Trouble no. 2 RavenCroft Collection

Following the couple quickly Bastion took off after them, and Synedra hurried to catch up. They could hear Ariana’s cries of distress when she couldn’t find her coat right away.

“I need it, Kalabernus - my coat. Where did you put it? Where is it, please?” she begged.

“Ariana, we’ve barely even eaten yet. Let’s pack some food up to take with us at least,” Kalabernus was saying. Confused and distressed by what he believed was his girlfriend’s sudden desire to leave, he tried to take hold of her arm again. Shaking his hand off violently Ariana desperately searched through the coats in the closets. She could hear the frightening sound of the shadows getting closer, for they followed them into the living room.

“No! You don’t understand! I need it, Kalabernus, I must have it! I have to find my coat!” she cried desperately, becoming more and more hysterical. They were getting closer. Tears were forming in her eyes and threatening to fall down her cheeks. She could see a shadow slithering ahead of the rest. Its fleshless arms reached out to her as it screeched and howled with gleeful abandon, enjoying the terror it was instilling within her. It lunged toward her and she jerked violently away, falling to the floor near the coat closet.

Alarmed by the scene Ariana was making Drayke, Mackenzie, Kahner, and Kalturek wandered into the living room followed by their spouses and watched as she flung herself to the floor near the coats. She looked like she was trying to get away from something.

“Oh, my,” Kalturek said in dismay, watching as Ariana plunged into the coat closet, screaming and crying for her coat. His brother Kalabernus stood over her, too stunned by what was happening to react. “Drayke, do you think it’s possible…?”

Mackenzie turned toward Drayke, a suspicious look on her face at her other brother’s words. “What don’t I know?” she asked angrily. “Because I can tell you honestly, that whatever is happening to that woman right now is terrifying the crap out of her.”

Finally, catching sight of her navy-blue wool jacket, Ariana squealed and shoved her hand into its pocket. “I have to get them away! Please make them go away!” she whimpered as her hands shook.

“Wait a minute. Ariana, are you seeing them? Are you seeing the shadows?” Kalabernus exclaimed having suddenly put the pieces together in his head.

More concerned about getting the item in her pocket into her hand Ariana didn’t bother answering him. She didn’t figure he’d believe her anyway and it never occurred to her that what he was asking implied he could see them too. Crying out in relief upon snatching her hand around the small metallic item, she clutched it desperately toward her chest and began to murmur softly, closing her eyes as she spoke.

A bright flash of light erupted within the room blinding Drayke at its intensity and the unexpected sight of it. He’d seen them before, the warm balls of light, but never quite so bright.

“Oh, geez, that’s painful!” he exclaimed while attempting to shelter his eyes. Across the room, he could see Ariana shading her own eyes from the light, as though she could see it too. Gaping openly in shock his gaze shifted to Kalabernus then back at Ariana. “Wait a minute, you can see that?” he called. “Ariana, are you seeing a bright light right now?” he demanded to know, startling the entire household.

Ariana sobbed as she huddled upon the floor near the closet, her back braced against the wall, preventing her from fleeing further.

“Yes! It’s the only thing that keeps them away!” Ariana cried desperately, almost gratefully.

“Keeps who away, Ariana? Who is them?” Kalabernus croaked in dismay.

“I don’t know what they are. They’re like… like shadows or demons, or something,” she answered him miserably, biting all the while at her lip. She knew the instant she said it they’d be locking her up in a nut house.

“Oh, my word!” Mackenzie exclaimed. Her hands flew to her face. “You’re pregnant!” she cried. “You’re pregnant with Kalabernus’s baby!”

Heart plummeting to his feet Kalabernus gaped openly at the woman crouching on the floor next to him then over at his sister, horrified by the notion.

“What would possibly make you think I’m pregnant?” Ariana asked, both perplexed and irritated. They acted like what she was seeing was no big deal to them. Her gaze shifted toward Drayke who stood gaping at her. He’d asked if she could see the light. But how had he known it was there? She stared up at Kalabernus, and suddenly realized she wasn’t the only one who could see the black cloudy creatures hovering behind the white light either.

