Chapter 4: Pure Hate (I)
Andrew Ashford POV
Ugh… my head. It's throbbing.
I keep consistently having that same nightmare over and over again, a relentless loop of the same tormenting visions.
Soft…
My head is lying on something soft. I thought we wouldn't be getting any beds anytime soon.
My eyes slowly flutter open, discerning my surroundings, I meet a pair of bright red eyes that mirror my own, staring down at me.
"Hey, you. You're finally awake. Yo-"
I react instinctively, pivoting my head, and sinking my teeth into her thigh with a viscous chomp.
"OWOWOWOWOWOWOW! Okay! Okay!" Sarah cries out in pain, tapping out, slapping her hand repeatedly against the floor.
Sitting up, I scootch across the floor, closer to her, our shoulders touching as we sit side by side.
In the corner of my eye, I can see her turn her head to face me.
For a moment she just watches me.
…
…
"What do you want?" I ask, already sensing her mischievous intentions.
"Can I?"
"Can you what?"
"Can I?"
"You gonna tell me?"
She puts her finger to her chin, pondering the question.
"Nope! Teehee✩!" Sarah's mischievous grin widens as she clasps her hands together in a mock prayer, tilting her head to one side "So, can I?"
A sigh escapes my lips. I relent. "You can."
An evil grin appears on her face, as she winds up her ultimate move, her planet-crushing, universe-slamming blow.
After swinging her fist around in the air like a windmill for long enough, she lands her punch against my arm, delivering devastating results to my entire being. So she probably imagined.
"Ow."
She sports a heavy frown, her eyes squinting at me, as she scrutinizes my reaction. "Did it actually hurt?"
"...Yes."
She punches me in the arm again. A lot harder. This time, it'd actually hurt.
"...Ow."
A proud smile appears on her face. "Now it did, excellent." She quips, her tone laced with arrogance.
Sarah plopped her head against my shoulder but struggled to get comfortable with how messy my hair was. "Drew… your hair."
I should take her advice.
"Sarah… still got that pocketknife on you?" I ask, knowing that she has it on her.
"Yeppers. Want it?" she replied.
With a nod, I accept the knife and proceed to shape my hair into a ponytail. Using the blade, I silently slice through the base of the ponytail, effectively cutting the majority of my hair short.
"So…? What do you want it for? Woah, WOAH! Andrew! The fuck?!" initially curious about my actions, she yells at me for what I just did.
"What? You've been complaining about it this past week." I say, feigning innocence to her annoyance.
"Well yeah! But now it's gonna look like shit! You are going to come with me and we're gonna get you a proper haircut! I made sure to bring along a hairdresser. I am NOT taking no for an answer!" Sarah commands, pulling me to my feet.
"Okay. You brought a hairdresser along here?" I agree, amused by her enthusiasm.
"Yes, bitch! I gotta make sure to look fabulous whenever!" She turns to me shocked, her mouth agape, processing my unusual compliance. "Wait! You're allowing me to do this to you?! You'd usually say no, then just scowl before you fall asleep!"
"I feel like it's long overdue that I clean myself up." I admit.
"Can I dress you up as well? Please tell me I can dress you as well." she eagerly asks me, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"One thing at a time, sis." I answer.
She gasps with excitement before bouncing on the spot like a puppy about to go for a walk. "That wasn't a nooooooooooo~!"
"I want that haircut. You coming?" I ask, already heading outside.
"Mhm! Yep~! You gonna bring your glasses?" She inquires, half expecting me to change my mind.
"Nah, I don't feel like them right now." I reply, stepping out into the fresh air.
"Ah! Okay! Dreeeeeeeeeeeeew~! Wait up!" Sarah calls out, running after me.
It's not like I ever needed them in the first place.
—14 July 2023—
The sun beat down mercilessly on the excavation site, its scorching rays reflected off the sand, creating a shimmering haze that enveloped the workers toiling under the Ashfield family's employ. For a week straight, they had been tirelessly digging in search of something seemingly entirely elusive, following the directives of the FLDs that pointed them to potential areas of interest. Yet, each dig yielded nothing but more sand and the occasional interesting rock.
But on one, very hot fateful afternoon…
"Uhhhhhhhhhhh, hey! Hugo! Come check this out!" The gruff voice called out to his coworker a few dozen meters away.
Hugo was known for his imposing physique and dedication to physical fitness, he was the 'big' guy on the team. Hugo, accustomed to spending his downtime in the gym perfecting his muscles, and his bodybuilding poses, just barely squeezed into the tight cockpit of the excavator to investigate his colleague's call.
"Yeah? What's up?" His voice, unusually soft for his size, spoke.
