Cthulhu Antiques
Chapter 5
Changing out of my pajamas and changing into my shirt and shorts for the day the air still Joe's slight snoring the only noise I hear. Looking around the room my eyes linger on a still sleeping Joe and Barry it's still early 4:41 A.M. to be exact and they shouldn't be waking up until much much later but on the off chance that Joe or Barry do wake up early I write a note leaving it on the nightstand:
Went out for breakfast with Kara and will be back later if you need me you know how to reach me.
As much of a vacation this is for the rest of my family this is more of an opportunity for me an opportunity to make my life more bearable and possibly more survivable so if waking up early is the price I have to pay so be it. Besides I have a long walk if I wish to visit the Antique shop and have time for the rest of the day this is supposed to be vacation after all.
Walking out of the hotel I get right to work taking out my phone pulling up the web sight Cthulhu Traveling Antiques and Exotic Items. This Antique store isn't your average Antique store no I found Cthulhu Antiques on the deep web and according to the description they travel all over the world selling their 'Antiques' and 'Exotic' items that range from unreleased military weaponry to ancient items like the Candle of Neron and if they don't have something you want you can pay for their service men and they will go look for it for you.
Typing in the coordinates on my gps I do a double take at where the final destination is. "A forest?" I mutter to myself, I would get a taxi but all the money I've saved from my allowance is going to the candle and if I don't have enough money then I guess I'll have to get it using other means. Beginning my walk down the street the humidity makes my hands sticky and the scent of rain floods my nose the cool wind bringing little to no comfort to the humidity. Looking around the dark neighborhood my only source of light being the street lamps going down the road and the few rays of sun that break through the horizon.
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Wiping the sweat from my brow I look at the rundown strip mall in front of me with no small amount of disappointment. "This is it?" I ask with sorrow looking down at my phone reading the bold "You've Arrived at Your destination" for the twentieth time.
Walking down the final stretch of dirt road the thick forest that's on either side of me begins to feel more like walls to a prison than a beautiful scenery and the men in suits standing guard outside the mall being my guards. The strip mall is out of place. It looks like they just carved out a random spot in the forest in the early sixties, never tearing down any other trees to expand and never renovating. My only problem is the fact that I don't know how to get in. It's not like there was a sign saying come right into the illegal Antique store but there wasn't anything on the web sight saying that I can't go in.
Walking across the broken road the yellow lines faded from time now only being a remnant of the past. I'm careful in avoiding the cracks while never breaking eye contact with the guard who has an M16 strapped around his shoulder and his hand on the handle of it but his stance clearly relaxed unthreatened by me. Putting my hand behind my back I reach into my inventory pulling out my tactical yo-yo. I wouldn't say that I'm an expert with it but it's easily accessible and the wire is extremely sharp being able to have a customizable length for the wire that can go up to one hundred meters but I haven't practiced using that length yet I'm only comfortable using twenty meters practicing on extending to twenty five.
"You lost Kid? Why don't you turn around this isn't a place for children!" He says with a laugh looking back at his partner exposing his yellow teeth the whistling wind making it harder to hear.
"I don't think I'm lost, I'm here looking for Cthulhu Antiques! Is this the right place?" I call out stopping in my tracks watching as the guards relaxed composition quickly turns serious, getting in a combat ready stance all laughter dying with my statement as a stillness fills its void the wind getting more chaotic as it's screeching begins to get louder.
"You got an appointment Kid?" He asks as the silence takes us by our throats.
"No, do I need one?" I question looping my middle finger through the hoop on the yo-yo trying to keep my composure. I haven't seen combat in years and I'm itching for a fight.
"Yeah you do Kid now get lost before we make you." He says while adjusting his M16 purposely drawing attention to it.
"Well I didn't walk two hours here for nothing." I say with narrowed eyes preparing to pivot my body. I'm confident in being able to take out the guy in front of me but the guy behind him is a different story. Glancing behind him I look at the second guard, a short young Mexican man who's bald with thin black eyebrows and narrow eyes with a sharp jawline and a M16 strapped on his shoulder. I could kill the first guard or at least incapacitate him before he could get any shots off but that second guard could easily kill me while I'm exposed alerting everyone else here and sure I could kill them all but I'd die… a lot and I don't like dying.
