The Bright Road: Purgatory
Chapter Three
By: Roger Alderman
A large air vent cover on the side
of the hospital bursts opens and CLATTERS to the ground. Sarah and Jesse slowly emerge from the air
vent. Sarah lowers Jesse to the ground. He glances around in shock at the
post-apocalyptic landscape of world he has now become part of.
Sarah hops down from her perch unassisted, “uh
thanks.” Jesse shakes his head in confusion of their surroundings. “Purgatory
is made from the memories of the living and this area still haunts the livings
thoughts,” Sarah offers sorrowfully, as she takes in their surroundings.
“Most people who end up here
wandering lost and alone,” Sarah adds pointing to a gaunt and sickly looking
middle-aged woman in a tattered business suit. The woman walks arms folded and
looking downward, as she shakes her head with steaming tears expressing her
inner sadness.
“But alone here means,” Sarah
pulls Jesse down behind some rubble and motions for him to remain silent. Jesse
follows, but his confusion hangs clear in his expression. She gestures at a
pack of twisted shadow like people. His attention fixates on them.
“The hungry dead will find and
consume you,” Sarah looks away, as the hungry dead pounce upon the middle-aged
woman. The woman screams, “Help Me!” Jesse begins to rise, but Sarah grabs his
wrist and pulls him back down. Jesse looks to his wrist then to Sarah, “why?”
Sarah exhales loudly, “We’re not strong enough to fight off a single phantom
let alone a whole pack.” “Phantoms?” Jesse questions. “That’s what we call the
hungry dead… Phantoms,” Sarah replies.
The children watch, as the woman
is ripped limb from limb and consumed by the phantoms. Jesse quickly becomes
overwhelmed by the struggle ad looks away. He notices Sarah watching the
assault with a barely concealed smile, as she takes glee in what they are
witnessing.
Jesse throws his hands up and
blurts out, “What’s wrong with you?” “Me!” Sarah answers aggressively, “You’re
the one acting like…” “Like what …a child?” Jesse shakes his head in disbelief,
“We just watched that lady get torn apart by those…” “Phantoms, they’re called
Phantoms!” Sarah interrupts. They turn
away from each other and attempt to recover their composure.
Jesse breathes deeply and scans the
horizon. He turns to look at Sarah, as he chooses his words to bring calm to
the situation, “Sarah, I…” He pauses, as she turns to face him. Just beyond
Sarah, Jesse takes sight of and approaching mob of angry looking spirits moving
with determination towards them.
Sarah turns to see what has taken
Jesse’s words away. “Shit!” Sarah porcelain doll like face fills with rage, as
she lowers her head. Jesse steps backward, but gets pulled behind Sarah by his
wrist.
The elderly man stands ready to
fight, as the winds pull at his worn hospital gown. “Told you to leave my
family alone, Sarah” Daniel announces, “Your issues are with ME, not them!”
Daniel stands defiant before the pair. Daniel motions for the mob to encircle
the children.
“Sarah,” Jesse whispers, “what do
they want?” Sarah shakes her head in disbelief of Jesse’s naivety. “I’ll never
let them take you from me,” she states with passionate confidence. Sarah snarls
at Daniel, as her body shakes and twitches violently. Sarah’s body jerks
violently side to side, as green light burst through cracks that race across
her porcelain doll like body.
Jesse rips free from her vice like grip unsure
of what to make of the situation. Jesse steps away from Sarah holding his
wrist, “what the hell are you, Sarah?” Sarah lunges for Jesse. “Get away from
him!” Daniel launches himself at Sarah slamming her to the ground.
“Hide we’ll...” Daniel gasps, as Sarah
throttles him by the neck. Sarah lowers her head, as her outer shell fragments
further. Seeing Daniel in trouble the mob descends upon Sarah. Jesse hides
behind a fractured antediluvian wall. His thoughts race trying to come to grips
with events that have unfolded so far, this day. Jesse summons courage and
peers through one of many holes in the wall at the fight.
The mob has piled upon Sarah, but
a sickly green glow emanates from inside. Jesse watches puzzled at what must be
happening. A great wave of green energy pulses from beneath the mob. Sending
all the spirits, but Daniel flying in all directions. Daniel stands a defiant
bulwark against Sarah’s rage made manifest.
