Trouble no. 2 RavenCroft Collection

“Where in the world have you been?”

Tensing, Kalabernus turned toward his brother Kahner who was coming down the stairs into the entryway. Having just arrived home mid-morning the next day, he groaned inwardly while rolling his eyes.

Here he was, forty years old, and it felt like he was being treated like a teenager. Shoes in hand he stood near the doorway attempting the appearance of nonchalance rather unsuccessfully. He wasn’t in the mood for this confrontation.

“What’s it to you?”

“Are you an idiot?”

“Well, let’s see, my aptitude scores always tested higher than yours. What do you think?”

“You got any idea what you put dad through last night? You never came home,” Kahner accused, only slightly irritated by the reminder of his lower test scores.

“So? Done that before. And I’m not some stupid kid anymore, so who cares?”

Snorting loudly Kahner opened the top drawer of the stand in the entryway. Pulling out a circular card and a three-by-five index card, he shoved it into Kalabernus’s hand.

“Dad ran out for pizza last night. Found that on the windshield of his vehicle when he came back out of Laynie’s Pizza Emporium.”

Staring down at the round card Kalabernus was astounded to see a picture of his face on it, with a giant red X crossing him out. It looked like it might have been taken as he was coming out of the grocery store with Ariana.

The index card read, “Even David managed to slay Goliath. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.”

Growling loudly, Kalabernus crumpled the cards and flung them to the floor. He’d been worried about leaving Ariana alone that morning when he left her house after breakfast. She’d seemed better when they first woke cuddled up together, but then at breakfast, she’d gotten spooked again. Concerned for her, he’d offered to stay longer. She’d looked like she wanted him to stay, but had, in the end, insisted she was fine and that he should head home. Now he was wishing he hadn’t left.

“Dad thought you might have attempted going after this guy.” Kahner gave him an accusing look. He waited impatiently for a response.

None came.

“Well, did you?”

Swearing Kalabernus scowled. “No, not last night. But after this I sure as heck will be!” he declared.

“Then where were you?” Bastion asked, strolling down the hallway from the kitchen carrying two mugs in hand. He handed one off to Kahner who thanked him and took a drink.

Kalabernus didn’t respond.

Bastion groaned and rolled his eyes. “You were at the cabin with Ariana, weren’t you? I should have known.” He shook his head in disgust.

“Even if I was, it’s none of your business. And for your information she was scared. Seemed unnerved by something. Probably cause of this stalker of hers, and frankly I don’t blame her. So, I stayed with her.”

Kahner’s brow rose in response. “Stayed with her, eh?”

“Would you get your head out of the gutter?” Kalabernus flared. “I held her okay? I just… well… I held her is all.” His tone was defensive.

“He’s telling the truth,” Drayke called from the hallway, coming into view. “See now, if it were me I would have…”

“You would have what?” Laynie blustered, following on his heels behind him. Stamping her feet on the floor she fisted her hands on her hips as she glared at her husband. The RavenCroft brothers and their father had been talking all morning about how beautiful Ariana Davis was. And it had been making Laynie more than just a little jealous.

“Given her a sleeping pill and gone home to my beautiful, sexy, and loving wife,” Drayke said quickly, eliciting a chuckle from the men.

“Too little, too late.” Bastion mumbled with a smirk, then sipped at his coffee. His eyes twinkled merrily. His son Drayke was forever getting in trouble with his wife, Laynie.

“Got that right!” Laynie fumed. “Consider yourself cut-off for a while,” she declared, throwing daggers at Drayke with her eyes. Sashaying her hip, she turned with a scowl and stalked back to the kitchen.

“Wait, baby! How long is awhile!” Drayke shouted after her in despair.

“I’ll let you know!” she shouted back.

Grinning at each other, Kalabernus and Kahner exchanged humorous looks with their father.

“Don’t worry, Laynie will forget. She usually does… doesn’t she?” Bastion asked after a brief pause.

“Oh, no,” Drayke said, shaking his head seriously. “Your daughter, my twin sister mind you, thought it would be a good idea to get Laynie an Ipad for her birthday. No thanks to Mackenzie, my wife’s been keeping track of when she cuts me off now, through the calendar on it.”

