The Last Alignment: Cry of the Scorpions (Book 1)

The Last Alignment: Cry of the Scorpions

Nathaniel Stewart

Published by Nathaniel Stewart at Smashwords

Cover by Duong Covers

Images from Depositphotos

Edited by The Polished Pen

Copyright © 2012 Nathaniel Stewart. All rights reserved.

All characters, places, concepts and ideas that are presented in this work are fictitious and derive from the imagination and creativity of the author. Any likenesses or resemblances that are present are purely coincidental.

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Acknowledgements

Dr. Michael Joslin, for unknowingly giving me the kick in the butt that I needed to finally start writing this story.

Wesley Saylors, for his valuable guidance and understanding.

Diana Dee Thomas, for her bottomless reserve of positivity and encouragement.

Dedication

For Diane,

As will be all other books in this series for her never-ending love and belief in her baby boy.

Further Acknowledgements

Olivia Cahoon, Peter Sauls, Jared Lupton, Inée Ader, D.J. VanHoy, Emily Guenthner, Princess Neely, Rachael Oakes, Dubois Hines, and Lockwood Ray.

Chapter 1

Hektor’s Return

Hektor … I am Hektor of Palendon, he assured himself as he made his way through a monochrome and shadowy world. Two glittering trails that glowed white drifted along in midair and led him street after street through an unfamiliar neighborhood. Hektor read and memorized every road sign he passed until the two trails ended at a house on Falaco Way, and he knew that it must be Victor’s home. Everything around him filled with color as he walked forward. Thanks to the abundant streetlights, he caught his reflection in a car window that was parked in the driveway of the house. Blinking, Hektor let out a low hiss. He looked as unkempt as he had ever seen himself. His pale blue eyes peeked through overgrown raven hair. A dingy white shirt that had holes in it stretched across his chest. The brown pants he wore were filthy and ripped, he was barefoot, and his lips were cracked and chapped. Glancing down he noticed that his feet were covered in cuts. Anyone who laid eyes on him would’ve called the authorities immediately, but luckily it was late and most people were fast asleep.

Hektor turned his attention to the house while everything became shadowy once more as he carefully and fervently Sensed for his old friend’s essence. He allowed his mind to comb every corner of the place and learned that there were only two people currently occupying it, which was good news indeed, but he needed his old comrade to be awake and alert. Once he found him, Hektor latched on to him like a hungry, frantic snake and focused.

Victor? Victor, can you hear me? A few seconds passed. Victor? Are you there? Another few moments went by and there was still no response which made him grow even more uneasy. Victor!?

H-Hektor? Is that you!?

He sighed after hearing Victor’s voice, though Victor sounded utterly stunned and alarmed to hear his. Yes, it is, and I am presently standing in front of your house.

But … that’s impossible.

Hektor allowed the world around him to become ordinary again but before he could respond, he heard the slightest click and what was once a motionless scene came to life as the curtain behind the window on a side door of Victor’s house began moving.

Victor! Someone is—

His telepathy was interrupted by a faint crash. In an instant Hektor had burst through and shattered the living room window and was on the second floor of the house in time to see Victor kick a rather large man square in the chest sending him flying through the hallway wall and into a room.

Hektor, there’s two of them! I need to protect Justine!

Where—

A hand roughly took hold of Hektor’s right ankle, and then he was airborne over the banister. He managed to land upright in the glass-covered living room, small pieces slicing and lodging themselves into the bottoms of his feet. Someone seized Hektor’s head, covering his eyes, and he was slammed so hard into a wall that pieces of it flew around him.

Hektor was now nose to nose with a blond woman whose hands were around his neck with a strength that did not belong to her. The woman started laughing hysterically, squeezing harder, yet he remained calm. His assailant was oblivious to the fact that while her force would have killed any other normal human being seconds ago, she was doing no harm to him because she was not nearly strong enough. A scream rang through the house, and Hektor knew at once that it had come from Victor. The female intruder laughed even louder, her madness distorting her face, and he saw her for what she really was. He grabbed both of her wrists and gradually pulled her hands from around his neck. Her nails left deep gouges in their wake as she tried to resist. Hektor felt blood start to run down his chest, but he braced himself. Once her hands were far enough apart, he headbutted her directly on the forehead, sending blood, bits of skull, and brain matter soaring through the air. The woman stumbled backward and began to quake, and Hektor was upstairs before her body hit the ground.

