CRY FOR BLOOD

Part III

By Wesley Overhults

Gotham Heights

“Jesus, another one?”

Dale Colton looked at the curtain rod on the shower where Eric Andrews had hung himself.  He rubbed his eyes and started shifting his brain into that space that he knew too well.  Both Eric’s parents had been slaughtered and it looked as if Eric was the prime suspect.  Things were looking bad for the wealthy young people of Gotham.  Fresh on the heels of Megan Waters was this grisly scene and unless Colton figured something out, he suspected the bodies would continue to pile up.

“Neighbors called it in,” confirmed one of the uniformed officers.  “You wanna know something else weird?”

“Nothing’s weird at this point,” reminded Colton.

“All the neighbors tell the same story,” explained the officer.  “We went over statements after we collected them and it sounds like a broken record.  I mean right down to the same words and everything.”

“Which means that someone else did this and they want us to think that the Andrews kid murdered his own parents and then hung himself,” realized Colton.  “Start leaning on the neighbors a little and get one of them to crack.  Keep the press out of this too.  I saw that they’re starting to flock towards here.  After the other suicide, this is the last thing that we need.”

Colton let the officer go back to doing crowd control while he watched the forensics team go over the crime scene.  He didn’t see the Mark of Skath anywhere but he knew that the same people who adorned themselves with it were behind this.  Two high-profile kids in one of the more affluent sections of Gotham killed themselves in roughly the space of one week.  It was too much of a coincidence to think that the suicides weren’t related.

“I got no fingerprints except Eric’s,” confirmed the lead forensics tech.  “We got something underneath his fingernails though.  They’re fibers and they didn’t come from the rope he used.  We’ll have to process them back at the lab but we can definitely tell that they’re red and they look like they came from a pretty expensive piece of material.  We’ll know more once we work up a full analysis.”

“No blood this time,” mused Colton.  “Interesting.”

He knew from his findings that these people adored blood.  So why wasn’t this crime scene covered with it like Megan’s bathtub was?  Maybe they were getting smart to him or at least getting smart to the idea that some law enforcement agency was tracking them.  If they were trying to conceal their movements then they still weren’t doing a good enough job of it.  Surely they couldn’t rely on the anonymity of their god and the disbelief of their existence to shield them forever.

“If this was a frame job then it was seriously sloppy,” said the forensic tech.  “There are tons of indentations over by the kid’s bed, possibly footprints.”

“Which means there were people in this room with him,” said Colton.  “These people are either getting dumber or they just don’t care anymore.  Either way, it’s making them even more dangerous than before.  Finish sweeping this scene and send me the analysis of everything you find.  I’ve got another lead I want to follow.”

Detective Colton knew in his gut that Rachel Roth was involved in this.  Rachel’s name had come up in the Waters investigation but Colton didn’t pay it any attention even though Megan’s mother had some severely unkind things to say about Rachel when she made her statement.  Then Rachel had turned up almost dead practically on the doorstep of the Waters house.  That made Colton look a little harder at her and now another of her classmates was dead.  Colton had gauged Rachel’s reaction when he showed her that picture of the Mark of Skath and he could tell she was spooked by it.  Whatever was going on, she was involved in it somehow and right now that meant she was Colton’s best lead.  If he could track her then maybe he could find out who these people were and what her connection was to them.

Rachel wasn’t exactly sure what she should wear so she settled on her standard attire: black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a purple long-sleeve shirt under it in case it got chilly.  She didn’t really think the outfit would go over too well in church but it wasn’t as if Rachel cared about what anyone else thought.  She was doing this because something was suspicious about Meredith Hiller and she wanted some answers.  She couldn’t deny that it was going to be fun when she finally exposed Meredith for the complete fake that Rachel always thought she was.  Jealousy was an emotion that Rachel understood.  All these years, she had misdirected that jealousy at Megan but now maybe Megan was just a pawn in Meredith’s game.  Maybe Meredith was the one calling the shots and maybe she deserved Rachel’s wrath instead of Megan.  In any case, Rachel was determined to find the answers and the closure that she needed.  If that meant going to some silly candlelight church service with Meredith then Rachel could deal with it for the sake of her former best friend.