"Well I guess you did Kid because if you don't have a scheduled appointment then we can't let you in so get lost before we make you." The guard says through gritted teeth putting both his hands on the M16.
"Let him through." The crackly voice from the speaker box on the side of the wall echos out. It seems to surprise the guards as they look at each other questionably before shrugging neither of them losing their guard.
"Welp if the boss says you can come in follow us." The guards lead me into the strip mall which surprisingly has both air conditioning and electricity and compared to the rundown outside that's littered with chipped paint and overgrown weeds the interior is fully redone remodeled to look exactly like it did in the sixties it's actually fairly impressive they even have the old cars and everything.
"It's in here the boss should be expecting you." The guard whose name is still a mystery to me insinuates to the door in front of me after the almost five minute walk filled with twists and turns passing twenty two guards that were in sight and we only walked on the first half this place was a fucking fortress. Walking to the wooden door I take a deep breath before turning the steel handle and walking into the future literally it looks like I walked another sixty years to the future the complete opposite from the rest of the mall.
"You like it?" Hearing the voice snaps my attention back on the reason I came here. Gazing the room I look at futuristic weapons mounted on the wall that look like they came straight from a sci-fi movie and odd masks as well as other little trinkets all propped up on the shelves. After examining the whole room my gaze finally rests on the sole other occupant of the room, a man, he's older maybe late fifties early sixties with hair that's grayed from age that still has some streaks of black as well as a just as grayed goatee. Staring back at the man as he stares back at me with an amused smirk on his face he sits on the front of his desk. "It's beautiful isn't it?" He says while breaking eye contact gazing around the room his eyes lingering on the weapons around the wall.
"What are you talking about?" I ask feeling an eyebrow raise only now realizing how underdressed I am realizing that this man is also wearing a slightly more expensive suit than the guards I was with.
"The items of course," he says with his smirk turning into a full blown grin looking back at me. "I saw the way you were looking at them. You appreciate good antiques weather, it's a mask from an old African village," he says while walking over to all the masks hung on the wall insinuating one of the red masks that has two wide round eye holes and shark pointed teeth with feathers coming put of its head. "Or an exotic item like one of these babies," he says while taking down a futuristic rifle that looks like it should be in one of the halo games before sitting back down on the front of his desk putting down the rifle next to him on the desk as his smile turns into a frown. "They are all works of art in my eyes and I believe I see something similar in yours. They call me Maime and I'm sure you're tired of being called "Kid" so what should I call you?"
"My name is Zach." I say bluntly not missing a beat.
"Well Zach, what exactly do you want with our establishment, you not making an appointment tells me that you're not a usual customer or were even referred by one of our current customers but knowing that we have a website tells me that you traveled into the deep web and we aren't found by accident. Normally we send away people who don't make an appointment for security reasons but I'm curious to know what someone so young is looking for in our fine establishment." Maime's voice is filled with curiosity no malice no suspicion just pure unadulterated curiosity.
"I want to make a purchase I read on the site that you have the Candle of Neron and I want it." I say while staring into Maim's brown eyes watching as his frown turns into a resting smirk.
"Well normally I would show my customer the item they want to buy before they buy it but I don't think you can afford it. I'm going to be honest with you unless you give me a direct deposit before I let you see it you're not getting anything." Maim's words feel more like walls being placed to block me from my goal but I won't let them stop me. Reaching into my pocket I pull out my life's savings five thousand dollars, tossing it to Maime he catches it looking at it before taking off the rubberband counting the cash before setting it down next to him on the desk.
"Listen Zach I admire your curiosity for the art that we have here but let me tell you something if you want to even see the candle you're going to need at least six figures. If you want to look at some of our other smaller less expensive items I'd be more than happy to show you those." He says while tossing me back the money.
Putting the money into my back pocket I give Maime a warm smile while accessing my inventory with the hand that's behind my back getting the yo-yo looping it through my middle finger. "For a name like Maime you've been nothing but kind to me for that I thank you but I need that candle." Flinging my arm around my body I let out just enough yo-yo string to be in range of Maime flinging out the yo-yo I watch him expecting to see a head fall only for him to lean back dodging the yo-yo as I fling back my hand catching the yo-yo narrowing my eyes in confusion.
