Children of the Mark: Vision of the Elder Book II

By Michael W. Garza

Some things, terrible things, cannot be unseen. AJ Scott is a typical teenager, and the only thing he wanted to do was survive high school. Clair and Dougie have been his friends since the third grade. The teens stumble across a bizarre ritual, quickly turning an evening of adventure into a nightmare. They witness the culmination of a bizarre cult’s attempt to summon a monstrous deity from the netherworld, and a hasty escape leaves the teens terrified, and AJ marred from the event. His newfound malady proves to be much more than a simple mark, and the trio is pulled into a race to save themselves, their families, and possibly the entire world.

Vision of the Elder
This YA Paranormal Series follows the trail of those children forced to bear witness to the sacred rites of the Cult of the Elder. Their eyes are opened to the darkness beyond the void, and their lives are forever changed.

Book I: NeverHaven
Book II: Children of the Mark (www.amazon.com/B085HZ8S25)
Book III: The Crimson Door (Forthcoming)

Leap into the shadowy world of the Cult of the Elder within the pages of Rise of the Elder and much more!

Rise of the Elder
This Horror Survival Series documents the last days of those mortals foolish enough to pry into the affairs of the Cult of the Elder. The dark secrets are tempting, but few live to tell of the horrendous wonders beyond the void.

Book I: Drums in the Abyss (www.amazon.com/B07D2HQ9Q8)
Book II: The Grief That Lingers (Forthcoming)
Book III: A Temple on the Witch-mound (Forthcoming)

Get the dark collection of macabre tales that started it all: The Elder Unearthed: Tales of NasNoroth and the Cult of the

Investigative Role Playing in a Modern World of Gothic Horror: Children of the Mark: The Role Playing Game

• Language: English
• Publisher: neverhavenpress
• Release date: Mar 6, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463745359

Michael W. Garza

Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him and it’s always his ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results. He hopes everyone will find something that frightens, surprises, or simply astonishes them.

Book preview

CHILDREN OF THE MARK

Vision of the Elder

Book II

By

Michael W. Garza

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted

in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including

photocopying, recording, or by any information and retrieval

system, without the written permission of the author, except

where permitted by law.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and

incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or

are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,

locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Copyright © 2015 by Michael W. Garza

All rights reserved.

Proofread by Karen Robinson of

INDIE Books Gone Wild.

It is often in the darkest skies that

we see the brightest stars.

-Richard Evans

Also by Michael W. Garza

The Decaying World Saga

The Hand That Feeds

The Last Infection

Tribes of Decay

Season of Decay

Cult of the Elder Mythos

The Elder Unearthed

(A collection of tales)

Vision of the Elder

NeverHaven

Children of the Mark

Rise of the Elder

Drums in the Abyss

The Shadow Gate Chronicles

The Last Shadow Gate

A Veil of Shadows

1

AJ Scott got as close to the ground as he could manage. If he thought he could get underneath the rug, he would. He was terrified more than any single moment in his young life. The closest comparison involved a school dance and Jessica Bailey, but this was much more terrifying. He considered closing his eyes and balling up in the fetal position, but he was not sure it would help.

The sound that caused such a fright came to a stop. AJ swore it was footsteps, but he was not sure. They came in waves, tapping one after another like a group of people. At the age of fifteen, he had not quite perfected the art of identifying specific sounds from a distance. He waited until long after the hallway went silent before daring to speak.

You still there? he asked, whispering.

There was another long moment of silence before a terror-filled, whispered response came from behind the door he was leaning against.

Where are we supposed to go? We’re stuck, remember?

Clair Anderson was the owner of the voice, and at the moment, AJ was tired of hearing her speak. In his mind, it was her fault he and Dougie Edwards, his best friend, were in their current predicament. It was her bright idea to sneak into the warehouse in the first place.

Stop whining and pull on the door, AJ said.

He pushed as hard as he could and almost smacked his head on the floor when the door gave way.

My hero, Clair said. She tried to give him an exaggerated hug, but he pushed her away. Fine, why don’t you get up and help us get out of here then.

