dub it ‘monster’?” Daryl queried, his voice clearly peeved.
“Unless we find out exactly what it is, I guess that’ll have to do.” I replied as chirpily as I could, by which I mean I sounded sodding morbid.
“I bet I could think of a name to better fit for it.”
“If I’m guessing right, posterity may have something of a problem with any such thing named by you.” I laughed in spite of myself
“Yeah, probably” Daryl chuckled
Feel free to comment leaving either praise or constructive criticism.
2012 Copyright (C) Joshua Van-Cook
The Taunt
Chapter 1: Origins
I don’t know how it began but it was likely related to the strange nightmares that have been occurring to the population en masse for the past week. People claiming to have seen a face but of no real comparability to any sentient life form on the planet and I know this dream only too well, five eyes situated horizontally on a pentagonal face. The face had no nose, mouth or ears but a grotesque figure somewhat resembling a dog’s snout and mouth protruded just above the centre eye. As for the eyes themselves; they were the palest grey imaginable while still being recognisable as that colour. Unlike most nightmares I’d had before, this monstrosity did not give chase, did not seize me or allow do anything that would have sharply driven me into the comfort of consciousness it just watched and lulled mindlessly from side to side in a pendulum like fashion, I lost myself in its terrible gaze and woke up a lot more gently than I should have from such a disconcerting dream.
Whether these dreams were actually related to the current situation only God can tell but news items as of yesterday claimed there had been a series of several killings. The police have not issued a detailed report as to how exactly these murders were performed but each victim has been found with an expression of pure terror on their face with fatal injuries indicative of massive blunt force trauma to their heads and midsections and their legs had been broken. There had been seemingly no other pattern to the murders and no defining similarities amongst the victims which means that the police had already ruled out a serial killer. It was more likely to be a ritual means of execution employed either by a very widespread gang (the killings had been identical over the length and breadth of England) or that of an obscure cult but nothing more had apparently been discovered.
I suppose I should tell you whom it is who’s relating this story to you. My name is Theo Thomas. I don’t know what since recorded histories have told you and what the realms of physical and cosmic possibility have come to since my writing here but I will do my best to describe fully the terror that has dawned on England. I am writing from Manchester, perhaps the seat of the madness that has engulfed all other notable regions of the country since the most disturbing of scenes was here: Police cars trying to cover the pools of blood that would not disperse even though their owners had been moved over to the nearest morgue. The blood could not have been said to have coagulated and had, according to reports, changed to an almost gelatinous consistency. Whatever the consequences were of that, it was definitely a bizarre occurrence, giving the Mancunian murders one oddity atop all of the others.
Daryl, a friend of mine came around. He was a good friend albeit with a penchant for coming out with the most colourful vulgarisms and anatomic impossibilities heard this side of the states.
“Hi!”
“You alright Theo?” He asked off the cuff
“Surviving.” I replied
“More than can be said for those poor ****ers in the news, eh? It’s like the whole bastard country has kicked itself in the arse and started to scream for more and up in Manchester we’ve ended up wearing its favourite boot.”
“Well put.” I said
“Ah, sod all that really. I’ve brought a few drinks and some chipolatas. I figured as all’s going to **** quicker than anything, might as well have a good talk with drink and food to boot.”
“Sure, I’ll get the grill.”
I went to the grill and started to preheat it for chipolatas and then went into the sitting room where Daryl was now comfortably at home.
“I’m assuming we’re in here” He quipped with a small smile
“You have a bottle for me?” I asked making it sound, however mockingly that his situation there was dependant on it. He produced a bottle and turned to me with a look of ultimately feigned concern.
I raised my hands and conceded “Me casa es su casa.”
“Haven’t seen much of you lately, how’ve you been coping?” I asked
“About the same as ever, job’s a haughty bitch breathing down my neck about political correctness in the field of customer ****ting service. Aside from that I’ve been living the high life, just finished reading “The Illuminatus Trilogy.” ****ing hilarious and just about as bang on as anyone could be in relation to its content. Also found a few good vintners recently, I’ll check my rack back at home and forward you the ones I think you’d enjoy best. I’ve also watched a few decent films at the Cornerhouse.”
“Thanks, I’d appreciate it” I said
“Think nothing of it.” He replied affably
“So how are you and Kayleigh at present?” He asked off topic
“Doing well so far” I responded
Daryl nodded agreeably to this so I continued
“It’s been four months now, she is really finding a liking for the place and I’m quite happy to be quite a part of that. Probably best you still keep a distance from her though” I pointed out.
During one particularly shambolic New Year’s Eve Daryl had a massive falling out with Kayleigh, no one exactly recalls what the argument was about but everyone remembers the last words exchanged between them. The argument came to a climax resulting in Kayleigh calling him a “Fat wanker” and that if she ever saw him again “it would be six lifetimes too soon” to which he called her “a ****ty, meandering, drab, skinny, whorish ****er” and that she was only my girlfriend to compensate for the fact that all of her friends could be counted on one hand and what she actually knew about any of them could comfortably fit into a thimble, without taking it off her finger first.
“Well life’s no good without a good laugh, I’m glad you’ve found yours.” He responded idly
“Okay, drop it.” I said “I know you and Kayleigh didn’t part on the best of terms but you can still respect the fact that she does mean a lot to me.”