"Now now Zachary, that wasn't very nice." Maime says his voice filled with sarcasm as he leans forward with a smile. Letting out a growl of frustration I fling the yo-yo back at him only to watch the same response Maime easily dodging the high speed weapon letting out a laugh. How? How can this middle aged man dodge a fifty mile an hour high speed yo-yo?
I can practically feel my teeth crack from how hard I'm clenching them but this wasn't supposed to happen I was supposed to come here either but the candle or kill everyone and take the candle not get fucking showed up by this old fuck. "What are you?" I growl out prepairing to throw the yo-yo again.
"Oh I'm human just like you I'm just better." Maime hops off the table as I fling my yo-yo again instead of going for the neck going for the abdomen but instead of dodging Maime turns at inhuman speed catching the yo-yo in his hand. "Well look at this." He says while staring at the yo-yo caressing the outside of it before looking at the string rubbing it slightly as a small bit of blood trickles out. "Oh that's sharp." He mutters glancing back at me. "Where did you get this from? It's a fascinating piece of art. I'd be willing to buy it from you if you're selling maybe twenty thousand?"
Looking at Maime with disgust I flick my wrist making the string arc cutting off the tips of Maimes fingers that were still caressing the string. Flinging back the yo-yo as he lets go from suprise I catch it in my hand as three small thuds ring through my ear. Silence washes over the room as I stare at Maime his once broad grin now visibly disappearing off of his face as he reaches down picking up the tips of his right fingers placing them down on the desk blood now trailing down his hand and dripping on the floor.
"Fuck you." I growl through my still clenched teeth flinging the yo-yo back at him only to get the same result Maime quickly pivoting out of the way picking up the rifle off the desk pointing it at me. I'm unable to react as the barrel of the rifle glows red as a blinding light blinds me.
Blood all I see is blood. The once white walls are now painted red with so much blood I can practically taste the metal the ringing and blurriness making me feel like an IED went off right next to my head as a sharp pain shoots through my head as I only now realize that I'm no longer standing. Lifting my head up I look at my body. My left arm is gone either blown off or in the puddle of bodily fluids beneath me. As I allow my healing to take over the ringing is the first to go as the laughing of Maime takes its place.
"HOLY FUCK THIS IS AMAZING!" He screams as the sound of walking takes over and his body suddenly fills my vision his shoe getting planted on my chest making me groan in pain. "Zach you dumb piece of shit! I've been nothing but kind to you! I thought you saw what I saw when I looked around this room, not objects but works of art each and every piece! Then you attacked me and I saw the way you wielded that yo-yo of yours a disgrace to all things art. A warrior has to learn to wield their weapon making it a part of themselves making a style! making an art form! You are sloppy and your moves are predictable but you won't have to worry about that anymore in the shallow grave you'll be dug in." He says while glancing down at his watch. "Well look at the time I have to be in Starling City within the hour apparently there is an item that is in need of appraisal, but don't worry you won't be alone for long in around five minutes or so when your just a bloodless husk my men will come in here and bury you right out back."
Maime steps over me leaving me alone in the room allowing me to close my eyes trying to do the absolute minimum amount of movement to let my healing do its job. Five minutes I have five minutes until the guards come to get my body. Grunting I reach into my pocket pulling out my phone getting blood on the screen and back turning it on 7:36 A.M. I have until maybe 7:41 A.M. if they don't come earlier.
Standing up the blood staining my clothes and skin I check the time on my phone 7:39 A.M. looking at the missing stump where my arm used to be, bits of flesh still hanging off a new layer of skin still missing there's still a small trickle of blood flowing the main arteries having already closed but the damage was still done. I've lost too much blood making me light headed I've never lost a limb before so I don't know what I have to do. Will a new one grow back or do I need my old limb and sew it back on? Walking across the room I pick up my detached left arm placing it on the desk sitting next to it pinching the bridge of my nose. "What the fuck do I do now?" I mutter to myself as my gaze slowly drifts to the wall, my eyes getting caught by the glint of the chrome rifle that caused all of this. Quickly getting up I walk over taking the rifle off the wall with my one good arm getting surprised by how light weight it is.
