Book Of The Path

Broken notes of a song hung in the humid air as James slowly stirred, his head pounding, throbbing the sound assaulting his overly sensitive ears. He rolled over with a whimper, his eyes watering as his stomach knotted. The smell of damp earth, charred flesh and rancid ash tickled his nose and tongue; slowly the world took shape around him muted by an ever present haze. James curled in upon himself as the mist lapped over his quivering body. His hands pressed against his mouth to muffle a moan of soul shattering despair. Once more the wash of darkness had called him back to his heaven, his hell, Silent Hill.





The tuneless melody called out to something in him, James found himself standing on kitten weak legs staggering closer to the origin of song. His gaze darted around the vast fog- choked park. As soothing as the soft notes were he knew better then to let his guard falter. Monsters stalked the shadows laying low and waiting to murder... to feed. Each step brought him closer to the source of the melody; worry seeped into his heart and his pace quickened. The song was taking shape growing into something he knew. Purposely off beat almost sour notes fell from an acoustic guitar knitting together with a man’s wry voice.





James hissed as the mist parted framing an old run down building, worn and rusted toys that had been left to rot dappled the over grown yard. Crooked white letters clung to a warped sign cheerfully proclaiming ‘Wish House.’ “S—Shit.” James scrambled back, in his darker nightmares he returned to this twisted mockery of a home yelping when a tree root lashed at his ankles pulling him off balance.





The song died mid note as strong arms wrapped around James supporting him effortlessly. “Easy, taking a fall would be a bad thing.” The voice was oddly friendly as a hot wash of mint kissed breath tickled his ear “Just a little jumpy?” The voice paused broken with a good humored chuckle. “But maybe you have a reason to? You seem to know where you are.”





James tensed tearing himself away from the embrace, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment and anger. His eyes narrowed as he examined the man that had been kind enough to catch him. Guilt washed over him when he saw the crushing hurt in the man’s eyes, their color an inhumanly sharp green almost cat like. The unknown man held himself slightly hunched arms crossed over his chest in a self hug. The stranger wasn’t all that tall nor was he imposing his lightly sculpted face was framed in thick waving curls of bleached blond. A strong chin was dusted with light brown scruff gave him the appearance of a street corner want-to-be Jesus. “I—ah thank you for catching me.” James found that the ground had become suddenly appealing he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off it. “I used to come to this place with my mother.” He was almost afraid to look up into the man’s eyes that were filled with agony.





“Oh?” The man asked his tone light a playful smiled graced his lips yet it never touched his eyes. “With your mother, did she ever work with that—Well you know—him?” The man peered intently through the curtain of silken tresses.





James had turned his attention back to the steps of house. “That place, I thought it had burned to the ground, mother would bring me with her, show me off, a well trained pet a prized possession.” Bitterness dripped from each word. “She would have me parrot back the twisted words of her derangement to the children. Waltz—Walter I can remember him so scared and lost. My father was the one that found him in the room, but I was only two then so I don’t remember that.” James paused licking his lips. “Mother placed him into that insanity. I don’t, I can’t blame him for the murders.” His voice took on a distant tone as he sank into remembrance.





“Your father?” The stranger moved almost inhumanly fast his words egger. “Your father was him? Frank Sunder—land?” James shuddered something about the way the man purred splitting the syllables of the last name set off bells of alarm making him step back. “That would make you James.” A manic grin spit his handsome face. “Jay.”





James growled as the freak wrapped himself around him nuzzling into his shoulder. “You have me at a disadvantage. You know me but I have no idea who you are.”





The man almost giggled. “But you know me Jay far better then you think.” A soft hand trailed over a smooth cheek. “You’ve grown.”





“Don’t touch me.” James jerked back an elbow sinking into the man’s gut, whoever the would be Christ was he was insane. “I don’t know what game you’re playing but this isn’t funny this whole—this whole damned town is swarming with monsters.” James pushed the man away. “Everyone from that house is either dead or committed. Whoever it is you’re pretending to be its not cute or funny.” Iced rage burned through him. He’d been brought back to hell for what, a question and answer session with some lunatic? “Don’t touch me I don’t know what I’ll do. I’m not sure that I’m not crazy.”





The stranger stumbled back a little rubbing at where the elbow had made contact. Slowly he righted himself and shook his head leaving it slightly tipped. “Yes, yes all that have been touched by the holy land are blessed with a knowing madness. I know that far better then you, Jay.” All the amusement had drained from his voice yet the grin was unchanged. “Paradise is closed to the nation of sin and the mother will not wake until her chosen beloved son completes the conjuring of the twenty one sacraments."





James’s blood turned to ice and he wondered if his heart still beat as the man's speech fell into place painting an impossible image. “You can’t be!” He hissed eyes wide as he stumbling back tripping over roots. Air rushed out of his lungs. “You can’t be he—he killed himself with a—”





“Soup spoon?” the freak chuckled. “Jammed two inches deep into my own neck.” He bent offering a hand to James. “Now that you know me Jay will you still take my hand?”





Mentally James cursed but he took the hand letting himself be pulled back onto his feet. “Walter, you’re dead.”





The renowned killer sighed a little. “You have walked within the holy land the mother herself held you tightly to her breast yet you question my appearance?” He shook his head spreading his arms wide. “Oh ye of little faith, I am her true son James, I am immortal.”





