The Beginning of the End

The Beginning of the End 19

Patrick was perched in a treetop watching as the deputies stood around the park unsure what to do, a small flock of ravens gathered around the rotting piles and were feasting on the dead. He smiled to himself then jumped down out of the tree, he began to slowly make his way deeper into the forest cautious of any new or uncommon noises. The Draugr were a very good opening move for the dark one, but he will not prevail he can’t prevail. Patrick walked through the woods, ravens setting silently watching and waiting. Soon he came upon what he was looking for, large deep tracks pressed deep into the hard dry soil. Only a massive and heavy creature would be able to disturb the ground like this. ‘Trolls,’ he thought as he knelt to examine one of the deep tracks, he stood and looked in the direction of the school remembering the scene in the science lab. He looked back down at the tracks and began to follow them into the deep woods. If the dark one was using trolls, he would have to ask the All-Father for assistance sooner than he had planned. Both he and the dark one have had centuries to plan for this battle, but it seams the dark one seamed to be more interested in a quick battle, ‘So be it,’ Patrick thought as he vanished into a thin sun beam.

Patrick stood before the alter he had constructed in his bedroom, he placed his sword on the velvet cloth and watched as it glowed brighter and hovered higher, ‘The time is near,’ he thought as he looked from the sword to the wooded mountain side, ‘and I will choose the battle ground, not the dark one.’ He turned and left the room, it was time for him to enter the garden and summon assistance from the creatures of the light, as well as, with the All-Father’s blessing, the assistance of Oden himself.

As Patrick walked through his garden, he began to recite the names of his ancestors, the flowers of the garden seam to turn, following him as he walked and recited the names. When he reached the ancient oak, he knelt and continued to recite the names, his mind clearing and a vision of the battle ground becoming clearer in his mind. He knelt, laying his bow on the ground, he looked up to the heavens where Oden was looking down on all below him. As Patrick recited the last name all was silent in his garden, the colors were brighter, the plants seamed stronger, this was a good omen. The spirits of his ancestors had heard him and were gathering to assist him in this, his time of need. He looked to the oak and there on the lower branches was a quiver of red and green arrows. He stood and reached for it, his hand pausing for only a second before grasping them. He felt the warmth that radiated from them and knew that it was time. He turned, and looking to the sky again, saw three Valkyrie ridding across the sky headed to the tallest mountain to wait until they will be needed. Patrick walked into his house to begin the final preparations, his allies having been summoned, two ravens larger than the rest that were perched in the trees took flight, one headed to the mountains, the other straight up vanishing into some low clouds.

Detective Aspin now sat in her car across the street from Mr., Katz home, she still knew he had something to do with what was going on, but still had no [proof so her hands were tied at the moment. “f**k it,” she said to no one as she opened the door and got out of the car, “I’m just going to walk in and see what the hell is going on.” She climbed the stairs of the porch and turned the doorknob. It silently swung open allowing her access to the foyer this was the first time she had seen the inside of the house, it looked like a damn museum. There were statues and paintings of mythical creatures lining the hallway, she assumed this was not out of place, he was the high school English teacher after all. What struck her as strange was how clearly, she could see in what should have been a dark hallway. There were no light fixtures or lamps in the hall, but it was bright, almost as if light was coming from the artwork. She placed a hand on her side arm and without announcing her presence, slowly entered the house.

She had an unnerving feeling that she was being watched as she made her way down the hall, her ears listening for any sound, her eyes looking for any movement. The feeling of being watched did not upset or disturb her, honestly and curiously it put her at ease, the nervous feeling seamed to melt away as she crossed through the door. She looked behind her and noticed that the door had closed on its own. She continued to make her way down the hall, hand still on her side arm. She reached a doorway and glanced in, it was the kitchen, she knew that he was a bachelor and lived alone, but the house was, looked, well in a word it looked staged, like a realtor would do to make a house feel more like a home to prospective buyers. She turned and looked up the stairs, sun beams were coming through unseen windows, the fact that there was no dust dancing in them had gone unnoticed by her. Slowly she walked up the stairs still looking and listening, the feeling of being watched by some unknown person still heavy in the back of her mind, when she reached the top she noticed the décor was the same as it was on the first floor.

There were four doors on this level she noticed, one at either end of the hall and two in the center, she walked to the first one and placed her free hand on it, it was warm to the touch. She slowly opened it and was surprised to see it was a nursery, ‘Maybe he was looking to settle down and start a family,’ she thought, but it looked staged as well. She checked the next two doors, both warm to the touch, one being a bathroom, the other a bedroom. When she reached the final door, she placed a hand on it as she had done the others, it was warmer than the others, but different somehow. She reached for the knob, but the door began to slowly swing open on its own, she watched confused and amazed as the scene inside filled her vision, she slowly walked in forgetting to look from left to right, her gaze was focused, pulled to the odd shrine setting against the far wall. She c****d her head to one side as she entered, not sure of what she was looking at. The door gently closed behind her then a voice brought her back to her senses, “Hello, Detective, I have been expecting you.”