Rushing back to the desk I quickly swipe everything off of it making sure that I put my arm behind the desk there's not enough time to sew or grow myself back together right now. Placing the rifle on the desk behind me I line up the scope with the closed door quickly getting in position trying to get as comfortable as possible with a missing arm relying on the adrenaline that's going in overdrive right now to distract me from the pain.
Hearing the sound of laughter I take a deep breath readjusting myself one more time as I watch the door begins to opens I don't even let them get to see me before I press the trigger watching as the barrel glows a similar red releasing a loud boom as the door gets blown away and the same two guards that led me here are now on the screaming.
"What the fuck was that?!" I hear someone shout in the distance as I take in the carnage that a single shot did. This one was different, it was more powerful than the last. One of the guards has a whole in his chest the size of a small watermelon and the other is missing a large chunk from his side; he's the only one that's still alive. As I sit and wait the sound of more footsteps fills my ears as I watch the doorway as the injured guard tries to crawl away leaving a large blood trail until one he gets dragged away.
"Listen up kid either you give up now or we make your death that much more painful!" Staying silent I ignore their taunts waiting for them to make a move as a guard quickly fills the doorway I pull the trigger as the barrel glows red again before the glow fizzles out of existence as the sound of gun fire fills the room I quickly drop to the ground taking cover behind the desk taking the yo-yo out of my inventory. Waiting for the gunfire to cease I'm not surprised when it doesn't as it only seems to get more intense as the wood begins to break and bullets begin to litter the walls behind me. Breaking cover I prepare to make my move but as I peek over the desk looking at the four guards all open firing on me I prepare to fling the yo-yo only to freeze as red lightning flashes behind the guards in the mall as shouts from the mall fill my ears over the gun fire a growing sense of dread slowly consuming me. I've seen that lightning before… the guards all stop shooting each turning to look out the door.
"You guys hear that?" One of them whispered as more screams echoed faintly through the mall.
"What are you talking about man, the boss said to clean up the kid so we clean up now stop dicking around." As the guards turn back to me preparing to open fire again I watch through a bullet hole as the red lightning enters the room one of the guards flying across the room hitting the wall closest to me behind the desk as the other three just collapse where they stand. As the red lightning dances through the room my human eyes are unable to properly follow it as the red lightning stops moving the man in yellow is revealed standing in the center of the room red lightning dancing around him. Whipping my head around I refuse to face this monster. How could this happen, why is he here? Feeling my heart begin to beat through my chest and my hand begin to tremble I have to use all of my self control to stop myself from screaming in a mix of anger and fear.
"Come out." Eobard demands making his vocal cords vibrate his voice sounding like a demon straight out of the depths of hell. Picking up my arm I shakily stand staring at the Reverse Flash's glowing red eyes watching as in a flash he disappears reappearing on my left side making me freeze in fear as he examines my bleeding stump. "You are fascinating." Before I'm able to respond my world becomes a blur as the cold wind whistling past me feels more like sharp razor blades slicing my skin. I try to gain control of my body but the air pressure is too much and I'm forced to shut my eyes but as soon as the odd sensation comes it's gone in a jolt.
Opening my eyes I'm surprised that all my pain is gone disappearing with the fast speeds but don't have time to dwell on my healing because I've been taken. Quickly becoming aware of my new surroundings it's easy to tell that I'm in a mostly empty dark warehouse with a large glass cage where all the light is focused around twenty feet from me in the middle of the room with a dead body splattered against the window. Walking to get a closer look at the body I'm surprised to see that his left arm is missing and blood is leaking from his eyes and ears the back of his skull crushed in from the impact against the glass that body is mine.
Looking down both of my arms are back and have a blue hue to them being mostly translucent. "FUCK!" I shout, punching the glass, feeling nothing, my attention being drawn to the slow clapping coming from behind turning I face the familiar pale face of death.
"It's been a long time you lasted longer than I thought." She says in her familiar emotionless tone which is as comforting as ever.