“Your very welcome,” Mackenzie could be heard to say. Coming into the living room from the kitchen doorway with a grin on her face, she stopped suddenly, her expression changing drastically as she stared at Kalabernus.

“What’s wrong with you? Something about you is different,” Mackenzie said. Reaching toward him she touched his forehead. “Are you feeling okay?” she asked further, sensing an unusual vibe from him.

“Leave him alone, Mackenzie,” Sable said softly, descending the stairs towards them. “He’s got, someone… well, someone that he cares about on his mind is all.” She paused tactfully as she spoke. Sable’s eyes sparkled as she sidled up to her husband Kahner.

Understanding dawned on Mackenzie instantly. Wailing loudly as she shook the hand she’d touched her brother with wildly, she walked quickly away. “Oh, Lord have mercy! I don’t need to know when you’re feeling that!” she cried.

Becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, Kalabernus dropped his shoes where he stood and headed upstairs. “Think I’ll just go change my clothes,” he said quickly as he disappeared.

Bastion laughed, then groaned. “Oh, man! That boy has got it bad!” Swearing, he tilted his mug to his lips and disappeared down the hall towards his study. He had a bad feeling he knew full well what that was gonna mean.

They were everywhere.

She couldn’t get away from them.

Whirling before her like monstrous shrieking demons, their glowing blood red eyes glared fiercely at her. Attempting to crawl away from them across the carpeted floor of her living room, Ariana whimpered as she trembled. What was happening to her? Was she going crazy?

Wishing now that she hadn’t told Kalabernus it was okay to leave that morning, she wondered briefly what he could have done if he’d stayed till this evening when the shadows showed up again. She’d swung at them when they first made their presence known, but they simply cackled with glee. Her attempts were clearly useless for her arms simply cut through them like a hot knife to melting butter.

“Go away! Get away from me!” she cried.

“He’s gonna get you my pretty,” Zalman crooned, swirling up around her shoulder. The closer he came the colder she felt at his presence like she would never feel warmth again.

“He’ll cut you! He’ll tear you!” shrieked the demon Fallen, who hovered mercilessly before her, enjoying their game.

“He’ll rip you to pieces!” Veranke growled fiercely. Gnashing his jowls, the creature stretched its fleshless black slithering arms toward her.

She screamed in terror.

Outside her patio door, the figure watched in wonder at the sight of the woman shrieking and screaming on her living room floor. He could see her hunkered down between the chair and couch, cowering in fear from some unseen force. Confused by her behavior the dark figure took satisfaction in seeing her in distress nonetheless. Was it possible he had managed to succeed, he thought? Had he finally stripped her down? Could it be she was ready for him?

Yes, he was sure of it.

The voices in his head told him so.

Soon, not today, but soon he would have her.

She would be his and he’d never let her go.

Ariana Davis was supposed to have been his already. He’d planned for it to happen when he’d slipped her the drink at the bar. But his chance had been ripped away by the giant RavenCroft man. The dark figure slammed his hand angrily against the glass patio door. The sound elicited another frightened cry from Ariana and he took pleasure in her fear.

He chuckled gleefully.

“That’s right you witch. No one cheats on me,” he said aloud, his lips curling into a grotesque smile.

He had been working for this, striving for this moment for so long. He’d nearly been stopped when he’d first begun this path once many, many years before. Her sister Sareena had discovered about him and tried to stop him. She was going to tell on him, she’d said. But he’d taken care of her; silenced her like he did with the roommate many years later. Just like he would take care of this man now.

He was big, yes.

A little intimidating even.

But the voices told him he could be brought down. It was simply a matter of time.

He could hear her crying and imagined the tears streaming down her cheeks. Adjusting his night vision goggles, he could see her scooting toward a stand. She grabbed the small box sitting on it and dug her hand desperately inside for her treasure within. Clasping it tightly in her hand she pulled it from the box and began talking. Or was she whispering? He couldn’t tell for sure from where he was at.

But in the living room, the shadows could tell.

They screeched.

They howled.

