The Crimson Ritual

Chapter 4

“How’s your leg holding up?” Tyler asked from the driver’s seat.

Pogue opened his eyes and raised his head off the passenger’s side window. “It’s okay. It’s not hurting anymore.”

Tyler looked over at him, making sure at least one eye was still watching the road in front of him. “How’s your head?”

Pogue moaned as an answer. His head still felt like someone was ringing a church bell inside of it.

“That bad, huh?”

“Mmp.” Pogue grunted and closed his eyes again.

“Pogue.” Tyler shook his arm. “You need to stay awake, you probably still have a concussion.”

Pogue moaned again and shifted around in the passenger’s seat until he was sitting upward. “Where are we going anyway?”

“Gorman’s.” Tyler said as he turned his full attention back on the road.

“Why the hell are we going there?”

“Because you’re still hurt and Gorman’s a better healer then I am.”

“No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“I’m not going to Gorman’s.”

Tyler glared at him. “Too bad, I’m already half way there.”

“Then just turn around and take me home.” Pogue groaned.

“No, you’re still hurt.”

“Dammit Tyler, just fucking take me home!”

Tyler didn’t say anything, he just pressed down harder on the gas, completely ignoring Pogue.

“Goddammit Tyler.” Pogue swore and turned away from him.

Tyler continued to ignore him as he sped up, his jeep roaring as it changed gears.

Pogue remained silent. He could feel the frustration and anger poring off of Tyler in huge waves that completely clouded his mind. He tried to tune them out but Tyler’s anger was just too strong.

A long silence settled in-between the two of them and then the throbbing inside his skull became too much.

“I’m sorry.” Pogue sighed.

Tyler gave him a long look before he relied. “It’s alright.”

All at once the anger drained from inside Pogue’s head as Tyler slowly calmed down. The jeep came to a stop a few minutes later in front of the ancient colony house that Gorman lived in. Pogue frowned at the sight, he hated this place. There were to many memories here and most of them involved Caleb.

Tyler killed the engine and slid out of the driver’s side door. Because of the heavy darkness that surrounded the jeep Pogue couldn’t see him but, he could hear his footsteps running around the front of the jeep towards his side.

Tyler opened the passenger’s side door and un-latched Pogue’s seatbelt for him.

“Okay, let’s do this on three again...” He tossed Pogue’s right arm over his shoulder. “One, two, three!”

Pogue pushed himself off the seat and tried to help out Tyler as much as he could on his way down to the ground. Thankfully Tyler didn’t lose his footing and drop him.

“It just hope it’s too dark for Gorman to shoot at us.” Tyler chuckled, trying to lighten the situation.

“Hang on...” Pogue replied and cleared his head, trying to see if he could feel anything.

At first, all he could feel was Tyler’s nervousness but after he focused he started to feel Gorman’s rough presence around him.

“He knows we’re here.”

Tyler gave him a confused look before he shrugged “Well that makes this easier.”

The two of them hobbled up the dirt pathway until they came to the large stoop. Gorman was standing in the open doorway watching both boys closely.

“A bit late isn’t it boys?” He stated in his usual cold voice.

Pogue shot him an annoyed look as Tyler hauled him up the steps.

“Pogue wreaked.” Tyler said as he dragged Pogue into Gorman’s eyesight.

Gorman didn’t say anything, just gave Pogue a tired look and motioned for the two of them to come inside. Tyler nodded at him and helped Pogue limp his way into the old house.

“First room on your right.” Gorman said as he closed the door behind them.

He slid Pogue’s other arm around his shoulder and helped Tyler carry the hurt teen towards one of the many bedrooms in the colony house.

Pogue hated the fact that both of them were babying him like this. He could make to the damn room perfectly on his own. Well maybe not, but did they have to make a big deal out of this?

“Set him down there.” Gorman pointed towards one of the beds.

Tyler did so and gently rolled up the leg of Pogue’s jeans. Pogue leaned forwards and groaned when he got a good look at his leg. It was completely swollen and from the looks of it, there was a bone poking against the skin.

“Let me look at it.” Gorman said as he knelt down near Pogue’s broken leg.

Both Tyler and Pogue watched quietly as Gorman looked it over and hummed a few times. After a few moments his silence became too much for Pogue to bear.

“Can you fix it or not?”

Gorman looked up at him. “These are some serious injuries Pogue, how did you get them?”

“He crashed.” Tyler said, still watching Gorman examine Pogue.

Pogue rolled his eyes and waited for Gorman to finish looking his leg over. “Can you heal me or not?”

