Indescribable: Book Two of the Primordial Page 7

  Similar to the way that it had been inside the room, outside there was a lot going on. It was too much happening all at once. Every direction there was something. To Meghan’s left, there was the screaming woman who was standing solitary in the parking lot. Behind her, the door to her room was still standing open. It was evident that at some point in the past few hours that it had rained and the motel’s neon sign reflected on the wet asphalt. In the near distance, to Meghan’s right, the desk clerk was swinging open the lobby door. Embry was running across the parking lot, toward the screaming woman. All of the commotion was causing Jericho to tremble and bark in her arms. It was all happening so fast, and it was at that moment that Meghan also realized that Shane had not been in the room when she had woken up.

  The screaming woman was standing in a shallow rain puddle. Her hands were held out to her sides. Whatever it was she had been witness to had caused her to become frozen in shock. She was trembling all over. As Meghan got closer, she realized that the woman was Mandy Walker, the singer that had performed at the bar earlier in the night. By the time that Embry reached Mandy’s side she had already sat down on the wet ground, seemingly indifferent about soaking her clothes. Embry kneeled down next to her and placed his hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. It was moments like that when Meghan could clearly see the humanity that was inside of him. Meghan approached, and when she was standing directly behind Embry, she could see that there was blood on Mandy’s shirt and face. It wasn’t a drenching of crimson, but it was enough to show that there had been a struggle.

  “What happened?” Embry was asking her. “Are you OK?”

  “My friend,” she was shaking uncontrollably the whole time that she spoke. “Somebody busted into the room and took him.”

  “What is your friend’s name?” Meghan asked, but she already knew the answer.

  “Shane. His name is Shane,” Mandy said from behind her tears with a trembling, cracking voice.

  Embry looked over his shoulder at Meghan. There was both the look of dread and that of sorrow that quickly spread over his face. Meghan understood that he knew that they were both thinking the same things. The soldiers had already come in the middle of the night while they had been sleeping and taken Shane away to The Indescribable. Meghan felt abundant chills quickly cover her entire body. She remembered the dream that she had had the night before, the one where she had been wrapped within a pair of wings. Even though she couldn’t remember any details of the dream, she knew that the wings had to have been those of a soldier.

  Suddenly there were flashing police lights and sirens to add to the insanity. From the road, three cop cars were flying into the parking lot, bouncing over the shallow dip that was at the beginning of the entrance. They stopped so abruptly at the scene that the cars jerked after applying the brakes, and each of the officers jumped out of his respected car, never even bothering to turn the engine off.

  THE THREE of them were questioned in the motel’s lobby.

  The police were leaning against the counter while Meghan, Embry, and Mandy were sitting in foldout chairs on the opposite side of the room. The motel clerk sat behind the desk. Mandy had a motel blanket wrapped around her shoulder.

  Thank God not a comforter.

  The office held the permanent stench of stale coffee and cigarette smoke. The TV was still on, but the sound had been set to mute. It appeared that the man had been watching an old, black and white western. One of the three officers was taking notes. There was the occasional crackle of the CB radio from each of their belts.

  “I never saw a face,” Mandy was saying. Her eyeliner was streaking down her face. “He was wearing a big, cape type thing.”

  The officers looked confused and one of them, the one that was taking notes, spoke up. “A cape? In July? Like a Halloween costume?”

  “A cloak,” Mandy added.

  The officer wrote the description on his notepad.

  Meghan and Embry looked at each other again, once more both thinking the same thing, a soldier.

  “We were just talking and then all of a sudden, whoom! -,” Mandy said and motioned with her arms. The blanket slid off her shoulders and she pulled it back up. “The door came busting in, and next thing I know, Shane was fighting at the intruder. I tried to help. I did what I could, but I mean, look at me,” she glanced down at her own body. “I’m tiny. He scratched my face,” she pointed at her cheek, “and took Shane outside. I ran after them, but by then they were nowhere to be seen. That’s when they came running out,” she nodded toward Meghan and Embry.

