The Children of the Beast
The Children of Beast
Leeds was bustling with people. It was 6am. I had spent the night weeping on a platform bench like some hobo… well I kind of was no where to live, no where to go, no-one to be with. Except there was that girl who saved me I wondered about her and about the priest and those he killed.
However about 4am the thought had hit me. Abi's clever or coincidental planning had brought me here. So the best thing to do was to see her. I began to make my way to Leeds College.
I was heading in vague direction towards it thanks to signs and several peoples directions (although they weren't all the same). I was in the centre of town after about ten minutes of swift walking. I could smell restaurants and greasy spoons opening for breakfast. I would have got some but I didn’t have a lot of money and the cheap spoons or café the food was not worth touching with a bench pole.
When I arrived at the college I gave my acceptance form to have the interview to go to the college and ask were was Abi Hurtcome lodged. I found out after several different approaches and explaining I was her step cousin not some random perv. Where she lived which was in a flat block 5 minutes away and made my way there.
I buzzed and was let up without having to say anything. The stairs were very steep in the block, however I eventually got to her flat on the top floor. As I did the door became ajar, there was no light behind so I grasped the handle, which to my surprise was scorching hot and swung it open.
A cold breeze hit me in the face (and I am not kidding). I flew back wards and hit the wall behind… well I should of, instead my hands and feet braced me landing and in reflex I sprang forward from the wall into the apartment landing on all fours inside a black room. I female voice sounded:
"Who dares to enter the home of a Hurtcome without asking?"
"The soon to be room mate of 'a' Hurtcome, a Boedhurst on the run."
"From who or whom?"
"A werewolf and a Hunter of… Michael?" I said gasping for breath; it was as if the air was thinner in the flat. "How are you Abi or who ever has taken her form?"
"Wondering why my cousin is here without telling me he was coming." Abi stepped into the light coming through the door I had just sprung through.
"Well-" I told her what had happened over the past three days. How my biter had nearly ripped me apart; was about to be shot in the head by the hunters of Michael before the children of the beast saved me. She looked as if she understood and could relate to it, she rubbed my shoulder smiled and laughed as if it was normal.
"Oh… right come in make yourself at… a home" she sympathetically sighed. "Your room in is the one on the right, sorry it wont be the cleanest the last guest I had was a slob, but what can you do."
"Clean it?" I joked
"Nah, I'm like my last guest… oh and sorry again but we have to go to a meeting at nightfall."
"A meeting? What meeting or a meeting of what?"
"You'll see." She went into her room shutting her door and the front door behind her.
Later the day at about 8.30pm just before sunset I thought. I couldn't be sure Abi's windows were blacked out and the rooms were dark, absorbing any light. I was woken up or I should say suffocated up by Abi thrusting upon me a big black over coat with Celtic patterns on it. She was dressed in a black cloak, Black corset like the girl that saved me whilst suffocating me she said two things:
"One put that on. Two follow me and do as I do."
I followed her at a very brisk pace for she would jump hole stair flights in one jump and land gracefully no average human could do such a thing then again she was no normal human. We avoided wide-open spaces for it was still a full moon. It was risky to go to that meeting if I saw the moon it would happen all again and I would kill the only complete thing that is keeping me going Abi. However Abi said it was important to me.
We came to outside a mall not far from the centre of Leeds. Just next to it in a wide alleyway there was a tavern which filled up most of the alleyway. However it was no normal tavern it was very old it had a tutor design. That unfortunately was not the weirdest thing, the fact that as we approached the tavern people were walking through like that peeking cauldron or something from that Rowling book I suppose it was for something else hopefully not the hunters of Michael.
The tavern was dark and dimly lit Abi at down at a table near a stage. I went to sit down next to her, but Abi shook her head and pointed to a table in the corner with a bunch of ruffled up men and women. I decided to as I was told and sat down.
I found out that these ruffled up men and women were like me and had no where to live or to go, but they had come for the warmth and the shelter. I also found out that they were more like me after one showed me what I thought was his chest but when I looked closer it was a bite mark not like mine at all but a animal bite none the less.