“As a matter of fact I can, if you’d just be patient.” Gorman replied and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt. “Try to hold still.”

Pogue nodded and leaned back on his hands as Gorman gently rubbed his hands together and then placed them on his bruised leg.

Once again a soft warmth started spreading through Pogue’s body. He sighed, feeling completely at peace as the painful throbbing from his leg faded away.

“There we are.” Gorman said as he finished tending to Pogue’s leg and stood up. “Any other areas I should look over?”

“My head...” Pogue groaned and lightly touched his forehead.

Gorman’s hands immediately pressed against the side of his head and Pogue sighed as the warmth continued flowing through his body.


“There we are. Good as new.”

Pogue blinked his eyes a few times, testing his vision before taking a close look at his leg. It was perfect, no swelling or bruising. He slowly slid to his feet and tested his leg, making sure it would hold his weight properly. It did so without complaint, he was completely healed.

Gorman watched him for a moment before he turned to Tyler. “I suspect that Mr. Garwin is wondering where the two of you are.”

Tyler looked at him confused and then picked up the hint. “Oh, um, I’ll go call him.”

Giving both of them a shy look, Tyler slowly headed out the door into the livingroom.

“I suppose a “Thank You” is out of the question?”

Pogue shrugged. “Uh, thanks.”

Gorman scowled at him and sighed. “So what’s the excuse this time. Did you get pushed off road by Aaron Abbot’s car again?”

“No, I saw something.”

Gorman raised an eyebrow. “And?”

Pogue thought for a moment, debating on wether or not he should tell Gorman the truth. After, if Tyler didn’t believe him he seriously doubted the Gorman would.

“It was a dog or something. And I tried to avoid it.”

The second he finished his statement he could feel Gorman power feeling around the side of his head.

“Pogue. Tell me the truth.”

Pogue cursed inwardly. He knew well enough that you couldn’t hide anything from empath, especially one as powerful as Gorman.

“Fine, it was nothing, I just lost control of my bike. Agh!”

Pogue yelped and touched the side of his head as Gorman’s emotions flooded through it.

“You haven’t been practicing have you?”

“Gee, is it that obvious?” Pogue snapped as his head started pounding.

“Pogue, how many times must I tell you, it’s going–”


“To be unpleasant unless I can get it under control.” Pogue finished still holding the side of his head.

“Precisely, that’s why I wanted you to stay here so I could help you control it.”

“I don’t wanna control it, I want it to go away!” Pogue yelled as his head started throbbing again. “You think I like being around large groups of people and getting splitting headaches all the time?”

Gorman withdrew all of his emotions and Pogue sighed quietly as the pain subsided. He heard Gorman’s footsteps walking closer towards him.

“Why must you insist on fighting me?” He asked quietly as he placed his cold hands on Pogue’s shoulder. “I’m not doing this to antagonize you.”

Pogue didn’t answer him, he just kept staring down at the old wooden floor. He felt Gorman searching his feelings once more and forced his mind to block him out. Gorman felt this and sighed quietly.

“Always a fighter. Just like your grandfather.” Gorman forced a small grin. “Your father never gave me half as much trouble as he did.”

Pogue looked up at him. “You knew–”

“I’m a lot older then you think I am boy.” Gorman winked.

Pogue tried to smile but couldn’t bring himself to. Anytime someone mentioned his family all of his nerves just shut down. He missed all of them, his father and mother, his grandfather who disappeared when he was five and of course, Caleb, who was closest thing to family he had in a long time.

“I saw Caleb.”

Pogue froze when he realized what just came out of his mouth.

All of the color drained from Gorman’s face. “What?”

“I was on my way home when I saw something in the road...” Pogue paused and looked at Gorman. “It was Caleb.”

Gorman remained quiet as he stared at him. A strong feeling echoed around inside of Pogue’s head; it was Fear.

“You saw Caleb?”

“He attacked me.”

The feeling grew more powerful.

Gorman slowly turned away from him. “I think you should go home, you’re going to need some rest in order for you to fully recover.”

“What?”

Gorman gave him a stern look over his shoulder. “I want you to keep practicing tuning people out. You find that it’ll be easier to be around them then.”

With that, the elder left the room, leaving Pogue behind.

“What the fuck Gorman?”

There was no answer and Pogue growled loudly as he heading into the main room in search of Tyler.

*****************

Gorman watched from the second-story window as Tyler’s jeep slowly pulled out and set off down the dirt road.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose gently.

“It’s just as I feared.” He whispered quietly into the darkness.