~Chapter 13~
Kauket
"Big Sal, I gotta question for you; or should I call you by your birth name, Kauket?"
"Son you can call me anything you want to. My birth name, or by the name I go by now. "
"Kauket, the Goddess of Darkness and Chaos, the Overseer of Shadows Before Time Began. The Goddess of Nighttime of Time Without Light or Sun, the God of Chaotic Darkness, Reflection and Hidden-Darkness?"
"Ok already, I got it. I know?I know?I am the Giver of Darkness, the Harbinger of all Things Dark and Evil?W-hat do you want already Petar?"
"Mom you don't have to be so curt with me and mean. I was just talkin ya up already, like you told me to do around all the Rats here."
"Do you see any Rats in the mess hall, any Rats within, hearing?"
"You're right Sal but I was just practicing. Anyway, would you like another slab of beef for dinner?"
"Your-a darn right I wanna another slab. I've been looking a little thin lately. You know I've got to, keep my womanly figure. What would happen if, your dad would come back and see me again? He would be mad at me for losing weight. He likes me big and plump, you know. Real?hearty?and...big".
Petar called out towards the kitchen where Black Jack Tilly, Horse-Face Willie, and Joey the Bull were making breakfast for the Rats, and all the little Rats that were locked up.
"Horse-Face come on, hurry it up. Big Sal is a getting real hungry again."
"You got it Squint-Eye we'll have that beef ready in a minute. I gotta a few chickens cooked and ready for her as well" called out Horse-Face as he swung open the kitchen doors and waived to Pete.
Sal took a large puff of her cigar then rubbed a hand across her five-o'clock shadow.
"I gotta start shaven more often don't you think Pete? These whiskers are starting to come in a little too thick and dark these days."
"Nah ma, I can hardly see any whiskers at all. You just look like you got some dirt on your face, that's what I see, you know like you use to when you would work on your, old pig farm, way back when."
"What about my eyebrows are they too long?" asked Sal as she matted them to the top of her bulbous forehead.
"No ma, you look like the princess, after all you are, the Princess of all Evil and Darkness."
"Son you really are sweet-talker, aren't you?"
Horse-Face and Joey the Bull flew in through the doors wheeling a cart full of freshly boiled beef.
"Here Kauket?er?I mean Big Sal. Just like you wanted, a freshly cooked side of boiled beef with crushed garlic, and three gutted and barbequed whole chickens."
"Son help me git this wheelbarrow out of the way, so I can eat my breakfast."
Horse-Face and The Bull pried Big-Sal's belly out of the wheelbarrow with all their might, as Petar pushed the couch under her widespread butt. Horse-Face slide the feed-cart within the reach of Sal's stubby fingers, slapped Joey on the back of the head, then accidental blurted out, "Dinner is served fatso."
Sal snapped her head sideways, showing a contorted look on her face.
"I ain't fat!!"
No one had ever called Sal fat before to her face, and lived to tell the story.
Sal's eyes glowed, a fiery red.
Her two eyebrows fought each other on her face as it grimaced in anger. She grabbed one of the chickens with two greasy, chubby fingers, held it up to her mouth, and in one quick in-and-out-motion, skinned the chicken clean to the bone. She swallowed once then hurled the chicken carcass towards Horse-Face, hitting him squarely in the face, penning him against the mess hall wall.
The carcass pierced his skull, cracking it in two pieces. His eyes rolled up in his head, a thin gasp of air left his throat, as his body went limp, falling to the floor.
"With an ugly face like that I can see why they called him Horse-Face. You think that nimrod would have learned to duck at an earlier age. I guess that's why they called him Horse-Face instead of Duck Boy. Anyway, get that horse's ass out of here before I boil and eat him. Um, Horse-Face stew, now that wouldn't be too bad for dessert."
Joey the Bull froze in place.
Sal sent another empty chicken carcass flying into the wall next to him. Joey was frightened out of his wits. Slowly regaining his senses he grabbed Horse-Face by the feet, dragging him towards the kitchen doors just as fast as his short stocky legs, could move. Another skinned chicken flew past hitting the kitchen doors as Joey and Duck-Boy disappeared out of sight.
