Face Behind the Mask

by Leo King

  “But then, in 1967, you all found a way to seal Lord Dooley away, right?”

  Mr. Candler leaned forward. “We didn’t. Someone else did. Did you figure out who?”

  For a few seconds, Alexia said nothing, feeling only the rhythm of the limousine as it rode along. She thought back to the year, 1967, and who else might have been in Druid Hills. Then the answer hit her.

  “It was the Oracle.”

  With applause, Mr. Candler said, “Yes! You are a brilliant young lady. A shame you weren’t born part of the society. We could have used someone like you.”

  She narrowed her gaze him, hating him more and more each passing moment. “So who is the Oracle?”

  “That, I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “He hid his face behind a mask and kept incognito. All I know is that he originally came from New Orleans.”

  She sighed. Another dead end. “So, how did he seal away Lord Dooley?”

  Leaning back in his seat, he said, “It was… unusual. He went to the sacrificial point, burned some pink incense, and waited. That ritual summoned Lord Dooley, and when it arrived, he physically beat it down and sealed it in the stone.”

  The very thought seemed as ridiculous as it sounded. “So this Oracle sprinkled some pink powder and then just beat up Lord Dooley like it was nothing?”

  “Yes. I’ve never seen anything like it. Lord Dooley is very powerful. This guy easily defeated him.”

  “Did he say why he was doing this?”

  He rubbed his chin. “He said the whole reason he came to Druid Hills was to test out the pink powder, which he called the tkeeus.”

  The tkeeus! Alexia recalled the others mentioning it. “Did he say why?”

  “He wanted to see if it could summon spirits as well as aid in possession. Then he mentioned something about a sick child needing help.”

  Alexia gnawed at her bottom lip. Why did the Oracle care about helping young Samantha? “What happened to him after he was done?”

  “He returned to New Orleans. I never saw him again.”

  The limousine finally stopped.

  As the door opened, Mr. Candler said, “The end result, Miss LeBlanc, is that Lord Dooley was sealed away for years. The seal only recently started weakening. By the time we realized it was due to the overdevelopment of land around Fernbank Forest, it was too late. Lord Dooley was out.”

  Officer Penfold and several other officers pulled her and the others out. They were in Fernbank Forest only a few hundred yards from the settler’s stone. Dozens of cars were parked in the clearing. The air was cool and thick with springtime humidity.

  Patty moaned and muttered, “What’s going on?” Leona and Serge looked around with fear in their eyes.

  But Alexia, for the moment, was focused on the conversation. “So you asked the president of Emory for sacrifices, and when he didn’t agree, you just let Lord Dooley randomly kill students anyway.”

  Mr. Candler nodded, heading toward the monument. They were forced to follow. “Exactly. Lord Dooley is out and wants to catch up with his missed sacrifices. But wouldn’t you know, I was able to bargain with it, and we’re going to quell its bloodlust.”

  “How?” she asked. But she already knew the answer.

  He turned and pointed at her. “It wants you, Miss LeBlanc. You really angered it. So I give it you and your friends, and everything can go back to normal. One or two victims per year instead of per week. All’s well, don’t you think?”

  That jerk used my own line—

  A blow to the back of her head sent her world into darkness once more.

  When Alexia finally came to, she couldn’t move. But as the grogginess cleared, she realized that she was tied, standing up, to a large stone. She tried looking around, but at first she saw only blurs. As her eyes started to refocus, she saw many people, all of them wearing drab, gray robes and holding torches. The back of her head ached, and her thoughts were foggy.

  She shook her head until the cobwebs vanished.

  When her thoughts and vision finally returned to normal, she saw she was at the settler’s stone in Fernbank Forest, the place where she had sprained her ankle when she was out with Mark years ago. This was the sacrificial point.

  And then she realized who the people surrounding her were—the Lullwater Society. All of them were chanting in a strange language. Officer Penfold and other Druid Hills police were walking along the edge of the clearing. Patty, Leona, and Serge were on their knees nearby. Patty was sobbing, her face wet with tears and snot. Leona shook with fear, and Serge, who was trying to appear strong, was glancing around anxiously.

  Directly before Alexia was Mr. Candler. He was reading from an old scroll, raising his voice to the sky. “Lord Dooley. We have brought the one you asked for. Come and receive her blood and her flesh. Accept this sacrifice!”

  “Accept this sacrifice!” the entire society proclaimed.

  At once, mist started to gather from the trees, the moss-covered ground, and the canopy above. It grew cold, and the wind turned foul with the stench of decay. Alexia struggled with her bonds, trying to loosen them and get free. The sickness in her stomach rose. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her body shook. She had never been so frightened. It wasn’t supposed to end this way. They were supposed to stop this time.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by that deep, loud, croaking sound that rattled her bones. The mist had gathered into a writhing morass.

  It’s here!

  The shifting bulk of mist coalesced into the form of the entity Lord Dooley. Its hollow eyes focused upon her, its jaw unhinged, and once again, it let out that awful, rattling croak.

  She screamed into her gag. Everything that she had learned was forgotten. Fear had taken control.

  Mr. Candler called out. “Lord Dooley! We have brought you these four. Now, we beg you to honor our agreement!”

