Crush 9

Alti

Back straight, head lifted high, I was told not to ever look down, where the poor and the dirt breathed. To always keep my eyes above everyone else's. Tonight was no different. Like a statue, the bloods of high and mighty sat circled around the Lord we worshipped.

Darkness.

The black mass.

The king of shadows Zakhri…

I swallowed when its beet red eyes scrutinised every one of us in the room. This was the only time I saw my father struggle with fear along with the other followers, who were called, the men of steel by locals outside the group.

"Ezekim"

The shadow on its right came forth to its call, its deep gravelly voice sending shivers down my spine. It put its hand forward and Ezekim gave it a book. A very familiar one that nearly made me gasp in shock. My eyes widened briefly then tried my best not to give any reactions.

Unlike Zakhri, Ezekim had golden eyes and Arigus, that stood by its left hand, had green eyes.

"Rejoice!!! For we found the book"

It said and we all followed its words, everyone of us smiling broadly like trained soldiers.

"Arigus"

The dark black mass turned to flesh and became a he, with gleaming red eyes and teeth so sharp with long fangs. His skin pale and handsome to look at, like an angel was he. A deceiving one.

I gulped.

Arigus stood forward and through the mass of darkness, pulled out a person. I froze. He stopped struggling looking at me too. I could only warn him with my eyes not to do anything out of compulsion. He stopped struggling and looked around each one of us, wearing black and with fingers cut to summon the Shadow King.

Zakhri smiled and he slowly patted Rix's head. Looking down at him with a leering smile, I could only imagine the terror that Rix felt at the moment.

Zakhri once tried to open the book but ended up getting electrocuted. He tsked and held his hand out for the book then pulled his long black sharp claws from his fingers and dragged it across Rix's hand a long, deep cut forming in its wake, so much so that some of his skin was stuck on his nails. The room was filled with his cry.

Chains ran along Rix's hands and legs and mouth, making it unable for him to speak or even move. I clamped my mouth shut and twiddled with my fingers behind my back as Zakhri poured his blood on the book and this time, was able to open it.

He tried reading the words but couldn't. Nobody could. It was a language none of us had the tongue for.

"Who among you all will get me an Osolus?"

He turned back to its original form, looming over us all darkening the room. It felt like it was lingering right behind me. I shivered.

"Sheki"

It called out my father's name.

"Y- yes, my Lord"

"Aren't you a good little follower of mine?"

It took its darkness along with it to my father's side, gently caressing his face. I could see the beats of sweat that formed in his forehead.

"Y- yes my Lord. I am"

"Good. Bring me the Osolus then. You know the conditions"

My father nodded his head frantically.

"Yes, I do"

"Good, Sheki. And make sure that both the boy and the book are alive and well when I return the next time. Got it?"

Just like that the three of them disappeared into the fire. I finally led out a breath that I was holding. My father clenched his fist and punched a hole in the wall. I flinched. We all did.

He looked at all of us pointedly and we all sat up straighter.

"You all heard what the Lord had just said. Go on!!!"

Gunda and Mark quickly went ahead and took Rix along with them to the basement and locked him up while my father took the bloodied book and went up to his office.

Father was not one to follow rules. I knew for sure he was cooking up something. Pretty sure Zakhri knows it too. That's how twisted he was. I sighed, feeling heavy and exhausted.

I needed to talk to Rix soon.

I got up really early in the morning the next day and tried to take a peek towards the basement but stepped away seeing as it was heavily guarded and instead, went to the college where there were missing posters everywhere around the wall. Even on the streets and the newspapers. The news of his missing was becoming a huge topic overtime, especially since he was a straight kin of the Light's, one of the prominent family in the higher society.

The police seemed restless now as well, going further up in line to search with more forces.

Guilt bubbled up inside my chest when I saw the face of Ez, walking up to his canvas board. I've heard the whispers in the corridor about how put off he looked with dark circles and all but seeing it for real worsened the feeling of guilt in me.

I stood behind him, contemplating to starting a conversation with him or not. At this point he had turned around before I could run away from there. I chewed on my bottom lip.

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. My eyes widened and my heart beat dropped when I saw his paiting.

Eyes.

Two golden eyes, the eyes which I could never mistaken for anything else in this world, a part of me remembered not to mess with the supernatural, with the high Lords and the deities of a world. I knew clearly what the unsettling mesh of black and grey colours meant with the golden eyes. And that was enough to think about my family.

About my life.

"Do you want something?"

Enough to cower away.

He asked. I blinked and dumbly shook my head, going the opposite direction.

The thought of my father's proud look on his face towards me was the last thing I remembered when I decided to be a coward.