  One of the officers followed Mandy’s nod. “And you are?”

  “Embry Abbott.”

  “Meghan Langley.”

  “How do you know the missing?”

  “We’re his friends,” Embry said.

  The officer spoke up, confused. “So the two of you are friends with him too, but neither of you know miss,” he looked from Mandy to his notes. “Miss Walker?”

  Both Meghan and Embry shook their heads.

  After giving all the information that they could; what he was wearing (a Mandy Walker t-shirt and green cap), did he have any enemies (not that they could think of, except for the soldiers, and they couldn’t tell the officer that), when was the last time that they had seen him (at the bar), and just what exactly were the three of them doing out in there middle of nowhere anyway (“on the way to the beach,” they said and left it at that), the officers stated that they would have every member of the local enforcement searching for Shane. Meghan and Embry went back to their room, and Mandy went to hers.

  “I am not giving up,” Meghan said as she was cramming her pajamas into her overnight bag. She was standing there in her bra and underwear and about to put on the clothes that she had been wearing the day before. “We have to get to Emecheta and find that book.”

  Across from her, Embry was buttoning his jeans. “We’re too late, Meghan. They’ve already taken him.” He picked up his black t-shirt and pulled it over his head. “We’re next. If we try to fight them, it’ll only end badly.”

  Meghan had on her shirt, but no pants yet. She flung her arms out to the side. “Well, what do you want me to do? Just stand here and let them take us too?”

  “Meghan -”

  “Embry, just -”

  Across from her, Embry was sitting on the edge of the bed, pulling on his boots. He nodded his head. “You want the book so you can try to change me. It wasn’t ever about Shane at all.” He stood from the bed. “You can’t change us, Meghan. I’ve accepted my fate and my reason for being. It’s what I am and I’m sorry that you were brought into this whole mess. If you would have never been marked then you wouldn’t care anything about me. I know that for a fact.”

  “Don’t say that,” Meghan said. “It was about Shane. It was about both of you and it is. And no, I don’t know that I wouldn’t love you if I hadn’t been marked. I have seen the good in you. I know there is more to you than just Durori.” Even though it was difficult for her to pinpoint exactly what it was, there were times that he seemed so human. She couldn’t understand why if the Durori had been created for one purpose, that of causing heartache and pain, then why they would have been given a sense of compassion; were they evolving? “You just jumped up from your sleep and ran outside to help a woman that you don’t even know.” She pointed toward the door. “Now you tell me what it is that is inside of you that would drive you to do something like that? That’s the part of you I want to save.”

  Embry stood across from her, silent. His eyes searched over her, taking in everything that she had just said. “OK,” he nodded, “but when it comes time to go, we go without a fight.”

  “I just want to know that we tried,” Meghan said and pulled on her jeans. “And you never know. Once we find the book, maybe we can figure out exactly what The Indescribable is and a way to rescue Shane from it.”

  After they finished packing their bags and exited the room, the sun was already rising. The sky was a sof
t, comfortable blue. It reminded Meghan of Embry’s eyes. They saw Mandy in the parking lot. She was throwing her own bag into the backseat of her car.

  “Are you going to be OK?” Meghan asked her.

  “Yeah, I’m just a little shaken up and all. Here,” she leaned over, reached into the car, and came back with a CD in her hand. “This is Shane’s. He bought it from me last night.” She handed the CD to Meghan. “Give it to him when you see him again.”

  Meghan took it from her and studied the front. MANDY WALKER it said across the top. YOU’LL NEED A KOOZIE was the album’s title. The picture was of a fancy garden scene set within a cove of flowering magnolia trees. Mandy sat in a chair next to a small wrought iron parlor table. She was wearing a long, ashy gray dress. A can of beer that was encased in a bright red koozie sat on the table next to her. The koozie was in stark contrast to the look of the rest of the photo.

  Mandy looked at Meghan. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I really did try to help. I want you to know that.”

  Meghan nodded. “We’ll find him,” she said.

