Caterpillar, a Paranormal Romance With a Touch of Horror (30 page)

“Why don’t you like to drink blood?  Does it taste bad or something?”

“No.  And that’s part of the problem.  It’s incredibly addictive.  So’s the power.  That’s what happens to a lot of the cursed, they use and drink and use and drink until they’re addicted and little by little the dark takes over.  I won’t let that happen.”

Admiration for him, for what he fought every day, for his determination, welled up within me.  Demon or no, he was probably one of the strongest, most genuinely good people I could think of.

I shook my head.  I was getting overloaded, but the questions just kept coming.  “Ok, so you made it rain inside to put out the fire.  Is that right?  And you used…demonic power to do it?”  It felt surreal to be having such a strange conversation, but I no longer had the least trouble believing it.  I’d seen too much, experienced too much, already to have any remaining doubts.

“Correct.”

“So all demons can do what you did?”

“Well,” he hesitated.  “Not necessarily.  First of all, there’s a hierarchy to manifestations, but I’ve never heard of
anyone
being able to make it rain indoors before.  We usually have to use what’s around us, like pull the moisture from the clouds to make it rain, but when I saw you in there and felt your fear…”  I thought I saw him shudder, but, in the low light, I couldn’t be sure.

“So how did you do it?”

“I think it’s because I drank your blood.”

“
My blood
makes you more powerful?”

“I think so.  I’ve never known it to happen before, but I suspect that’s what it is.”

“What’s so special about me?”

“That’s a loaded question.  One that I think you should read about, get all the details, rather than me try to summarize.”

Although I was a little frustrated by his answer, I accepted it with good grace.  I was mulling if over when I heard the jingle of my cell phone.  It was one of the things that had survived. 

Scott’s name and number appeared on the tiny screen.  I wasn’t sure what to do at first so I sat there staring at the phone, debating what to do, feeling more awkward with every ring.

“Are you going to answer that?”  Tegan prompted, his expression curiously blank.

“Scott,” I answered.

“Thank God you’re ok!”  His voice was alive with relief.  “What happened?”

“What do you—”

“I’m at your house,” he said.  And that’s all he needed to say.

“Ohmigod!  I’m so sorry, Scott.  With all that happened, I forgot to call you.”

“What happened?”  He repeated.

I gave him a rundown of the details I’d given everyone else, minus the part about how Tegan and I had put the fire out.  I still hadn’t had a chance to break up with him and I didn’t want to hurt him more than what I absolutely had to.

“Maybe you should come stay with me,” he offered.  Typical Scott.  He
really was
a nice guy.

“It’s alright.  The police have a safe place for me to stay.  Look, I’ve really got to go.  I’ll call you tomorrow sometime, ok?  Maybe we can get together for dinner or something.”

A long silence preceded his answer.  “Alright.  Cat, is there anything you want to tell me?”  He was too smart not to suspect that my behavior might be indicative of something else going on, something that would affect our relationship.

“I’m just tired Scott.  Can we talk tomorrow?”

Gracefully, he agreed and we got off the phone.  I didn’t look at Tegan, but I could see tightness in his hands where they held the steering wheel.  I knew how he felt about my relationship with Scott and I knew it was because of my fierce attraction to him.  He had to give me time to let Scott down easy, though.

I closed my eyes once more, hundreds of thoughts and questions chasing each other around in my head, the soft rhythm of the car like a lullaby. 

The next thing I knew, Tegan was gently shaking my shoulder, calling my name.  “Cat, wake up.  We’re here.”  I’d fallen asleep.

I opened my eyes to look around, but I was blinded by the bright light of day.  After my pupils had adjusted somewhat, I could see that we were parked in front of an enormous metal building that looked like an airplane hangar.  I got out, stretching my legs and taking in my surroundings. 

With the building to my right and a tall, barbed wire fence a hundred yards or so to my left, the only thing in between was me, Tegan, my car and a large expanse of hard-packed dirt.  Outside the fence, dozens and dozens of ultraviolet lights dotted the perimeter, giving the appearance of daylight.  But it wasn’t daylight at all.  In the distance, I could see the outline of treetops against the full moon that hung in the black sky.  We were somewhere near a forest.

“Where are we?” I asked Tegan, who had appeared at my side.  He was holding my bag.

“You’ll be safe here.  This is The Pyramid.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

“The Pyramid?”

“Yes.  Come on,” he said, starting off toward the building, motioning with his head for me to follow.

“Why all the lights?”

“Security.  If any of us become addicted, the light will be unbearable.  The ka can’t tolerate it either.”

“The ka?”

“Later,” he said.  Again.

We walked toward the only opening of any kind on that side of the building.  It was a small door with a tiny window at the top.  As Tegan reached down to open it, I noticed a symbol just above the doorknob.  It consisted of three upside down Vs.  One was stacked atop the other two forming a triangle.  

Tegan held the door and I walked past him into the most nondescript room I’d ever seen.  It looked like a hangar from the inside, too, all empty space and bare, shiny floors.  There was a huge bay door opposite us and the air smelled of oil and some sort of fuel.  At some point a small plane might actually be stored inside.

