Lowest of the Earth

02-23-12
I was working when Candlemass sort of popped up from my right side, scaring me half to death. He didn't bat an eye as to what I was doing, just dragged me out so he could talk to me better.

He told me, quickly, that he'd be back for me tonight with some more details, but he figured that this night, I would just stay at home and get reacquainted with some of the stuff around the house.



I wasn't too happy when I heard him say that, because I'd been doing my best to ignore the feeling that something prowls the downstairs hallway at night, and I wasn't thrilled to be reminded.

He told me it was okay, that he'd be there with me, and not to worry. I was far more capable than I could give myself credit for.

He seemed to be in a bit of a rush, so I asked him what was going on. Apparently, he was "planes hopping" between his village and my home, and going from the portal to here took the breath out of him.

You can imagine my face when he told me that. Apparently, in one of the pastures, two hemlocks that stand nearly side by side form a portal into his village.

I didn't have time to press him for more answers, or ask any more questions, because he was in hot pursuit of something. He promised he'd be waiting for me first thing when I got back in from work tonight, though, and disappeared, his yellow cloak flashing.

6:31

About the time I was fourteen, I was really into the whole "new genertation of Punishers" thing. I was super motivated to become a Punisher, just like Candlemass, before the scarier and more painful stuff started to rack up.

This one time, I remember Candlemass taking me out to one of the old barns no-one uses anymore. Not even for storage. It's so broken down, the floor fell in because of the weight of the old combine someone left in it, so you have to be careful going in.

Most of our excursions happened in the summer, and most of our hanging out happened in the winter, so of course this was about in the middle of August.

Candlemass shook me awake at about three in the morning that particular time, during the darkest hour of night. I was incredibly disoriented, and I have this habit of panic-crying if I think I overslept, so Candlemass had to drag a groggy, sobbing fourteen-year-old me out of the house.

By the time we'd hit the lawn, and I realized I hadn't done anything wrong, Candlemass just wanted to show me something, I calmed down. That night sticks out in my mind as particularly pleasant. The moon had already set, but the stars were bright and full, and the crickets were going full chorus. All around me, the smell of summer grass at night hung in the air.

Candlemass was telling me something, but I couldn't hear him very well, so I just kind of made a noise of agreement. He was dragging me down the driveway by my hand, his cloak sometimes picking up different bits of gravel and flinging them a ways. It was actually pretty peaceful.

When we hit the road, I started to get excited. We were going on an adventure, in the night, on a beautiful night no less. I was definitely okay with that. But by the time we had walked far enough so I couldn't see my house any more, I was getting a little worried.

He told me we'd be there shortly, and I realized what we were doing when he turned down the tiny access road that leads to the disused barn, and that was when I put my heels in.

I hate that place- it's still standing today, a little more worse for the wear, but still strong. I guess we have my forefathers to thank for their knowledge on construction. Or not.

Candlemass stopped when I stopped and jogged my hand in his a little. "It's fine, chickadee. Just for a while. I want to show you something." It was only this that would get me going again, and it took a little longer to get to the barn.

It's dark on that road, and rather scary. You can hear things moving in the tall grass, but you can never see them. Occasionally, you'll hear something cry out from the swamp a ways away, making the crickets freeze before resuming.

Before we got to the barn proper, Candlemass stopped me with a hand to my arm, and drew me closer to his side, and pointed. It took me a few minutes to see, but out in the field, dark, lumpish shapes moved jerkily in the grass.

They weren't particularly fast, but there were an alarming lot of them. Looking at them, it was as if I was looking at the backs of something more than anything else.

"What are they?" I asked, feeling a new wave of panic descend over me as I watched them. They were obviously, slowly, making their way towards us.

"The lowest of the earth." He'd said, and explained they were basically dark things that burrowed and attacked mostly defenseless creatures- cats, dogs, small children. They would mutilate and partially eat them, if they could, but they worked in packs and were frightfully stupid.

Candlemass also couldn't remember seeing so many, so he took me back home before they could collect, and promised me he'd take care of them, because I wouldn't let the issue of them being there drop. I hated things that would hurt anything small and defenseless.