He went straight to Justine’s room. Her door was ajar and broken but more importantly, there was an awful silence. Victor?

No one answered.

Hektor breathed deeply to compose himself. He Sensed the area beyond the door for life forces and only found one, which meant that two of three who were once living were now dead. He was met with unexplainable relief at the essence he did feel, but that relief also came with a terrible realization. He stood there for a moment, unsure of whether he should go in or not, but he squared his shoulders and tore the entire door off its hinges as if he were simply plucking a flower and tossed it down the hallway.

Victor was standing in a puddle of blood at the foot of Justine’s bed, holding a severed brawny arm in his left hand and in his right was the head of the large man whom he had kicked through a wall minutes ago. Hektor’s eyes turned to the fragile white-haired woman whose stunning light green eyes were unmoving.

He got in before I could seal the door and went straight for her, said Victor, staring at his wife. Hektor ambled to the right side of Justine. Deep sadness consumed him when he took her delicate hand as Victor recounted what happened. He grabbed her by the neck … that was probably all it took.

Victor was right. Justine had aged considerably; her once blond-gray hair was now the purest white, and she had an air of fragility about her that could only come with acute old age. Dejectedly, Hektor closed her eyes, took her blanket, and placed it on the floor.

I g-grabbed that same arm and ripped it from his body. And after that … his head.

Hektor finally looked at Victor, who had so many tears flowing down his cheeks that the two streams joined at the point of his chin. The blood that covered his face mixed with his tears as they fell. Hektor gently slid his hands under Justine’s back and knees and then paused feeling tactless. He loved her, but he was not her spouse.

No, you do it. I’m covered in blood. I don’t want this shit to touch her.

Hektor nodded, lifted her, and compassionately placed her in the middle of the blanket on the floor. Sirens sounded in the distance. Victor, we have to hurry, he said, taking extra care in wrapping his good friend’s wife. We can go to Lillarey. My house should still be there.

Without a word, Victor dropped the extremities he was holding and left the room.

~*~*~

They drove in silence for a little under an hour. Hektor kept his gaze forward and did not dare to look at Victor, or rather he did not care to look at him. Hektor knew what was going through Victor’s head, and so he started preparing himself for the onslaught of questions, but how was he to answer those questions when he was not sure of the answers? The last thing that he remembered was sacrificing himself, and yet here he was riding with his old friend whose wife was in the backseat—dead. The thought that it could possibly be partly his fault was almost too much. It was a while before Hektor decided to speak and in an effort to be gentle, he was careful to keep his voice soft. To whom does this car belong?

Victor continued to stare at the road for a moment. It’s mine. I bought it from a neighbor and already had the keys, just hadn’t gotten it yet.

I see.

The neighbor is on vacation with his family. I’ll call him tomorrow and leave him a message saying I got it a few days ago so he won’t report it stolen when he gets back on Saturday. And the house is clean. Well, the blood and the bodies anyway. To the police it should look as if someone broke into an empty house and roughed it up.

Victor’s voice was so raspy and weak with grief that Hektor was overtaken with guilt. I am sorry about Justine. I should have stayed upstairs with you.

I don’t think you had a choice in the matter, said Victor, but Hektor kept his head bowed. It’s alright, Hek. Justy was ninety-eight. She lived a good and full life… he cleared his throat …and it was going to happen one of these days. I was ready for it. She had been having some heart trouble the last few years. As she got older, I knew it would only get worse. Victor wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist. I was pretty much waiting for her to either have a heart attack or go into cardiac arrest. But this … I wasn’t prepared for this. My wife didn’t deserve to be murdered.

No, she did not. Hektor peered in the backseat. They drove in silence yet again before they came to a red light. Victor’s chuckling surprised him. What is it?