“You can see them? Kalabernus, please tell me, can you see what I’m seeing right now?”

“Yes. I’ve been able to see them for as long as I can remember. But I’ve never seen them do this before,” Kalabernus admitted. “Acting afraid, shrieking and desperate to get away but unable to.”

The light began to fade and Ariana began mumbling softly, desperate to keep the light with her for longer.

Bending down next to her, Kalabernus watched the shadows writhe and swirl about angrily, their jowls and arms bending in an unnatural fashion. Moments later they exploded, like a gigantic ink splash, within the open space of the living room and seeped out through the windows.

Ariana continued to huddle on the floor as she whispered, oblivious to the scene since she’d closed her eyes off from the sight of the frightening creatures. Seeing her shiver Kalabernus awkwardly placed his arms around her.

“Ariana, how long… how long have you been able to see the shadows?”

Sniffling, Ariana finally looked up at him after snuggling up closer to him for warmth and comfort. “Since Saturday?” she answered tentatively.

Kalabernus inhaled sharply. “The figure in the patio doorway. You were seeing Veranke.”

“Veranke?” Ariana was confused. A frightened tear escaped down her cheek. “You… you don’t think I’m crazy?” she stammered, starting to become suspicious. Though she could no longer see or sense the shadows nearby, she couldn’t quite seem to stop shaking.

Holding her tighter Kalabernus closed his eyes then shook his head. “Ariana, I’m so sorry! I had no idea. It’s not even supposed to be possible,” he stammered.

“What’s not possible? I don’t understand.” She looked at him then, her appearance mimicking that of a frightened and wounded young girl who was becoming angry.

“Ariana, you can see them, because I can see them,” Kalabernus admitted finally. “It’s kind of a family secret, you see, the fact that I can see these demonic shadows. And it’s why everyone is always afraid of me and intimidated by me, cause they’re always around me.”

It took a minute before Ariana fully registered what he was saying. But Kalabernus could see the instant understanding dawned on her.

“It’s an inherited trait, isn’t it? And I can only see them now because I’m…” her voice faltered. Her eyes widened, too stunned to continue.

“Pregnant,” Kalabernus finished for her.

The silence lasted for about ten seconds before the explosion hit as both Laynie and Stephanie turned toward their husbands and began shouting in unison, their speech overlapping in places. The abrupt commotion initially startled Ariana.

“Are you kidding me…?”

“-Drayke! What the heck is…”

“-Going on here?”

“-Why can they?”

“What exactly does this mean?” Laynie yelled above Stephanie.

“It means you all need to take this argument elsewhere,” Bastion insisted, seeking to temper the fighting for the time being.

“Oh, we’re taking it elsewhere all right,” Laynie declared, huffing from the house without a backward glance or coat.

Stephanie, on the other hand, simply looked defeated. “Why is it that everyone in this family who wants to get pregnant can’t, and those who don’t or aren’t planning to, can?” she demanded of her husband.

Knuckles against his hips Kalturek sighed in exasperation, tired of hearing the incessant question once again. “We’ve been over this Stephanie…” Before he could finish, the blonde headed bombshell fled the house, wailing as she ran.

Trembling, Ariana got to her feet, dragging her coat with her. Something else had suddenly connected in her mind as she watched the women run from the house angrily.

“Let me get this straight, you can see the shadows, Kalabernus, but you cannot see the light that was here?” she asked, then pointed toward Drayke. “But you can see the light. If it’s an inherited trait, then does that mean that all of you can see one or the other?”

“No,” Kahner responded before his father could. “And, yes, I know we need to tread carefully here dad, but I think she has the right to know under the circumstances.”

Ariana’s gaze shifted cautiously from Bastion back to Kahner. Was it possible Kahner was reading his dad’s thoughts somehow?

“More than a little possible,” Kahner said aloud, startling her, causing her to gasp audibly. Her eyes grew ever wider with shock.

