Autumn's Calling (Book 2): The Battle Read online

  Autumn’s Calling:

  The Battle

  By Michelle Weese

  Prologue

  The demon stood behind the old pharmacy, gazing out into the wilderness. The first snow this year had fallen and glistened in the afternoon sunlight like thousands of tiny diamonds. Crisp cold air whipped around him in swirls of ice and pine needles from the enormous trees above. Besides the whisper of the wind blowing, the only remaining sound was a lonely, desperate crow cawing from a bare tree branch nearby. The cry resonated as relaxing music to his ears. The deep sorrow of the crow flowed from its pitch black beak for the outside world to hear. He knew precisely how lonesome the bird must feel, always being forsaken by others, only to search through existence in complete isolation. But he hoped that would change soon enough.

  After escaping the fiery bowels of Hell, he searched the earth far and wide, and found the perfect host to possess. A strapping young lad around thirty years of age. Long blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight like spun silk. Piercing golden brown eyes, the exact gold of a tiger’s, would stop your heart from beating with just one glance. He stood an even six and a half feet tall with muscles in all the right places. Yes, this remarkable body would suit quite well. Now he only wished to seduce the magnificent red-haired Autumn with this newfound human flesh, and he had chosen wisely. His appearance emulated an angel sent from Heaven above although he happened to be the complete opposite. Even with a glorious face and physique, he reeked of malignant evil and death.

  The need to learn how to speak with the human’s mouth, move as a normal earthly being, and detain the hatred he carried for mankind was crucial in the transformation. In order to win Autumn’s love, he must pretend to be something he is not, nor will he ever be. He planned to practice using this beautiful body to the fullest extent. Watching her from the shadows drove him crazier than he already was. He must have tried a thousand times to walk out of the pharmacy door to the hardware store across the street, where his love resided, but never made it far without turning back to the anger permeating within and stopping in his tracks. The first encounter must be perfect. For if he ruined the one chance to capture her with his charm and beauty, he would forever roam this earth in solitude. No other could compare to her. She harnessed a special energy he was unable to ignore, like a candle flame in the middle of a dark room. The attraction was more than physical. It was mystical.

  The sinister spirit dwelling within the charming traveler’s body strolled along the edge of the forest behind the pharmacy while practicing his speaking voice. After clearing his throat, the deep and soothing voice of a smooth talking crooner, rolled from his tongue. He smirked into the green and white wilderness beyond and spoke out loud, “Hello, my name is Alastor. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance…” Then he shook his head angrily, “No. That’s not right!” he spat at the ground in distaste. He continued to rehearse his speech over and over until he convinced himself that he sounded ordinary, and not like a strange foreigner. When satisfied with his speech and vocabulary, he sauntered over to the clothing store a few buildings down so he could find something that would make him look presentable to the lovely Autumn. The exotic looking traveler displayed only hiking clothes and ratty old boots in his possession when Alastor took residency within his body.

  Alastor casually marched down the back alleyway from the pharmacy to the clothing store. His army of dead stumbled in a clumsy manner on the snow covered ground. They seemed a lot slower than before while meandering through the old abandoned town. The chill of winter turned them into human popsicles that staggered through the streets at a snail’s pace searching for a meaty morsel to keep them moving. At first glance, you would suspect they were just old drunks leaving the pub after an all-nighter, but upon closer inspection it was hard to deny that they were rotting re-animated corpses. He watched them with pride from the shadows, grinning with satisfaction at the sight of the grotesque plague he unleashed on mankind. It was infinitely the most important task he had ever completed in his existence. A work of art in his opinion. If he never escaped the fiery core of the wretched underworld, and actually cared what critique was given of his work, he was confident the master would have been beyond pleased with what he set forth to do. As he opened the rear door to the clothing store, the lonesome crow took flight into the evening sky with one last melancholic caw.

