Chapter 1

Chapter one of The Key To Abaddon.

The Key To

ABADDON

The Elders and the Shelta

 

 

 

 

                              Chapter 1

 

 

I could count on my hands how many times I have lived this day. I wake up, get ready, I take the same bus to work, buy the same cup of coffee from the same coffee shop that I have been going to for the past five years. Every now and then something breaks the chain. These moments are what I long for, I long for the day when my life is not ordinary.

I’m sat staring at my computer, doing that annoying pen clicking thing that people do when they are concentrating, when my boss Mr Stenton comes over to me telling me to cut it out and get in his office. It’s always awkward when someone tells you to stop when the pen is clicked in and you have to click it again to use it.

 

I put the pen back in the coffee mug penholder that was given to me for my birthday by my dad a few years ago. Because as he puts it, I’m too hard to shop for. I get up off the chair and walk to his office. I was greeted In the office to him leaning back on his chair with his pen in his mouth staring at me, I could tell by his facial expression that he was thinking of something important, something he was about to tell me. Mr Stenton was about fifty years old, he always worn the same outfit day in day out. It wasn’t that he never washed his clothes, he just seems to buy the exact same shirt, pants and jacket from the exact same store. His wife left him about a year ago for a younger man. Somebody who wasn’t working in a run down called center, and had a good job. His eyes locked on mine as I entered the room then they fell to my hand closing the door behind me. He sat up to a more formal posture as he took the pen from his mouth and put it in the desk draw. I walked over to the seat in front of me to sit down. I was nervous. Last Thursday he ordered an employee into his office and yelled at him, something about making personal calls on the office phone, but the employee came out of the office looking like he’d seen a ghost, his face looked like he’d been slapped, shiny and bright red. There were almost tears; he knew the other employees would make fun of him so he walked out of Mr Stentons office with his head down.

“Thomas” he yelled “Thomas I like you.” His voice getting softer, now I became worried. Waiting for the scream to burn through my ears. “I’m afraid I have some bad news” he looked down at the table with a concerning look on his face. He didn’t continue with what he was saying until I asked “did I do something wrong?” “I handed all my papers in on..” before I could finish my sentence he said “ your fired.” It felt like time had stood still, everything around me froze, Mr Stenton’s voice slowly faded away, all I could hear was the sound of my own heart beating, my pulse was beating which I could feel in my thumbs and wrist. I could hear the ticking of the London clock his wife left for him when she ran away with the younger guy. It was ticking ever so slowly, almost in slow motion. I looked up from my wrist after seeing my pulse jumping. Mr Stenton’s mouth was moving, but I could hear nothing. All I could see was an expression on his face that you see on people as they are breaking up with someone.

 The Its not you its me look.

The only thing running through my mind was, I’m fired? How can you fire me? I am your best worker, look above your head at the employee of the month. I responded in a confused tone “ I’m fired?” there was a moment of silence. “I’m sorry... my boss told me I had to make some cuts, and to start with firing some staff members. there is nothing I can do, the decision has been made, I need you to pack your things and leave the premises, you will be paid for the hours you’ve worked including today. But if you step foot on our premises after today we will be forced to call the police”. “call the police?” I was speechless, my heart was thumping and for some reason all I wanted to do was hurt him, I wanted to pick him up out of his chair and throw him out of the window, but I wasn’t willing to go to prison for murder, he wasn’t worth it. I packed up my things and headed down the ground floor where I was escorted off the premises. Still with no full explanation, I had been fired and kicked out of the building within the space of fifteen minutes. 

My journey home was long, not just because of the fact that i don't drive, but because i had been replaying what just happened in my head. at first i thought it was a joke. April fools or some lame prank that Mr Stenton and the other staff members were pulling. Then i realized how unlikely that would be since my office never pulls pranks. James, the guy who runs the place when mr Stenton is too depressed to come in tried to pull a prank a few years ago but the office didn't find it funny which led to complaints. Connections and Media is the name of the company. The job sucked, my office role was to sell maps and locations via Facebook to businesses. basically the idea is to gain more eyes on your business. The average person has two hundred friends on Facebook, if one of those friends checks into your business then that’s two hundred people who see it, if one of those two hundred people visits then thats another two hundred, and so on.

 

On my journey home i came to Black Hill. This was where I went as a child with my friends, we would ride our bikes down the steep narrow hill. It was always funnier riding a bike with no breaks because that way you couldn’t chicken out and break on your way down. Once on my ride down i was peddling down fast, as i got half way a car emerged from the bend, this caused me to turn and i mounted the pavement and lost control then hit a ditch and flew over my handle bars. I lay on the ground unable to move looking up at the sky, the blow must have winded me because I was unable to speak. i was lucky i didn't hit my head because i wasn't wearing a helmet. when i finally got up after a few minutes i hadn't realised i sprained my ankle and i fell back down in pain.

 No broken bones, just cuts and bruises. I haven’t been down black hill since then, not even on foot. I’m not sure why its called black hill, or what the actual road is called, but its what everyone called it growing up. At night it can get really ere and make even a grown man walk around it rather than through. As i came to black hill i was waiting to cross. i tend to walk through the side street next to black hill but it seemed too dark tonight. sometimes there are drug dealers lurking within the shadows of the alley, i don't trust it at this hour. I looked at my watch and it read 11pm. the streets were dark, it was a full moon tonight, that doesn't make it any less creepy. i don't usually get off work until 1am because i am one of the idiot’s who offers to do the night shifts. i decide to walk up black hill instead of taking the side street, on one side its old derelict buildings, and on the other side of the street there’s a forest. Because of the high trees on one side, this creates a shadow that makes it even darker. I’m not really one to be creeped out by walking alone in the dark, but tonight was different.

