Lola

She saw it standing close to Empty Street and knew it was headed for the Abbey. She knew it from ancient days… knew it had killed her, had killed her mother, and the city of Aegis. It sensed her, turned, and revealed its ugly face.

“Pan!”

She woke up…

It was day again, Lola reminded herself as she stood up from her bed. She walked to her bathroom, washed her face, and popped some pain pills to ease her migraine. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror, and was stunned by what she saw. Scars lined her face along with a cross tattoo above her left eyebrow which throbbed. It was her birthmark, her shame, and, according to her mother, “a sign from the Good Lord.” Lola used her nails in an attempt to clean the tattoo. Her fingers, though sharp, did nothing to it. This was the uptheeenth time she’d repeated that folly. Thrice, she’d visited professionals to get it removed, but they all failed to leave a scratch. The black cross was on her face to stay and she often cursed the Good Lord because of it. She left her bathroom angry, rushed a meal, and dashed into the busy streets of Detanor.

The town always looked odd to Lola, though she’d never seen another town. Houses were built like skulls and goat-heads. The only structure which had a sane vibe according to her mind’s eye, was the Abbey on Empty Street, a street which lived up to its name. The grasses and leaves in Detanor were red. Crows flew about, cawing toward other birds. Folks walked or drove dirt bikes through the town. Most in Detanor preferred to wear red, giving the town a bloody look. None of that troubled Lola like the fact that there were no old people and children in Detanor. She’d seen the offspring of every living creature in Detanor, and they all had younglings who lived to old age. It seemed out of place that humans had none.

Lola buried her worries, head bowed, as she walked toward Todd’s Diner. She’d learn to mind her business in the small town after she’d found her mom’s body on Gyra Street. Everyone had acted like nothing happened, including the local sheriffs who did not bother to search for her mom’s murderer or murderers. Lola, judged three people had killed her mom, evident from her missing organs. On her mom’s back, someone had used a knife to carve, “daughter of the Good Lord.” Her mom had been a devout follower of the Good Lord, and she often prayed for Detanor. She also made bold claims such as “Detanor existed as a false miracle, and its real name was Aegis, a city around the Aegean Sea. Aegis, or Detanor, was sacrificed to Pan, just before Philip began his conquest of Grecia. The Goat Song was sung, and our souls were forever lost. However, after years in Sheol or Tartarus, we were brought back to life by the Good Lord, during the reign of Emperor Constantine. The Good Lord marked you. You’re the sign, Lola, our last hope.”

Many believed her mother had lost her mind, and Lola shared their sentiment. However, whenever she tried to recall her childhood, she saw herself in an old land, like the type she’d seen when she watched the movie ‘Alexander.’ Add her nightmares to the equation and she knew her mom knew something. “Today, I’ll find out,” Lola whispered to herself as curiosity overcame caution. “I’ll visit the Abbey!”

She increased her pace, head still bowed, as she passed a gang of bikers. She took two left turns and found herself in front of a red goat-head with smoke coming out from its horns. The sign attached to the building read “Todd’s Diner.”

She climbed a short stairway attached to the building as she walked past the building’s goatee and reached its mouth, where a door was attached. She pushed and entered. Inside of the diner was beautiful with lights hanging from way up the skull. Stairways connected the distinct features of the goat-head, joining mouth to nose, and eyes. The ground floor was where the mouth was, the middle floor had the nose, and above that loomed the eyes. Each level had its booth, and customers were having breakfast as the diner smelt of hash browns, coffees, steaks, burgers, bacon, and human sweat.

The server in the booth waved toward Lola. She wore a red apron and had shoulder length black hair. Lola waved back, which prompted the server to smile. Lola frowned and walked toward the booth. Within talking distance, she leaned in. “Oi, Natasha, I hate your face!” Natasha laughed. “And a good morning to you, Lola.”

