by David Clark
Mark remained standing there stunned, looking at his friend.
“You can hate me, but I have my reasons. I am a father first. This stuff cost me my parents. I won’t risk my kids or let them go through what I did. I don’t care if anyone understands.”
“That makes sense. I understand, and I might do the same in your shoes. Not sure how many others will. Things have been rough here for a while. You were a sign of hope.”
The last statement Mark said rubbed Edward the wrong way, but he stayed silent. He was no sign of hope. Everyone was on their own.
“You and the kids should come over to dinner again,” Mark offered.
Edward’s first reaction was to decline, but he realized Mark may be the only person in town that didn’t hate him, so he answered in a non-committal fashion. “We’ll see. Right now, I want to stay at home.”
34
The next few days at school were the same. Edward felt isolated, like a leper, but the urge to respond or make a scene had been diminishing. The interaction in his classes was mostly back to normal. It was not as social as they had been before, but it was a good learning environment.
That day was exam day, so the classes were silent. He’d spend the weekend grading each exam in the five rubber banded stacks, one stack for each class. In fact, he’d start tonight. He was skipping the football game. No reason to expose himself to the ire of the entire town.
As he gathered up the stacks of exams, his phone rang from inside his bag. His first instinct was to dismiss it, like he had most calls recently. Those calls had been at night, and he knew who they were from. It was just after three in the afternoon, and odd time for Father Murray to call him. Edward retrieved the phone to check. The number was not one he recognized. He answered. “Hello.”
“Hey Edward, hope I caught you at a good time,” Sheriff Tillingsly said.
“Sheriff, how are you feeling?”
“Not too bad. The doctors are still poking around on me. They are trying to tell me I need to cut back on the greasy food, red meat, and alcohol. I just say yes sir every time they read me a list of things I can’t have anymore. I also need to exercise more, they say. I think I will take up walking. You can walk with me, since you put me here.”
The sheriff laughed loudly, but Edward did not feel the humor. “Sheriff, I feel just horrible.”
The sheriff cut Edward off before he could continue apologizing. “You stop that. I was joking. I intend those walks to be times to catch up while I smoke a big cigar, something else I am not supposed to have anymore. This is not your fault. This could have happened whether you were there or not.”
Edward was not sure how to respond, creating an awkward silence on the call.
“The Father told me what happened between you and him.”
“I am in not in the mood for a lecture. I feel everyone’s disappointment in me, so you can save that talk,” Edward said.
“Oh, you misunderstand me. I am not calling to give you a lecture. That is all between you and him, but I have to think about what is best for the rest of Miller’s Crossing. If you don’t want to put yourself and your family at any risk, not that they aren’t already, that is your choice. I won’t try to convince you otherwise, but… I do need to ask you a favor. There is a gentleman heading over to your home with Father Murray. I need you to meet with him.”
“This is not a good night. I have exams to grade, and I am not in the mood to talk to anyone else that will try to sway or convince me to change my mind.”
“This is not that. This is someone from the Vatican that will try to help Father Murray close the portal and try to restore order to things here. He wants to interview you about your encounters. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes,” Edward begrudgingly agreed. He might as well get it over with.
“I thank you. I will be in touch about those walks, though. Would like to catch up with you.”
The call disconnected before Edward could convey the same sentiment. Edward still had much to learn about his family. The sheriff could help fill in the gaps for him.
35
When Sarah, Jacob, and Edward arrived home, they found Father Murray’s Cadillac parked in front. Next to the car stood two men, Father Murray and another, both dressed all in black. Both men watched as Edward drove up and parked.
“Who is that?” Sarah asked.
“That is a friend of Father Murray’s that I need to talk to for a few minutes.”
Sarah looked concerned and asked, “Is it about Charlotte?”
Not wanting to lie to his daughter, Edward said, “Sort of. He wants me to talk to him about what I saw there so he can help Father Murray with it. Why don’t you two go on inside? See if your brother needs help with his homework while I talk to them.”
Sarah ran past the two men, only pausing to say, “Good afternoon, Father.”
Father Murray returned the pleasantry. “Afternoon, Sarah.”
Jacob just smiled as he bounced up the front steps.
Edward walked over to the two men and politely nodded and greeted Father Murray.
Father Murray nodded back.
Edward extended his hand to the stranger, who was wearing a black overcoat over his black pants, black shirt, and white collar. The man looked at him from under the brim of his black hat and greeted him while firmly taking his hand. “Mr. Meyer. I am Father Lucian. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Father Lucian spoke with a very strong Italian accent, catching Edward off guard.
“Thanks for agreeing to meet with us,” Father Murray said.
Edward snapped back, “I wasn’t given much of a choice. I was told you were heading here before I was even told you were coming.”
“Um… yea… sorry about that. Time is of the essence. Father Lucian has come a long way to speak with you. Can we go inside?”
“You know the way,” Edward said, and all three headed toward his front steps. Father Murray walked through the spirits that still encircled Edward’s house, but as Father Lucian approached them, they parted and allowed him through. Edward watched as they closed ranks behind him again before walking through himself.