  The store remained cast in shadows, offering only a faint glow around the outer edges near the windows. The sun began its afternoon descent and casted a brilliant orange and yellow glare along the streets outside. A requirement of light was not a problem for Alastor though. He could see in the complete darkness of night. His eyes adjusted to the void of the gloomiest spots inside the building as he began searching through clothing racks to find the right garments to dress his exquisite newfound body. He studied the men in the posters on the wall and magazines on the counter. Although he would like to dress to the nines in a three-piece expensive suit, like the men in the magazines, he figured it unsuitable for the occasion. After searching for some time, he settled on a pair of casual black jeans, a royal blue polo shirt, black combat boots and a very stylish black leather jacket. The leather smelled sensational and he couldn’t leave without it.

  Alastor stood at the mirror reveling in his beauty. The colors contrasted wonderfully against his golden locks and pale skin. He was thrilled to finally have a body, to be able to feel things around him with his own human skin. His senses were in overdrive with the sensation of the material on his body. The smell of the leather. The sights of his alluring body… it was simply divine. After soaking in all of his surroundings, he decided it was time to set off and at last meet his love. He must gather all of his nerve and confidence to march over to where she dwelled. For some reason, unbeknownst to him, this happened to be the hardest thing he had ever prepared for. Triggering an all-out zombie apocalypse was so effortless with all of the penned up hatred he had inside of him. But finally approaching the one person that he sustained nothing but admiration and love for, felt like trying to escape the evil world he came from all over again. It took him hundreds of years to find a way out of Hell, to find that one little crack to slip through. But now that he did, he wasn’t sure how to move on from all the disgust and malignancy he felt for everything else.

  Maybe the lovely Autumn can change him though, make him into a real person. He couldn’t be sure that was even possible, since he was a demonic spirit possessing a human body. But he would try his damndest to permanently remain in the fleshly walls surrounding him. He stared through the enticing golden eyes into the mirror before him and the most insidious grin spread across his fair face.

  He gathered himself and walked through the store, exiting the same door he entered, then made his way around the building in the direction of the hardware store across the street. He concentrated on communicating with each of his undead soldiers roaming this quaint little town. Alastor had devised the perfect plan.

  Chapter 1

  As I ran through a long, gloomy corridor, terror pulsed through my veins. My heart thudded in my chest. The sound of each frantic heartbeat hammered on my eardrums. The hallway appeared as an abandoned wing of a dilapidated mansion that remained uninhabited for many, many years. Shredded floral wallpaper was stained brown by age and hanging off in ribbons. Old gas lanterns protruded from the wall to my right, casting a faint radiance that danced across the fractured ceiling. On the left, several windows hung spaced out at frequent intervals. Tattered lace curtains still dangled from rusty metal rods and billowed in the breeze blowing in from outside. The moon peeked in every time I passed by one of the old windows, full and glowing a vivid crimson color. A bl
ood moon. The wooden planks beneath my feet creaked as I passed over them. They displayed scratches along the boards resembling deep fingernail tracks. An icy chill raced up my neck in a hair prickling thought of what created those claw marks.

  I passed by many doorways, all of which were locked. Panic erupted from inside my body as I shuddered with the thought of being trapped with nowhere to go. The wind whistled an eerie tune through the corridor, making the firelight quiver and struggle to remain lit. A lantern at the far end where I began my journey went dark, losing the battle against the unforgiving breeze. The area became a smidge darker, and the full moon an even deeper red. My heart gushed blood into my veins faster than I imagined possible. I searched for an escape route, desperate to get away from this place.

  A large ominous door, at the end of the hallway, loomed over me like a threatening shadow. There were intricate carvings etched into each corner of the dark wood. It seemed ancient and foreign. I darted toward it and reached for the brass handle as I heard footsteps approaching behind me. The same footsteps that continued following me endlessly through this primordial estate. I tried but never caught sight of a face. As I twisted the doorknob and dashed across the threshold, I turned around to glimpse my determined pursuer. Only to see a shimmer of long golden hair, in the shadows, on a broad and towering frame. Just before he reached out for me, I slammed the heavy door closed and secured the deadbolt.