"Thanks for the comforting words Death but I didn't wish to see you this soon. I don't have a death wish even if I won't be like this for long. What happened one second I was fine the next second I'm dead?" I growl while glancing at my bloodied body sitting down in front of the cage.
"Your body wasn't able to withstand the effects of super speed. When the Reverse flash moved you at super speed from point A to point B you should have died from the mere speed you were moving but you were able to survive your body going into a state of overdrive trying to keep you alive which it did successfully but then he threw you into the glass wall. Your body is healing much faster than it did the last time I saw you, you've been training?" She asks, laying down in front of me she hasn't changed in the years that I haven't seen her. She has the same clothes, same demeanor, and she looks exactly the same.
"Yup almost every day but how do you know Reverse Flash, can you see the future or something?" I ask, laying down trying to distract myself from my anger.
"Or something, the future is never final and is always changing. I can only see the possibilities of what's to come, never knowing the definite result and the Reverse Flash is a thorn in my side who will cheat me many times in all the possibilities that I invision." Her emotionless tone is unsettling. I can't read her at all, unable to tell whether she's upset at knowing she'll be cheated or really just doesn't care.
Turning to stare at the side of Death's face I strain myself to try and read anything at all but come back with nothing deciding to just ask instead. "Why don't you just kill him then? You are Death after all and if you know that he will cheat you then why don't you just kill him before he does?"
"It doesn't work like that Theodore there are rules and getting involved in the mortal world is strictly forbidden." Just like that Death does the impossible and makes a bland unsarcastic chuckle which makes me smirk slightly.
"Well I can always kill him for you." I say as Death turns to look at me, her blank face broken with an unsettling smile that just looks wrong on her.
"Don't fool yourself Theodore you couldn't kill Reverse Flash on his worst day."
"Maybe not now but sometime soon I'll be able to so what do you say about making a deal?" I ask as my smirk grows to a full grin as Death gives me a nod to continue. "Well let's say that I take out the people who cheat you. Would you be willing to give me gifts in return for the souls that I send you?" I ask with baited breath staring at the porcelain face of Death.
"No." She says blankly looking back at the ceiling leaving me sputtering in disappointment.
"But… but… why not don't you want someone to kill the people that cheat you?"
"It would be nice to see the people that cheat me get killed and maimed in the most horrendous ways but you are not the person who'd be able to do it." She says while turning back to stare at me her black soulless eyes staring into my soul. "You are weak Theodore you might have a lingering scent of the Creator on you but that does not make you strong. You couldn't even understand or process what was happening when the Reverse Flash was running with you and he wasn't even going full speed. Instead of making meaningless deals that you are unable to fulfill, gain strength then we may speak." Her flat tone is gone being replaced with a cold sharp tone that could cut skin if it was tangible but she's right I am weak. Originally I was going to wait for the particle accelerator and gain powers from that and maybe find some useful trinkets before that while building up my relationship with the people that I remember from the shows or comics but that won't cut it anymore I need power and I need power now.
"Your body is about to be healed Theodore it has been nice talking to you and hopefully the next time we meet hopefully you won't be as pathetic as you are now." She says standing up staring down at me with her blank face.
"You know whenever I imagined meeting death I always thought he would be a minor asshole but you take the cake because you're a full blonde bitch." Standing up I give death a sarcastic smile stretching my spiritual back as Death gives me an unsettling smirk.
"Goodbye Theodore." She says as I feel a strong pull.
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With a groan I roll over the smell of blood flooding my nose as I stare up at the top of the glass cage that has air holes around the size of a can covering the top as well as a small amount of blood splattered on one side of it. Sitting up I examine my body. It's almost fully healed which is fantastic because the last fatal injury I had was from my last encounter with Mr.Eobard and that took me around one week to recover from. Now after yet another fatal injury it took me maybe five minutes to recover but it didn't recover everything. Looking at my stump the blood stopped flowing and you can see all the insides as if it's a prop in a college anatomy lab. He didn't even bring my fucking arm what a jack ass.
Hearing a loud screeching sound I look up and stare at the Reverse Flash at the other end of the warehouse shutting the door as he slowly walks forward watching waiting to see that red lightning to come but it never does.
"Theodore Allen… we have much to discuss." He bellows.