Prophetic Lies – Chapter Three

Written by: Kain

The drive back to William’s home is quiet. Siegfried concentrates on the road while William scowls out the passenger-side window. He looks over to Siegfried, eyes glaring in frustration. “Couldn’t I at least drive my own car?”

Siegfried glances at him for a second. “No.”

“But it’s my car!” Siegfried thinks to himself for a moment. Slowly, he pulls over to the side of the road and brings the car to a stop. William looks at the surrounding area. Fragments of ice cover the roadside from the recent hail storm. The small, residential houses all look the same and always have. He looks all over the road but can see no obstacles that would possibly cause Siegfried to pull over.

“Okay, Willy-”

“William.” William gives Siegfried a sharp look.

“Right...William. Okay, Willy, so get out of the car and we’ll switch places.” William quickly reaches for the door handle but stops suddenly. He slowly looks back to Siegfried quizzically.

“If I get out...are you going to drive away and leave me on the side of the road?” Siegfried smiles.

“And who says you’re as dumb as you look?”

“I believe you do.”

“All the time.” Siegfried puts the car in gear and begins driving again.

The car screeches to a halt at the foot of William’s driveway. Siegfried and William leap out of the car, leaving the doors wide open. They run to the raging inferno that was once William’s home.

“My God, Somebody...Somebody help! Help!” William flails around, screaming for help. Siegfried grabs him by his shoulders and spins him around so that the two are eye to eye.

“Listen to me. Is Mel in there? Is Melissa in there?”

“She...she...she was when...uh...when I left.”

Okay, I need you to call the fire department while I go in to see if I can get her out. Can you do that?”

“Yeah...yeah. I can do that.” Siegfried nods in response and slowly releases his hold on William. William takes a deep breath and looks at the fire. He promptly faints. Siegfried looks down at William’s inert body in disbelief.

“Damn it!” Siegfried runs for the house but stops hesitantly at the front door as the flames dance before him like fingers waving for him to enter. He pushes the image of the flames out of his mind and tries to forget about the heat. Finally, he locks his shoulder and prepares to ram the blackened door and delve into the scorching abode. Just as Siegfried takes his first step, an unimaginable pain brings him to his knees. He hears an inhuman scream, not realizing that it was him screaming.

A priest stands at the altar of a cathedral. The cathedral is a beautiful, German building. It is over four hundred years old with huge stained glass windows lining the walls. The windows depict scenes of biblical reverence. The priest seems to be performing some ritual. He reads from a large, black book in front of him. His hands are folded and held at chest height. Candles are lit all over the altar, surrounding the book in a sea of holy flame. Suddenly, the large, wooden doors burst open. In walks the man in a black coat, Siegfried. The priest turns in surprise.

Between gut-wrenching spurts of pain, flashes of past memories invade his mind. Or perhaps they are events yet to come. Siegfried can’t tell the difference in this indescribable pain.

“Siegfried? What are you doing here, my son?”

Siegfried collapses from the pain. His head throbs and he seems to be swimming in a sea of pain itself. He starts slamming his head against the concrete walkway in an attempt to stop the pain. Small rivers of blood stream down his face and onto the concrete.

“What are you doing? Are you okay?” A beautiful woman of small stature is bent over a huddled mess of a man. His entire body wrapped in a filthy, brown blanket. He wears part of the blanket as a hood, hiding his face in the shadows. Her big, brown eyes search his covered form for some clue as to whether he is alright or not. She let’s her long, brown hair flow over her shoulders as she leans down and takes his hand in hers. He responds only to the initial touch of her soft, tan skin.

Siegfried lifts himself up, despite the immense pain. He tries to focus on his goal of saving Melissa, but the pain is too intense. Shortly after he lifts himself to his feet, he loses all feeling in his body besides the pain in his head. The last thing that registers in his brain before he blacks out, is the sight of the ground coming closer and closer to him.

As he sleeps, more images play in his mind. Long forgotten memories make themselves known.