“I’m really glad you decided to come to this with me, Rachel,” said Meredith after ushering Rachel inside her house.  “I think you’re going to really have a good experience tonight.”

“I’m doing this for Megan,” clarified Rachel.  “I don’t want to make church a habit so get that thought out of your head if it’s in there.”

“You might change your tune after tonight,” suggested Meredith.  “I have to go get dressed.  Help yourself to the soda on the counter there.  My mom bought it earlier and hadn’t put it in the fridge so it’s not cold yet.”

Rachel wordlessly shrugged in response and noticed that the soda in question was cherry Coke.  Rachel loved cherry Coke, not that very many people knew that.  As she opened a can and took a sip, she wondered if it was just a coincidence that Meredith had her favorite soft drink or maybe Megan ended up mentioning it to her at some point.  Rachel didn’t want to give Meredith that much credit nor could she find a real reason why Meredith would try to suck up to her assuming that she even knew Rachel liked cherry Coke.

“Shiny, happy people,” muttered Rachel to herself as she looked at the pictures and other knick-knacks that adorned the refrigerator.  “Somebody remind me again why I’m doing this.”

She absently continued drinking her cherry Coke, her eyes wandering over the photos of Meredith and her parents.  They seemed so unbelievably happy in those photos, like they were some sort of Norman Rockwell painting come to life or something.  Maybe that was why Rachel hated Meredith so much: jealousy.  Rachel didn’t like to talk about it so much but deep inside she wanted to find her biological parents.  It wasn’t that the Thornes weren’t amazing parents, they were in fact.  It was just that she had this need to know where she came from, the same need she presumed all foster children had.  She hadn’t pursued that since she was a child though and she doubted she ever would again.  Still, the curiosity nagged at her.

“Alright, let’s go,” said Meredith as she held up her car keys.

Rachel blinked absently and then finished her drink, throwing it into the trash can and then following Meredith into the garage where her car was parked.  Rachel climbed into the passenger seat and buckled up before Meredith pulled out into the driveway and then into the street.  She flicked on the stereo and the annoying lyrics of some pop song filtered into Rachel’s ears.  She bit her lip and tried not to let it bother her.  Rachel clearly didn’t want to be in the same building as Meredith, let alone the same car.  She was doing this for Megan though, that and to find answers to her questions.

“I didn’t know that you and Megan went to the same church,” said Rachel casually, staring out the window as the streets of Gotham City flew by in an effort to distract herself from Meredith and her terrible taste in music.

“Oh she had just joined a few years ago,” said Meredith.  “I got her to go with me a few times and she was hooked.  God has a way of doing that to people.”

“Yeah,” said Rachel but there was a distant quality to her voice.

Meredith glanced in Rachel’s direction and let a small smile grace her lips.  Rachel blinked again and began to feel groggy.  She definitely didn’t need more sleep after that crazy nightmare she had earlier in the day.  Was it all the excitement of last night that had drained her of her energy?  No, it didn’t feel like she was sleepy.  It felt like she was drugged or something.

“I’m glad you decided to finish that drink, Rachel,” said Meredith.  “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist that cherry Coke.  Megan told me it was your favorite.  I have to confess something to you, Rachel.”

“What?” asked Rachel, trying to fight against whatever was happening to her.  “What did you do?”

“Oh I just drugged you,” answered Meredith casually.  “I told you my dad works at Gotham General, remember?  It’s really not hard for me to get something if I need it.  I’m good at getting what I want, Rachel.  That’s not what I wanted to tell you though.  I wanted to tell you that I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.  When I found out that you wereThe Daughter I was totally shocked.  I still can’t believe it.  My plans with Megan didn’t go really well though.  That was why she had to go.”

“You bitch,” said Rachel, fighting to keep her eyes open.

“Just close your eyes and get some sleep,” suggested Meredith.  “I know my ability won’t work on you, so I had to come up with something else.  Just close your eyes and rest, Rachel.  We’ll be there soon enough.”

Rachel tried to fight against the drug but it was a losing battle.  Her whole body felt heavy and her head bobbed a few more times before her chin touched her chest and she was out like a light.  Her last coherent thought was that maybe this time she would get some good sleep instead of having more nightmares.

“You really have no idea who You are, do You?”