I told everyone in my neighborhood that she was an aunt I was taking care of, Victor said arbitrarily. Hektor kept his focus on the road but narrowed his eyes. His friend must have seen his expression because he added, You saw Justy, Hektor. If I had told everyone she was my wife, they would’ve thought I was some sick, pathetic, lowlife asshole who got with an older woman to get at her money. I mean, if you didn’t know me and I told you that I was a hundred and two years old, would you think I was telling the truth?

Turning his head, Hektor examined Victor for the first time. He had few wrinkles and aside from the dried blood, Victor still had a boyish quality to him. His hair was dark brown with slight touches of gray all over, and his eyes were still an interesting navy blue. If he did not know Victor, he would have guessed that the man sitting beside him was in his mid-fifties. No, I suppose I would not, Hektor answered. He closed his eyes and tried to make sense of his current situation. He had been dead. And now he wasn’t. If he had died and were dead, would he have been aware of the actual fact that he was deceased? He was here now … so did that mean that all this time Hektor thought he was gone he really wasn’t? What had happened to him if he didn’t die? It had felt so real … more permanent than all the other times …

This is it, right? It’s been a while.

Excuse me? His companion’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. Hektor took in his surroundings. Yes. This is it.

They pulled into the driveway of a vast house that was once very handsome and well kept. Vines covered a considerable amount of the structure, the landscape overrun by weeds. Hektor soaked it all in, unable to believe he was back at his home. Though he knew what was to come and what it meant, he still could not suppress a grin.

I want to leave her in here for a while. Victor shut off the engine.

His words stopped Hektor from reminiscing. He nodded and got out of the car. They walked to the front doors and examined the barely-rusted silver box resting where the doorknob should be. Hektor hit the green button and the light behind it flickered before glowing vibrantly.

Do you remember the code? Victor asked.

Yes. Hektor punched in six numbers. There was a click and the door popped and opened slightly. Dust fell from the seal that surrounded it. As they stepped into the familiar dwelling, a dull but polluted and horrid stench met them.

For the most part, the place was in good condition. Dust, grime, and dirt covered everything, but that was due to the place being uninhabited. Upon entering the living room, they both discovered the source of the worst part of the overall smell: on a couch rested the two intertwined carcasses of Hektor’s huskies, Ernest and Benjamin. Hektor’s stomach twinged.

"God, Victor breathed before retching. I forgot about that aspect of this place. Did you put any bodies in the basement before everything happened?"

Go ahead and get cleaned up, Hektor ignored him. I will tend to this.

I’m fine. There’s no point in getting too clean if we’re staying here. Victor grabbed a corner of the long couch cushion that held Hektor’s beloved animals and slowly pulled, dust and filth falling to the carpet. He lifted the cushion, held it at arm’s length and left, leaving Hektor standing alone in his living room.

The legs on his coffee table bore bite marks, and there was a broken vase on the floor. Other than that, Hektor saw no other damages done by his dogs as he wandered around until he spotted the carpet that led to the kitchen. There was a trail of wood shavings and dots of old blood. Hektor followed them and saw that one of the lower cabinets that held Earnest and Benjamin’s food had been scratched and chewed on. There was more old blood in the large indentation, which meant they had hurt themselves trying to get into it. Hektor undid the latch and opened the cupboard to see that three bags of kibble were all standing tidily, clearly untouched. He examined the oak door; the fact that they had managed to hollow it out as much as they did without quite being able to get through made him feel worse.

Hektor?

He turned around to see Victor with his chin up and chest out. I’m surprised this isn’t in worse condition. It’s been a long time. Do you plan on renovating this place?

Of course, said Hektor, knowing what was about to be requested of him.

Then I want Justine to be buried in the back with the others. I had other arrangements, but I know she would have preferred it this way. She loved us, and she loved you.

Hektor nodded his approval. The silence that plagued them both in the car returned as they stood mere feet from one another. Victor, I know that you have questions. I come out of nowhere, unannounced, and the next thing you know you are being attacked and Justine is killed. I—

Victor suddenly grabbed him and held him in a tight embrace. Hektor’s eyes widened in surprise. Unsure of what else to do, he hugged his friend back.

It’s good to see you, Hek. I mean it.

"It