Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Several weeks have passed since Craig and Judith went to the doctor’s. Craig still has nightmares and visions but he’s told himself he will start school again. Craig walks into the bathroom looking at this face, he still looked weak but he was handling the nightmares. As he’s looking in the mirror he hears Judith. “Craig can you hurry up, I need to get cleaned, dressed fro work” Craig turns to the door sighing with a toothbrush in his hand. “I’ll be finishing in a minute”, mumbles Craig brushing his teeth. “Okay don’t tale too long!” Judith shouts up the stairs. Satisfied she walk away her footstep vibrate on the floor. Craig hearing her go down the stairs.
  Craig continues cleaning his teeth frantically, every so often looking at the mirror. He looks around the room, taking in the colours. He always thought the blue and white colour scheme suiting the bathroom just like the silver outline of the mirror. He spits in the sink, his left wet hand grabbing the blue towel, wiping his face clean looking at what he’s doing.

Craig looks back at himself in the mirror; he was a just like any normal young boy, smooth skin, big innocent eyes, never caused trouble. He turned nine several months ago, his mother held a huge party just for him. He was the youngest in his class, most of the kids picking on him. He had the features like his father, brown short thick hair, covering his forehead and has freckles which ran in the family. He unplugs the sink watching the water swirl down the drain.
   There was something that puzzled him, something he couldn't understand. The stabbing pain in his head and the random, disturbing visions. The figure known as Matius was fighting an ash like creature in a human form. He kept dreaming of nightmarish scenes of people turned to ash and events which have never happened in his life, a large throne room, people screaming, such horrible nightmares. He’ll never forget the first nightmare, it’s what started all this off.
  He shudders remembering the feeling of the pain, like it would split his skull. How he reached to grab his head, falling to his knees, the breath escaping from his body. The pain shooting behind his eyes as he noticed the doorknob blacken as it spread across the door frame like vines spreading along the forest floor. He ended up cornered. The last thing he remembers is the blackness devouring him. His mother found him in the corner, completely cold covered in sweat. Out of concern, she recently took him to the doctors, but they didn't understand what was wrong with him. She took him to several doctors but no success. He took pills, medication, medicine, all which failed. Finished he puts the towel down and looks into the mirror.

 The room seems to go very cold, as the light seems to fade. Shadows are all that remain with a deathly sinister silence. Petrified like a rabbit, he looks up into the mirror afraid for what he’ll see. There where his reflection should be stands the creature he sees in his nightmares. Dervish’s eyes of darkness seem to look deep into Craig’s soul, fixed upon him. Craig feels something touch his heart; he grasps it in deep fear. Dervish then smiles disturbingly; the ash on his mouth breaks away. In reaction Craig closes his eyes a tear rolls down his cheeks, "Please, let this be a bad dream" he thinks, “Please, just let this be a dream.” Several seconds pass, trying very hard to keep his eyes shut, sweat rolls down his face. He opens his eyes again only to find Dervish is still there with the cold atmosphere. Dervish’s body emanates black smoke, staring down at Craig. "Your body and soul is mine," Dervish states his voice echoing inside Craig’s head.            

Craig looks at Dervish in anger, frustration and fear. "Shut up!" Craig summons up the courage grabbing the glass containing the toothbrushes and angrily throws it at the mirror. As this happens the coldness disappears and shards of the mirror fall into the sink and crash to the floor, leaving trails of water. In a panic Craig runs out slamming the bathroom door and speeds down the stairs, the floorboards creaking.    Judith watches Craig bolt down the stairs in complete confusion. “Craig is everything alright?” Craig looks at Judith then back up the stairs before hastily going through the front door. “Hey wait what are you doing? Do you want a lift or not?” Craig quickly turns around somewhat stressed shaking his head. Back in the bathroom, total silence. On the floor the fragmented glass remain lifeless, when suddenly something stirs. On each piece of glass ash starts to spread, starting to form something. The being appears on each piece his white eyes looking straight out, his face sneers aggressively. "You cannot escape me...!"

Craig continues hastily walking down the road in panic, many thoughts running through his head. He turns back to the disappearing him in the distance as he continues to walk away from it.  As soon as he saw that thing, that thing out of his nightmares, he just freaked out. Surely something like that didn’t happen. That kind of thing only happens in movies or.. or dreams. Realising he’s quickly getting into a panic, he calms himself down. My mind’s playing tricks on me, he thinks. Calmed he slows to a walk. Suddenly his body goes very cold, just like in the bathroom. Instinctively he starts shaking, crossing his arms. His eyes flicker left to right, expecting that creature to show itself. As quick as it arrived the coldness disappears and heat spread across his body once more. The sensation gone he lowers his arms, his face features change full of concern. “What is happening to me?” he whispers fearfully. He looks back into the sky and continues to walk.

He arrives into central London passing through parts with people going about their usual business.  People going to work, people going to school, people with family and friends. He approaches Piccadilly looking up at the beautiful clear sky. For a moment, he feels calm, at peace. That all this has been a dream. That all this has been nothing but a bad dream.
  Suddenly he feels pain, the same kind he's had in his visions except this was worse. The coldness pierces his body and tears at his senses. He starts to panic. In protection he clutches his stomach and starts moaning. Some people notice the boy, twisting their heads. Seeing him several people make his way over to him cautiously. A women leans down curiously and speaks softly, "Hey kid, are you okay", Craig opens his eyes paying no attention, as something catch his eye. His eyes are fixed on his left hand as he watches it crack and tear to unknown forces. The hand itself starts to blacken till it turns ash like. Fascinated he continues watching it. Then he sees small pieces of ash start to flake off, breaking away into the air. He continues to look at it in bewilderment, turning it over.
   "I said are you okay" the woman asks again with annoyance in her voice, obviously not used to being ignored. Craig turns to look at her in surprise then turns back to his hand only to find its normal. "Aaahh", Craig moans again, doubling over again. The women watches unsure what to do, “Do you want me to get help?" No reply from Craig. The women leans closer, “do you want help?” slightly angered. Craig hears the women before slowly turning towards her, his expression tinged with spite. "No!" he shouts, sounding inhuman, his voice sounding deep. Suddenly he hits her. The crowd watches, as if she has been hit by a lorry, she is flying in the air. Hitting a lamppost, making a sickening sound. The woman falls limp onto the ground, not making a move.

The crowd look back at the body of the women and then look at Craig convulsing on the spot. The crowd anxiously waiting for someone to act. "I'll go get help," a woman in work clothes stutters, disappearing from the scene her high heels hitting the floor. More people take her space, joining in to watch. Craig moans again doubling over. As he does so he feels his skin crack on his arm but there is too much in pain to notice. He feels as if he’s being torn apart. The crowd notice this in horror, with each painful crack; some of the crowd start to back away.
  The women in work clothes looks back before putting the phone to her ear. “Hello… yes we need an ambulance and police…Look just send them!”. Bits of skin seem to blacken along the crack edges, spreading.  Black smoke starts pours forth from his arm as a mental battle inside him takes place. Deep inside his bones and muscles are being consumed by the presence of the creature. All his insides are being reduced to ash, as it slowly spreads without mercy. Parts of his face start to crack under the being’s presence. Seeing this most of the crowd back away, most of them are too scared as to what will happen. They abandon him and run away in fear.

The cracks get longer as lines join with it, stretching across his arm. Now with little skin remaining. He screams again this time sounding less like Craig, as tears start to form. Then he feels a tingling sensation in his eyes and they flicker. Then his eyes turn pale, the pupils lose their colour until they become clear white. His skin starts to blacken in parts, especially around the eyes. Cuts appear on his body, as black smoke pours out. Craig lets out one last inhuman scream as a huge flash envelops him causing a huge shock-wave. Glass breaks shattering, casting shards all around. Car alarms blare. The entire crowd is consumed. Leaving nothing but dust and silence.
  Time seems to slow. The dust caused by the shock-wave settles. The scene has been utterly changed. Everything has turned black as if burnt like one fire aftermath. Cars destroyed, windows smashed, anything that was alive in the blast has died. There are lumps of ash on the floor marking where people once stood. Where Craig was standing is now Dervish, smoke swirling around it, reprising his form. The ash of the fallen people start to rise into the air slowly before joining Dervish standing amongst its destruction. He surveys the damage he has just caused, admiring it, smoke surrounding it. Revelling in the carnage and dismay that he has unleashed. Finally I am free Dervish thinks to himself, and now. Now this world shall suffer my wrath.