  After they parted ways and Mandy’s car was out of sight, Meghan wondered if Mandy had caught what she had said, “we’ll find him” instead of “they’ll”.

  As she drove from the motel to Emecheta, she and Embry remained mostly silent. Meghan couldn’t shake the feeling that Embry had been right, that they were too late. The drive down the coastal highway took most of the early morning. The sun was high in the sky when Meghan finally turned off the main highway. The old, dirt road that she turned onto was in serious need of work. Deep pot holes were located every few feet of the way. Meghan had to swerve the car to miss them. The width of the road was barely wide enough for two cars to pass by one another. Spanish moss hung from the tree branches overhead. To the right, there was an old lady, a basket maker, who was setting up shop along the ditch bank. Her skin was the color of molasses. A table and chair were standing among the grass and dirt. Several reed baskets were resting on both the ground and the tabletop. The woman looked up from what she was doing. She looked confused about a car being on the road so early in the morning, but waved at the passersby anyway. They followed the dirt road until they came to the town.

  Emecheta wasn’t really a town. It was a small community near the coast of South Carolina. It was a clustering of houses. It was a Gullah community, or gee-chee, as it would have been called many years earlier. Ramshackle houses stood along the sandy roads. There were several people emerging from their homes. Off to the left, there was a restaurant in one of the old houses. The hand painted sign on the front proudly proclaimed REAL GULLAH COOKING. Even though it wasn’t even close to lunch time, Meghan could smell the roux that would be the beginning of a surely enormous pot of gumbo. The dirt road ran out into what would’ve been a cul-de-sac if it were suburbia. Behind them, the houses were no longer visible. Meghan pulled the car onto the roadside and parked among the tall grass. There were several rail ties there, an indication of parking spaces for the handful of tourists that came through the community during the summer months. That day, Meghan and Embry were the first to arrive.

  A historical marker was set in the trees. FORMER HOME OF SHAKILA OBOTE was what the sign said. The Witch of Emecheta, Meghan thought. Like so many things, the sight of an injustice had become a landmark. Next to the sign, a dirt path led through the trees.

  “This is it,” Meghan said. Her voice held both a tone of finality and that of success.

  Together, she and Embry got out of the car and walked down the sandy path. Meghan carried Jericho. The outreaching foliage of palmetto trees and witch hazel brushed against them. Tiny yellow flowers were scattered among the greenery. When they emerged on the other side, the ocean was in front of them. It was a small inlet. Huge rocks led to the water. The air was so briny that Meghan could taste it on her lips. To the right were the remains of the house. Because of the fire during the witch hunt, it was nothing but four brick columns. Small shells were in the mortar. Meghan reasoned that with it being so close to the ocean, the home must’ve survived many storms and crashing waves. Directly ahead, there was what appeared to be a small, marshy island that was covered with tall, leaning palmetto trees. Meghan looked behind her and saw that they were nowhere within sight of the rest of the community.

  “OK, if your hunch is right, this is it,” Meghan said. “You’re sure you want to be the one to jump in?”

  He nodded. “I can move fast enough so that the water will spin cyclone-like away from me.” He shook his head. “It’ll give me time. I won’t drown, but I can’t stay down there forever, but hopefully long enough to find it.” He turned to Meghan, facing her, and placed his hands on her hips. He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

  Meghan tilted her head back, stood on her tip toes, and kissed his lips. “I love you,” she said.

  “Love you too.” He turned from her and walked to the edge of the rocks. After a moment of hesitation, he dove in and disappeared under the water.

  Meghan stood at the edge of the rocks, at the place where Embry had jumped, and waited. He was under for much longer than she thought would even be possible. Instinctively, she began to worry, but then remembered that he had assured her that he would be OK, that he would able move so rapidly that the water would spin away from him. Meghan looked around. From where she stood it was serene. It was beautiful and calm. The water of the ocean was a steady and soothing rhythm.

