The forsaken clock

The clock struck midnight and the ancient brass began its sorrowful song. On the ground lay a goat, a priest and a pregnant virgin. Blood leaked from their throats and mingled around the base of the old grandfather clock in the center of the charcoal drawn circle. The twelve ‘Forsaken,’ as they had named themselves, were positioned arm’s length apart surrounding the scene. They looked on, rapt, as the clock began to chime.

One, Two, Three. The bodies on the floor were still, pale. Devoid of blood.

Four, Five, Six. “This is it,” Dr. Antoine Cheval, the Forsaken's leader, said. “Let us begin.”

Seven, Eight, Nine. The group began to chant, calling for the All Father to grant them power. Pledging him their souls, promising to serve him as his Lords on Earth.

Ten, Eleven, Twelve. The grandfather clock began absorbing the blood pooled at its base.

The room was electric with anticipation. All eyes were on the sinister centerpiece. Looking for a sign that their plan had worked, that their sacrifices had been accepted. Doubt shown in several sets of eyes.

GONG… the clock chimed a thirteenth time. This was different than all the others. Longer and deeper. A rumbling that seemed to shake the Earth itself.

The room darkened. A slow, creeping sense of dread manifested itself in the participants.
“Rejoice!” Antoine said, oblivious to the mood in the room. All eyes instantly snapped to his. “Our hard work is at an end. Our time has come. The world is ours my lords!”

Those assembled looked away, some at the ground, some at the door…no one looked toward the clock.

“What the hell is wrong with you all?” Antoine demanded. “We’ve finally done it.”

“Done what though Antoine?” asked Lacey, Antoine’s youngest girlfriend. “What did we just do?”

“What we set out to do.” Antoine said. “We have been given dominion over Earth. To rule in His name.” His gaze was intense, his pupils dilated.

“But what does that mean? How do we take control of the whole Earth? I don’t feel powerful or even different, just scared.”

There was a grumbling of assent among the others who were now talking in small groups.

“The bell tolled a thirteenth time. You all heard it. I know you felt its power. That was his sign to us that our wish had been granted. Watch,” Antoine said. He started pointing at things around the room and throwing them with the flick of a finger, he levitated several feet in the air. Electricity flowed through his veins and jumped from his body to all the metal objects in the room. He channeled the flow and shot a bolt at the wooden door. It burst into flame. Everyone in the room was staring at him with tight lips and furrowed brows.

“What’s wrong?” Antione asked as he formed a tornado of fire on the palm of his hand “You guys can’t do this?”

“Antoine, you’re not doing anything…”

The second he heard that the illusion dissolved. He felt as if he had just woken up from a decade long bad dream into a nightmare. He was standing right where he had been and the room was fine, except for the three corpses on the floor. Four, there are four corpses there. The sense of fear and foreboding the others had been feeling crept into his guts and nestled there like a coiled serpent.

Lacey, her pupils dilated, laughed derisively. “That’s right Antoine, four, you killed your own son.”

“Shut up Lacey!” Antione said frantically.

“I have to commend you on your ingenuity, impregnating the girl while keeping her pure was the hardest part of your task but you performed flawlessly.”

Antoine stared at Lacey in horror. She radiated malice. Her voice had taken on the quality of a deranged court jester.

“Well perhaps not flawlessly. There was plenty of oral and anal exploration taking place wasn’t there? Some might claim you had taken her virginity. Not me. Men like us…men of the world, we know better don’t we Antione?”

Antoine was backpedaling, trying to get away.

“Oh be still Antoine.” The creature said. As soon as the words were out Antoine was stuck where he stood. He couldn’t move, couldn’t even close his eyes. The creature wanted him to see what was about to happen.

The creature in Lacey’s body looked about the room with disapproval.

“Not a one of you will do.” It said. “These three though, they show promise. Rise my friends”

The corpses rose as if they had been sleeping, yawning cuts in their throats like a second mouth. They were all three smiling, even the goat.

“Take them!” The creature hissed.

The girl picked up the knife that was her own murder weapon. The priest used his big hands with an iron grip, immune to the blows that came from his victims. The goat savaged the soft innards of anyone he could, alive or dead.

When it was finished the creature walked up to Antoine with a grin. “It took a lot of work to drive you to this night. A lot of well-placed whispers and subtle nudges.”

Antoine could feel the creature digging around in his brain, pushing on things, heightening his fear.

“You did me a favor here tonight Antoine I can’t deny it. Unfortunately you are a small minded bore. Just look at what you did when you thought you had a little power. I have no time for games. I do however have need of a good looking body to walk this Earth permanently and you so generously donated your seed to me and for that…” the creature took a bow “I thank you.”

The body of Lacey burst apart revealing a swirling man shaped shadow of red and black. The shadow filled Antoine’s vision, invading his head, his pores, every cell of his body. As his mind was taken over he had time for one last thought. Please god…please…save me.