There Is An Occult Store Near The Seattle Underground Where You Must Never, Ever Go. And Here’s Why.
Tad flipped open the lighter and flicked the flint as fast as he could, but sparks were all that emerged. He didn’t stop until he caught the glint of a dull bluish light slowly growing in intensity with every syllable that the man spoke.
Tad could make out a shadow walking toward the light. He couldn’t tell if it was the reflection from the distant glow, but he thought the runes on Blackstone’s head were lighting up as well. Panic receded to an overwhelming curiosity as Tad began to follow him. When he neared, Tad saw light emanating from the cracks of an old wooden crate that had been stuffed in one corner of the room.
Blackstone bent down and tore open the crate to reveal a human skull; the rune markings etched into its surface were glowing so intensely that Tad could almost feel the heat. The chanting stopped and the room went dark again.
Tad felt his way along the brick wall and flipped on room’s overhead light. The fluorescent bulbs flickered on, a low light slowly building in brightness, but nothing like the intensity of that skull.
There in the corner of the room, Blackstone cradled the skull in his hands, closely inspecting it millimeter by millimeter as a jeweler might inspect for flaws in a diamond.
It was like no occult piece Tad had ever seen; off white with a lacquered polished appearance. The runes indeed looked tattooed like that of the mystery man, but somehow Tad knew the runes were different.
It took him a moment to find his voice but eventually Tad choked out enough words to ask, “Is that the Satan Snail?”
“Saidr Snare.” The man’s panicked tone washed away in the presence of his new treasure. He smiled at Tad. “You really don’t know what you have here, do you?”
“What are you?” Tad was embarrassed by the uncontrollable tremble in his voice. He’d seen a lot of wannabe-freaks pass through the walls of W.W.W., but this… this guy was something else.
“When I was a lad, I knew there was great power in this world and that I had a special gift. I don’t know how I knew, but I was convinced. How could there not be? I just needed to find out how to tap into it.”
Tad nodded as if he understood, though at that moment, nothing could’ve been farther from the truth.
“I spent hours on end attempting to bend spoons with my mind, trying to will stray animals to do my bidding, glaring at them until I was overcome by headaches… I was convinced that this was how it was done. It had to be painful and it had to take all of your energy. Sure, with time, it would be as easy as a flick of the wrist or the wag of a finger. Nothing worth doing is easy.”