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surface of her consciousness. Waiting to be summoned. The shuffling became louder still, and the man with the long face she saw moments ago, limped into the light.
"All of our lives" Samantha replied.
The long faced man laughed. "I am Kahsh, so called king of Tarosh, and I have burnt many villages. I have put to death many sons and fathers of apposing clans."
He moved close to Samantha, and looked directly into her eyes. He smelled like rotten leaves. His eyes were a cold gray with shades of tarnished green.
"But I don't remember you," he continued. "You've awoken us to condemn a man you've never met?
"I've come to ruin you."
"I'm already ruined."
"I've come to face you."
"And what has that done for you?" He sneered.
"You don't deserve to rest," Samantha said. "So much hurt and chaos you've left behind. I won't let you just fade away.
"What will you do then?" he asked.
"I've already done it. You're already cursed."
"Then why are you here?"
"I needed to face you."
There was a long silence before Khash replied: "And so you condemned all the other souls resting in this great cathedral?"
"I-" Samantha stopped. The slurred murmurs in her head came drifting back in.
"There are a lot of us down here." Khash said. "What will you do with all of us?"
The dead men on the walls all turned their heads towards Samantha. She could feel their hollow gazes beneath the baskets, and she felt as if they were judging her. As if they were condemning her. It made no sense, but it was happening. It was undeniable. Further down the hall of torches she could see something else. Something large, and moving slowly from the shadows. Something deformed. Slithering. Monstrous.
"Up there I was a king, and I was brave." Kahsh said, a strange amusement in his voice. "Down here, we are all slaves. All afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of the monsters in out heads. Tell me girl, how many dwell within you now?"
The thing at the end of the hallway was moving closer. It was so far down the narrow hall that it was hard to make out. It was human-like, with many arms. A slithering sort of crawl.
One of the elderly women handed Kahsh Samantha's sword. He looked at it blankly for a long time.
"I've sacrificed everyone and everything I know to find you. I made a deal with a witch, just for this chance to be able to tell you myself that I bought you back from the dead to suffer." Samantha said. "Everything I knew is gone because of you and your greed. This is my vengeance!"
Kahsh began to laugh.
"And in doing so you've cursed yourself, and become a monster-just like me. I too had a lust for revenge. It ate at me like a sickness. Devoured everything decent inside of me."
The thing down the hall was closer. It had many faces. A multitude of dead men formed to make a demonic spider-like thing. It was dragging itself closer with 8 human arms, which were long and arched. A multitude of broken legs trailed behind it like a deformed tail.
"What else do you see in here?" Kahsh asked. What other ghosts haunt you besides those you've cursed in here?"
The spider thing was even closer. Samantha recognized the faces on it. They were the people she had betrayed to get where she was now. She had ruined so many lives to get here. It was the only thing that had really mattered to her anymore. The remorseless search for a dead king.
"I see the guilt in your eyes. And I see the darkness. What will you do now?"
The spider thing was just behind Kahsh now. It was larger than she thought. The eyes of the people she'd betrayed were twitching up and down and back and forth, looking like flies trying to escape. Their mouths were open, with long tongues hanging out limply.
The murmurs in her head were so loud now. Screaming at her.
We will not forgive you, they were screaming.
Samantha realized suddenly that there was only one way she would ever make it out of here. Only one hope of survival.
Forgiveness.
She would have to forgive the king of Tarosh, and she would have to forgive herself for being seduced by the lust for vengeance.
The spider thing was raising its front arms, revealing a large open mouth at its belly, a horrific void filled with maggots and jagged teeth. She could smell the rot and the sickness from within it. Kahsh seemed not to notice the giant thing behind him. He just stared blankly at Samantha. They all were. The dead men on the walls, the dozens of elderly women at the edges of the shadows, and the king of Tarosh, they were all just staring at Samantha.
"I forgive you, Kahsh king of Tarosh!" Samantha yelled out, after finally deciding. "In hunting for your grave, I have become the very thing I hated. I became you, a monster filled with ugliness-and I forgive myself for that too!"
Samantha collapsed suddenly.
She was alone, and breathing heavily.
Kahsh, the old women, the dead men, and the spider thing were all gone. The torches were still lighting the long hallway, and in her hands she held the oversized sword. At the very end of the hallway, where the spider thing has come from, there was a light.
She dropped the sword, and moved towards the light.
As she did, she felt the terrible weight of her hatred falling away from her. Shedding like a snakeskin. Making her feel as if there was still hope.
She reached the light.
She was back outside, and it looked like mid afternoon.
The possibilities of what she could do next filled her with a joy she hadn't felt for so long. It was very surreal. She had expected to die in the dark with the monsters and the dead. With the voices and the shadows. The reality of being right here right now felt so strange. She felt as if she traveled into a place that in her mind was never supposed to exist.
She smiled, and began to walk forwards. She did not look back.
The End
Copyright 2017 Justin Gedak
Written by Justin Gedak
Cover art by Justin Gedak
More of Justin's artwork can be viewed here: https://www.justingedak.com/
Follow Justin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justingedak/
Thank you for reading books on Archive.BookFrom.Net
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"All of our lives" Samantha replied.