 As i began to incline up black hill i started going over what Mr Stenton was saying to me after he told me i was fired “if you step foot on the premises again we will be forced to call the police” what can they possibly do to me for walking on the premises? i haven't committed a criminal offence so why would you phone the police?. i had many questions which i wasn't able to ask, mainly because i was too busy frozen in shock. As i was walking by i heard rustling from within the forest on my right. i stopped to listen. “maybe its just a fox or a cat” i said to myself. The bushes along the footpath were brushing my leg as i was stood listening out. the air was cool, a slight breeze with a sweet scent to it. everything was in darkness besides the road at the top of the hill, the road was illuminated from the street lights which made it less creepy to be out at this godly hour. i heard another sound coming from within the forest, this time it was more like a thud than a rustle. I turned to continue on my journey home when i heard “arhhh”. then i heard it again. My curiousity got the better of me so i crept into the forest eager to know what was awaiting me. A drunk? A homeless person?. As i got closer it began to get more lighter, the street lights at the top of the road was shining into the forest. I could see black hill behind me through the gaps in the trees, the abandoned buildings across the road, the street lights that were lighting the road. I could just about make out a silhouette when i heard a scream. This time it was different, the scream sounded familiar. I crept closer, arched down and moving softly, as i moved closer i could make out two figures, they were both fighting. I didn't want to get too close incase they saw me. But then i heard it again, a man shouted “BITE ME YOU SON OF A B***H”. I crouched down behind a tree, there were two men fighting, one was dressed down, the other more casual, The suited guy he was fighting vanished, my eyes widened, as I moved back to get the hell out of there my foot hit off a twig which created a loud crunching sound. The guy who was shouting turned and looked directly at me, I couldn’t believe it, even he looked surprised. It was my dad. his eyes locked onto mine. “RUN THOMA..” Before he could finish, the suited guy appeared behind him and his blade ripped through my dads chest just before he could say my name for the last time. his eyes remained locked on mine, until the man yanked his blade out which caused my dad to fall face down onto the earth beneath him. Fear ran through me, I let out a scream as i was stumbling to find my balance. I looked up and the only thing left to see was the forest in its darkest hour, the air was no longer cool, but rather bitter and damp, the body of my dad is lay down beneath the old oak tree that i once climbed as a child, the surrounding earth has changed colour from brown and green to a blood red. A puddle of blood is circling the remains of my dad. I run over to him and a flash of white light appears in front of me, stopping me in my tracks. The light quickly fades and when my eyes re-adjust i notice the suited man stood in front of me staring directly into my eyes.

I looked up at him, he was at least six feet tall. All i wanted to do was call the police and see if my dad was still breathing. but for some reason my eyes were staring into his, its like he was compelling me. He grinned, like he could read my mind. He knew what i was thinking, he knew that the man he just murdered was somebody important to me, maybe he knew because tears were running down my face, the saltiness of the tears were running down the sides of my mouth overpowering my taste buds, like i was drinking sea water. He raised his hand and went to place it on my shoulder when i dodged it, his grin disappeared. Now his face was deadpan and i could sense something was about to happen. I turned to run but i felt a powerful weight on my shoulders which stopped me in my tracks. Like his hands were magic and pinning me to the dirt. I suddenly turned, taking in his appearance and his bright green eyes, his fashion was slick, his shoulder length dark hair perfectly styled under a black fedora. He wore a black suit with a green pocket square. the tone almost matching his eyes. his green pocket square had a black symbol stitched onto it that looked very familiar. i couldn't figure out where i had seen it.

 As i looked up at him, he removed his hand from my shoulder and thats when i saw a white light what looks like it’s coming from his hand. he placed it on my head, my vision blurry, i could hardly breath. I’m falling into white light, it feels strange, similar to when you go down a rollercoaster, your body turns to jelly. what ever I am falling into has loud thunder that sounds like its getting closer and closer to me, there was lightning that was flashing all around me, its brightness blinding me, making me squint as I try to figure out where I am, its giving me ear ache. You can feel the vibrations running through your body, it felt like i was falling for hours. The light started to fade and the sound of thunder began to disappear, i could see that what ever was awaiting me at the bottom, i was about to meet. As i passed through the light i landed on my feet, the speed i was traveling and lack of balance made the impact twist my ankle. As my ankle went over i lost my balance and fell to the ground onto my back and bumped my head. My vision went blurry for a moment, i sat up and placed my hand on the back of my head to check if i was bleeding, when i removed my hand i was surprised to find no blood, but my hand was covered in mud and slightly cut on my palm and fingers. As i got up to find my balance on my one working leg i scanned the area to figure out where i am. Bushes, trees, birds whistling. I am exactly where i was when the suited man sent me falling into white light, The forest. I looked down to see where my dad was, the only thing i could see was the green grass and dry earth. where is he? what just happened? where was i? i am confused, i thought maybe i dreamt it. maybe i fell and bumped my head, my entire body hurts, I must have tripped over and the blow knocked me out.

Author's Note

this chapter hasn't yet been edited. It is still a rough draft.