本帖最后由 sammy 于 2012-7-23 13:45 编辑
The Rite Path
by Michael Gallowglas
Phoebe Kotas stepped out of the speakeasy, fur coat slung over her shoulder and reveling in the fresh air coming off the Aegean Sea. As embarrassing as the form-fitting flapper dress was, it had served its purpose. She'd gotten good information tonight, information that would lead to stopping the Ritual of Bellephar.
A noise from across the street drew her attention, a sound something between a grunt and a cough followed by a tack, tack, tack - wood tapping on stone. Phoebe slid her revolver out of the hidden holster in the massive coat. She let the coat drop to the street as she aimed her gun at the dark figure - a person, perhaps? - partially hidden in the shadows. Was it beckoning to her? If so, could she afford to go? Could she afford not to? She had to get the information she'd discovered to Alexander; however, sometimes risks revealed great rewards.
Unable to resist, Phoebe crossed the street. As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw the figure was a hunched over old woman, a tiny thing, leaning on a cane nearly as gnarled as the old woman herself. As Phoebe approached, the old woman beckoned once more and headed further into the shadows. In her path, a trail of darkness slithered and writhed on the ground. Phoebe swallowed. She should turn back. Instead, she continued on.
The Path of darkness led down side streets and alleys. Phoebe followed, never quite able to catch up to the old woman.
The trail came to a building. What had once been twin statues guarded the great open archway to the building. One of the statues was still intact - a great, two-headed dog. The other was a pile of rubble, though one of the heads was still whole. It lay on the ground at a lopsided angle. Its stone eyes glared at Phoebe as if asking, "Why couldn't you have gotten here sooner to save me?" Between the two statues, the last vestiges of a purple haze faded from sight.
"No," Phoebe whispered as she rushed forward. She stepped on a single dried and shriveled rose petal as she rushed into the building. Her skin prickled as she passed through the last of the purple energy. "No. No. No."
She rushed into a large courtyard. Her scream caught in her throat.
A dark pool of some other-world energy pulsed on the floor, surrounded by disemboweled bodies. An alien creature crawled out of the undulating pool. One of its bulbous heads held more eyes than any creature could ever need, and the other had a long, scaled snout with a tongue that tasted the air. Those were all the details Phoebe could discern before the creature turned its attention to her.
"No." she said as it took a step toward her.
The old woman's cackles echoed in the courtyard as a deep rumble emitted from the thing's chest, a sound that held Phoebe in place.
"No. No. No." But her protests were in vain.
