Chapter 97

It felt good to be in the company of her family again. Sarah never knew how much they meant to her. Although she had the most chilling experience of her life, she had time to think about things she never even knew existed. Sarah did not know how much time she had spent in that dark garage, but it felt forever. She knew that without her family there was no purpose to life. She never wanted to feel like that ever again, afraid, unprotected, exposed and helpless. She knew that this day will forever stay with her, it was engraved in her brain. Sarah realised it happened for a reason, she had to appreciate each moment with them for it could be taken away in an instant.

Sarah had told her family everything that happened. She was sitting on a couch next to Craig in their TV room. They were all shocked by the chain of events that had occurred so suddenly, but they were equally happy to still have a mother and wife. Although Sarah still suffered from shock, she knew she overwhelmed them with an abundance of hugs and kisses. She loved them and that was all that mattered.

The blood stains on the floor had been cleaned up by Andrew earlier since they did not need evidence for the police to work with. The police were corrupted and Andrew decided to take the law into his own hands.

Craig had told Andrew the instant Sarah had phoned. They had all got into the kombi to go after her. Andrew did not want to take any chances. He took his battle axe just in case the enemy decided to start the war earlier. One should always be prepared. He had also taken the staff in case they decided to break into their house to steal it while they were gone to Vredenburg. The only thing that he still needed to do was to get rid of the blue uniform body that was lying on the garage floor, but that he could only do when it was dark.

'Honey, let's just pack up and go,' Sarah cried. 'We can start a new life somewhere else. Please, let's just go. We can start packing right away.' Sarah was between hysteria and despair due to her emotional state being on a roller coaster. The memories and residue from her nightmarish experience were still fresh in her memory.

Craig looked at Sarah. His eyes bounced from Sarah to Andrew. His heart was in two places at the same time. Part of him wanted to leave everything and go. The other part wanted to help his son. 'Sarah, I'm dying and there's no stopping it unless they are dead.' Craig took off his shirt and showed Sarah the cuts.

'Oh my God,' Sarah said raising her hands to her mouth.

'It's getting worse by the hour, not even days anymore,' Craig said. He noticed that the cuts started to smell. It was the same odour Ferris's house had. It was far worst when he found Ferris dead on his couch that day. Craig noticed the cuts expanding over his shoulder and underneath his arm. It also started to spread across his right breast.

'There must be another way out of this,' Sarah said. 'What if we get an expert opinion? They can keep you in hospital and run several tests while you are there.'

'Ferris is dead honey,' Craig said with little enthusiasm. Again Sarah's hands shot up to her face. 'He died of the same thing that's killing me. No one could do anything for him. Remember what The Teacher said. He said that Ferris's curse was unstoppable. The source of it was an evil far greater than we can imagine.'

Sarah shook her head with her hands still in front of her mouth. Streams of tears ran down her face. 'I wish we never came here.'

'I know,' Craig said and held her. He felt guilty for bringing his family to Saldanha, but how was he supposed to know that this was going to happen? The thought of Pamela made it even worse. If she had not been possessed by someone or something else, then he would have slept with her without his wife even knowing about it. Repeating his past mistakes.

Andrew regarded Emily and Patrick sitting on the couch. They seemed scared and confused. Andrew tried to imagine what they felt like, but his mind allowed very little room for compassion.

'Mom,' Andrew said. 'It will be all right, I promise.'

'And you are not going anywhere tonight Andrew,' Sarah said pushing herself away from Craig. 'You don't have to do anything.'

Andrew forced a smile. He shook his head slightly, 'unfortunately, I do. They have to be stopped.'

'What makes you think you can stop them? I've seen what they are capable of son and they don't play fair. You are not God to right the wrongs. They will kill you, Andrew.' Sarah wiped the tears from her cheeks again. 'I almost lost you once, I'm not going to lose any of you ever, not if I can help it.'

Andrew thought about telling Sarah that he had the spirit of a god within him, but it would not do any good at a time like this, 'Mom, you have to trust me. There are certain things I cannot explain. I have new strengths and abilities now that I never had before. I never even knew it existed. I can spot these people from far away. I see something in them, almost like a darkness surrounding them. They cannot hide from me.'

'You cannot do this alone Andrew. You can't,' Sarah said hysterically.

'I know. Patrick is the only one who can help me,' Andrew said. He knew that it would revoke another emotional outburst from his mother.

'Patrick? Why Patrick? No. Both of you are staying right here where you belong,' Sarah shrieked.

'And die slowly while they are growing stronger every day?' Andrew snapped. 'Mom, this is something that must be done. I am the slayer, the protector and Patrick is the banisher. He is the one, the only one who can close the portal of hell. I just need to be with him at all times. They will not touch him. They have touched my family far too many times. How many other lives have they not destroyed? How many people did they not kill? How many women did they not rape? What would they have done with you if you didn't escape? Think about that for a second mom. I made a pledge and I will not back out of this. No one will stand in my way.'

Sarah shook her head in disbelief, 'What has gotten into you, Andy?'

'Something I did not ask for. I was chosen for this. I've seen horrible things. I've heard children and women scream while they were being tortured, raped and murdered. I saw a glimpse of the past that I wish upon no one. That past is bound to repeat itself. I've been blessed with a rare gift. These are cowards and they will die as cowards too. I'll send them straight to where they belong. Fuck them all.' Andrew walked towards his battle axe which was leaning against the wall. He picked it up and held it out in front of him, 'this is my shield, this is my weapon. I pledge to it as my soul. I will slay the evil with it avenging the death of the innocent. It ends tonight.' Andrew's face was grim. His eyes were dark and he seemed older, much older. There was something in his voice that startled Sarah. She was looking at a stranger in Andrew's body.

'I think we need all the help we can get don't you think?' Patrick said. 'By the sound of things, we are way outnumbered and you will not be able to cover all the angles.'

'What about Bernard and Delmar?' Emily asked. 'They can help, I'm sure of it.'

'I don't want anyone to get hurt,' Andrew said. 'It's best if they stay out of it. It is not their fight.'

'I agree with Emily,' Craig said. 'There will be many of them and we are only a few. We are all part of this. It is a fight we must all participate in. It touches the lives of each person on the coast and who knows how far it has spread already.'

'I can't believe this,' Sarah said shaking her head. 'Here We Go Again. What if you don't come back? What if you get killed? What will happen to us?'

'Then you must get out of town as quick as you can,' Craig said. 'I cannot let my boys fight this thing alone.'

Andrew nodded, 'Okay. Pat, do you want to phone Burny and Delmar? Dad, maybe Brian has a gun or something that we can use. Can we find out?'

'I'm sure he will have something useful,' Craig said. 'I'll ask him.'

'Mom, I think you and Emily need to stay next door with Brian,' Andrew said. 'If he has a gun, he'll need it to protect you guys. I doubt that they will come after you. The focus will be on me because they know I have the power they want, so don't worry, okay? Just keep the doors locked at all times. Keep a low profile and close all the windows and curtains.'

'I agree,' Craig said.

'Right, we have much to discuss and time is running low. Let's begin,' Andrew said.