Five minutes later, a boy stood up, he cant have been much younger than me about 15 as soon as he did everyone was quiet
"All rise!" everyone stood up so I followed. "Announcing Lady Danyelle Charlieton, vampire head of the Children of the Beast with her reunite." The curtain rouse and from behind it a group of women came out from behind. The women leading the group was about 5 foot 9 inches, black mid length (to shoulders) layered black hair. Dressed in a black corset with black silk full-length skirt. It was the vampiress who saved me. She stood at the front of the stage and called.
"I declare this meeting of the children of the beast to order." "Please may all new comers go to the tiring house to dress for initiation."
At that point there everyone on my table got up and went to a door on the left side of the stage. I followed, it reminded me of when all the kids go out to Sunday school, and the last one trailed behind, it was always I.
The tiring house was dark and full of dark clothes, materials and drapes. One by one the tiring man was giving all the 'newcomers' a black cloak covered with Celtic designs. Everyone was really nervous in fact-
"Wh…wha…What the hell?"
"Oh sorry! I cuddle people when I'm nervous." "I'm Danni by the way." The girl 'Danni' had unusually curly hair, but she had a sweet face, must have been about my age (17).
"I…am…Tristan. Ni…nice to meet you."
I felt so dumb, I tried to keep conversation. "What… erm… Race thing are you?" I was kicking myself, but thankfully she laughed and giggled:
"Race thing? I know what you mean, I'm a vampire, what are you?"
"A…werewolf. A orphaned runaway werewolf."
As soon as I said the last word in that sentence, I heard what happened that night the…'incident', the screaming, the roaring…the laughter. I fell to the floor shivering and mumbling it was like shell shock. It had never happened before, I hoped it would never happen again no matter how brief it was.
"Tristan? Tristan… TRISTAN!"
"Huh?" It was over.
"Are you alright? What happened?"
"I don't know. Did you hear any screaming, roaring or laughter?"
"No, anyway get the cloak on, and stand up!" I did as I was told.
We all stood in a line from one side of the stage to the other. We had to stand and listen too the speech from Danyelle and her brother then there would be the anthem afterwards we would appear from behind the curtain. Until then we had to sit and wait like good little children.
"First news." Danyelle's voice declared. "Last night the Hunters of Michael, took their main train the 'iron seraphim' onto the south west train from Cornwall to London line and intercepted and took out the south west train line just before it reached Gillingham." "They sorted the passengers into two classes not the ones on the ticket. No humans first class… our kind second class. Just before they arrived at station where there was a change in the line, the hunters began to exterminated second class… our kind. Only two escaped, Me and a boy standing behind this curtain." What Danyelle had just said made everyone angry from what I could hear anyway.
"Quiet!" yelled Danyelle's brother "That’s enough news for one week, now for the anthem of the Children of the Beast. All rise!" The anthem was the poem that made the priest freak at the station. However instead of a sinister tone, this time it had a rather honourable tone.
"A drum, a drum,
The dead shall come,
When shall we all meet again?
In thunder, lightning or in pain,
When Heavens wrath is done,
When the battles lost or won,
A drum, A drum, the dead shall come"
They repeated it three more times each time getting louder and by the third time they were howling and shrieking to it. A most painful experience.
"You may be seated." Ordered Danyelle "Now send forward the newcomers!" everyone cheered as we walked forward from behind the curtain.
"Ah fresh blood" muttered Danyelle's brother; he soon received a very sharp look from Danyelle.
"State your name, where you are form, and what genus you are." She ordered.
"My name is Tristan Boedhurst, from Shaftesbury, age 16 and nine months, Werewolf." I shouted as if I was standing in front of a Sargent major.
"Right… Ah yes Tristan have you recovered have you recovered?"
"Y-y-yes. Thank-you by the way if not for you I would be-"
"Save the thank-you's for later along with the questions. Right now you have initiation to get through." She moved on down the line.
It turned out that initiation is more than an oath and signing a piece of paper. There was a test to see if you were good enough to join. It would test everything, our minds, our matter and our lives.
