The Prologue... The Rage That Stormed

Hoyden ran through the rain, she wasn’t happy. Her black hair stuck to her skin like slimy rats tails, but she knew she must get home. They said England had bad weather but this storm had lasted for 6 hours and the pitch black clouds brought more than just a chill in the air. She didn’t know what, but this storm was bringing something, storms normally raged but this storm carried rage. The clouds looked ominous and the sky was angry.
Miles away Dave woke from her slumber with a start. She thought she had heard voices. She got up and walked around the house. No one else was awake, she must have been dreaming. ‘Ressurectio’ she heard as a rush through the house. She shook her head, it must be the rain on the windows, or the wind through the tree’s. She sniffed, something smelt bad. She didn’t know what but something was amiss.
In central London people passed down the street drenched. Looking at the lit window you would have thought Phoebe was watching them with glee. She wasn’t. She was watching and waiting, what for she didn’t know. She had dreamt of lightning which always made her nervous, only this storm was so lacking in lightning when the atmosphere was electric. People continued to pass by, Phoebe yawned. It was quarter past midnight, not quite the right time, but almost. She could feel something, almost. She continued to stare, looking straight through the raindrops running in front of her gaze. She wasn’t the only one.
Miriam Perry had sat bolt upright in her bed. The rain was beating so hard it must have spoiled her dreams. No, something had woken her up, a voice perhaps? The curtains rustled from the open window. A sudden chill caught her and grabbing her dressing gown she slipped out of bed to close it. Outside was pitch black, darker than any night she had ever seen. As she closed the window a flash of bright red lightning shot down miles away briefly lighting the sky. Miriam rubbed her eyes; she could have sworn the clouds had a face, only a glimpse, but a face it had been with blood red eyes. She hurriedly closed the curtains and hid her face under the duvet desperate for sleep. She couldn’t have seen something, but indeed she had.

***

Matlock was a quiet town. Its inhabitants lead a quiet life day to day. The shops opened, the car parks filled, people went to work. It was very like any other large town, except tonight. The sky was filled with clouds that looked like jet black smoke. Despite the clouds and the sheets of icy dagger like rain there was no thunder, no sound. Riber Castle couldn’t be seen in the pitch black, yet on the opposite hill, Wishingstone Way to be precise, something started to glow. It was a large old boulder the ‘Wishing Stone’ that had given the street its very name. Now and again it would glow with an ethereal green. Suddenly from nowhere a red bolt of lightning hit the rock. ‘Ressurectio’ shouted the clouds; only they were no longer what they seemed. They had formed an angry face ‘suscitatio everto’ it shouted, ‘suscitatio everto’, once more ‘suscitatio everto’ another red bolt hit the rock and with an almighty crack the rock broke clean in two and the nights sky was erased for a second as with a flash everything turned pure blood red.

***

‘Suscitatio everto’ Phoebe screamed as if she had been attacked as she was thrown across the room. She gathered herself looked around. She had felt that. Her body seemed to be filled with electricity. Every step she took an electric shock trembled through the core of her bones, again she flew across the room screaming, and again. The light switched on ‘Phoebe?’ still half asleep Polly picked Phoebe up ‘Silly cat, whatever is the matter with you?’ But for as much as she stroked Phoebe’s pure white fur not a single purr came from the cat, she just looked at her owner with a knowing stare swishing her tail deep in troubled thought.
‘Suscitatio everto’ Dave barked at the hissing voice instantly waking the house, as barking wasn’t something Dave had ever done. She continued to bark as the voice inside her head repeated the words twice more. Footsteps ran down the stairs. Michelle took one look at Dave and her eyes said it all. Michelle had felt something wrong in her crystals the previous day; it hadn’t been clear then quite what it was. The Red Jasper on the hall table exploded and Michelle could see things crystal clear.
Hoyden turned the corner of the block and ran straight to the door. She must wake Simon; he would know what to do. As she approached the voice rang through her head ‘suscitatio everto’ she felt dizzy and suddenly faint but she must get in. She was ready to break the door down if needed be, but it swung open, Simon it seemed had been woken by it too. She jumped into his arms her whiskers dripped from the rain. The cat looked up at Simon and just like a human said ‘its coming isn’t it?’
‘Coming?’ Simon questioned looking sullen ‘Hoyden I think we all know… it’s already here’.