They’d been good friends for a time. Natasha Todd had found her near a dumpster close to Empty Street, days after her mom died. She’d taken Lola in and cared for Lola. Natasha was close to forty, but had a never ending youthful vibe. Lola liked her a lot, and she could swear even the cold folks of Detanor warmed up to Natasha.

“You’re late. This place is full. Wash your hands and grab an apron. José, Nick, and Jemima have been doing all the cooking, and serving. They’re quite mad at you.”

Natasha had taught her how to cook, and Lola learned fast, which made Natasha employ her as one of her cooks. However, Lola wasn’t here for work today. She’d come to borrow a bike.

“Tell them I’m sorry. I woke up with this crippling migraine…”

“So sorry, dear.” Natasha said as she cut her off, “Hope you’ve swallowed a pill for it?”

“Yes, I have, thank you. Oi, I need your bike. Have to see someone close to Empty Street.”

Tasha wore a concerned look as she said, “There’s barely anyone there. Your attachment to that place will be the end of you.”

Lola scuffed, “More like the death of this place.”

“I found you there after your mom passed.”

“More like murdered!”

“Fine, it’s parked behind, where the staff ought to use to enter.”

“Spare me your rules, Tasha. Thanks, by the way.”

“Get your ass back here in one piece.” Natasha advised, as she gave Lola the key to the bike.

“Yes ma’am.”

Lola walked out of the diner, as she inhaled deep, forcing out the smell of sweat which she often endured in Todd’s Diner. She walked to the back of the building, spied Tasha’s black bike, and climbed on it. She keyed in the ignition and began her ride toward the Abbey. The air was cool, and many riders were out, rushing to work, or riding for leisure. She kept a steady pace and soon reached Empty Street. Like its name, the street was empty, as homes were abandoned, and vegetation had grown wild. However, Lola knew there were people indoors. They had fed her on this street before Natasha found her. Indeed, they were kind folks here. She passed the houses and soon rode down a cobbled street.

It was old, but the walls of the Abbey still looked strong. The Abbot, who claimed he’d sold his soul to Pan in exchange for magical powers, burned it. The fire had claimed 33 lives, and over the years, many worshippers of the Good Lord tried to restore the place, but all ended up dead.

Lola stopped the bike, parked it, and walked toward the front door. Her senses screamed “danger!” but she recalled her mother’s words, and her nightmares. She steeled herself and opened the door. The Abbey’s roof had caved in. Every inch of it was a complete ruin, set in time by forces beyond her. Lola bit her lip in regret.

“Well, that was a waste of time, and fuel,” Lola whispered. “This place is gone, there’s no place to set foot, unless you love tetanus. Well, well, time to return to Detanor.”

Lola closed the Abbey’s front door, started Tasha’s bike and began her ride back to Detanor. She hummed a familiar song as she rode. It sounded like the Goat Song… if memory served her right from centuries ago. “Blimey!” she yelled. “Where did that thought come from?” She cursed her curiosity for wasting her time and knew she’d seen all this before… “but when?” She was deep in an abusive argument with herself when her eyes showed her huge flames in place of Empty Street. Lola stopped the bike. The sky above was black from smoke. From within the flames, she heard screams. Lola could not control her fright. Her head began to throb again, just as she saw herself in Aegis.

Pella, or King Philip, had visited Aegis with his son Alexander and daughter Cleopatra. They’d come with an army and had turned on Aegis. They sold the old and young as slaves to Arabia, and Philip built a huge burn fire, where he then tossed the rest free folk of Aegis into. Pan, the ancient God of Grecia who had a goat’s head, had appeared and claimed their souls. The remnants of their spirits were given to Hades, and in Shoel or Tartarus, they were tormented. There was no Good Lord… it was all a myth, a prayer uttered from the lips of burning souls, a prayer which had been given life. Lola continued to recall events as the flames washed over her. Her reality was Pan’s eternal torment, and she knew the next day she’d wake up in Detanor (Death Eternal) and assume the semblance of life, with the same story and the same ending.