The Fourth

Rain mixed with salty tears ran down Amani eyes as her brother body lay broken on the floor. She couldn't help but feel like it was her fault,he had told her several times that he has been receiving weird messages but she'd tell him he's being paranoid. She'd tell him someone was playing a prank on him now he layed in a bloody puddle,mercilessly torn apart,his hollow eyes staring at the empty rainy sky. His mouth hung open,his face contorted from fear or torture she didn't know.

She couldn't move,she felt like the whole world had stopped,the guilt fell heavily on her chest . Then His mouth moved.

"What?".

"Your fault",he said in an echo whisper

"I didn't know",she tried to explain while sobbing.

"Your fault"it repeated his hollow eyes now staring straight at her. He moved towards her repeating the same thing.

"Stop...stop...stop. I didn't know!,"she kept on saying. Suddenly everyone disappeared. No police,no ambulance,no gawkers,no life just darkness. Her brother continued to grow higher and higher almost to the sky. But she couldn't see the sky,just darkness. His whisper sounded like thunder in her ears.

"Your Fault!!!!", he continued yelling. She couldn't bear it,she took her hands to her ear to block the voice but it only made it intense. Black cards fell from his eyes as he kept on yelling. She closed her eyes and screamed with all of her.

The images dissolved and soon she was sitting on the bed in her room screaming. When she finally grasped reality she groaned. The nightmares has been tormenting her since her brother's death,dark circles on her eyes shows the intensity of her insomnia. She stood up and got a bottle water from the fridge. It was 6:00. She couldn't sleep again,now she just have to plan her next move on her solo investigation. His coworkers claim he was okay though he was always looking over his shoulders and always cautious and always jumpy,easily frightened the normal shit. She had no breakthrough on why he was killed.

Her phone rang.

"Hello"she said in a bored tone

"Hey,Ani", a familiar voice Responded,Meg,the Owner of the bookstore she worked in. "I just called to remind you that you'll be watching the bookstore today,cause,you know. My husband and I will be going out",giggles. No doubt said husband was there,probably waiting impatiently for her to get off the phone. Meg was a beautiful woman at her early thirties,she had no child and even though she tries to hide it,she gets sad when she sees one.

She was happy that Meg was finally happy,she wasn't going to spoil that for her. She can stalk her brother coworkers tomorrow.

"Yes ma'am,have fun".

"Thank you Ani".

"You got it",she hung up.

She did her morning yoga's,went through her crime board and finally it was 7:03. The bookstore was merely 10 blocks away and customers seem to think it is a carton shop cause there was hardly any customers,Meg inherited the store,so it was personal. However taking care of the bookstore gives her time to think things through and research on the supernatural to find any clue on how her brother could be linked.

She opened the doors and got to work before 8:00,she cleaned the bookstore and was ready to research. She didn't expect anybody to come in and certainly not a man in long black cloak and a hood that covers his face. Made him look like the grim reaper.

"How may I be of help sir",Amani asked stamping a smile like Meg always do -rarely-.

He didn't answer,just stood there like a Statue. "Sir are you okay?",

He reached under his cloak and pulled out something that glistened like a dagger. Amani retreated back,watching what the man would do next. She quietly reached for her cell debating how fast she could dial 911.

The man took his time in pulling out whatever he was pulling out. Turns out it was a phone with its torchlight on,she mentally slapped herself,"was this how my brother was doing?,"she mentally asked herself. The man didn't seem bothered by the torchlight on. He kept his head down,he kept the phone on the counter silently wishing her to read it. "The fourth" was written on the phone.

"Sorry sir,we don't have that book",he lifted his face up slightly,she caught a glimpse of his face,his eyes were pitch black and she was sure that was his mouth sewned close. She moved to look closely but he had already turned away. She wasn't sure what she saw but the image horrified her.

The day was as boring as always,no customers except the weird cloaked man. After the boring day it was time to leave. She locked up the store and head out. She felt a weird feeling like she was being watched,she turned back and there he was,the cloaked man was walking in her direction. She picked up the pace and so did he. She took a corner her hands fiddling her bag for her pepper spray. When she found it,she quickly removed it and spun but the cloaked man was nowhere.

Her heart beat faster than lightning,fear was etched on her face,she quietly counted one to twenty and back. Deep breaths,the bulb where she was standing died spiking her fear. She ran home without looking back. When she got home she collapsed on the bed her heart heaving from the run.

Was she seeing things?. Today however,she was going to take her sleeping pills can't bear those makeup she keeps using to cover the dark circles. Even with that,she still fear going to sleep.

After a few minutes,she decided it's time to shower. A knock on the door made her running out from the bathroom.

"I'm coming",she called out getting her night gown on. It was the pizza guy,she'd ordered for a pizza when coming back. 'Oh sorry,let me get my cash",she said,not like the pizza guy cared,he just stood there like a dummy looking at the ground,his baseball cap completely covering his face. 'What is it with people looking at the ground today',she thought to her self moving to her bag

She pulled out a stash from her wallet and gave to him,he collected face still down,she looked if there was a spider fighting on the floor that might be interesting enough for him to remain like a statue.