Once inside, Father Murray continued on into the kitchen. Edward resisted asking him how it felt to return to the scene of the crime. Father Murray took his familiar seat at the table and Edward leaned back against the counter next to the sink. Father Lucian remained standing, holding his hat in his hands before him. His posture was upright and proper. He turned and spoke directly to Edward. “Mr. Meyer, they sent here me to assist Father Murray with the situation.”
Edward was quick to interrupt, and looked straight at Father Murray. “So, you brought another priest in to convince me to help you again.” Father Murray shook his hands in denial the whole time.
“No, Mr. Meyer. That is not why I am here. Father Murray has explained the issue between him and yourself. That is not of my concern. I want to know about the creature. Father Murray said you had direct contact with it.”
Feeling foolish about his earlier outburst, Edward responded to the visitor, “Yes, a few times.”
“Can you tell me about them?”
“Well, the first time would be at the Kirklands’. It took me out of the room, showed me images of this room from when I was a child and the dead bodies of my parents, and said he was trying to show me the truth. That is pretty much all I remember."
“He took you from the room? Where did he take you?” Father Lucian asked.
“First it was someplace empty, dark. It was just him and I, but I couldn’t see him. I could only hear his voice.” Edward suddenly remembered a field with his children and mumbled, “Then a field with warm sunlight.” He paused for a minute, trying to remember more before continuing. “I am sorry. A lot of the details escape me, like a dream after you wake up. It seemed we kept alternating between the dark space to other places he wanted to show me, like the field, and my kitchen.”
“You keep saying ‘he’, but you said you never saw it.”
“His voice was masculine, plus I saw it once. Not that night, another time.”
Father Murray asked, “How many times have you encountered it?”
“Three. At the Kirklands’, and the other night at the Reynolds’. Both times were similar. The black empty space and showing me this kitchen. The whole time he offered to tell me the truth, which he showed me.” Edward glared past his visitor at Father Murray. “Then, just before you called me to help at the Reynolds’, he appeared in my bedroom.”
Father Murray and Father Lucian both appeared shocked at the revelation that the creature appeared to Edward. “Can you be more specific?” asked Father Lucian.
“The phone rang. I thought it was Father Murray. When I tried to answer it, he or it was sitting there at the foot of my bed.”
“What did he look like?”
Edward described the creature for the two men. They exchange a few interested looks while Edward gave his description.
“You say it kept talking of truth. Did it tell you what truth?”
Edward looked past Father Lucian and straight at Father Murray seated behind him. “No, he never told it to me directly. He kept telling me Father Murray was lying or hiding things from me. Told me I was putting my trust in the wrong person. But every image it showed me led me back here to the part Father Murray played in the death of my parents.” Edward looked Father Lucian in the eyes. “I am sure your friend told you about that.”
“He did. Was there anything else? Did he try to get you to harm anyone or join him?”
“No, he said he was trying to help me find the truth and avoid committing similar mistakes.”
Father Lucian turned to Father Murray. “Abaddon? Did you release him?”
“I don’t know who I released, but it sounds like him. It would explain his more leadership type of actions. He tries to manipulate us and sends other spirits to do his work.”
“Will someone tell me what you are talking about?” Edward demanded, feeling more than a little confused.
“You hadn’t taught him yet?” Father Lucian asked Father Murray.
“We were starting on prayers and their meaning first. I thought I might have more time before he needed to know demonology.”
Father Lucian appeared to disapprove of his fellow priest’s method. “The sower of discord. The angle of the abyss, or as Revelation 9:11 says, ‘whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, The Angel of Death’. In other religions they call him ‘The Destroyer’. It would appear he is building an army. What better place to do it than one of the most spiritually sensitive sites in the world?”
He turned his attention back to Father Murray. “You should have called sooner. Not waited a day, a month, and definitely not decades. You have put everyone at risk.”
“Wait a minute. An army?” Edward asked. The explanation provided by Father Lucian both confused and frightened him.
“Mr. Meyer, take a walk with me please.”
36
The two men strolled together, one next to the other, out into the pasture beside the main house. Father Lucian looked around and took in the fresh cool air and the lasting orange glow of the setting sun. Edward watched two geese flying to the south. This was the peacefulness he sought when he returned home. So far it came only in fleeting moments.
Father Lucian said, “Beautiful home you have.”
“Thanks.”
“It is not uncommon for nature to use true beauty to hide significant dangers.”
“I don’t catch your meaning.”
“Nature often disguises the dangerous creatures and places. To the uneducated eye, no one would ever guess what really goes on here.”
“If you tried to explain it to a true outsider, they would think you’re nuts.”
“Ah, true. There are many non-believers out there. Truly faithful believers would know they are being told the truth.”
Edward’s common sense disagreed on the surface, but considered there maybe deeper meaning to his statement.
“I didn’t come here to talk to you about this…” Father Lucian said as he gestured toward the horizon line. “Mr. Meyer, can I speak completely freely… honestly to you?”