“Let’s just slow down here. Learning everything in one night might be too much in her condition,” Dr. S.T. said, becoming concerned for Ariana’s well-being. He looked to his wife for support. “Wouldn’t you agree, Mackenzie?”

Head jerking to attention at hearing her name, Mackenzie gave an automatic response. “Yes, of course.” She was distracted. Her brother Kalabernus had fathered a child as well? The two conceptions occurring within such short time of each other seemed too much of a coincidence. None of them were supposed to be able to have children. What could this possibly mean?

“Everything? Wait, there’s more? And why can I see both the shadows and that light thing, but neither of you can?” Ariana was floored. She gestured between Kalabernus and Drayke. Though somewhat relieved to learn she wasn’t going completely crazy, she had begun to think she’d stepped into the twilight zone.

“That’s a very good question.” Bastion stepped forward and gazed between his two sons then back at Ariana thoughtfully.

“Ariana, what exactly is it you are holding?” Mackenzie inquired, her curiosity getting the better of her. She was curious about what it was that had Ariana fleeing to her coat at the sight of the shadowy creatures.

“This old thing?” Ariana spoke softly, opening her hand so they could see. Laying in the palm of her hand was a three-inch piece of silver that had been fashioned into the shape of a cross. “It was given to me by my sister, Sareena a year before she died in the car accident.”

“It looked like the moment you latched onto it, the bright light appeared.” Drayke glanced toward the front door becoming anxious at Laynie’s absence. He knew he’d need to go after her soon or he’d pay for it later.

Ariana turned toward Kalabernus and explained. Tears were welling in her eyes as she spoke. “Ever since my sister gave it to me I’ve used it as a bit of a crutch I guess. Whenever I’d get scared as a child, I’d hold onto it and recite the prayer she taught me. Sunday night they were all over me; the shadows that is. And I was hearing terrifying noises outside the cabin as well. So, I pulled it from the box I keep it in and began the prayer. That’s when I saw the light for the first time.”

Kalabernus’s breathing was heavy. His eyes shifted towards his father then back at her hand. Reaching toward her extended hand he flinched back, hesitant about touching the item, yet somehow compelled to do so.

“Ariana, may I… may I hold it?” Kalabernus asked anxiously.

Uneasy about relinquishing her treasure Ariana paused before responding. “So l… long as I can h… have it back,” she stuttered nervously. Their eyes met, both clearly overwhelmed at the notion of her being pregnant with his baby.

“Of course.”

Hands shaking, Kalabernus took hold of the tiny cross with two fingers. Placing it in the palm of his other hand he gazed around the room as if waiting almost expectantly to see the light that she had.

“I don’t… I don’t see it,” he croaked. “Drayke!” he called before his brother disappeared through the front door. “Where was the light when it came? What did it do?”

“Couldn’t say for sure what it was doing without being able to see the shadows response but… The light was immediately in front of her when it came. It seemed to radiate out.”

“And the shadows exploded, then fled through the window,” Kalabernus said in a choked voice, disturbed by what it meant. “Dad, the light… it was protecting her!”

“Sort of acting like a barrier maybe?” Nathan questioned thoughtfully. He and Bastion exchanged looks

“Why doesn’t it come for me? Why has it never attempted to protect me?” Kalabernus asked, becoming thoroughly distressed.

“Maybe… maybe because she’s pregnant?” Synedra offered, trying to lesson what was obviously beginning to upset her brother. Her heart ached for him. “She wasn’t born with it but her child will be?” she stated with a questioning glance toward her father. Bastion’s nod of agreement was slight.

“So, our son will one day be cursed like me? He’ll see what I see all the time? Without any barrier of light?” Kalabernus exclaimed in alarm.

“Or daughter,” Kalturek offered quietly. Deciding it best he go after his own wife, he glanced back at his brother in concern before disappearing through the door.

Kalabernus let out an excruciating yelp of distress. Agitated, he ran his hands through his short black hair and paced before Ariana, shaking his head.

“No! No, this can’t happen! I won’t let it happen! Bring up a child as cursed as I have been? And a little girl at that? Absolutely not! It ends with me. It must end with me!”