Rachel Roth blearily opened her eyes as her mind swam up from the darkness of drug-induced sleep.  For a moment, she almost thought she was dreaming again because what she saw in front of her was too insane to believe.  The man standing in front of her wore the same style of robes that her attacker from the night before had draped himself in but these were more ornate.  Rachel realized that she had to be suspended off the floor because she was looking down at the man even though he was clearly taller than her if they were standing on equal footing.  She unconsciously flexed her body and realized that she was bound to something by thick rope.

“Rachel Roth,” she answered automatically.  “And you would be who exactly?”

“My name is Brother Blood,” answered the man, a grim smile forming on his face.  “I believe You’ve met some of the members of my Church of Blood.  You will be pleased to know that the man who mistakenly stabbed You last night is now dead.  You can thank me later if You survive this experience.”

“Why would I thank you for killing someone?” asked Rachel before turning her eyes from Brother Blood to the girl standing next to him.  “Nice church you have here, Meredith.  For the record, you’re not a very good nun.  The outfit makes you look a little chubby.”

“You have no need to address her,” assured Brother Blood.  “She is nothing, an insignificant worm.  We all are when compared to You.”

“Because I’m the sire of the Dark Lord?” inquired Rachel.  “So what do you people do, say my name three times while looking into a mirror and hope I’ll appear or something?”

“Right now the stars are aligning in a perfect convergence that was foretold by the ancient scribes of our order,” explained Brother Blood.  “The Order of Skath has existed for centuries, seeking to bring about the glorious Earthly reign of our god, the dark lord known as Trigon the Terrible.  In order to create the portal needed to bring our Dark Lord to this plane, we need His sire.  That would be You, Raven.”

“Wow, you people worship me and can’t even get my name right,” quipped Rachel with mock indignation.  “It’s ‘Rachel’ not ‘Raven’.”

“Raven is the name given to You by the Dark Lord,” stated Brother Blood.  “It was Your human mother that named You Rachel after she stole You away from us.  We were supposed to be Your family, Raven.  You were never supposed to experience this painfully normal life full of average, mundane idiots.  When we finally found out who You really were, I sent Meredith to move among Your peers at Gotham Heights High.  She got close to You by befriending Megan but Eric Andrews almost ruined that.  You can thank me for killing him earlier today.  He soiled You and deserved death.”

“Again, not going to thank you,” said Rachel, struggling against the giant cross she was strapped to.  “So all this crap that happened was your fault?  You were the ones who really screwed up my whole life instead of Megan and Eric?”

“We saved You,” countered Meredith.  “You were becoming corrupted, Raven.  The Daughter isn’t supposed to experience emotions like love or compassion.  Eric was poisoning Youso I did whatever I could to make sure he wasn’t a problem anymore.  I brought Megan into the Church of Blood and Brother Blood ordered her to seduce Eric to get him away fromYou.  Megan did something really stupid though.  She actually fell in love with him and it was keeping her from her church duties.  That was why we had to kill her and him too.”

“They were the only people I cared about and you murdered them,” paraphrased Rachel, the anger growing inside her with each passing second.  “If he even exists, I swear to God when I get down from this thing I’m going to kill you in return.”

“You need not swear to God when you are His offspring,” reminded Brother Blood.  “Tap into Your anger, Raven.  The more negative emotions You feel, the more You become in tune with Your true nature.  Do you think it’s any coincidence that You were drawn to Megan’s death, consumed to find the truth behind it?  Do You think it’s coincidence that You’restarting to develop Your supernatural abilities now?  All of this has been to prepare You for what You must do.  You can’t fight who and what You are, Raven.”

“I’ll show you what I can and can’t fight,” warned Rachel, unaware that her eyes were starting to glow blood-red and her voice had taken on an otherworldly quality to it.

Brother Blood smiled serenely as he watched Rachel stew in anger.  The angrier she got, the more perfect she became.  All the positive emotions like love, happiness, and compassion were toxic to The Daughter.  She could only know the negative emotions like anger, jealousy, and sorrow.  The more she experienced these emotions, the more she prepared herself as the perfect vessel for her father’s return.  She was a living, breathing portal and when the time was right and the ritual was performed, Trigon would return to the mortal plane through her.  That was the whole reason the Church of Blood existed.