To her disappointment,the floor was still the same brown and clean floor. She sighed and closed the door slowly,while the door was almost close,he looked up,he had the same black eyes. No sewned mouth though. She opened the door wide to get a better view of him the pizza falling to the floor.

As she opened the pizza guy was already heading out. "Hey wait!",he stiffened so did she,he turned slowly. When he did his eyes were now chocolate brown. "How may I help you ma'am",he inquired in a rich deep tone.

"Um...sorry...nothing". The pizza guy smiled,tipped his head and left. She didn't know why she felt so insecure but today has been the weirdest day of her life. She sighed and returned to her room. The pizza was completely ruined.

She groaned and picked it up. She was about leaving when she saw something at the corner of her eyes. It was a black card,a size of an invitation card. But this one had some weird drawings on it. She didn't remember bringing back any card or even keeping a card on the bed.

She looked back if anyone was in the room apparently it was only her. She dropped the ruined pizza on the ground and slowly approached the card. She carried it,it looked so much like the one her brother had described,just a black four square card,with drawings she only sees on demonic book. Nothing was written on it just a blank card. She couldn't understand why someone would send a blank card to her, then a message that certainly wasn't there appeared. She shot up dropping it in fear. She looked around the room but it was just her so she approached it again.

She read the message. "The fourth of the twelfth . The fourth of the stars. The innocence of Lucifer. You are chosen. Touch your blood with the blood of Lucifer's servant and allow Emperor Lucifer to make you his".

'What blood',she asked herself. Then she saw it. The message was written in a dark red substance that could be blood. She threw the card away rushing to watch her hands.

She understood everything now. The fourth,it wasn't a book the cloaked man was looking for,it was some sort of an up front invitation. She cried,this was how her brother was invited. But why them?. The question layed heavily on her chest as she cried. Could it be because of the many wrongs she did as a teen?,but her brother was always the good one. Is she being punished?,first the disappearance of her parents six years ago now the death of her elder brother, so many questions unanswered.

She sobbed putting herself back together. First she had to leave this place,and no more working at the bookstore. They probably had that information. She had some stash of cash she'd been saving. She could leave the city,far away then when she feel it's right she'll come back.

She packed every thing and was ready to leave when there was a knock on her door. She paused wondering who it could be. She tiptoed to the kitchen drew out the knife and tiptoed back. She slowly opened the door.

"Hey,miss can I have a word?",it was just the cops. First relief then,what the hell are they doing here.

"Yes sir",

"Did you order any pizza today?,"what sort of question

"Yes....Yes I did"

"Did you receive it?

"Yeah,what's this about?",

He peeked behind her and found her traveling box on the bed.

"Were you leaving ma'am",

"Yes",she said exasperated

"If I may ask,why?"

"No you may not and how is it your business?",he smiled mischieviously as if he was waiting for her to flare up

"Please you'll have to follow me to the station",

"What?,Why?,what did I do?",

"His body was found"

"But I don't have anything to do with it"

"Then why are you packing uh",

"Good question,see I received a weird card that implied I join something or I die like.....my....brother. I think it was written in blood",

"Uh-huh,"

"I'm not lying see it's just over there." But the card wasn't there,she scattered the place but it wasn't there

"I don't understand,but it was here I swear"

"Sorry miss but I have things to do,please follow me to the station",

She wanted to argue but thought better of it,she stretched out her hands

She was jailed,'how did everything turned so fast',she wondered.

"Don't worry yourself too much child,Lucifer needs a worryless soul",

She shot up turning to see the cloaked man behind her,he didn't bother hiding his face and now she wished he did. His eyes were colorless,and his mouth was sewned shut.

"How can you talk to me"

"Your mind young one. You allowed me when you accepted to be the fourth"

"I never did"

"Oh yes but you did. You read it aloud to my ears from that stupid invention this generation as taint themselves with",

"How did you get here"

"I am everywhere young child"

"Why did you kill my brother"

"Your brother wanted to cheat Lucifer and in turn Lucifer cheated his life"

"Then why did you choose me"

"Your innocence child,Lucifer needs to come to the world but from your womb. Rejoice I say,you have been given the ultimate task, the greatest honor of yielding the Emperor in your womb.", he moved closer and she stepped back.

"And if I refuse?"

"Your death shall be swift,but don't make your brother's mistake child. He ate his cake and wanted it back,he accepted the emperor, but refused to bring you in when it was time. Now you shall be Lucifer's"

So it was really her fault he died. Tears stunk her eyes,but then they was a sharp stang of pain on her palm. She brought it up and found out her palm was cut.

"Just join your hand in mine and end this. Your brother soul moves restless in hell. Do him a favor like he did you. Connect our blood and Lucifer shall release his soul"

She felt extremely awful that even after death,her brother was still suffering. She could make him free,she could make it go away.