I followed Tegan to one of a couple of doors scattered along one wall.  It led to a small hall of more doors.  He chose one that opened onto a common area of some sort.  It was empty, but there were couches and chairs and tables, a couple of comfy-looking recliners and a huge flat screen television.  At the back of the room was a long bar and kitchen area.  It reminded me of the innards of a fire station.  All it lacked was a pole.  And firemen.

We walked through yet another door that led to a small vestibule that had two doors that opened off it.  One was a door like the others through which we’d passed.  The other was a thick metal door that had a key pad as well as a biometric scanner of some sort.  A camera looked down on us, the little red light on its top flashing.

A little thrill of excitement skittered through me at the thought of what lay behind such a secure looking door.  I thought I might get to find out, but Tegan opened the other door instead and led me into what looked like a small efficiency apartment. 

It was dark and windowless, but lamps and sconces scattered throughout the room gave it a cozy feel.   The walls were a dark taupe, the floors a rich mahogany hardwood.  To my left, I could see the end of a bed sticking out behind a short wall that separated it from a kitchen area and the small two-person dining table.  Directly in front of me was a plush, pale beige sectional loaded with earth-tone throw pillows.  It faced another huge flat screen. 

Tegan walked to the bed and sat my bag on the floor at the foot.  He turned back to me.

“You’ll be safe here,” he said again.  He looked a little uncomfortable all of a sudden, like he wasn’t quite sure what to do with himself.  I doubted he did much entertaining.

“Is this where you live?”

“No,” he said.  Then he thought about it some more and continued, “well sort of.  This place is a base for us.  I have an apartment in the city, but I know I won’t have to worry about you here.”

“A base for what?”

“I know I always tell you this, but it’s a long story.”

“I’ve got time, unless you’re going somewhere.”  I really didn’t want him to leave me, but I hated to ask him to stay.

He looked at me, his eyes boring into mine, and then he shook his head.  “Alright,” he said and turned toward the kitchen.  “Are you hungry?”

Surprisingly, as much as I’d eaten at Mamaw’s, I was ravenous.  “Actually, I’m starving.”

Tegan grinned.  It was only the second time I’d seen an expression like that on his face and I had to admit that the transformation was amazing.  He was darkly handsome anyway, but when he grinned like that, that sexy little half-smile, he was gorgeous.  My heart sped up as I followed him into the kitchen.  Anything that could make him smile like that, I was totally on board with.

Although not a gourmet meal, Tegan whipped us up some bacon and eggs and toast and hash browns.  He brewed some coffee, which smelled like heaven.  He fixed us plates, which we took, bypassing the kitchen table, into the living area and sat on the couch to eat.  I waited until we were nearly finished before I asked again about The Pyramid.   He pushed his plate aside, wiped his mouth and told me the “short version” of the story that began centuries ago. 

According to Tegan, the group called The Pyramid took its name and some of its function from the “ancients”.  The ancients were cursed souls from Egypt, Rome and Mesoamerica who uncovered many secrets about “the curse” and constructed the first actual pyramid. 

It was an Egyptian ancient who first discovered that upon being cursed, the human soul splits into two beings.  They called the darker half a ka, although world history has given it different names and definitions over time.  The Germans call it a doppelganger.  

The ancients also discovered that it was possible for the cursed to obtain redemption.  The cursed who seek redemption, the “good halves”, find their way to The Pyramid, as they always have, for answers on how to be liberated from demonic constraint. 

The ancients detailed all their findings and knowledge in a text that was handed down from generation to generation for hundreds of years.  Eventually, no longer able to hide their rebellious ways, the ancients were discovered and Satan commissioned an army to find the book for him.  As a result, the ancients were forced to separate the text into small portions and go into hiding, spreading their numbers across the globe in an effort to protect the book.  

Over time, many chapters were lost, but only one had ever fallen in the hands of the devil, a portion which he translated himself, called the Codex Gigas, or the Devil’s Bible.  The translation has since remained in the underworld, strictly guarded.  Its contents of exorcism rites, demonic servitude incantations, satanic release rituals, and prophetic writings would be very valuable to enemies of the darkness.

The most dangerous, the most
valuable
chapters are those pertaining to redemption.  They explain how a soul can be freed as well as how to contain the ka.  Those chapters remain hidden, strewn across the globe, hidden from those who seek to destroy them.  Collectively, they are called The Pyramid Texts. 

The first pyramid was constructed as a means by which to accomplish both.  It was designed to store preserved bodies.  Unlike demon spirits who can only possess a living and willing human vessel, a ka is tied to a physical body.  If the body is destroyed, the entire soul, the bad half as well as the good, is sent to hell.  It can never to return to earth again, but remains trapped in satanic servitude for all eternity.  As an alternative to complete destruction of the body, the ancients developed a process called mummification, which preserved the physical body trapping the ka within it. 

Ka, some having avoided capture and some having escaped it, continue to roam the earth, existing only in darkness, feeding their black souls a steady diet of death and destruction.  It searches always for its “good” counterpart, seeking to corrupt it.  If successful, the two halves would merge, becoming one incredibly powerful demonic force.  From long distances, a ka’s pillaging and plundering can be felt by his good counterpart, always tempting him to give in to his darkest desires.