“I know that this will hurt You and it will hurt me too,” admitted Brother Blood as members of his congregation gathered around Rachel.  “Trust though that if You survive this ritual then I will gladly accept my punishment for Your pain.  It’s time for You and the rest of the world to meet Your Father, Raven.”

Rachel could feel something bubbling up inside of her.  It wasn’t coming from her stomach so much as it was coming from some other place.  Rachel never really believed that people had souls.  She knew they had something inside them that made them unique but as an atheist she didn’t believe in souls or an afterlife.  Whatever this otherworldly force was, it was coming from her soul.  She couldn’t describe it with any other word except for “dark”.  It wasn’t hate or jealousy or sadness.  It was all those things rolled into one and so much more.  She also felt dread too, the dread that something was coming and she was powerless to stop it.  She screamed for help but she knew no one would come to save her.  Maybe this was really what she was supposed to do with her life.  Rachel never had aspirations for her life.  Just living day to day was enough of a struggle for her.  Maybe this was why she never had any plans for her future, because deep down she already knew what it was supposed to be.

“I will release The Daughter from Her mortal bonds,” said Brother Blood as he pulled out a very large dagger and readied himself to stab Rachel in the heart with it.  “She is the vessel that will bring the Dark Lord into this world.  It will be the end of all mortal things and He will preside over Earth as its ruler for all eternity.”

Rachel looked at Brother Blood through the red haze of her glowing eyes and realized that something inside her wanted this.  It wasn’t going to happen though.  A shot rang out and Rachel could see the bullet exit through Brother Blood’s forehead.  The attack made him drop the dagger and some of his blood splattered onto Rachel’s face.  She looked on in horror as the wound in Brother Blood’s forehead began to heal rapidly.  He turned and saw the source of the attack.  Clad in the disguise of a Church member, Detective Dale Colton still held his smoking gun at Brother Blood at readied it for another shot.

“Sorry for having to deceive you but you have to admit that you people are pretty hard to find,” said Colton.  “My name is Dale Colton and I’m with the GCPD.  I’m taking all of you in on conspiracy in the deaths of Megan Waters and Eric Andrews.  We can either do this calmly or we can get really messy.”

“You will not stop my holy mission,” stated Brother Blood, the wound in his head now completely healed as if nothing had happened.  “I am the prophet of the Dark Lord.  I am Hisright hand and His mighty power flows through my veins.  I will eat your heart and bathe in your blood before this night is over.  The Church of Blood answers only to the laws of theDark Lord, not to any laws of mortals.”

“I take it you want things to get messy then,” said Colton before firing another shot at Brother Blood and hitting him in the heart.

He knew that the bullet wasn’t going to stop Brother Blood but it was going to give him enough time to do what he needed to do.  While the members of Blood’s congregation that were present surged towards him, he ran towards the altar where Rachel was strapped to the cross.  Colton vaulted over Brother Blood’s prone body and began untying Rachel from the cross.

“I really wasn’t lying about not seeing that symbol before,” reminded Rachel, the glow in her eyes fading.  “I seriously don’t know what’s going on here.”

“Way it sounds, I think this was your bat mitzvah,” joked Colton, using his gun to keep the congregation away.  “Kinda have to admit I wasn’t completely honest just now.  I may have given the impression that I had backup to take all these people in.”

“Great, now we’re both screwed,” said Rachel as she got back to her feet, not that she had a lot of options about where to go.  “How long do we have before this celestial convergence thing is over with?”

“I have absolutely no idea but we need to get the hell out of here now,” said Colton as he covered Rachel so she could get out the back way of the church.  “You’re the daughter of this demon thing, don’t you have any special powers or something?”

“So far my special power is to keep other people from getting killed by killing myself,” retorted Rachel as she and Colton tried to find the rear exit for the church.  “Somehow I don’t think that’s going to work here.”

Brother Blood and the rest of his congregation were hot on their heels and they looked incensed to say the least.  Rachel couldn’t figure out if she was more frightened of them or of the monster that was lurking inside her.  All her life, all Rachel wanted to be was a normal girl.  Now she had just learned that she was anything but normal and probably never would be.  Worse than the idea that she was a monster was the idea that she would cause the end of the world.  Rachel never wanted to hurt anyone much less destroy the entire human race.  It was insane to think that she could do anything like that, that she would want to do anything like that.