The long faced man laughed. "I am Kahsh, so called king of Tarosh, and I have burnt many villages. I have put to death many sons and fathers of apposing clans."
He moved close to Samantha, and looked directly into her eyes. He smelled like rotten leaves. His eyes were a cold gray with shades of tarnished green.
"But I don't remember you," he continued. "You've awoken us to condemn a man you've never met?
"I've come to ruin you."
"I'm already ruined."
"I've come to face you."
"And what has that done for you?" He sneered.
"You don't deserve to rest," Samantha said. "So much hurt and chaos you've left behind. I won't let you just fade away.
"What will you do then?" he asked.
"I've already done it. You're already cursed."
"Then why are you here?"
"I needed to face you."
There was a long silence before Khash replied: "And so you condemned all the other souls resting in this great cathedral?"
"I-" Samantha stopped. The slurred murmurs in her head came drifting back in.
"There are a lot of us down here." Khash said. "What will you do with all of us?"
The dead men on the walls all turned their heads towards Samantha. She could feel their hollow gazes beneath the baskets, and she felt as if they were judging her. As if they were condemning her. It made no sense, but it was happening. It was undeniable. Further down the hall of torches she could see something else. Something large, and moving slowly from the shadows. Something deformed. Slithering. Monstrous.
"Up there I was a king, and I was brave." Kahsh said, a strange amusement in his voice. "Down here, we are all slaves. All afraid."
"Of what?"
"Of the monsters in out heads. Tell me girl, how many dwell within you now?"
The thing at the end of the hallway was moving closer. It was so far down the narrow hall that it was hard to make out. It was human-like, with many arms. A slithering sort of crawl.
One of the elderly women handed Kahsh Samantha's sword. He looked at it blankly for a long time.
"I've sacrificed everyone and everything I know to find you. I made a deal with a witch, just for this chance to be able to tell you myself that I bought you back from the dead to suffer." Samantha said. "Everything I knew is gone because of you and your greed. This is my vengeance!"
Kahsh began to laugh.
"And in doing so you've cursed yourself, and become a monster-just like me. I too had a lust for revenge. It ate at me like a sickness. Devoured everything decent inside of me."
The thing down the hall was closer. It had many faces. A multitude of dead men formed to make a demonic spider-like thing. It was dragging itself closer with 8 human arms, which were long and arched. A multitude of broken legs trailed behind it like a deformed tail.
"What else do you see in here?" Kahsh asked. What other ghosts haunt you besides those you've cursed in here?"
The spider thing was even closer. Samantha recognized the faces on it. They were the people she had betrayed to get where she was now. She had ruined so many lives to get here. It was the only thing that had really mattered to her anymore. The remorseless search for a dead king.
"I see the guilt in your eyes. And I see the darkness. What will you do now?"
The spider thing was just behind Kahsh now. It was larger than she thought. The eyes of the people she'd betrayed were twitching up and down and back and forth, looking like flies trying to escape. Their mouths were open, with long tongues hanging out limply.
The murmurs in her head were so loud now. Screaming at her.
We will not forgive you, they were screaming.
Samantha realized suddenly that there was only one way she would ever make it out of here. Only one hope of survival.
Forgiveness.
She would have to forgive the king of Tarosh, and she would have to forgive herself for being seduced by the lust for vengeance.
The spider thing was raising its front arms, revealing a large open mouth at its belly, a horrific void filled with maggots and jagged teeth. She could smell the rot and the sickness from within it. Kahsh seemed not to notice the giant thing behind him. He just stared blankly at Samantha. They all were. The dead men on the walls, the dozens of elderly women at the edges of the shadows, and the king of Tarosh, they were all just staring at Samantha.
"I forgive you, Kahsh king of Tarosh!" Samantha yelled out, after finally deciding. "In hunting for your grave, I have become the very thing I hated. I became you, a monster filled with ugliness-and I forgive myself for that too!"
Samantha collapsed suddenly.
She was alone, and breathing heavily.
Kahsh, the old women, the dead men, and the spider thing were all gone. The torches were still lighting the long hallway, and in her hands she held the oversized sword. At the very end of the hallway, where the spider thing has come from, there was a light.
She dropped the sword, and moved towards the light.
As she did, she felt the terrible weight of her hatred falling away from her. Shedding like a snakeskin. Making her feel as if there was still hope.
She reached the light.
She was back outside, and it looked like mid afternoon.
The possibilities of what she could do next filled her with a joy she hadn't felt for so long. It was very surreal. She had expected to die in the dark with the monsters and the dead. With the voices and the shadows. The reality of being right here right now felt so strange. She felt as if she traveled into a place that in her mind was never supposed to exist.
She smiled, and began to walk forwards. She did not look back.
The End
Copyright 2017 Justin Gedak
Written by Justin Gedak
Cover art by Justin Gedak
More of Justin's artwork can be viewed here: https://www.justingedak.com/
Follow Justin on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/justingedak/
Thank you for reading books on Archive.BookFrom.Net
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