  Finally, Embry came crashing up through the ocean’s surface. It was a sight that Meghan took in with such detail that it seemed as if it were a slow motion shot in a movie. The massive book was clutched to his chest. Both of his arms were wrapped around the thick, heavy tome. His black shirt was drenched and clinging to him.

  Suddenly, out of nowhere, the sky went dark. It was like a cloud passing over the sun. There was a loud flapping of wings. Meghan felt her hair fly back from her face. She looked up and saw that one of the soldiers was in the sky. The creature’s wings were spread wide. It was swooping down toward Embry. Its clawed hands were outstretched, reaching toward its target.

  “Embry!” Meghan screamed.

  Embry looked from Meghan and toward his assailant. His face transformed into Durori. His wings spread out, this time ripping through the t-shirt.

  The soldier’s hands grabbed onto the edge of the book, trying to pull it away from Embry. Its wings were flapping, causing the already rough, foamy water to spray high into the air.

  Embry held the book tight with one arm, and with his free hand he fought at the soldier. With one of its back feet, the soldier kicked and swiped at Embry’s face, scratching a deep puncture across his cheek. Almost immediately blood welled to the surface and because of the water, the entire left side of his face was drenched in crimson.

  From where Meghan stood she could see that the wound was already healing itself. It was an ability that all Durori shared.

  Embry took the hit well, but by the time that he held his head back upright the book was sliding out of his grasp. It was at that moment that he didn’t fight anymore. He turned from the soldier and began splashing back through the water with heavy determination. He reached the rocks at Meghan’s feet and pushed himself up out of the water with his hands. His wet clothes were plastered to his body. He stood at Meghan’s side and wrapped her in his arms, drenching her in the process. The water was cold. The sound of it dripping from him onto the rock was louder than expected.

  Together the two of them looked at the sky. The soldier was hovering there in front of them. Its wings were flapping, sending heavy gusts of air toward Meghan and Embry and causing the nearby trees to sway. The soldier had the book open in its hands. It was flipping through the pages. With one pointed finger, it searched the words that were before him.

  “PATEFACIO!” It said loudly and looked straight at Meghan and Embry upon speaking. Meghan didn’t know the meaning of the strange word, but knew that it was the final word of the spell that would open the portal, the one that
Shakila Obote never had the chance to speak.

  On the small island that stood across the water from them, there was a swirling light and a loud splashing of water. From there, three more soldiers flew into the sky, well above the palmetto trees. Meghan knew what it meant. The portal had been opened on the small island. She clutched onto Embry and remembered what he had told her, that they would go without a fight, that if they did otherwise it would only make the situation much, much worse.

  All three of the soldiers swooped down and landed where Meghan and Embry stood. Holding tightly onto Jericho, Meghan was filled with fear as she felt the arms and wings of the soldier wrap around her. She could feel the feathers brush against her bare arms just as they had done in her dream. She watched as one of the other soldiers wrapped Embry in its wings. Both she and Embry were lifted up and carried across the narrow stretch of sea to the swampy island. The portal was a swirling mass of foamy, salty water. Meghan watched as Embry was pulled down first and then she was carried into the abyss. It was barely big enough for her body to fit into. It was like a well. The beginning of the entranceway was full of mushy, wet sand, but soon the edges of sharp sea shells were cutting into the exposed skin of her arms. She pulled Jericho as close as she could to her body with the hope that she would be able to keep him safe. She was dragged into salty water and kept getting pulled further under until it was nearly impossible to hold her breath. Because of being underwater, her hearing was muffled. She could feel the small, clawed legs of hermit crabs that would occasionally skitter over her body. She was pulled through seaweed and against the rough edges of rock and coral. A school of bright yellow angelfish darted past. Very close by she could see the dorsal fin of what she thought was a shark. Above her, the sunlight was reduced to nothing, and she was surrounded by darkness until finally she could see an ever increasing light that was coming through the water from the opposite direction, below her, and she knew that the light that she was seeing was that of one of the three moons that hung high in the sky of Fractus.