AJ got to his feet as Dougie appeared from behind the door and gently closed it. AJ did not have to ask him if he was scared. Dougie had a quick mind. He was the smartest kid AJ ever met, but heroism was not in his vocabulary. Clair, on the other hand, had enough heroism to borderline insanity. They huddled behind a dusty desk at the far end of the room and tried to regroup. Dougie kept his eyes trained on the door, peering through his thick-rimmed glasses as he sucked in nervous breaths. Clair was smiling, and it was driving AJ crazy.

We can’t get out the way we came in, AJ said, recapping the situation. The window they had climbed through was stuck, and they could not get it open. They had ventured out in the hallway, and that is when the footsteps started. Since there’s no other way out, we’re going to have to go back out in the hall. He looked for agreement in Clair’s eyes.

How do we know which way to go? she asked.

Yeah, AJ, we can’t walk around in the dark, Dougie said.

I thought we came here to find out what’s going on?

They had been watching the place for some time. The warehouse was close to the docks on the southern edge of Portland, Maine. Clair had a way of discovering strange things, and the comings and goings of the warehouse and the people who used it had recently made her list. AJ thought she was always looking for trouble, but he could not explain why he was always willing to follow her. His mother said it had something to do with her long, red hair.

Come on, Dougie, Clair said. Let’s look around awhile longer.

Dougie’s eyes peeked at AJ then back at the door.

Fine, he said.

Clair turned a wide-toothed grin to AJ.

Lead the way.

AJ pulled out a flashlight from his inside coat pocket and approached the door. He listened intently before pulling it open. The old warehouse was filled with offices along the outer halls, but it was the interior open space that they wanted to get to. Clair swore she had seen flashing lights twice over the past week, and they were itching to find out what it was all about.

They crept along the dark interior hall stopping at every open doorway. AJ was in front with Clair close behind him. She always gave him a hard time about being the man of their group, and he suspected this time would be no different. Dougie was in the back, one hand on Clair’s belt and the other on his penlight. They moved in an uncomfortable crouch-walk until the hall ended at a wide door.

You hear that? Clair asked.

It was low at first, but the closer they got to the door at the end of the hall, the louder it grew. AJ had silently hoped the warehouse would be abandoned tonight, but it was becoming more apparent that his prayer was not going to be answered. Sounds like singing, he said when they were within a few feet of the door, or maybe humming?

He reached for the door handle and found it gave way quickly. He edged open the door, and the sound beyond it intensified. The singing was low and constant. None of them could recognize the language, but an eeriness to it made them all reconsider going forward.

I don’t know, guys, Dougie said.

Clair rolled her eyes. She pushed past AJ, opened the door, and walked through before he could talk her out of it. He went in after her and pulled Dougie along against his will. The room beyond was an antechamber for the warehouse’s main floor.

It took AJ a second to find Clair in the darkened interior. She was standing by a pair of drapes strewn across the far end of the room, waving them over. The boys caught up to her and found her peering through a slit in the drapes. Her mouth was open, and her eyes were as wide as saucers. AJ knew that whatever it was, it was good. The volume of the singing was loud enough to force him to stop whispering.

AJ poked Clair in the side, and she gave way. Give me a look, he said, it can’t be that….

He could not finish his thought. He stared through the slit and forgot what he was going to say. The interior of the warehouse was open from the floor to the ceiling, some four stories above. More candles than he had ever seen burning at one time illuminated the open space. An equally surprising number of people walked among the candles, dressed in hooded, red robes.

Was I right, or was I right? AJ heard Clair say. This is the freaking jackpot.

Let me have a look, Dougie said.

AJ pulled himself away from the view and stopped Dougie with a hand on his chest. Buddy, he said with his voice shaking, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.

Dougie started to complain, but something in AJ’s eyes stopped him. AJ pressed his face back between the drapes and could not believe what he was seeing. The robed figures sang as they walked in a wide circle. The center of the circle contained the most peculiar thing. A large wooden crate stood in the dead center of the warehouse bay floor, and on its top lay an enormous horn.

AJ shook his head as if to question his sight, then looked again. The pure white horn was adorned at its point with a golden plate and red jewels. It rested on an ornate stand, holding it curved towards the ceiling. The horn was monstrous in size, easily three times that of a rhino. AJ found himself hoping this was all some early Halloween party, but he doubted that very much.

Don’t…wait.

