Voices

Jonathan was alone with his memories....

Jonathan woke in a drug induced haze, not completely sure of what was happening. The blackness was still there and he told himself that times past could never repeat. Anxiously he sat up and looked around him, scanning the room for her presence but there was no sign of Lillith.

�She�s gone�, relieved he fell back exhausted on the bed.

The memories of old came back to haunt him. He had seen this woman, no, he had heard this woman before. There was something else as well, old sounds that were in his head, swirling round and round. Jonathan felt they wanted to be pulled together, become words, warning him as they had done in his younger days. Before he could think more about them though, he was more perplexed with her last outburst.

�My seed?�

He wanted to know what she meant. The fatigue of sleeping pills gradually made him feel drowsy again and slowly he could feel his lids reluctantly closing. As he went into dreamworld he vividly began to see into his past. He was there in the boarding school, alone, no mother and father, on the day when all his fellow young friends were running towards their parents. Tears welled up in his eyes as he saw cars drive away leaving him alone. There were only two other people on site, the caretaker and the headmaster who were busy finalising the Christmas departure schedule. Neither had bothered to check to see if everyone had departed. There had been so much noise and disruption caused on that final day before the holiday season that the two of them were happy to have some peace and quiet.

That peace and quiet though was not in the realms of Jonathans mind. As soon as the final blow of the big oaken door crashed shut he was suddenly alone with only a cold chill in the air. His eyes followed the two cars down to the big rusty iron gates that shut the world from the school. The headmaster said farewell to the caretaker. He was coming back to do some handywork in a couple of days time. As the school was so far away from the nearest habitable place, there were no alarms to be set, and the howling winds in the winter time were enough to scare off any prospective burglar.

There had been no-where for him to go outside of the school. He had lied to the Secretary saying that an Uncle would provide him shelter during the break times. Jonathan though was scared of the outside world. His fees had been payed by social services that eventually found him after his mother had died. They wanted to put him somewhere away from harm and to banish the memories of his earlier life. Those memories were not going to disappear and followed him everywhere.

Jonathon knew he had to stay alone. He lay on his bed, then getting bored of this, he moved to another of the five or six beds in his dormitary. Picking up a magazine someone had left behind he started to read randomly. There was a radio that provided him with company for a while until he began to feel his stomach being in need of food. In the days leading up to the mass exodus of company from the school, Jonathan had built up a secret supply of all kinds of goodies to eat whilst he anticipated being alone. Also he knew his way to the canteen kitchens having befriended a chef and asked him one morning for an extra glass of milk after breakfast. The chef had left keys on a table that quickly disappeared into Jonathan's pocket.

Much of the reserves of wholesome food would be gone now as the school had two weeks closed but there would still be something, maybe scraps to eat, he felt sure of that. Also he had seen a microwave that was easy to reheat any morsels he found. Since most of the food that came to the school was pre-prepared anyway he would have an easy job to cook things. Whilst thinking about venturing out to find some proper food he binged on a supply of sweets for a while before realising that something more substantial was needed. Eventually as the light of the day began to fade, Jonathan went in search of his torch. He knew that turning on a light would alert someone and he didn't want to get into any trouble.

There was a loud crash outside that startled him and Jonathan went to the window. He could see what he thought was a jet black cat running through the car park. The animal may have startled something, may have knocked a dustbin lid over or may have been chasing something. Then the cat stopped. As Jonathon looked at it, the cat stared back at him. Jonathan was three floors up in a large bricked building moving into the gloom of night so he wondered how the cat could see him. The cats eyes began to pierce into his almost burning the retinas away. Penetrating deeply into his consciousness Jonathan felt something moving around and in his body.

'Those eyes belong to Lillith. Don't be scared. Remember, we are here to protect you'

Jonathan began to sweat, not able to take his eyes from the cat, not able to move from the window. The voices that were coming from his mouth gave off a swirling mist that blocked Jonathans view. Those voices had not been with him since his mothers death, almost as though they had been too scared to come out from the night. Now though, he suddenly felt them saving him. With the view of Jonathan cut off the cat let out a shriek and vanished.

'We will return. Do not forget us. She is following you now, waiting. She will wait until you are ready. You are young. There is time. We will return. Do not forget us.'

The last thing Jonathan remembered was a loud crash. When he awoke, he was laid out on the floor. Jonathan felt a cut deep on his cheek seeing broken glass that must have knocked to the ground when he fell. He managed to cover his cut with a towel that he pressed on his face until gradually he felt the bleeding stop. Finding the bathroom he cleaned himself up feeling sick that this had happened on the first day alone. Any thoughts of food had left him now. Once again in his life he was haunted. That scar was to stay with him for the rest of his life.

Now back in the present day he needed to try and get those voices back. They had helped him before. That burning of the creatures eyes he remembered was the same as the woman that now befriended him. He wanted his protectors back. Jonathan thought for a minute about where they could possibly have gone. Somewhere dormant in his mind, even in his heart was the answer. He shouted out

�The voices are the key!�

..........and hoped that they would answer.

Author's Note

This was an addition to the story that we felt could bring back some of Jonathans past after leaving SA. Certainly this part could be opened up further to include much more.

Reviews

[Dead Angel]

this was a great addition! you're revealing Johnathan more to the reader, and we're seeing more into his troubled life and mind. this is very interesting though i think you should mention that Johnathan hasn't heard the voices in quite sometime, i mean i didn't even realize that was the case. but good continuation and i can't wait to read the rest. :D

[Nick Erickson]

This was a very insightful view on Jonathan's past, especially him being alone and relying on himself and - the voices the deamons.

I'm glad you took a step back to provide us with more of an insight to his life.

Well done!!

[These Haunted Hallways]

Loved it. Really cool how u guys set this chapter up. Almost like Scrooge in his early days hehe. And that picture is just too wierd, evil and creepy, but cool lol. Awesome addition!

B.A.

[Fantasyfairy]

I like the addition of his past life in this one, esceppially after his Mother died, what happened to him and where did he go are now answered a little. This story is coming along nicely, and it does add a nice addition of the voices to the storyline. XX