Chapter 4
The bathwater encased him like a coffin. “…should have drowned you at birth!” Her voice wavered above him as she held him down. Her face distorted, unfamiliar through water and pain. “Pequeñomonstruo(1), why won’t you…just…die?” She tiredly asked, her grip slackening. He couldn’t answer her, his lips were sealed tightly as he drowned, taking the words with him to the grave…
He awoke with a strangled gasp, as he shot forward in the bed frantically. His hands pushed his sweaty, unruly curls back from his forehead as his shaky gaze darted around the shadows of the apartment, realizing gradually that he wasn’t back there. It was just an old dream, nothing important, he could breathe. He proved it as he inhaled deep breath after deep breath. His muscles slowly began to unwind, the adrenalin fading away like a memory as his breathing returned to normal.
Jake Lockley pulled off the thick comforter he was cocooned in and noticed he was dressed in the worm’s sleep clothes. He slept nude himself, but to each his own he supposed. He undid the shackle that was buckled around his ankle and literally hopped out of bed to avoid the ring of sand still surrounding it. Lockley honestly wondered what the point of it all was, but it wasn’t like he could ask. If he weren’t dead cert that his worse thirds didn’t know a thing about him, he’d have thought they did it just to annoy him.
He found his cap lying on the floor and dusted the sand off of it before putting it on, sneering distastefully. What a haragán(2). He then went and took out his outfit from the back of the closet. Jake hadn’t bothered going to any great lengths to hiding his possessions; he figured they’d just think that they belonged to each other and so far he’d been right. They were pathetically easy to predict and manipulate. He banged a hand against the fish tank, startling the goldfish, as he strolled out of the apartment.
When he reached the roof of the building he saw that his God was seated cross-legged and staring up at the night sky, his staff resting across his knees. Lockley quietly came up behind him. Khonshu made a long sighing sound like the wind that blew across the ledge. “You shammed me my knight.” He said without turning around. Jake froze while staring at his back.
“Cuz I lost.” He breathed out, grudgingly. Jake felt the cold as he shoved his hands deep into his jacket pockets. Khonshu turned his head to eye him with one large hollow hole. He could feel it piercing through his being to the very heart of him.
“Because you lost, spectacularly.” Jake bridled at that and couldn’t help but mumble under his breath.
“It’s not like you were much help.” Khonshu rose up and slammed his staff on the rooftop as the wind picked up, buffeting against him.
“I didn’t tell you to fight them!” He snapped as he gestured across the cityscape surrounding them. “Now these…creatures take you as nothing more than a joke, and therefore myself by extension.” Khonshu leaned towards him. “You’ve really disappointed me Jake.” Jake knew he’d fucked up, letting those vampires play around with him and run off like they did.
He wasn’t surprised that Khonshu was angry, he himself was furious, but he had never seen his God direct that overwhelming and towering rage towards him before. He had been nothing but friendly with him ever since they had first met when he was little. Khonshu had always understood him and been the only one to acknowledge and validate who he was.
“I s-see. You’re right..about all of it. It’s my problem, I’ll fix it.” Jake promised solemnly, choking up. He felt a strange tightening in his chest.
“You better.” Khonshu threatened softly. Khonshu was his first and only friend. And he’d protect that relationship with everything he had. He wouldn’t be abandoned. He was better than those pests. He would destroy those vampire mierdas(3) and prove it to him once and for all. The skeletal bird raised himself to his full height as he looked down at him. “Always know I’ll be watching over you, because you are worth it to me.” Jake bowed his head.
-Cue Song- Fly Me to the Moon, by Frank Sinatra-
(1) Little monster Pequeñomonstruo
(2) Slob haragán
(3) Shit mierdas
Fun Fact:
Short I know, but heavy…told ya Khonshu was a jerk…
In one of the comics Khonshu did stalk them while they were young, and he was responsible for them getting dishonorably discharged...