An eight year-old Siegfried strolls down a stone walkway late at night. There is nothing but trees to either side of him. He tosses a stone to himself, catching it with one hand. He examines the stone as if it were some wonderful treasure. He smiles to himself and tosses it again. He watches the stone rise into the air. As it begins to fall, he holds open the pocket in his black, hooded sweatshirt to catch the stone. Right before it reaches his pocket, a hand swiftly yanks the stone out of the air. Siegfried is tackled by the man. As he stares, partially in disbelief and partially in fear, the man grabs Siegfried by the shirt and brings him off the ground and closer to him. The man is dressed in all black with the exception of a white preacher’s collar. He is filthy, covered with ashes and dirt. He emits a sour, bitter smell so putrid that Siegfried can barely keep from vomiting.

I don’t understand.

“You are he.”

“What?” Siegfried is noticeably frightened.

“You are the one. The redeemer. The one that will save or damn us all. It told me so. Don’t deny it! You are the instrument...of God! A tool of the Lord to destroy the wicked plague!”

What?

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“LIAR!” The man strikes Siegfried with the back of his hand and lets him hit the ground with a sickening crack.

“There he is! Quick, we need to get him back to the institute!” The man stands and look around him to see how close the orderlies were to finding him.

“There are forces attempting to subvert your destiny. Don’t let them. Seek the Oraculum of Deus’ Mos!” The man runs into the shadows from whence he came. Siegfried slowly stands, feeling his body to ensure that he’s okay. Frightened, he runs home.

Siegfried slowly regains consciousness. His vison slowly evolves from a dark, black cloud to a slightly fuzzy version of his normal sight. He stares straight forward for a moment, trying to get his bearings. He notices a scrawny man bending over him. His familiar blonde hair, slicked back, reflects the sun. He straightens his glasses and studies Siegfried for signs of consciousness. “Willy...move.”

William’s face, which brightened when he noticed Siegfried’s movements and heard his speaking, morphed into a frustrated scowl when he registered what Siegfried had actually said.

“My name is William, Siegfried. How would you like me to call you Siggy?” Siegfried glares at him for a second as he slowly tries to sit up.

“Call me ‘Siggy’ and I’ll beat you with your own leg.” William’s eyes widen thoughtfully.

“I always liked the name Siegfried.”

Siegfried groans out a response. “That’s what I thought.” Then, as if someone turned the on the light in a completely dark room, Siegfried remembers what he was attempting to do.

“Where’s Mel?” William stares at the ground for a long moment. Slowly he starts to speak.

“She was inside the house. The firemen were phoned by the neighbors before we even arrived. None of our house mates were home, but Meli didn’t make it out. They found her in our bedroom. She fell asleep and didn’t know the house was on fire until it was too late to get out. The police are investigating the cause of the fire.” William pauses to fight off his tears. “They expect arson.”

“William...Ich bin traurig.”

“You didn’t kill her. You have nothing to be sorry for.” William fakes a smile.

“I should’ve saved her.”

William laughs hard and abruptly. “Like I was any help. I fainted at the mere site of the fire. I was her lover. It was my duty to protect her.”

Siegfried stares at him, wondering what to say. “It wasn’t your fault. If you need to blame someone, blame the bastard that started the fire. Don’t let her death be in vain, William. Take the strength that she offered you in life and the memories that you shared and let it strengthen you.”

William looks Siegfried straight in the face as if searching for truth. He switches his attention to the sunrise now coming up. He stares for what seems to be an eternity before saying, “You’re right. She was my strength in life. I have to be strong for her. She would want that.”

Siegfried nods and stands up, still slightly woozy. He leans against a nearby tree. “So...now what’ll you do?”

William ponders for a moment. “Well, I think I’m going to help the police find the arsonist. What about you?”

“I have some issues that need to be addressed.” Siegfried forces a small laugh. He walks over to William and puts his hand on his shoulder. “I never liked you, Willy, but you are a good man. You two were lucky to have each other. I wish you the best. You’ll get through this and meet up with her in Heaven.”

William smiles at Siegfried. “Thank you. I appreciate that. I truly do.”

Siegfried smiles back at William then begins to walk away. He stops and looks around as if he lost something. “Where’s my car?”

William’s face contorts in a way that shows Siegfried that William was lying about his car being at the house.

“It’s still at the burned down apartment complex?”

“Yes.” Siegfried sighs and begins walking for his car. He whispers to himself, “Willy...I hope you get hit by a bus. A two-tier bus so you’ll feel at home in its grill.”