  My body dripped with sweat, and hands trembled, as anxiety coursed through me. I whirled around to examine the room I entered in haste and found a nightmare even worse than the stalker that lingered behind the door. Everyone I hold dear in this world was trapped in a raging ring of fire at the center of the cavernous room. My mom, my uncle, Leland, Jess, Benji, Vicki and even my dog Daisy stood imprisoned in a circle of flames. They all cried in terror against the sweltering heat rising from it.

  That failed to be the worst part, nevertheless. Not only did they suffer behind an inescapable inferno, but they were accompanied by the dead. The decomposing ravenous beasts, that feasted on the flesh of the living, endlessly chased them to the edge of the hellfire until they had nowhere to go. My loved ones had a choice of either walk into the scorching flames and take their own life; or be devoured by zombies and return as a monster.

  I needed to do something… fast. There must be a way to save them. I searched the enormous area for anything that would help release them from their fiery death pit, and at once realized the space resembled a mid-century ballroom. A colossal fireplace with delicate hand carved scroll work constructed of ivory stretched from floor to ceiling. Long dining tables with moth-eaten tablecloths still adorning them sat in the shadows to each side. Patina encrusted silver candelabras stood at the middle point of every table; candles remaining unlit for eternity. Black velvet chairs rested under the edges, awaiting their next occupant. In the center was the ballroom dance floor, now ablaze with the wall of fire surrounding everyone I cared for the most. Ironically, they began their own macabre dance between the flames and the undead monsters, striving to prolong their impending fate of an agonizing death. I roared in frustration with the obligation to get them out of there.

  In the distant corner of the ballroom, I spotted a fountain with a majestic lion's head hanging in the backdrop. I raced to it while praying it still contained water inside to help extinguish the fire. But I lacked a container to transport the water across the room. Before reaching the basin, my eyes searched for anything of use. The screams behind the barrier of flames increased and jolted my heart. On a nearby serving cart was a metal ice bucket with a dusty bottle of champagne still resting inside. I seized the bucket and removed the bottle, releasing it back to the cart with a dull clank. The ice bucket was small, but my only option, so I gripped it in my trembling grasp and hurried back to the fountain. Just before I dipped the bucket in, I noticed something wasn’t right. The basin was filled to the brim with a murky liquid. I hesitantly stuck my finger to the surface of the strange fluid and came away with what I feared it to be. Blood.

  In my peripheral vision, I detected a ripple in the vile liquid along the bank of the basin. There was something alive in there. I attempted to retreat and stumbled over a fallen chair as a creature emerged from the blood soaked basin. My bucket flew into the air and crashed against the floor like a cymbal being drummed. The echo bounced back from every surface filling the room. My breath escaped as I landed hard on my back. Dizziness swept over me as I struggled to regain the oxygen I lost. My eyes sought protection for my mind and refused to let me see what stood in my line of sight. All I could seem to focus on was the spine chilling cries of my friends and family behind me being tormented. The beast stepped from the fountain with grace. Sounds of thick pulpy liquid sloshed around making me swallow hard to return the rising bile to my stomach.

  As inevitability became known, I gave attention to the being positioned in front of me. It proved to be the most hideous manifestation I had ever encountered. The creature stood at a staggering height with skin as black as the night and eyes glowing scarlet red. Its face appeared featureless but shrouded by an immense head with spiraling horns extended on both sides. After an endless second, I noted the black flesh stirring. I made every effort to convince myself that it was the blood streaming down its menacing form, but my eyes had deceived me.

  Creatures of all kinds slithered over the surface of the beast’s body; spiders, scorpions, roaches, snakes, rats and more appalling things nightmares contained. I became so frightened that I quit breathing. My heart fluttered and came to a slow stop. Time stood still as I remained on the frigid floor staring at pure evil. I didn’t dare to move a muscle; afraid it would attack at any sudden movement like a savage animal. Consciousness was abandoning me, and I realized I would never be capable of saving my loved ones. They would either burn up in the inferno, or become one of the walking dead. It seemed cruel we fought this long to stay alive, only to succumb to such horrible deaths. I figured this creature would be the end of me. I merely hoped he would kill me before the biters won the battle with my family.

