The Signs: Chapter One, Refer to the Devil

Prologue

"Fuck, man! How did you manage to get us in this shit in the first place?" Jack snapped, cutting down a thick section of underbrush in a methodical, but slightly unhinged way.

"I didn't volunteer for this, I promise. The old guy said we had to do it. If that ain't incentive, I don't know what is." John countered, walking in a straight line behind Jack, who was the oldest of the pair.

"He knows we aren't made for this shit. I should be out on the plains right now drinking my favorite selection, not bustling through the woods. And again, what the hell are we looking for?" Jack continued complaining as they wove their way through the woods.

"How many times has he told you, Jack? You never listen, do you? He said, 'Look for the signs!' So we're fucking looking for the signs." John replied.

"The signs! Bullshit. We're doing the higher-up's grunt work, that's what we're doing. They don't wanna be trudging through this stuff, so we got to do it." Jack said, sighing.

"I only know our orders, Jack. When we took the oath, we knew we were in for a good bit of adventure with some shit mixed in. Remember our oaths, Jack? C'mon, it's simple. He said that the signs would come in some big way. We'd know it, at least, right? Let's just keep going. This grass ain't gonna get any shorter." John said.

The forest they were trudging through was very thick (such was the nature of the outer-forests). The trees, which rose hundreds of feet above their heads, gave the impression that they were walking down a very narrow and suffocating alley. To top it off, the heat from the sun allowed much room for sunburns as they made their way through the forest.

The only mitigation to their situation was the reward. The "old man" had promised them a hefty amount of money if they came through. To call their rag-tag group a "cult" would be accurate, certainly. They worshiped one entity, and they had their rituals. Jack and John were two of the oldest members of the cult, but they were constantly given the worst jobs. Everyone was.

The signs were simple. It would start in the stars, a sharp light. Then it would move to the trees, a rapid swaying. Then, all hell would break loose. There would be a screech, and it would manifest at the edge of the great forest. The pair carried a simple sacrifice in the form of a recently killed bird, but it would do. It would have to.

They paused in a small clearing - exactly as the old man had said it would be. They were carrying little, besides the dead bird. A small gem, a flask of an unknown liquid, and a tiny scroll.

"Shit, how about if this was just a damn lie? Ever think of that? You know, even if our master is summoned, he might just kill us, you know?" John queried.

"I wouldn't have asked you to ever join this goddamn cult if I didn't know it wasn't for real. Have some faith, eh?" Jack said.

"Well, then. First, we must place the gem upon the earth." Jack said, skeptically. After doing so, John smiled.

"Ha, no problem." John said, still smiling, albeit, nervously.

"Next, we must pour the blood of our elders upon the gem." John continued, emptying the flask upon the gems.

"And finally." they both said, nervously. "We must chant the words of our master."

"Immortus, Avartus, Alimu. Devous, Irisus, Oloria! Cactl, Ariau, Naro!" they chanted.

It happened then. In the heavens, a bright light appeared, blinding the pair temporarily.

"Holy shit! That's gotta to be it!" Jack exclaimed, shocked.

The trees, swaying rapidly but from no clear exterior force, also picked up in speed.

Then, it could just barely be seen at the edge of the forest. A figure, in a cloak, whose very image cut an outline through the trees to announce its presence. They had finally completed their mission. They had finally unleashed their master, who would, undoubtedly, reward them all handsomely. 

Chapter One

Allen perched on the edge of the cliff, nervously anticipating the time between his departure and his impact upon the rough, unforgiving landscape below. Time, love, memories - all held in a balance before he made his way into the beyond.

He did not long for a reason to live, and he did not long for a reason to remove himself from the cliff. He simply longed for something better. What a fool he had been, to believe that a nonsensical cult could deliver him from any of his personal demons? The cloaks, the rituals, the lies! Ruthlessly perpetrated so that the elders could summon a master that likely did not exist...that honestly, likely could not exist! 

Such lies had hardly phased him...truthfully, it was purpose that drove him on. But it did not take him long to realize the life he had abandoned for a cult. He had questioned, endlessly, whether the elders would even let him go. Evidently, they had. Or had simply been unable to stop him, due to neglect of their watch duties. 

The cliff seemed to be an answer. The only answer. He had plans, secrets, and many lies rattling around his head that almost beckoned for him to simply fall into oblivion. There were murders; blood on his hands. It did not matter. He could not prevent anymore, he simply could not. It would be best to lie dead at the bottom of the cliff, rather than face up to his mistakes. 

With this in mind, he stepped to the edge of the cliff, closer than he had ever dared. He remembered that the final ritual would be completed today. Perhaps it had even already been done. As he prepared himself for the fall, a nagging doubt gnawed at his head. For if the elders hadn't been mistaken, a truly cruel evil would be summoned from the dark. It would be his fault...all his fault. 

As if he were on a balance beam, the weight of his guilt and the weight of his longing for relief was measured. With this in mind, he found himself in his car, barreling down the highway back into civilization. 

Things were far from over, that he knew. He could not die peacefully without settling one final affair. Even if he had to converse with the devil to undo his sins, it would have to do.

Chapter One, Part 2 

Jack and John had been stranded in the forest for hours and hours on end, watching the figure in the distance make no significant movements or actions. A dreadfully boring affair.

"Why do you reckon he isn't moving?" Jack inquired, sighing.

"The hell I know. Maybe he ain't as fucking powerful as were were led to think. Could be we were led to think some pretty God awful, downright shitty things." John snapped. 

"Well, the summoning did work." Jack countered.

"Yeah, well I wanna see my damn reward." John said, pacing angrily.

"Hey, wait!" Jack yelled.

John stopped pacing hesitantly. "What the hell you yelling about?" 

"Don't you see it?" Jack questioned intently.

John looked up, and indeed, saw it. The figure had moved. And it was moving towards them.

"Fuck, it's probably going to kill us." John said.

"Why would it? We summoned it!" Jack argued.

The figure seemed to arrive in mere minutes. It was a cloaked being, with no visible face or distinctive features. It seemed to float upon the shadows, like a spectral being. 

John and Jack remained silent. It seemed prudent to remain silent. 

The being did not talk. 

Eventually, Jack broke the silence. "We were promised a reward, er, sir?" 

The being shook its head and Jack frowned.

"You mean, we don't get no reward?" John demanded. 

The being simply edged closer, until it stood right before the pair. 

"Yes, of course." it said, its voice as hard as the worst sin. 

That was all they heard before they vanished. Where, it may impossible to know. They would be fine, of course. They had summoned the creature, after all, right?