AJ turned to find Dougie’s eyes focused on the wall across from the door they had entered. He had to stare to find the ladder on the wall and then follow it up to catch the pair of size six Converse near the top. He knew at once whom the shoes belonged to.

She can’t ever stay still for long, Dougie said.

The two boys ran after Clair. Once they reached the ladder, she was near a ledge three stories above. AJ called up to her, trying to shout and whisper at the same time.

Clair.

She looked down at him and smiled, then motioned at the ledge she found and waved the boys up. AJ took to the ladder but had concerns about Dougie following.

I have to go after her, AJ said.

Dougie looked back at the dark drapes then asked, What did you see out there?

People, he said, and lots of them. Chances are we’re going to get the cops called on us unless we get out of here.

She always does this, Dougie insisted.

AJ knew he was right. Clair had a habit of getting them into more trouble than either of the boys could do independently.

Go wait by the door, AJ said, then motioned toward the hall. Make sure we can get back down that way. He started climbing the ladder then stopped a few rungs up. If something goes wrong, you run that way and try to get out. He thought about it. You should probably tell your parents first.

The orders appeared to make Dougie more frightened than he already was.

Okay, he said at last.

AJ waited until Dougie was standing back in the hall, looking up at him through a small crack in the door. He could hear Clair trying to tell him something from up above, but the singing on the warehouse floor was too loud. AJ pushed himself and reached her a few seconds later. The ledge she had found was a catwalk of sorts that ran around the entire exterior of the warehouse’s main floor.

Can you believe this? she asked.

AJ did not want to look out at the spectacle but found he could not help himself. The robed figures were walking, and they had added a series of hand movements.

This is kind of freaking me out, AJ said. I think we should get out of here.

Don’t you want to see what happens? she asked.

Have you noticed the horn lying on the crate? he asked.

It can’t be real, she said.

AJ could see the images from the floor in her eyes.

Can it? she asked.

He recognized the fear creeping across her face. They got down on their stomachs and inched to the edge of the catwalk, looking down at the floor. AJ and Clair were shocked when the drapes they were standing behind only a moment before parted and a figure stepped out.

Oh no, AJ said. Dougie’s still down there.

How the heck are we going to get away? Clair asked.

A new fear rushed over AJ as he remembered his instructions to Dougie. His gut was telling him that his friend was probably running wildly down the hall looking for another way out, and if he found it, their parents would know all about their adventure soon after. This was a particularly painful realization considering AJ’s parents believed he was spending the night at Dougie’s house. Dougie’s parents thought he was staying at AJ’s.

Don’t you think you should’ve thought about that before you climbed up here? AJ countered.

I didn’t know we wouldn’t be able to get back down-

AJ shushed her as all of the hooded figures came to a stop. The warehouse was cloaked in silence a moment later. Everyone on the floor got down on their knees as the new arrival walked between them, heading toward the crate in the center of the bay. The children got their first look at the hooded figures and found they were all wearing masks. The intricate designs varied, but each visor had the same gold and black color scheme.

AJ leaned close to Clair and, with hesitation, whispered, I don’t think this is what you expected.

Clair shook her head. Her smile was gone. She slid as close to AJ as she could get.

I’m beginning to think this might have been a bad idea, she said.

Ya think?

We can try and slide back down the ladder, she said.

AJ shook his head. The drapes are open. We’ll be seen for sure.

The figures on the floor shifted their faces toward the ground, and their hands stretched out over their heads as the new arrival passed.

Something isn’t right here, Clair said.

AJ could hear the panic in her voice. The single moving figure below reached the crate before he could respond. Several tall candles lit the center space. The lone figure pulled back the hood of his cloak and revealed himself. He had the salt and pepper hair of an older man, but the mask over his face hid his identity.

Clair slid herself away from AJ, trying to get a look at the man from the front. AJ followed her, and they did not stop moving until they were a quarter of the way around the warehouse catwalk. The new vantage point showed the central figure in full view. His mask was unlike the others, shaped distinctively to resemble a grotesque creature with a long pointed chin, sharp teeth, and a single horn rising from the center of the forehead.