"Now I have found out your names where you're from. I now know you; I can start to trust you, but first you must say our anthem and the and only then you must enter: 'The Eigejia!' " Once she had said this there was an uproar of cheering and shouting. Clearly this was something to enjoy, but in the Roman Coliseum sense. So I guessed it would not be fun for me. "Now all of you put your hand on your bites." I guessed this was like putting your hands on your hearts for swearing oaths. "Now close your eyes and focus on the beast inside. Concentrate…Concentrate!" I suppose we all saw what we looked in our morphed state, for that’s what I saw. A human Torso, but elongated arms and legs not covered in fur, but the hair was longer than mine to make a translucent coat. The face was the worst to look at. It was my face, it had my eyes my fore head my wiry untameable mouse brown hair, but below that, my nose, my mouth, my chin. Had become one long wolf snout with long canines. It was not the snout that freaked me; no it was the fact he was… smiling at me…straight at me, grinning an evil grin. "Now all of you repeat after me:"
"A drum, a drum,"
"The dead shall come," The beast grin increased
"When shall we all meet again?" he howled
"In thunder, lightning or in pain," he began to pant with excitement
"When Heavens wrath is done," He charged at me. I hoped my body was not reacting to this because if so, I would be having a nervous break down.
"When the battles lost or won," I heard someone scream and hit the floor. I was suddenly worried about Danni, but the beast used this to get closer. I realised the problem. I was not listening to the words and saying them to him. I did and he began to reverse as I said:
"When the battles lost or won!"
"Now open" I did and what we saw was not the tavern, but several tunnels they looked like the catacombs of Paris.
"So this is 'The Eigejia' " one of the others said, "It's not just a tunnel system is it?"
"No, it is more than that. 'The Eigejia' was once a underground city which you navigated by a tunnel system, one of the many entrances before you."
"So how come it is now deserted?" asked Danni
"Our kind decided many a century ago, that instead of coming up once a day for a bite living in the dry world would save to time and energy; not so many of us would get caught and killed."
"So you moved for fast food?" Joked the man who made the comment earlier, he soon received a full teethed sharp look from Danyelle.
"NO! Not just that there was a war on, we had taken heavy casualties and had to adapt. You are result of that adaptation."
"What our bites?" I asked
"Yes. Now enough of that, what you must do is: Navigate your way through the tunnels to the city gate, pick up an artefact and return to the exact entrance you went in, remember it is not a race. Good luck." She was gone.
However about 4am the thought had hit me. Abi's clever or coincidental planning had brought me here. So the best thing to do was to see her. I began to make my way to Leeds College.
I was heading in vague direction towards it thanks to signs and several peoples directions (although they weren't all the same). I was in the centre of town after about ten minutes of swift walking. I could smell restaurants and greasy spoons opening for breakfast. I would have got some but I didn’t have a lot of money and the cheap spoons or café the food was not worth touching with a bench pole.
When I arrived at the college I gave my acceptance form to have the interview to go to the college and ask were was Abi Hurtcome lodged. I found out after several different approaches and explaining I was her step cousin not some random perv. Where she lived which was in a flat block 5 minutes away and made my way there.
I buzzed and was let up without having to say anything. The stairs were very steep in the block, however I eventually got to her flat on the top floor. As I did the door became ajar, there was no light behind so I grasped the handle, which to my surprise was scorching hot and swung it open.
A cold breeze hit me in the face (and I am not kidding). I flew back wards and hit the wall behind… well I should of, instead my hands and feet braced me landing and in reflex I sprang forward from the wall into the apartment landing on all fours inside a black room. I female voice sounded:
"Who dares to enter the home of a Hurtcome without asking?"
"The soon to be room mate of 'a' Hurtcome, a Boedhurst on the run."
"From who or whom?"
"A werewolf and a Hunter of… Michael?" I said gasping for breath; it was as if the air was thinner in the flat. "How are you Abi or who ever has taken her form?"
"Wondering why my cousin is here without telling me he was coming." Abi stepped into the light coming through the door I had just sprung through.
"Well-" I told her what had happened over the past three days. How my biter had nearly ripped me apart; was about to be shot in the head by the hunters of Michael before the children of the beast saved me. She looked as if she understood and could relate to it, she rubbed my shoulder smiled and laughed as if it was normal.
"Oh… right come in make yourself at… a home" she sympathetically sighed. "Your room in is the one on the right, sorry it wont be the cleanest the last guest I had was a slob, but what can you do."