“Dead end,” realized Colton as they turned a corner and almost ran into a wall.  “I don’t think there’s a back way out of this place.”

“Then we’re completely screwed,” decided Rachel as the Church of Blood cornered them and stopped them from doubling back.  “Nice thought trying to save the damsel in distress but next time you should bring backup.”

“Assuming there is a next time,” said Colton, leveling his gun at Brother Blood.  “I’m going to make a hole for you.  Be ready to run when I do it.”

Rachel felt something inside her shift and looked down at her hands.  They were glowing black again and she could feel the skin on her entire body tingle with electricity.  She didn’t know if it had just started or if it had been doing that ever since Brother Blood got her angry and tried to release the demon inside her.  Whatever the case, Rachel felt the power surge through her and she pointed her hands towards Brother Blood and the rest of his congregation.  An aura of black energy surrounded all of them, enveloping them in the darkness of her power.  The group of fanatics suddenly scattered to the far ends of the room as if they were shoved in those directions by some unseen force.  Colton looked at Rachel but the teenage girl was just as confused as she was.

“You said make a hole,” she reminded him.

“Whatever, just run,” he retorted as they ran back the way they had come and managed to make it out of the front entrance of the building.  “I tailed you here in my car.  It’s parked about a block away.  We need to get the hell away from this place until I can get the rest of the boys to surround that building.”

Rachel wordlessly nodded and followed Colton to his car, getting in and buckling up.  Her hands had stopped glowing by then.  Her mind flashed back to the things she had read about in those books on paranormal activity.  Telekinesis was a common ability to manifest.  In fact, after reading about it she had spent God knew how long staring at a glass of water trying to move it with her mind.  So how was it that she could do something like that now when she couldn’t do it back then even when she had been trying?  Maybe her powers developed with age or maybe it had something to do with the celestial convergence that Brother Blood babbled on about.

“Where are we going?” she asked Colton as he began to drive.

“I’m stashing you in a motel then I’m going back to that place with some backup,” answered Colton.

“Blood will slaughter them,” reminded Rachel.  “You’ve seen what he can do and you know nothing you shoot him with will slow him down.  It’s suicide.”

“Then what do you suggest I do?” inquired Colton.  “If what Blood said about you was right then this isn’t going to end, Rachel.  As long as you’re alive then there’s always the chance that you could end the world.”

“So kill me then,” dared Rachel and Colton could tell that she wasn’t joking in the slightest.  “It’s not like I even deserve to live if I’m going to destroy everything.”

“Not until I make sure that killing you won’t start an apocalypse and even then I won’t do it,” replied Colton.  “I’m a cop, Rachel.  I save lives, not take them.”

Brother Blood had never felt such a mixture of anger and pride before in his unholy life.  On the one hand, he was livid that Rachel had escaped before he had the chance to complete the ritual and bring the Dark Lord into the mortal world.  On the other hand, he was amazed that Rachel was growing into Her new powers so quickly.  He saw the way Her true nature showed through when She got angry with him.  Sooner or later, She would come to relish her position in life as The Daughter and then She would be able to do what She was destined to do.

“We need Her back,” he told his Church of Blood.  “The celestial convergence will last for the rest of the night so there’s still time left to perform the ritual.  We need to scour this city, find Her, bring Her back here, and complete the ritual.”

“May I make a suggestion, Brother?” inquired Meredith.

“Speak and be quick about it,” demanded Blood.

“She will never come to us willingly again now that She knows our plans for Her,” explained Meredith.  “Searching the city to find Her won’t get us anywhere.  Her human side is what makes Her weak.  It’s let Her become too attached to the people around Her and we can exploit that weakness to make Her come to us.”

“And you suggest we do this how?” asked Blood skeptically.

“By threatening the people She loves most in the world,” answered Meredith.  “I know where She lives and I know that She loves her foster parents dearly.  If we harm them thenShe will come running to their defense and we will have Her.”