"Punks! All punks, I tell ya! That's all we got running this here prison. Someday Hunch-Back Pete Rossi, your loving father is gonna return, and he'll set things right around here."
Petar sneered, nodding his head in agreement.
Sal belched loudly, rolled over sideways on the couch, she then scratched her behind for the better part of five minutes.
Petar's face contorted in anger as he thought of his dad:
Never being there for me pops...I don't mind. You never took me anywhere. You never said anything good to me. You never encouraged me. I don't mind, and look at me; I turned out to be a real good son. I real good son dad, really I did, just look at me.
Pete's mouth was frothing at the sides.
His mind began to chatter. His desire for absolute power, and evil began to overcome him again. His hatred for his dad could not be quelled any longer; it festered deep down in his empty, black-hearted soul.
Petar's face contorted in anger as he thought of his mom:
He glared at his Fatso mother thinking. Horse-Face was right. Look at that gluttonous, lazy, cigar chomping, hairy, greasy, wheelbarrow-fat-carrying, tub-of-lard.
That's my mom; now a murderer!
That evil eye, why does it belong to her, and not me; I'm the one with all the smarts in this family. I do all the work around here anyway; it's always me taken care of what's got to be taken care of. I'm the one who chased that red-haired kid all over the Dark Lords creation, then it was I who went to the North Pole, and did what she said to do; with stealing those maps, that compass and that evil book.
I'm a good kid. She didn't even say thanks, not once, ever. She didn't even give me a gift I got nothin. Aw, she's got that evil eye and she don't even use it.
Sal belched loudly as she dived into the side of boiled garlic and beef.
That eye belongs to me. I deserve it, and she's gonna give it to me, one way or another, thought Petar as demonic thoughts filled his conniving and very empty head.
"Honey can you help me to my prison cell. I feel I need a late-morning nap. Call in some of the other boys from the kitchen and help me. Will ya?"
Petar smiled in contempt, unnoticeable to his mother. His eyes flashed hatred. His heart grew dark and revengeful, as evil was permitted to rob his mind.
"Yes mom, right away. Let's go to your cell, yes?I have plans for you?ah?I mean we have to make plans."
He called out to the kitchen one more time.
Joey the Bull, Flat Nose, Baby Face Willie, Rags, and Stinky Bob came running into the mess hall. Petar motioned for them to help Fatso to her feet. Rags slammed the wheelbarrow under her corpulent and very rounded belly, and off they trundled toward Sal's lair.
Down the hall, they pushed her with considerable trouble. Stumbling into her cell, Kauket rolled onto her outsized bed, letting out a great breath of air, as she hit the worn bedsprings. She kicked a few empty dirty plates and pans, shouted out a few expletives at Flat-Nose, for being too skinny and ugly, then kicked the cell doors closed, as all fled for their lives.
Petar stayed behind, plotting.
His heart filled with malice and meanness.
His hands trembled, sweat rolled off his forehead, stinging his one good eye. With his black-heart pounding in rage, he sweetly asked his mother a question.
"Kauket are you losing weight again? You look so thin."
"Petar git me that
rack of lamb I've got stored over in the foot-locker there. Let me snack on that till lunch comes, or till I nod off to sleep."
With a lust for power mounting in his disturbed soul, his fingers gripped the lamb-rack.
Petar leisurely moved closer to his mom.
"Mom why don't you just open up, I will feed you like I was feeding a princess grapes?"
"You're the sweetest child."
As Petar Deegan Aden sauntered across the darkened prison cell, he let loose the Evil Eye of Horus Amduat, sending his eye patch to the cell floor with a flurry. A black fire roared in his evil eye. With his fingers twisted, and contorted around the exposed bones, Petar leaned forward showing his true intentions at last.
Kauket's mouth was wide open. Saliva ran down the sides of her mouth in anticipation of her next meal. Suddenly Big Sal Rossi saw the evil look in her loving son's face.
Petar Deegan did the unthinkable.