Sarah stands at the center of the
shallow crater created by the force of the blast. Her true appearance finally
revealed, a tall sickly thin Goth dressed girl with torn clothing. Her eyes
burn with an otherworldly green fire that bathes everything in its light.
Daniel scowls at Sarah, “Carrying
out Russell’s orders still?” Sarah cuts a devilish smile at Daniel, “How’s the
wife?” “You bitch!” Daniel charges at Sarah. Sarah finger extend into long
serrated knife-like, talons. Daniel stops quickly in his track, as he notices
the claws.
Daniel pulls a two by four piece
of lumbar. The rest of the spirits that arrived with him gather improvised
weapons, as well. “You can’t have him,” Daniel snarls at Sarah. He lunges
through the air swinging his club in a great arc at Sarah. She twists easily
aside avoiding Daniel’s attack with unnatural ease.
Jesse watches reminded of the
hours he spent playing fighting games online with his friends. He watches with
a smile at the action, but his face slowly shows his growing confusion. The
battle rages, but he still holds uncertainty over whom he should be rooting
for.
Sarah crouches low like a panther
ready to pounce, as Daniel and the spirit mob close in around her. She glances towards Jesse’s hiding spot,
“Don’t come out they’re like the phantoms and want to eat you like the old
lady.” She chuckles, as the color leaves Jesse’s face.
Daniel calls out, “Don’t listen
to her. She’s not what she seems to be.” Jesse ducks back behind the wall.
“What do they want with me?” Jesse whispers. He stands back up amidst the chaos
of the otherworldly combat. Sarah’s fast movements allow her to avoid their
attacks and deliver hit after vicious hit.
Sarah attacks with forceful
strike and she rips open a spirit. The spirit watches its essence flow from the
wound. Daniel lunges at Sarah with an attack. Sarah narrowly avoids the hit.
“Can’t protect him forever!” Sarah screams. “As long as I am here. You will
never have him!” Daniel yells.
Jesse looks away from the fight,
“Why are They destroying each other?” Sarah leaps past a spirit and tears its
head off, as she passes above. She lands and casually tosses the head aside, as
both the spirit and its head collapses into green gray ash, “Bring it on, grand
pa!”
Daniels attacks are slow, but
with her attention on the other spirits he lands a hit. The club shatters into
pieces, as the blow send her reeling backwards. The mob rushes in with their
weapons and start beating on her. Sarah lashes out disemboweling two spirits.
The wounded spirits quickly turn to green gray ash, as they fall to their
knees.
Sarah rises again in a
well-choreographed dance of death. She wounds and rips spirits apart with ease
as she spins and whirls. Daniel moves out of Sarah’s reach. Seeing her
attention focused on destroying the other spirits he rushes towards Jesse.
Sarah ends her form surrounded by the fading remains of the spirit mob. “If I
can’t have him. Then nobody can,” Sarah screams.
Daniel get near Jesse first and
reaches out for Jesse. Jesse recoils from Daniel and Sarah in fear of what may
happen. Sarah surges with demonic fury
and rushes to reach Jesse. Sarah swings her talons at Jesse. Daniel takes the
hit from Sarah intended for Jesse. He stands firm as her talons plunge into
him. “We did not come alone,” Daniel groans.
Sarah looks and sees an army of
angry souls rushing towards them. Daniel clutches his wound, “You can’t dance
forever.” Sarah scowls and in a surge of strength leaps away landing with
unnatural grace atop a massive pile of debris one hundred yards away. Sarah
clenches her teeth and bounds away, “he will be ours!”
Seeing their leader in distress
the new arrival rush to Daniel’s side. Daniel closes his eyes and places his
hands over his wound. Jesse watches in amazement, as his wound slowly heals.
Daniel walks with help from the other spirits to Jesse.
Jesse’s mind races, as his
memories assault his senses. Daniel looks down at the confused little boy,
“Don’t you remember me?” Jesse stares into Daniel’s weathered face for a long
moment. Jesse’s past flashes through his mind. His look of confusion turns to
excitement, “You…” Daniel’s face lights up, as Jesse slams into him with the
kind of hug only a grandson can give. Jesse whispers, “grandpa.”
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