"Clean it?" I joked
"Nah, I'm like my last guest… oh and sorry again but we have to go to a meeting at nightfall."
"A meeting? What meeting or a meeting of what?"
"You'll see." She went into her room shutting her door and the front door behind her.
Later the day at about 8.30pm just before sunset I thought. I couldn't be sure Abi's windows were blacked out and the rooms were dark, absorbing any light. I was woken up or I should say suffocated up by Abi thrusting upon me a big black over coat with Celtic patterns on it. She was dressed in a black cloak, Black corset like the girl that saved me whilst suffocating me she said two things:
"One put that on. Two follow me and do as I do."
I followed her at a very brisk pace for she would jump hole stair flights in one jump and land gracefully no average human could do such a thing then again she was no normal human. We avoided wide-open spaces for it was still a full moon. It was risky to go to that meeting if I saw the moon it would happen all again and I would kill the only complete thing that is keeping me going Abi. However Abi said it was important to me.
We came to outside a mall not far from the centre of Leeds. Just next to it in a wide alleyway there was a tavern which filled up most of the alleyway. However it was no normal tavern it was very old it had a tutor design. That unfortunately was not the weirdest thing, the fact that as we approached the tavern people were walking through like that peeking cauldron or something from that Rowling book I suppose it was for something else hopefully not the hunters of Michael.
The tavern was dark and dimly lit Abi at down at a table near a stage. I went to sit down next to her, but Abi shook her head and pointed to a table in the corner with a bunch of ruffled up men and women. I decided to as I was told and sat down.
I found out that these ruffled up men and women were like me and had no where to live or to go, but they had come for the warmth and the shelter. I also found out that they were more like me after one showed me what I thought was his chest but when I looked closer it was a bite mark not like mine at all but a animal bite none the less.
Five minutes later, a boy stood up, he cant have been much younger than me about 15 as soon as he did everyone was quiet
"All rise!" everyone stood up so I followed. "Announcing Lady Danyelle Charlieton, vampire head of the Children of the Beast with her reunite." The curtain rouse and from behind it a group of women came out from behind. The women leading the group was about 5 foot 9 inches, black mid length (to shoulders) layered black hair. Dressed in a black corset with black silk full-length skirt. It was the vampiress who saved me. She stood at the front of the stage and called.
"I declare this meeting of the children of the beast to order." "Please may all new comers go to the tiring house to dress for initiation."
At that point there everyone on my table got up and went to a door on the left side of the stage. I followed, it reminded me of when all the kids go out to Sunday school, and the last one trailed behind, it was always I.
The tiring house was dark and full of dark clothes, materials and drapes. One by one the tiring man was giving all the 'newcomers' a black cloak covered with Celtic designs. Everyone was really nervous in fact-
"Wh…wha…What the hell?"
"Oh sorry! I cuddle people when I'm nervous." "I'm Danni by the way." The girl 'Danni' had unusually curly hair, but she had a sweet face, must have been about my age (17).
"I…am…Tristan. Ni…nice to meet you."
I felt so dumb, I tried to keep conversation. "What… erm… Race thing are you?" I was kicking myself, but thankfully she laughed and giggled:
"Race thing? I know what you mean, I'm a vampire, what are you?"
"A…werewolf. A orphaned runaway werewolf."
As soon as I said the last word in that sentence, I heard what happened that night the…'incident', the screaming, the roaring…the laughter. I fell to the floor shivering and mumbling it was like shell shock. It had never happened before, I hoped it would never happen again no matter how brief it was.
"Tristan? Tristan… TRISTAN!"
"Huh?" It was over.
"Are you alright? What happened?"
"I don't know. Did you hear any screaming, roaring or laughter?"
"No, anyway get the cloak on, and stand up!" I did as I was told.
We all stood in a line from one side of the stage to the other. We had to stand and listen too the speech from Danyelle and her brother then there would be the anthem afterwards we would appear from behind the curtain. Until then we had to sit and wait like good little children.
"First news." Danyelle's voice declared. "Last night the Hunters of Michael, took their main train the 'iron seraphim' onto the south west train from Cornwall to London line and intercepted and took out the south west train line just before it reached Gillingham." "They sorted the passengers into two classes not the ones on the ticket. No humans first class… our kind second class. Just before they arrived at station where there was a change in the line, the hunters began to exterminated second class… our kind. Only two escaped, Me and a boy standing behind this curtain." What Danyelle had just said made everyone angry from what I could hear anyway.
"Quiet!" yelled Danyelle's brother "That’s enough news for one week, now for the anthem of the Children of the Beast. All rise!" The anthem was the poem that made the priest freak at the station. However instead of a sinister tone, this time it had a rather honourable tone.
"A drum, a drum,
The dead shall come,
When shall we all meet again?
In thunder, lightning or in pain,
When Heavens wrath is done,
When the battles lost or won,
A drum, A drum, the dead shall come"
They repeated it three more times each time getting louder and by the third time they were howling and shrieking to it. A most painful experience.
"You may be seated." Ordered Danyelle "Now send forward the newcomers!" everyone cheered as we walked forward from behind the curtain.
"Ah fresh blood" muttered Danyelle's brother; he soon received a very sharp look from Danyelle.
"State your name, where you are form, and what genus you are." She ordered.
"My name is Tristan Boedhurst, from Shaftesbury, age 16 and nine months, Werewolf." I shouted as if I was standing in front of a Sargent major.
"Right… Ah yes Tristan have you recovered have you recovered?"
"Y-y-yes. Thank-you by the way if not for you I would be-"
"Save the thank-you's for later along with the questions. Right now you have initiation to get through." She moved on down the line.
It turned out that initiation is more than an oath and signing a piece of paper. There was a test to see if you were good enough to join. It would test everything, our minds, our matter and our lives.
"Now I have found out your names where you're from. I now know you; I can start to trust you, but first you must say our anthem and the and only then you must enter: 'The Eigejia!' " Once she had said this there was an uproar of cheering and shouting. Clearly this was something to enjoy, but in the Roman Coliseum sense. So I guessed it would not be fun for me. "Now all of you put your hand on your bites." I guessed this was like putting your hands on your hearts for swearing oaths. "Now close your eyes and focus on the beast inside. Concentrate…Concentrate!" I suppose we all saw what we looked in our morphed state, for that’s what I saw. A human Torso, but elongated arms and legs not covered in fur, but the hair was longer than mine to make a translucent coat. The face was the worst to look at. It was my face, it had my eyes my fore head my wiry untameable mouse brown hair, but below that, my nose, my mouth, my chin. Had become one long wolf snout with long canines. It was not the snout that freaked me; no it was the fact he was… smiling at me…straight at me, grinning an evil grin. "Now all of you repeat after me:"
"A drum, a drum,"
"The dead shall come," The beast grin increased
"When shall we all meet again?" he howled
"In thunder, lightning or in pain," he began to pant with excitement
"When Heavens wrath is done," He charged at me. I hoped my body was not reacting to this because if so, I would be having a nervous break down.
"When the battles lost or won," I heard someone scream and hit the floor. I was suddenly worried about Danni, but the beast used this to get closer. I realised the problem. I was not listening to the words and saying them to him. I did and he began to reverse as I said:
"When the battles lost or won!"
"Now open" I did and what we saw was not the tavern, but several tunnels they looked like the catacombs of Paris.
"So this is 'The Eigejia' " one of the others said, "It's not just a tunnel system is it?"
"No, it is more than that. 'The Eigejia' was once a underground city which you navigated by a tunnel system, one of the many entrances before you."
"So how come it is now deserted?" asked Danni
"Our kind decided many a century ago, that instead of coming up once a day for a bite living in the dry world would save to time and energy; not so many of us would get caught and killed."
"So you moved for fast food?" Joked the man who made the comment earlier, he soon received a full teethed sharp look from Danyelle.
"NO! Not just that there was a war on, we had taken heavy casualties and had to adapt. You are result of that adaptation."
"What our bites?" I asked
"Yes. Now enough of that, what you must do is: Navigate your way through the tunnels to the city gate, pick up an artefact and return to the exact entrance you went in, remember it is not a race. Good luck." She was gone.