“ENOUGH!” Clara boomed out, and made the walls shake. Well, that’s new…
The dry skin cracked and widened around those eye sockets. While inhuman, it strangely conferred a sense of awe.
“Trait—” the nun hissed.
The glow from Clara’s eyes was nearly white, serving as a threat. Meanwhile, she used this lull to fold in her wings.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
The apparition reappeared, from the outer edge of the room and charged. Clara changed tactics, the glow from her eyes became powerful enough to illuminate every nook and cranny of this space. Fully charged, she sent everything she had through her fingertip.
It was nothing more than a hunch, but she had nothing to lose. When the blue bolt came into contact with the green spectre, the room lit up in a shower of sparks. It may not have been a fatal shot, the nun was left humbled.
“Traitor!” the nun hissed.
The spectre’s eyes darted from point to point as though searching for something to leverage to her advantage. She’s not going to play nice.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth.
She removed her light jacket and flannel shirt leaving behind a sports bra and jeans. Two buds appeared on her back, stretching the skin until they burst out as a congealed mass of flesh and bone. Once they reached their full size, black feathers sprouted from the surface until her wings were fully formed.
Other transformations were more subtle but impressive. Her eyes turned to a piercing steel grey, whereas the features on her face and body became sharper and distinctive. That effect extended to her musculature and even the sheen in her hair. That sheikh wouldn’t walk by me looking like this… the smell though…
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
The water temperature plummeted, and water crystalised over the surface. Clara had the distinct impression that this spirit sought to entomb her in ice. Instead of a focused bolt of energy, Clara tapped into her darkest thoughts, the ones that most kept buried deep within their subconscious.
She loathed channelling such emotions through Ethereal. The act of doing so made her feel as though a part of her had died, or that someone had walked across her grave. When her eyes opened again, she was faced by the spectral view of this vengeful spirit. A nun, with empty sockets where her eyes should have been, and blueish flesh stretched taut over the skull and bone.
Clara sensed the shock as the tables were turned. She exploited that lapse in concentration, using her legs to launch the nun through the wall. I bet she wasn’t expecting me to fight back.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
A response came from the depths of this chamber. It sounded like waves washing up on the beach. Confined by the walls, the water pushed through the doorway and pinned her against the wall.
Clara was immediately submerged, and the weight of the backpack complicated matters. She released the quick snaps on her shoulders and left it behind. As she was about to push herself up, a pair of spectral hands reached down through the surface to hold her down. Whoever this was, they are seriously pissed off!
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.
It was cool, more than an air-conditioned space. The cool temperature intermixed in with high humidity made the walls and ceiling cry. That certainly explains the stalactites…and the mould.
Humidity clung to her skin, and was sure she would end up desperate for a long shower. It’s going to be hard to get back to that bus if I look like a puddle of sweat, and carrying the pungent odour of swamp.
She moved onward, the bare portions of the wall glistened in blue light, whereas the rest was absorbed by tufts of furry black mould. The place was literally teeming with life, just not the kind she wanted to spend quality time with.
“Are those cousins of yours?” Ethereal mocked. “Naw. Those are far ahead of you on the evolutionary ladder.”
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
The outline of stone steps were visible, along with a shiny film of mildew, and the stalactites above her head. While less than pleasant, she knew there was nothing down there that could kill her. However, that did not mean she had to rely on ambient light to get a view of her surroundings. Clara channelled her pent-up irritation through Sparky, the goddess of magic, which made her eyes glow blue.
“What a pitiful use of my talents,” Sparky said, the sister who sounded like an over-caffeinated squirrel.
That was the thing about anger, it was pervasive. Rage easily charged her batteries, enabling her to unleash deadly bolts of energy on an unwitting foe. However, daily annoyances such as being cut off in traffic, or falling for clickbait on the Internet would trickle charge the system. Modern life was filled with a plethora of irritations that poisoned the soul. For the moment, that bruised ego from earlier was more than enough to power this handy dandy flashlight.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth.
“No red carpet for this gal,” Clara said. “To be fair, that never stopped me from crashing a party.”
The overpowering scent of decay overwhelmed her senses. Clara took a few steps back until she regained control. Her training regime had been on the back burner ever since going into hiding, and these lapses in decorum were concerning. I’m going to need to address those soon.
Physical reactions to stimuli were very much like pain, the mind could be trained to block them out entirely. However, this gave her an idea on what to expect when she ventured inside. Here I thought the chemical toilet on the bus was bad…
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth.
She nearly missed the door entirely, memories were tainted by her childhood self’s diminutive size. What once took her one-hundred paces to reach, now required forty. Ivy had grown over this part of the wall, which worked well for keeping secrets from the past hidden.
Clara reached through the Ivy and snapped off an old sign. While badly corroded, the sign read: Condemned. No trespassing.
A smile crept over those soft lips. She confirmed that there was no one nearby and reached through the Ivy once more. This time Clara grabbed an iron handle and pulled. The door did not budge; the hinges seized from years of corrosion. However, with some persuasion, the handle tore off entirely, leaving a void in its place.
“Well, that’s progress,” Clara grumbled.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pixabay.
Clara had reached the wall by that point, and the guide’s words were whispers carried on by the wind. She followed the stone barrier until; she came across an ivy covered door. Unlike the gate that led in and out of the convent, this one was no taller than she was. She remembered that it had been fashioned with thick oak and reinforced with iron rivets.
She nearly missed the door entirely, memories were tainted by her childhood self’s diminutive size. What once took her one-hundred paces to reach, now required forty. Ivy had grown over this part of the wall, which worked well for keeping secrets from the past hidden.
Disclaimer: This excerpt from The Van Helsing Impetus is currently in development. There may be typos, errors, omissions, inconsistencies and so forth. The image is sourced from Pexels.