She tried to scream as Petar climbed onto her bulging stomach. Kauket grasped for air. Petar tightened his grip; he did not flinch. Big Sal rolled to her left, then quickly stood up, moving faster than Petar had believed possible. She kicked open the cell door, stumbling to her left, out into the hallway with Petar facing her. His hands were still about her face.
"Mom have, another bite, you're looking very thin; we can't have that!" screamed out Petar.
His words echoed off the nearby prison walls, down into the yard. The imprisoned children, and most of the Missouri Rats, who were hard at work building the Great Wrapping-Machine down below, looked up in horror, only to see Big Sal leaning precariously over the upper hallway railings.
"Pete?son?I?love you?son" called out Sal as she fought to get the words out.
"I will save you from falling over the rail if you give me the Eye of Wedjat mom."
"Pete, I can't do?that?I stole it?it?from Hunch-Back...I?he?gave it to me...I mean..."
"Give it to me mom. Give me Wedjat. It needs to be with its master."
"No?son?no..."
"The Eye of Horus is calling for it!" screamed out Petar as he now lunged for the eye.
Sal rolled sideways exposing her eye by mistake. As she rolled by, she swallowed the lamb bone. As it was passing down her throat, her eyes bulged out of their sockets. Petar seeing his only change to pass completely into the Neither World, reached out with his spindly, cold bony fingers towards The Eye. With one swift motion, Kauket coughed violently. The Eye of Wedjat was loose. The evil eye now out of its black, lifeless socket, hung in the air above her head for a moment: landing softly in Petar's outstretched, greedy hands.
"It's mine at last."
"Mehan the Serpent-Rider has fully returned to the world of the living: to the world of the meek and weak-hearted!" shouted out Petar at the top of his lungs, for all in the world to hear.
Kauket bellowed loudly as Petar with his off-hand, un-politely shoved her off the balcony, she ungracefully plummeted to her demise.
"Thanks mom, I always knew you were the giving type."
Kauket hit the earth with a loud and resounding thump. A dust cloud engulfed her as a last breath escaped her enormous lungs.
"Son...but...I...I...love...you?"
The prison yard cleared as everyone ran in panic towards safety.
"I guess there's a new sheriff in town, now! Any objections?" screamed out Petar towards the prison yard; exemplified by a hideous, ear-splitting laugh.
All cowered as they stared up at the new sheriff. Petar raised the Eye of Wedjat towards the mid-morning, Missouri sun. He raised his off hand, stiffened his bony fingers up, and stabbed at his lone good eye. With a quick twist, Petra thrust his spiny index finger into his eye.
He screamed out in pleasure.
With another quick movement, he propelled the Eye of Wedjat into the empty, black socket.
Another violent scream; gratification rumbled out of his throat.
As the power of two evil eyes met together, the earth began to rumble, vehemently! The darkening skies above roared! Two large black lightning bolts shot straightaway overhead, from a now impending storm, which sent Petar into a hysterical joy.
"I can feel you calling me Mehen the Serpent King. I will heed your calling: I will be with you soon. Total and absolute power will be yours soon enough."
The skies were completely dark as last.
Two more black lightning bolts thundered from overhead, shooting towards the ground.
A direct hit on the souls of Kauket's, feet. Kauket was incinerated instantly, burning to dust.
"Sent back into the Neither World from which she was born!" screamed out Petar.
As Petra watched his mother absolve to nothingness, he shed his over-sized black duster revealing his full body to the captivated and entranced prisoners, all watching in horror, from below.
Skeletal remnants of a man; that was all that was seen!
A thin layer of leathery-skin covered his scrawny frame. From his skeletal and very lean face out jutted two large sunken cheekbones on each side. His arms and legs were wasted. He sadistically shook where he stood.
As he looked upwards towards the fully darkened skies, the power of the two evil eyes began to show their complex and multiple powers; an evil-force surged through his body. His lanky frame grew ridge as the power of the Under World, the dark-side, began to pump new life-giving blood, back into his hardened heart. The "Black Fire" had awoken for the first time in three-thousand years.
Petar Deegan Aden raised his hands to the colliding skies; calling out: