Hammer of the Gods

Chapter 6

A SUMMER'S FRIGHT

Chapter 3

Beware the howls at full moon,

The werewolf's near and coming soon

The wolf takes over, full of rage,

None are safe until its day

Run! Flee! Escape! Hide!

Or silver bullet in its side

If once bit, pray to die,

For next full moon, wolf's inside

The gray tombstones stared at Angelica silently as she wept. They would not offer her sympathy or condolences as they surrounded her in their stony vigil.

Today, kneeling in front of her parent's graves, the young woman cried. She clasped her hands tightly together in front of her as she wept out loud. “You said you would always be there for me Dad! I need you. I miss you both so much. How could there be a God who would let you be murdered like this? Can you hear me God? If you are there, I hate you!" Angelica shouted at the sky before bowing her head in her hands.

Black clouds shadowed the sunlight as it began to rain like tears from heaven.

She snapped a picture of her parent’s graves with her cellphone before climbing back into her old, silver, VW Rabbit.

As she drove across the Pensacola bay bridge she wiped away a tear as she glanced at the water. The sun was riding low on the horizon. Radiant beams crossed the salty sea as dolphins danced and sailboats raced, embracing the gentle breeze.

She made her way westward towards the old bunkers on Santa Rosa Island. Battery Langdon is where she had planned to meet her friends. It is a giant hill with two square openings on either side. The old fort is covered by a large sand dune. The sugar white sand is surmounted by scraggly, wind-swept bushes, giving it the appearance of the head of some monster rising from the beach with its eyes peering out to sea.

Juliet and her brother, Hayes, were already sitting on the tailgate of his truck when she pulled up and parked.

Juliet was dark complected with short cropped black hair. She had a rounded face with a small chin, thin lips and tea colored eyes.

“Hey Emoji, how have you been?”

“I’m great White Out, and you?”

They laughed and hugged tightly.

“Hi Hayes, where’s your surfboard?” Angelica asked her old boyfriend.

“I came straight from work at Pizza Hut, but I could take you tomorrow if you like? It’s looking to be some great waves this weekend.”

“I’m down for that.”

Hayes was your typical surfer boy. He was tan and muscular. He had shoulder length locks that were bleached by the sun’s kisses. He winked at Angelica with one of those big brown eyes and smiled. His perfect teeth were a welcome distraction. He was a bit conceited, but he was nice enough once you got to know him. Although they had dated other people neither were in a serious relationship at the moment.

The sunset still glowed in hues of orange and pink on the western sky. The full moon was already up above the horizon. The cry of seagulls overhead pierced the rhythm of Poseidon’s call. Flying above the gulls was a large V of pelicans gliding silently to destinations unknown. The crash of the surf thundered from just beyond the sugar-white sand dunes to the south. Angelica closed her eyes and smiled as she took in a deep breath through her nose. A gentle breeze wafted a tang of sea salt in the air. Oh, how I have missed this since I moved to Atlanta.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Hayes staring up at the birds. She walked over and flirtatiously hip bumped him, causing him to fall against the truck.

"Hey, watch it, lady!" Hayes cried out with a grin on his face as he pushed himself back upright. He grabbed Angelica around the waist. She got up close staring into his eyes, but when he leaned towards her she playfully bit his bottom lip and then pushed herself away before he could kiss her.

Hayes watched the swing of her hips and the bounce of her blonde ponytail as she jogged towards where Juliet stood, near the entrance of Battery Langdon. He let out a groan, thinking how close he had just been to kissing her. He jogged to catch up to the girls, his feet making squeaking sounds as he ran through the soft, grainy white sand.

Angelica had just turned twenty-two. Boys had always found her attractive, with her long legs and full lips. Angelica usually wore a friendly smile despite her inner pain. She could easily turn her smile into a pout to get what she wanted. Her eyes flashed an emerald green in the sunlight as she looked back at Hayes with a smile. Her eyes were quite striking and unique having a yellow band inside the green with brown spots. Her skin was very pale.

She was quick to smile and to laugh. Angelica was her own party, according to her friends. She was fun and intelligent, and she was very talented at nearly anything that took her fancy.

Hayes had brought a flashlight and a lighter. The girls walked on either side of him as they passed through the large entrance on the left side of the bunker. He led the way as they took turns squeezing through the bars that blocked the central passageway. Being broader and thicker than the girls he was momentarily stuck trying to clear the bent section of the iron rods. He turned on the flashlight as the dim light from the entrance was quickly fading. As they started forward he held the only source of illumination. Juliet and Angelica clung to his muscular arms. He seemed to enjoy the contact from Angelica, and he was protective of his sister by nature so he did not protest. He moved the beam down the hall chasing away the black void which was quick to return as soon as its enemy was pointed elsewhere.

The shadows seemed to close in, hovering just on the edge of the light. They draped themselves like cloaks just behind the small group of friends, waiting for the opportunity to embrace them completely.

Angelica noticed the air was cooler here. The humming sound of a car passing outside grew louder then faded away.

"Look over here at this writing." Angelica pointed down the wall to the right. Her heart seemed to skip a beat and accelerated as she read the words out loud. "All ye who enter here will taste of death!" Just pranksters, she reassured herself.

The writing was a dark color, and the dry ink stretched down from where it had been written on the wall. It had the appearance of blood. Shivers ran down their backs despite believing that it was just a joke. Hayes led them right, down the second hallway which led past several rooms including one that was referred by locals as the ‘art room.’ In this room, people would paint pictures on the walls. There was a large painting of a woman using a spear, dressed like a Nordic Valkyrie from long ago. Next to it was a painting of Thor, the god of Thunder, with his mythical hammer Mjolnir. His blond hair hung to below his shoulders from beneath a winged helm. Lighting shot down from painted, dark, clouds which wrapped around the hammer that was held aloft by one muscular arm. The artist was talented, and the eyes that peered at them seemed to almost follow them through the room as they continued on.

They took a wrong turn on the way back and ended up at a doorway that was blocked with bars. Doubling back, they retraced their steps through the art-filled room once more. Finally, they found the main passageway again. Hayes had led them down another corridor to the right, when suddenly the light went out, casting them into inky darkness. Hayes shook the flashlight but could not get it to come back on.

Angelica punched Hayes in the arm. "Cut it out and turn the light back on!"

He retorted, "I can't. It won't work."

Hayes gave up on the flashlight and stuck it in his belt loop. He pulled out his lighter and held it overhead releasing only a dim glow of orange light which struggled to cast away the shadows and gloom.

As weak as the dancing flicker was, someone could be only a few feet away and they would never know.

Suddenly, Hayes cried out in pain, the shadows closing in swiftly once more. Only the faint memory of the light danced before their eyes before fading to nothingness. The girl's screamed until the light came on once more.

"I burnt my thumb is all." He said as he grinned at their frightened faces.

Angelica’s fingernails dug into Hayes’ arm as a woman cried out in terror from the east side of the bunker. The sound raced around them as it echoed throughout the lonely hallways giving them the impression of multiple people screaming in fear all at once.

Heavy footfalls reverberated through the concrete floors as bodies passed them in the dark, running for the exit, but they could not see them from where they stood. The frightened couples did not stop or return, and there was no joking like one would expect if this were merely a prank.

Angelica and her friends carefully retraced their steps to the main hall before turning in the direction from where the screaming had started. Hayes's foot got caught on something and he stumbled.

"What the…." Hayes said.

Looking down they saw a dead cat. Blood ran across the floor. A large section of its abdomen was missing, like something had taken a huge bite out of it going right through the ribcage.

On the wall near the dead cat were five red streaks as if the fingers of a huge, bloodied hand had been wiped across the smooth surface. Deep scrapes in the concrete followed the streaks of blood.

The girls cried out disgustedly.

Angelica's hair stood up on the back of her neck, as a feeling of dread and fear came over her. She felt it was a warning of a real danger. "Let's get out of here!"

There was no arguing as they turned around, but before they could start towards the exit, they heard deep, thunderous, booming echoes moving towards them. The sound of the footfalls sped up as the unknown specter closed in.

As they ran, the lighter went out once more, plunging them into the dark abyss. The shadows rejoiced as their nemesis was extinguished and they rushed to surround the small company of outsiders who had invaded their keep. The darkness and fear encroached upon their minds. Angelica, Juliet and Hayes raced forward in a straight line, blind to their surroundings as the sounds of pursuit closed in behind them.

I can't believe this is really happening! This is just like my nightmares! I hope what is chasing us is not the same as what I dreamed! The thoughts screamed in Angelica’s mind.

They sprinted the remaining distance as fast as they could. All of them were in good shape, but whatever was behind was catching up. In the distance ahead, they could make out the gates as the pale moonlight shone through the thick iron bars.

Suddenly, Juliet cried out as she tripped and fell. Hayes and Angelica turned back to help her. They frantically called for her as they swept their hands blindly from side to side before finally catching her uplifted arms. They desperately pulled Juliet to her feet and sprinted off once again. Whatever was behind them was getting close now. As they continued forward, pale moonlight barely silhouetted the gate ahead revealing their only exit.

Angelica practically dove through the bent bars and slammed into the far wall, hitting her head. Lights danced before her eyes as her brain throbbed from the pain as she gasped.

Hayes had stopped only long enough to help his sister through, anxiously looking back over his shoulder as the thunderous footfalls of the purser closed in, "THUD! THUD! THUD!" Deep breaths could be heard amongst the footfalls like the bellows from a blacksmith's shop sucking air in and out. With each exhale they could hear a deep growl.

Once Juliet had made it safely through, Hayes held onto the bars as he put his right leg between them. He struggled to squeeze his torso through the narrow opening but found himself stuck. He realized his flashlight was caught. He struggled to break free. Juliet and Angelica were screaming now as they grabbed his right arm and pulled!

Hayes took one quick glance behind him, a huge shadow loomed, barely visible in the dim light of the passageway. Hayes quickly grabbed the flashlight and flung it across the floor with a clatter of metal on concrete. Finally, his body broke free of the bars and the three of them landed on top of one another in a pile against the far wall.

Mere seconds later, a large, hairy figure slammed into the gate. Clawed hands grasped the bars and shook them violently back and forth. Heavy breaths and deep growls emanated from its large-fanged mouth. Blood rand down its hairy jaw and dripped upon the floor. The heat of its breath and the smell of rot hit them in a sickening wave. Its massive shoulders heaved, and its muscles rippled beneath the hair as it pushed violently towards them. The metal of the bars screeched in protest and bent outward as far as the thick chains would allow. Bits of concrete around the hinges fell to the floor as the iron bolts threatened to relinquish themselves from the stones’ embrace.

But the gates held. The creature slowly stood to its full height, easily seven feet tall. Red eyes opened wide as it sneered. The crimson orbs revealed only madness and rage. Thick saliva dripped from its tongue. Without warning, a large claw shot out from the bars and stopped only inches from Angelica's face, clenching and unclenching. The creature struggled against the chained gate, its clawed feet leaving gouges in the hard concrete as its hideous mouth released a deafening roar.

All three screamed as they ran towards the parking lot. A terrifying howl echoed from the bunker behind them. They sped back towards Gulf Breeze with the light of the full moon at their backs.