"Um, well. My machine just stopped working." the operator confessed, his confusion evident as he gestured to his malfunctioning equipment. "Even the radio's dead."
Hugo checked his own radio, confirming the outage, before stepping out of the excavator and away from it to assess the situation. As he did, a strange realization dawned upon him–the radio crackled back to life the moment he left the immediate vicinity of that excavation site.
'Really odd', he thought. I should probably tell the boss.
Hugo wasted no time in reaching out to Andrew, his fingers dialing the private channel reserved for top management, a privilege granted to him as the Excavation Chief.
"Hey, Andrew. Uhhhh, we got a weird thing going on here. Something's messing with our electronics at a specific spot, turning it off. Once you leave the area, everything works, however." Hugo reported, his voice tinged with the same confusion as the operator before him.
Silence greeted him from the other end of the line before Andrew's voice burst through the static, infused with exuberant resonance. "Hugo, you absolute HUNK!"
Caught off guard by Andrew's enthusiastic response, Hugo couldn't help but chuckle nervously. "Uuuuh? Thanks? What shou-?"
"HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGO!" Andrew's voice, no longer confined to the radio, bombed from Hugo's left, causing him to jump. He cast his mind back to where he last saw Andrew–across the vast expanse of the excavation site, engaged in menial administrative tasks. Yet, here he was, seemingly materializing out of thin air beside him.
Andrew, now standing before Hugo, his breath labored from the unexpected sprint, leaned on his knees, a wide grin spreading across his face. "So, my best friend. Where's my little EMP field?" Andrew's inquiry dripped with anticipation; his eyes gleaming with excitement at the prospect of being one step closer to unraveling the mystery.
Hugo, still trying to wrap his head around Andrew's sudden appearance, struggled to find words. "I…I don't know, Andrew. It's just…. It's just over there." He gestured towards the area where the electronic malfunctions occurred, a perplexed expression etched on his face.
Andrew's grin widened, his eyes sparkling with determination. "Well, let's go take a look, shall we? Adventure awaits!" With that, he straightened up, marching forward with a spring in his step. "Ah, also bring some of the boys and some shovels and such." Andrew turned his head to his new favorite employee. "Let's get digging!"
—------------------------
After hours of relentless digging, with the sun having surrendered to the moon's gentle embrace, Andrew found himself unknowingly scooping out the last remnants of sand before the ground beneath them gave way. The sudden collapse dragged Andrew, his sister Sarah–who had coincidentally joined him at the most inconvenient moment–and Andrew's self-proclaimed best friend: Hugo, who had been engaged in a friendly 'Who Can Dig More Sand' competition with Andrew.
"Hey! You guys okay down there?!" One of the workers, still on the surface yelled out in concern.
Andrew, the first to recover from the collapse that had enveloped them, shook grains from every crevice of his clothing and yelled back. "Yeah, yeah! We're good! Get some ladders and ropes! We'll be fine!"
"Alright! Stay safe!" The voice faded, as the worker hurried off to fetch assistance.
Andrew glanced at his two companions. "You guys good?"
"Yep-cough-pers!" Sarah spoke out in between coughs, her voice muffled by the sand.
Hugo, still prone on the floor, flashed a thumbs up. "Just fat and lazy boss, I'm good."
Andrew extended a hand to help Hugo up, exerting considerable effort. "Jesus, you're right." he muttered under his breath
"What's that boss?" Hugo inquired.
"I need you to drop that diet and workout regime of yours because JE-SUS!" Andrew exclaimed.
"Ehehe… say boss… you get a haircut?" Hugo asked, he said while patting his own bald head, his gesture drawing a smile from Andrew.
As Hugo's attempt to change the subject hung in the air, Andrew couldn't help but crack a wry smile. "Yeah, I did. Sarah insisted." he replied, running a hand through his newly trimmed locks.
Indeed, Andrew's hair looked noticeably tidier compared to its previous long unkempt state. Thanks to Sarah's persistence, he had undergone a transformation at the hands of a skilled hairdresser. His sides were now neatly cropped, accentuating the sharp angles of his jawline, while his bangs grazed just above his eyebrows styled with a hint of texturing for added flair. At the back, his hair was expertly tapered, ending in a clean line just above the nape of his neck.
In essence, Andrew sported a sleek and modern hairstyle–a simple yet stylish two-block with a textured fringe.
"I'd ask about yours… since it had been a drastic change since I last saw you. Shaved bald? Head's almost shiny, what'd make you do that?" Andrew asked Hugo in return.
Hugo shrugged nonchalantly in response. "The 'roids." he explained simply. "It sorta just started falling off, so I thought I'd help it out and get rid of it all."
Andrew had a stupefied expression on his face, before following quickly with a chuckle. "Ah… I see. Well, it suits you, my friend, you look like The Rock!"
