“Young human female, are you certain you can take this responsibility until the time of fulfillment?” The dog cooked its head, and for a fleeting moment, Carmen felt that once upon a time someone used to cuddle this weird talking dog. She felt a shiver run through her entire body when she considered the being who used to pet this particular breed, must have been a very loving entity to be able to do just that.
“Yeah, yeah, just go through with it doggy guardian thingy.” Carmen pushed her doubts deep inside of her gut, this would not be the first time she would follow through with a risky situation, and she hoped it would not be the last.
“I, Anubis, am not a dog.” Anubis lifted his snout to the moon rising above their head, lending a silvery caste to the entire scene. “I am a jackal.”
“Sorry for that.” Carmen stepped back, something about the jackal’s demeanor suddenly felt dangerous and ominous.
“Very well, this man shall be bound to you until the time of fulfillment comes.” Anubis turned to the man and bit him.
The next few moments were the most revolting in Carmen’s experience, the ghost fell down on all four, then through his ethereal form blood started to appear through transparent veins, then his muscles started to coalesce as quavering masses, bones came next giving his head a creepy and unearthly look that would sent a lesser girl to her knees, finally the skin started to cover the man from top to bottom, and he was naked.
Carmen looked away and felt too self aware to look back at the man kneeling on all four on the ground in front of her.
“I will restore your attire as well.” Anubis growled. “The young female feels uncomfortable to the way you look.” Carmen didn’t turn to see how the man looked, but suddenly she felt a punch to her back that knocked the breath out of her and sent her reeling to the ground.
“Now, he is bound to you physically, if something should befell any of you, it will affect the other.” Anubis announced and his last words trailed as if they dissipated to nothingness in the night’s cold breeze.
Carmen pushed herself up and turned to see the man leaning by the ancient tree by the fence. Strangely enough, he wore blue denim jeans and an orange jersey, nothing out of the ordinary or out of place with this time and place.
“You’re wearing jeans.” Carmen walked slowly to the man and poked his chest. “And you are solid, not a ghost any more.”
“Thank you for what you did.” The man turned left and right. “But now you carry my responsibility to save this world and mine as well.”
“About that, save it from what?” Carmen eyed the man with fascinated curiosity, he looked around her age, may be a few years older at most. He didn’t seem so mysterious and attractive as he was as a ghost, but still, something was familiar and attractive about him, she could have swore that she met him before. May be his descendants attended her high school?
“There is a trans-dimensional portal about to be breached, and this would cause this world to be consumed by the next dimension, as it would be just a mere shadow there.” The man looked at his watch, then looked back to Carmen. “In about thirty minutes to be exact.”
“Are you wearing a digital watch?” Carmen’s eyebrow climbed to her hairline.
“A modified Fitbit, it works as a watch, smartphone, and dimensional and temporal scanner, it is just something I picked from my world before coming here.” The man tapped the face of his “Fitbit” twice and turned to Carmen. “The place where the portal will be breached is to the north of here, around ten miles north.”
The man started to run and Carmen followed. “What does that portal look like anyway?” Carmen ran as fast as she could while she talked.
“An egg, a large egg.” The man weaved through the old road as if he knew exactly where he needed to go. “It would like a gem stone the size of an ostrich’s egg to be exact.”
Carmen felt alarmed, she knew where the egg was. “Would it look like some kind of colored crystal or semi-precious stone?”
“Yes.” The man jumped over a fallen tree and continued his running.
“I know where we can find it.” Carmen run ahead of the man. “It is in my grandmother’s house.”
“Then hurry, we have only nineteen minutes before it is opened.” The man grabbed Carmen’s hand and both ran, as fast as they could.
If you like this story, then check the prior parts to enjoy it even more. The old Road, part 1, The old Road, Part 2, The old road, Part 3, The ghost, and The Old Road, the ritual.
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