“Oh you are a cunning one, Sister Meredith,” admitted Blood with a cruel grin.  “You should be most proud of your servitude to the Church.  Very well then, we shall pay The Daughter’s miserable surrogate parents a visit and help them convince Her to return to our loving embrace.”

“Thank you, Brother,” said Meredith.  “As always, I live only to serve you and our Church.”

Brother Blood smiled at the thought of what was about to happen.  Rachel had lived in the human world too long, letting its emotions and feelings blind her to her true calling.  In order to free her from those delusions, they would take away the last thing in her life that made her human.  Once that was finished, she would be theirs and the apocalypse could begin.

“You should be safe here,” said Colton, flipping the lights on and looking around at the slightly dingy motel room.  “Stay inside and don’t do anything to draw attention to yourself.  If anyone comes to the door and it’s not me then don’t let them in no matter what.  Are we clear on all this?”

“Pretty sure I’m not brain-dead,” said Rachel.  “I can take care of myself, Colton.  Go be a guy and blow things up with guns or whatever.”

“The GCPD is going to tear that building apart and these people will be on the run for the rest of their lives if they manage to get away,” assured Colton.  “You’re going to be safe, Rachel.”

“Right, sure,” said Rachel before she settled herself on the bed and then flipped on the TV.  “The only danger I’m in right now is dying of boredom from this crappy TV.”

“Once I make sure that place is locked down, I’ll come back here to check on you,” promised Colton.  “Stay out of trouble until then.  I’m going to get some officers over here to keep an eye on you while I’m gone.”

Rachel watched him shut the door and then tried to turn her attention back to the TV.  She was in the midst of a very large panic attack, perhaps the largest one she had ever had.  She always tried to play things off as if they didn’t bother her when in actuality they did.  Her mind flashed back to something Eric Andrews said to her only a day before.  He was right when he told her that she wanted people to think certain things about her.  She loved to project the image that she was emotionless, that nothing that ever happened in her life got to her.  That was exactly what the Church of Blood wanted her to be: a heartless monster who felt nothing.  She couldn’t be like that though.  She felt things, felt them deeply in fact.  She had cared for Eric and for Megan too.  She loved her foster parents.  She couldn’t just turn off that human part of her that made her care for the people around her.

“I’ve spent pretty much my whole life trying to believe that you didn’t exist,” she said to herself as she opened up the drawer on the bedside table and stared at the copy of the Bible that was inside.  “I really don’t know about things these days but if you’re up there and you can hear me, throw me a bone here.  I don’t want to be this thing that they want me to be.  I want to be a human being and not a monster.  So if you could somehow help me out with that, it would be really, really appreciated.”

There was no answer to her misshapen prayer and she didn’t expect one.  It did give her some small comfort though somewhere deep inside her tortured soul.  That momentary peace was broken by the sound of her cell phone ringing.  Rachel fished the phone out of her pocket, having forgotten that it was still there in the first place.  She noted that the call was coming from her parents.  She had completely forgotten about her curfew and she knew there was no way she was going to make it.  She had to tell her foster parents what was going on so they didn’t go out looking for her or something.

“Rachel,” said Catherine Thorne after Rachel answered the phone.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” asked Rachel, feeling her foster mother’s terror even through the phone.  “I know you’re worried about me but I’m okay.  You’re not going to believe what happened but I’ll try to explain.”

“Don’t come home, Rachel,” warned her foster mother.  “He’s here and he’s got us.”

“Insipid fool,” snarled Brother Blood as he took the phone from her.  “Lovely to talk to You again, Raven.  Do please come home and join us or something very bad may happen to these pathetic humans You seem to care about.”

“If you hurt them then I swear to God I will kill you,” stated Rachel.

“I would welcome the chance to have my life ended by The Daughter,” stated Blood.  “Come home, Raven, and come alone or else.”

Rachel stared at the phone as the call ended.  She knew it was suicide.  She knew Brother Blood was holding her foster parents over her head in order to get what he wanted.  Rachel had no choice though.  She cared too much about her foster parents to leave them hanging out to dry like that.  She had to stop Brother Blood from hurting them even if it meant turning herself over to the Church of Blood.

Next Issue: It’s the final showdown between Rachel and the Church of Blood as “Cry For Blood” concludes.