With their lighthearted exchange concluded, the two men dust themselves off, soon joined by Sarah.
"So, Drew. What's the plan?" Sarah, flanking Andrew's left shoulder, asked curiously.
"The plan? Well… I'm gonna go deeper." Andrew replied, glancing from one companion to the other. "You guys coming?"
"Uuuh…"
"Well… I'm not going in alone, see?" Andrew produced a sleek pistol from a hidden holster in his jacket, expertly racking the slide with machined efficiency. His companions regarded him with raised eyebrows. "What? I'm an American."
With casual steps, Andrew proceeded forward, unfazed by potential dangers. After all, his brand new Glock 29 Gen 5 chambered in 10MM allured the greatest amount of security a man could ask for.
It didn't take long for two pairs of footsteps to echo behind Andrew, Sarah and Hugo falling into a step behind, drawn by the allure of adventure and perhaps a touch of concern for their impulsive armed friend.
…
As the three ventured deeper into the tomb, they were enveloped by a sense of awe and wonder at the grandeur of their surroundings. The air was heavy with the scent of ancient history, a blend of musty earth and the faint aroma of incense that had lingered for centuries.
The walls of the tomb rose high above them, adorned with intricate and indistinguishable writing and elaborate diagrams. Languages from a bygone era? Andrew thought, studying the runes.
Despite its age being potentially several millennia, the structure stood remarkably intact, a testament to the craftsmanship of its builders and the mysterious forces that had protected it from decay. The stone walls gleamed faintly in the dim moonlight, polished by centuries of wind and sand, their surfaces adorned with unfamiliar ornaments that sparkled like stars in the darkness, despite their dull appearances.
"Hey Hugo, got your FLD on you?" Andrew asked his employee.
Shuffling in his overall's front pocket, he pulls it out, handing it over to Andrew. "Here you are boss, would it still work? With that EMP thing and whatnot?" Hugo complied, then queried.
"Well… the eggheads back home figured that within the line of work that the FLDs will go through, they might encounter a situation like this. So, they encased every single crevice, hole, gap, you name it, with some type of metal. Or something, shit I dunno. I'm just a rich guy." Andrew stated haphazardly with a scoff.
With practiced ease, Andrew manipulated the buttons on the gadget, activating its functions with precision. The screen flickered to life, displaying a flurry of readings and data points that danced across its surface. As he adjusted the settings, filtering out extraneous signals and interference, a single blip remained on the screen, pulsing like a beacon in the darkness.
"Arcanum…" Andrew murmured under his breath, his voice barely audible above the soft hum of the device.
Hugo, observing Andrew's focused demeanor, couldn't help but feel a twinge of curiosity. "Boss? You good?" he inquired, his brow furrowing with concern.
Andrew's response was swift, his usual enthusiasm returning in full force. "Peachy! Right, now according to this device. It's past this wall, to the right. Ready to make history fellas?" he declared, his voice brimming with excitement.
"Let's do this boss!"
"We're right with you Drew~!"
"Excellent! Now, as a precaution. Hugh, take this back." Andrew states, flipping him back the FLD. "Right, stick a little bit behind me." Andrew commanded, his voice growing serious as he gripped his firearm tightly. Andrew led the way, his movements deliberate and measured as he approached the corner of the wall.
Briefly putting his back against the wall, Andrew noted that just around the corner should be whatever his FLD detected. With a final thought to his dear brother, he rapidly turns the corner!
…
…
…
…
"Andrew?" Sarah's voice worriedly calls for him, from the safety of cover.
…
"Andrew?!" Sarah called again, panic settling in her voice.
…
…
Not caring about her safety anymore, Sarah whipped herself around the corner, tears settling in the base of her eyes.
"ANDREW?!"
There, several dozen steps ahead, stood Andrew, his hand resting on a suit of plate armor that seemed to have materialized from the pages of a fantasy novel. The armor exuded an otherworldly aura, an unfamiliar energy that seemed to dimly glow the armor, almost as if it was calling her. Beckoning her over.
But it scared her, that's putting it lightly. It terrified her.
It wasn't the armor.
Not even the supernatural energy that it was pulsating.
But, him.
That expression.
It wasn't something that belonged to her brother.
It wasn't something that belonged to Andrew Ashford, it didn't even belong to Logan Ashford, the face her beloved brother had tried so hard to mimic.
No, it was something so much more…
…pure.
She felt a memory, from deep within her consciousness, be pulled to her forefront. She'd seen this once, and only once.
This was the same expression that Andrew wore twelve years ago.
The day after her oldest brother died.
The day that Andrew comprehended the supernatural element that is Arcanum.
It was…
Pure hate.