“It’s not just that.” He quibbled “Before her you were someone with whom I always knew where I stood. I know I’m about as subtle as an alien craft crash landing on the M6 but you were too. Now you’ve pretty much adopted a new personality to suit her. I need to know if I really knew you, mate ‘cos you’re pretty good at changing costumes.” He gave a look of absurd hurt and innocence.
I played along with the joke though:
“Daryl, we’ve known each other since high school, of course you really know me, you’re not about to burst out in tears now are you?” I laughed
“You really are a **** sometimes, you know that?”
“It’s part of my charm. Aren’t you aware, we Thomases have it by the boatload.”
“Theo, how about we check up by that scene in Piccadilly?”
“Seriously, Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin, it’s like you knew what I was going to suggest.”
“Why, you think it would make me feel better because I’m a sick bastard.”
“That and you and I have the same sense of adventure, and that is how you know me.”
Then we were off…
Chapter 2: Revelation
We got into Piccadilly from Mauldeth Road Station it was relatively busting as was to be expected at the time. People were walking slightly faster than normal, by which I mean they almost were walking at the same pace as me or Daryl. We hadn’t gotten far when a voice stopped us in our tracks “Well, what are the happy couple here for today?”
I turned around and it was Kayleigh “Hi Kay, what are you doing here?”
“Shopping” She said with a certain amount of glee and then indicated to a mass of bags that looked like they would over encumber someone whose frame was twice the size of hers but she was surprisingly strong, particularly when it came to taking home things that she liked. I don’t mean to make her sound like a pack mule but you get the idea. I will admit she has more physical and emotional stamina than me when it comes to spending hours around the town center mostly window shopping, sometimes actually shopping and all in all, I doubt I’d have half the possessions I own if not for her influence.
“So what are you two doing here, I can’t usually get you into town without an amount of grumbling not usually heard outside of parliament building.”
“Just looking around” I replied diplomatically
“Okay, I’ll see you later. Be sure to pick up.”
“Sure will”
She then took a glance at Daryl and then looked back at me
“Keep out of trouble.”
I thought it best to end the encounter there so I smiled and replied softly
“Love you”
“Love you too”
We hugged and then parted ways
“She’s going to go ape-**** if she finds out why we’re here.” Daryl said with a mischievous grin
“Don’t even joke about it.” I said
“New Year’s Eve saw her face go through normalcy, to pale, to yellow to red, then to blue, indigo and purple. It is quite an entertaining thought to see how many others on the spectrum I can get, without buckets of paint, then for the real fun.” He sniggered at I can only assume at the mental image of the entire Dulux colour range being poured over my girlfriend I gave him a stern nudge to the ribs with my elbow, that stopped him having a fit of laughter.
“So police lines or shopping?” Daryl asked redundantly
“Let’s go.” I said
We got to the police line where the blood still hadn’t dispersed, in spite of torrential rain throughout the night. “Sirs, unless you have any information regarding the perpetrators or the victims of the crime scene here, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.” Said a male police officer
“My friend and I are curious as to what has kept the blood here.” Daryl volunteered
“Heh, you and we are in the same boat in that case.” The PC replied
“If it was simply a preservative or an anti-coagulant, it would go some way to explaining the viscosity of the blood but to keep it all intact through torrential rain. I don’t know a lot that could do that.” I contributed
“Well aren’t you a regular Sherlock Holmes, I’m afraid I can’t comment on all of our findings so far, you’ll find out in the news soon enough I’d think.”
Seeing that we weren’t going to get any more out of him, we thanked him for his time and then left.
We toured around Piccadilly and the Northern Quarter for a few hours. I got a call, it was from Kayleigh. I answered
“Hey, you” I said
“When are you coming down?” She asked
“Soon as I can get the next train” I replied
“Okay”
“Love you.”
“You too”
I knew there was still some time before I could get the next train to Holmes Chapel so I looked over to the police line, something had got their attention. Then I saw it too, the blood began to glow, not a reflection of the bright night lights of the city centre but its own scarlet glow that then went into topaz and finally into amethyst. Then the pools roared and rose up in a spectacular fashion engulfing the entire crime scene. The waves of amethyst then became a mist of impenetrable darkness. Out of the mist came a figure, a vaguely humanoid figure. Its eyes, gaping hollows of a startled but deep rooted madness, darted a glance all around. Me and Daryl had more than started to back away, we ran as far as we could in one go, we made it to underneath the bridge just coming out of Piccadilly Gardens on the 50 bus route.
“Da-**** was that!?” Daryl cursed
“My guess, not friendly” I panted
“Well I guess we know what those killings were for now” Daryl said grimly
“Oh, pray tell professor, what were they for?”
“The blood must have acted as a conduit of sorts for that thing to come out of.”
“Have you any idea what it was?”
“I’m ruling out zombie, bogeyman, alien and it doesn’t match any description of a demon I’ve seen.”
“So what, we dub it ‘monster’?” Daryl queried, his voice clearly peeved.
“Unless we find out exactly what it is, I guess that’ll have to do.” I replied as chirpily as I could, by which I mean I sounded sodding morbid.
“I bet I could think of a name to better fit for it.”
“If I’m guessing right, posterity may have something of a problem with any such thing named by you.” I laughed in spite of myself
“Yeah, probably” Daryl chuckled