The man’s robes parted, revealing a bare chest underneath. A substantial tattoo centered on his chest in the form of an open-mouthed skull with a snake pulled through the jaw and wound between the eye sockets. He slowly worked his hands over the top of the crate as a low guttural moan rose from behind his mask. The countless people kneeling around the open floor space did not move, but a responding song crept from them to match his moan. AJ felt Clair slide a shaking hand inside his as the sound of the loathsome chorus rose in volume.

There’s a ladder over there, Clair said.

AJ followed her eyes to a small enclosed railing and the top rung of a ladder at the edge. It was impossible to tell where it led, but it was obviously away from the warehouse floor. Clair started moving toward it without another thought. She was within an arm’s reach before she looked back for him.

Hey? she said, trying to whisper.

AJ looked at her, but a flash of light from the center of the room drew his attention away. The central figure was moving his arms over the horn, and with each pass, he tossed a pinch of dust at one of the tall standing candles. The dust hit the fire and sparked to life, resulting in an impressive glimmer. The man spoke loudly, his voice rising above the kneeling figures’ harmonious response.

AJ risked a glance at Clair and found her on the ladder, already waist-deep beneath the edge of the catwalk. She was pleading with him with her eyes to hurry up. AJ was spellbound. He gazed at the ceremony on the warehouse floor, and although every bone in his body told him to go, he could not move. The central figure spoke in a language AJ did not understand. His half a semester of Spanish told him it was some form of Latin, but he could not be sure. One word separated from the others.

Suleak

The light from the surrounding candles grew brighter as the man’s hands moved faster. In AJ’s mind, the light intensified until the pale glow was a darkening orange. The verses flowed from the man in rhythmic pulses until the words themselves moved in waves. AJ knew he had to get to the ladder, but something had hold of him, and he could not look away. The terror of the moment took hold when the gleaming horn shifted under its own power.

Come on, please.

AJ heard Clair’s plea, but the words no longer registered. The horn shook, then moved across the top of the crate toward the speaker, suspended in the air. The flashes of candlelight exploded over the horn, and as they did, the light revealed the faint outline of a monstrous figure. The shadow creature held still midair for a blinding second as if somehow still connected to the horn in a long-forgotten physical form. Terror engulfed AJ, and he knew at once that he was looking at something his mind could not comprehend.

The speaker tilted his masked gaze toward the floor as the outline of the creature hardened. Not even the leader amongst these people would dare look at it, but for AJ, it was too late. A vision of a giant creature flashed into the light, turning three enraged eyes at the boy on the ledge. It knew of him instantly, and AJ felt his very soul tearing away.

A pulse of force burst from the silhouetted monstrosity, and the wave pushed the mass of kneeling figures flat onto the warehouse floor. The lone standing man stepped back several feet, then got down onto his knees, never once looking up at the thing they had conjured from the netherworld. A single flash of light sparked from all of the candles at once, and then the entire warehouse was covered in darkness.

AJ’s eyes focused through the black onto the grotesque abomination as it formed from the horn, pulling itself into reality. It stared at him with death in its eyes, and AJ screamed. He tried to get to his feet but found his strength would not lift him. The hellish beast sprang toward him, coasting on the cold air like a shark through water. It neared the boy, and its mouth opened impossibly wide, revealing meat-eating teeth. A golden ray of light burst from its gaping throat and seared into AJ’s eyes. The world around him shimmered like rippling water as terrifying unconsciousness finally consumed his mind.

2

The world materialized in waves. First, there was a blurry vision followed by sporadic flickers of sound. AJ felt the weight in his legs and looked down to find his feet moving. He tried to shake out the cobwebs with little success. Clair had one of his arms around her neck, and Dougie had the other. The three friends were running, the outer two carrying most of AJ’s weight as they encouraged him to keep moving.

Clair looked back over her shoulder, her eyes filled with blatant fear. She adjusted her grip on AJ and continued to run. AJ felt the strength coming back to his limbs, but he could not shake the shimmer from his eyes. His vision came in flashes; brilliant sparks of light washed across his view of a dark alleyway as the three teenagers plunged in. He was running with them a moment later, and Dougie and Clair sped up without the extra burden.

The sounds of the dense factory-laden area near the docks came to AJ all at once. Clair was in the lead, and Dougie was slowly losing steam. His run dwindled to a waddle, and AJ pressed up against him to keep him moving. AJ did not know why they were running, nor could he remember much of what they were