They flung their arms about their faceless heads as though in pain.

Startled, Ariana peered up at the shadows now cowering away. A bright white light had flashed suddenly within the room between her and the dark shape-shifting figures, the moment she’d grabbed for the item from the box. The treasure had once belonged to her sister Sareena as a child, but she’d given it to Ariana when she started fifth grade. Sareena had been several years older than her, but they had always been close.

“Take it, Ariana. One day it will protect you. One day it will keep you safe from the darkness which seeks to harm you,” her sister had said, a troubled disturbed look in her eye. Was it possible that even then, somehow, Sareena had known someone would one day be after her?

Tears trickled down her cheeks at the memory. She’d thought it such an odd thing to say at the time, but now she understood.

“But sissy, you love it!” Ariana remembered saying while trying to give it back. “He gave it to you when he pulled you from the water. I know how much it means to you.”

“Yes, but you mean more to me. You haven’t been in the water yet, so you need it more. It will protect you if you believe it will.”

The white light was warm and inviting. It shifted protectively before her. Ariana continued to whisper fervently as she cried, holding it close to her heart. She stayed that way for a long time continuing to whisper the words her sister had taught her. After a while, her eyes began to droop as exhaustion set in and a troubled sleep took over.

Personally?

If it were me and I were seeing what she was seeing?

…I would… well, shoot…

…I’d piss all over myself!

There I said it. You happy now?

Man, wouldn’t you!? Geezy-criminy and holy bacon-fritters! Wispy, greenish-black smoky creatures slithering through my patio door and along my ceiling toward me? The thought alone is enough to make me have an accident. Seriously, how does one fend off something like that?

Right about now, you might be wondering what the tarnation is going on here?

And how the heck is Ariana suddenly capable of being able to see the same shadows that Kalabernus has been seeing all his life? Right? One might conclude that the shadows can present themselves to someone they feel is a threat so they can try and scare them away. But how could little ole’ Ariana possibly be a threat to them?

Well, let’s think about this.

These loathsome, disgusting, vile, shadowy demonic bullies feed off of our fears, our sorrows, our losses, and our sadness. If a woman were to come along and make Kalabernus happy? Fill him with joy and hope? They’d lose their snack, right? Of course, there could be something else going on here but what could that be? Hhhmmm?

By the way, did you catch that phrase? The one Ariana made. You know. When she was recalling the memory of her sister Sareena, and she said…

“…When he pulled you from the water.”

I won’t lie, the first time I read those words a numbing sensation had washed over me. I even recall scoffing and thinking to myself, “Really? Did the author have to go there? Did they have to make this about religion?”

Here’s the funny thing about this.

So far in the RavenCroft’s ‘terrible’ and ‘trouble’ filled tales both the original author, as well as the author of this book here, have been very adamant that the RavenCroft’s were not religious people. And because of that, the tone of these stories would be more secular in nature. Bastion RavenCroft and his late wife Inara had never raised their children in church. It was a personal choice of course, and that was their right. No doubt about that.

But…

…just because the RavenCroft’s aren’t religious doesn’t mean religion doesn’t play a part in this tale. Nor does it mean that other people within their lives are without faith.

At one point, early on in Ariana Davis’s life, her family were avid church goers. Her parents attended church regularly making sure to bring along their daughters so that they could learn what Christianity was to be able to make an informed choice for themselves. Apparently, Ariana’s big sister Sareena did just that. At fifteen years of age, Sareena Davis became a born-again Christian. As is the custom, her youth pastor baptized her in a ceremony at their church. After pulling Sareena from the water he’d given her a little token, or memory sake, if you will. It was something for her to remember that moment, and that day, for the rest of her life. As stated, it meant a great deal to Sareena but for some reason, she gave it up to her eleven-year-old sister, Ariana.

Makes me wonder…

Think our young Sareena might have somehow known something we didn’t?

Hhhhmmm. Honestly, at this point in the RavenCroft’s story, I would have simply said it was a mere coincidence. As this family’s story progresses, however, my opinion on such things changed and I’ve come to learn two very important things.

People come and go in our lives for a reason.

And… there’s no such thing as coincidence.