“Of course, Father.”
“Father Murray means well, but he is not able to deal with what goes on here. His training does not cover this. The Vatican hand selects, trains, and assigns the priests for these sites. None, and I mean none, of the training involves how to handle the demons or spirits. We look for priests with a certain level of faith and personality. They are to be trusted allies and confidants to the Primaries assigned. To help sure up and deal with their spiritual and mental health. He has had none of the training your family has.”
“Is the training you are talking about knowledge handed down through our family?” asked Edward.
“Yes and no. That is part, but once a child in the Primary family ascends, they undergo formal training at the Vatican.”
Edward looked at Father Lucian with a quizzical expression. “Ascend?”
“Oh yes, you were probably too young to have heard that term. Think of it as a coming of age, when a child first shows an ability. You lost your parents and disappeared from our view before you ascended. Your father was seventeen when he ascended, and like all before him, he came to the Vatican for one year for training.” Father Lucian’s stoic expression now showed a hint of a smile. “He was an inquisitive one.”
“You knew my father?” Edward asked.
“Yes, very much so. His training was my responsibility.”
“So, you taught him which prayers to use and when.”
“We talked about the prayers a little, but I left that to his father. He was more familiar with the book than I. Actually, until Father Murray showed it to me earlier today, I had never seen it. My training was more around an ability. Do you know why the church selected your family as the Primary for this location?”
Edward answered with confidence. “Because we can see the spirits.”
“Wrong. Most every family here can see spirits. Father Murray can see them. I can see them. Not that unique of an ability. Most can, they just need to accept it. There is something more to your family. You were too young for anyone to tell you about it, but you have felt it. You felt the surge flowing through you before, haven’t you?”
Edward remembered the conversations he and Father Murray had about the importance of his faith and conviction. This must be what Father Lucian was talking about, so Edward guessed, “The surge? You mean a feeling of faith?”
Father Lucian shook his head. “No, my son. Not everything I speak of is about faith. It is a power flowing through you. A strength from within you.”
“Wait!” Edward exclaimed wide-eyed.
“So, you have?” Father Lucian asked.
“I think once. The first time Father Murray took me out. A spirit was on top of me and he had me thrust the cross up into it while reciting a prayer.”
“What did you feel?”
“It is hard to explain.”
“Try.”
“Power. Confidence. Strength.”
“You felt it coming from within you and projecting out, right?”
“Yes. Have you felt it before?”
“No. It is not something I nor Father Murray would ever experience. It is something deep inside you, your family, and the few families like yours around the world.”
That left Edward speechless.
“If that is surprising, what I will am about to tell you will be… well, the relic is just a prop.”
Edward tried to ask a question, but Father Lucian continued before he had the chance.
“Don’t get me wrong. It works through the Cross of Christ’s crucifixion, but that is not where the power comes from. The prayer book is just a book passed down from generation to generation. The power…” Father Lucian stopped walking and turned toward Edward. With his right hand he made a cross in the air and then touched the center of Edward’s chest. “It is within y
ou. It is that power, that ability that is your weapon in this war. It is that which can drive these creatures back from where they came. I can help you learn to control it, in time. But first I need your help to deal with this. Things are far worse than you know. This creature has been running loose for almost thirty years. Father Murray tells me it has killed seventeen and terrorized hundreds. I need your help to end it.”
Remorse overtook Edward. He had failed to deal with this creature twice. Maybe he didn‘t have the true capability, or not in the way his father and the others did. “Father Lucian, I would love to help, but I don’t know how. Whatever you think I can do, maybe it skipped a generation or something. I have failed now twice.”
“Mr. Meyer, you do. You need help to find it and use it. What you felt that day with Father Murray was just a fraction of what you are capable of. I know you have had bad experiences and doubt things now, but that was not your fault.”
“Father Lucian!!! Come quick,” Father Murray yelled while running toward the two men. “It showed up at the high school and has attacked two people. We must go.”
“Mr. Meyer, you must come with us. We need your help,” Father Lucian pleaded.
Still full of self-doubt, Edward said, “I can’t help you. I am not who or what you think I am. I am sorry.”
Father Lucian passionately pleaded again, “You are. Let me show you.”
Father Murray exclaimed, “Father Lucian, we must go!”
Edward once again tried to explain. “I am sorry Father. I would only put more in danger.”
Father Murray exclaimed again as he reached them, “Father!”
Father Lucian looked dismayed and disheartened at Edward’s refusal to help. Without further delay, he hurried with Father Murray toward his car and they both sped away.
37
Edward sat in the living room for a few moments to gather his thoughts before trying to have a normal Friday night. The thought that a special power ran through his family should’ve been strangely humorous to him, but living in a world of ghosts and demons opened a world of possibilities. He knew he was no superhero, and other than that one time, he had felt nothing. That moment could have been adrenaline kicking in from the stress, and the pure fear of the moment. That had to be it. “Well superhero, time to grade exams,” he said to himself.