“Bullshit,” James snapped. “You died in prison, you took your own life that makes you a sinner.” He didn’t know why he was arguing religion with Walter. “She has no mercy for those that throw away her gifts.”





The self proclaimed immortal bent double laughing. “Jay, I was not a suicide. No I was a sacrament, the Eleventh.” His face was the image of righteous madness.





“You murdered innocent children!” James felt his body tighten preparing for some kind of physical retaliation. “Spill not the blood of the innocent; isn’t that one of her first laws? What kind of man are you…what kind of monster kills children?”





Walter righted himself and glared at James any playfulness bled from him as he stalked forward stopping only inches from James one hand shooting out and tangling into the other man’s jacket. “Careful what you say brother. I did what Mother requested. I do not relish their passing but they will forever be held in her embrace protected and loved.”





“You fucking carved numbers into them you beast!” James brought one knee up as hard as he could grinding it between the others legs. “Nothing can justify that!” Feeling the other’s grip slip he ducked low and slammed his shoulder into the other's chest throwing Walter off balance. James staggered back reeling away from Walter not bothering to look back as he broke into a desperate sprint. Demons were things he could handle; men that came back from the dead preaching lunacy claming to be immortal with tendencies to be touchy feely were to be avoided at all costs. The ground seemed reach out for his feet and ankles trying to pull him down. His lungs stung with each breath making him gasp and curse the tainted air as his vision swam growing dull around the edges.





“I had thought better of you. Kneeing someone in the balls? what would Mother think?” Walter loomed in the road blocking James’s path.





James yelped as he lurched forward his right ankle caving under him twisting with a sharp pop. He curled in on himself looking up into the eyes of insanity. “H—how in the hell what—are—you?”





“I told you brother I am immortal her chosen son, the true conjurer of the twenty one sacraments.” Walter looked down at James a deep sorrow showing in the blazing twisting green depths. “James, you could have been her chosen one but you said that man was not meant to know paradise you went against her wishes like a spiteful child that believes that they are the one to know everything.” He knelt down placing one hand the other’s chest leaning placing all his weight on the other. “Do you know she cried because of you?”





James hissed, “You’re insane,” as he tried to squirm free. “Why would I want to be a murder for some inbreed's imaginary friend in the sky?” His lips pulled back as he growled. “I have to ask though if all her words are ones of love why is it that you bastards always kill in her name? Or are you just looking for an excuse to get away with murder?”





Walter sighed shifting so he sat on the other. “What happened to you James you used to understand what it meant to live and walk the path of purity? The vile world outside our order has warped you, raped your mind and soul.” One hand caressed his cheek. “So damaged James, so wounded so twisted... you were once pure my brother.”





“I’m not your brother.” James grew still trying to conserve his energy, Walter was heavier then he looked.





Walter shook his head the blond mass waving. “You are you are see I didn’t understand it at first because of your normal birth your human parents it confused me.” He leaned down his blond locks brushing James cheeks. “It wasn’t until I looked, really looked at the written words that I knew the truth brother.” He closed the few inches between them. “Two children one of light one of dark, the child” He kissed James’s cheek in an odd not quite purely brotherly way.





James snarled and hissing as he tried to slide out from underneath the dead man. “Get off me!”





“You see, you are the child of light, the one that knew her love the longest the one that would dare to see things only in the light and turn against her defy her ways. While the child in darkness knew not her love until they learned to see through the pitch, through the pain brought by the light. You are the child of light James you are the one that has turned from the mother. Do you know that she loves you still and weeps for you?” He looked down at James touching the other’s cheek letting his fingers slide down and down the quivering neck. “She would take you back into her arms and forgive all your sins. She understands that you are only a child and not as wise as she. A mother will always love and forgive their children no matter what it is they do.”





James shifted feeling his shoulder slide, cracking under the pressure. He could not wiggle free Walter was inhumanly strong. “What would you know of a mother’s love? Your real mother left you to die in the apartment, she and her boyfriend didn’t want to tell my father that they were expecting and would have to change the rent agreement. No they were worthless coke heads that left you to rot, the umbilical cord was still wet when he found you and took pity on you. You’re just as human as me.”





Walter howled like a mad thing the soft touch of his fingers became a strong grip around his throat wrapping perfectly around the marks that had been left by James’s mother on the pale skin. “Silence, brother, Mother might always forgive but I do not.”





“The truth cuts the deepest doesn’t it Walter? Get off me,” he gasped out his own hands clawing at Walter’s grip. “You’re nothing more then a deranged killer a lost child that’s still dumb enough to believe that the fucking cult’s words were the truth.” James’s vision was blackened around the edges as he gasped for breath.





“You know nothing of the truth! Your hands are stained, you are a sinner! Do not denounce me as something as miserable as yourself. You killed your own wife. You murdered her in her sleep so you didn’t have to suffer through taking care of her. Was it so bad? Were you so weak that you couldn’t support her in a time of need? Wasn’t that your duty as her husband? If that were not bad enough you denied your hand in taking her life; letting your guilt eat into you. You breathed life into it letting it grow within you taking shape and tear your soul asunder giving shape to the dreaded Beasts of Judgment!”





He gasped as the edges of the world became misty, he couldn’t breath. After all he had been though he had not thought that a dead man would be the death of him. “M..Murdering bastard...” James croaked as his vision became too blurred with tears. Each breath he managed to steal was too thin too shallow. He twisted and writhed under the insane monster. He gasped and struggled his lungs burning until all became soundless and white.