  Looming over me, the wicked beast came closer until it filled my vision. The slithery creatures encasing his body hissed and squealed. A snake climbed his massive limbs, coiling upward until it reached his neck, then settled across the beast’s shoulders. The snake's tongue flicked out tasting the air, and the saltiness of my fear. I shuddered and transformed into a statue. Fear of being struck by the snake added to my distraught state of mind. The monster smiled with satisfaction and revealed fangs so sharp they could have cut through steel. He laughed devilishly within a foot of my face. A putrid stench emerged from his revolting mouth and hit my senses like a brick wall. He stroked the serpent around his throat as if it was a pet. The snake looked content with the attention his master offered and darted out to snatch a rat out of the mixture of loathsome creatures. The rodent squeaked as the snake bit down hard and consumed it. Tiny legs convulsed as the unfortunate rat fought to free himself from the jaws of death. A lump formed in my throat as I envisioned the beast doing the same thing to me with his razor sharp fangs. My brain decided I had suffered enough shock to last a lifetime. The final scene I witnessed was a hairy tarantula weasel its way between those terrifying teeth into the pitch black abyss of the creature's mouth. He bit down and warm blood squirted from his teeth to land on my face. That was my limit. A scream erupted from my lips as my vision disintegrated, and I drifted away from the miserable Hell I had regretfully stumbled upon.

  Chapter 2

  My eyes fluttered open as I awoke screaming with such an intensity that my throat seared with rawness and my lungs ached. I coughed and gagged until I thought my skull might explode from my scalp with the built up pressure. The stench of the beast’s rancid breath clung to my nostrils and made my stomach clench tight. My body trembled uncontrollably, soaked in perspiration from head to toe. My auburn hair was plastered to my face and neck from the sweat gushing out of my pores. Arms wrapped around me and I tensed
, waiting to be swallowed up once more by the nightmare I endured.

  “Autumn, it’s me, Leland. It’s only a dream, you’re fine now. Just breathe,” he murmured tenderly as he caressed my arms and kissed my shoulder to bring me out of my distraught state of mind. I gathered I wasn’t in immediate danger anymore and drew a deep but shaky breath. “Are you all right? What were you dreaming about? I’ve been trying to wake you for a while because you were screaming…” he said in a concerned tone.

  “Give me a minute. I’m still struggling to grasp reality here,” I explained to him, inhaling deeply and working to slow my racing heartbeat back to its normal steady pace. I described the harsh and terrifying nightmare that produced my extreme panic, explaining every little detail to him.

  “That was most frightening dream I’ve ever had in my life,” I confessed.

  “I can tell. I feared I’d be incapable to bring you out of it,” Leland admitted. “But it sounds like your subconscious is revealing what you fear most, which is losing the people you love.”

  We were laying on the double cot he built for us so we could sleep beside one another in comfort. The universe outside hitched a journey to Hell in a handbasket but we continued making the best of a terrible situation. He wrapped his muscular arms around me and snuggled against my back. The warmth radiating from his body calmed my nerves. It would be devastating to lose him, or anyone here for that matter. My mind replayed the horror of them trapped behind that wall of fire, screaming for their lives. It was hard to fathom a world without my family in it.

  “I’m glad you’re okay, love. I can rescue you from the monsters outside but it's tough to protect you from your own nightmares. It makes me feel weak,” he whispered in my ear.

  I rolled over to face him and pressed my trembling mouth to his. I drank him down selfishly as if he were a fine wine. His lips were so soft and supple, I wished to remain this way forever and never grow weary of him. He tasted like wintergreen mint, his favorite candy, and I soon developed a fondness of the flavor. I ultimately fell head over heels in love with this breathtaking man over the several months we’ve been confined in my family’s hardware store. The familiar world was now long forgotten due to an unleashing of Hell on Earth. We mercifully had a shelter that housed all we required for survival; weapons, food, showers, beds and of course my friends and family.