  It regarded each of its sacrifices. Its voice rattled like bones in a cage. “Very well, mortal. No more lives until the following thaw. But try to seal me again, and I will bring death to your entire house!”

  Mr. Candler bowed on one knee, lowering his head. “Of course, Lord Dooley. We will never betray you again. You are our master!”

  “Good!” Lord Dooley floated in front of Alexia, lowering itself until it was eye level. “I want to hear you cry. I want to hear you beg. I want to hear you suffer.”

  It ran its bony fingers down her cheek. Its touch was freezing cold. She felt the veins in her face start to pulse as it tore her gag off. “Beg for your life. Admit your God cannot protect you, and in return, you’ll get a swift death.”

  It was hard to talk. Her throat was so dry, and she felt like she would vomit at any moment. She closed her eyes, wishing she was anywhere in the world other than where she was. I’m going to die. Give…me… God, give me strength… to die loyal to you and my beliefs.

  It roared. “Beg for your life!”

  She could smell the scent of death oozing from it. Opening her eyes, she tried to speak, her chapped lips quivering in the night air.

  It moved closer. “What was that? Louder, pathetic mortal.”

  Alexia swallowed and steadied her breath. “The Lord… is my Shepherd, I shall not want…”

  It reared back and roared. “You think prayers can save you? Empty, meaningless words! Now you will suffer like no one before! Die!” With another loud croak, it flew directly into her. She felt it enter her body in a splash of cold, foul air.

  She gasped and shook. Pure and unrelenting coldness consumed her. It was like something was congealing all the fluid in her body. Looking down, she saw her arms start to turn bleach white and her veins start to turn black. Her heart beat wildly, trying desperately to move the solidifying blood. Her throat burned as she tried to take air into lungs that would not expand. The saliva in her mouth turned into icicles that sliced into her gums, and the fluids in her eyes started to freeze, hazing her vision into darkness.

  The pain was utterly consuming.
/>   Oh, sweet God, help me!

  She knew what was next. Her veins would explode, and her blood, somehow possessed by Lord Dooley, would pull her liquefied body into the earth.

  She reached into her mind for something, anything. The surge of panic and the waves of pain made thought difficult. She knew she had seconds to live.

  Then Alexia remembered:

  “Your fear marks you as a victim.”

  “Change your scent from fear to aggression.”

  “Turn from prey to predator.”

  “Will is the most powerful weapon any human can ever possess.”

  “Will can overcome any obstacle.”

  “Your will is strong.”

  Remembering those words, she focused.

  The fluid in her ears froze, deafening her. The pain was excruciating. The flimsy walls of her veins were moments away from giving way to the pressure.

  With a silent cry, Alexia pushed her mind forward until she found Lord Dooley inside of her. Visualizing her hands grappling his, she focused on pushing him away with her beliefs.

  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me!

  She felt its focus shift to her resistance. For a moment, it stopped attacking. Then she felt it push back, snarling at her. Visualizing her hands locked with its, she pushed harder.

  The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.

  Feeling it slide back, feeling its surprise as it renewed its efforts, she struggled to close her mouth until she was gritting her teeth. She felt warmth as blood poured out of her mouth. She imagined herself hitting the entity and continued to focus her will into her prayers.

  The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.

  She felt it cry out in confusion and push back with even more of its strength. Forcing herself to grin with confidence, she visualized ripping its cloak off, crashing into its rib cage with blow after blow, all while pushing it back.

  Be strong in the LORD and in His mighty power.

  It roared in pain. She visualized breaking off its rib bones, ones by one.

  He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

  Feeling it pull back, feeling her skin and veins start to return to normal, her vision and hearing restoring, she released a deep and guttural howl that came from her innermost depths. She visualized gathering its broken bones and casting it from her body.

  I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

  As Lord Dooley roared once more, Alexia summoned forth all of her will and gave one last, decisive push.

  “The LORD is my Shepherd! Amen!”

  Her vision, hearing, and sensation in every part of her returned. Her body was normal once more. Then she saw that Lord Dooley was floating around, its ghostly body broken, its cloaked ripped to shreds.

  Mr. Candler cried out. “What happened? Lord Dooley, what—”

  It roared, “Lives! I need lives!”

  It reared back and flew right into Mr. Candler. Several people screamed, but none as loudly as he, who fell to his knees. As his skin bleached and as his veins blackened, he looked at Alexia. “Who… the hell… are you?”

  Then his veins exploded, and he was pulled into the ground.

  Shouts of panic filled the air. The Lullwater Society members started scattering as Lord Dooley reappeared and dove into another man, a police officer. He suffered the same fate. Most of the other police ran away as well, leaving Officer Penfold looking lost and bewildered. Serge struggled to his feet and helped Leona and Patty stand as the clearing descended into utter bedlam.

  A flash of white caught Alexia’s eye, and she saw the white orb fly toward a group of trees. Behind one was Dixie, holding the twin rapiers in their sheaths. It seemed like she was waiting for a chance to get to Serge.

  Lord Dooley dove into another victim.

  “Serge!” Alexia shouted. “Dixie’s over there! With the swords!”

  He followed her gaze. Then he nodded and nudged Leona and Patty out of the clearing before running toward Dixie. A few moments later, his bonds were cut and he was armed.

  Lord Dooley dove into yet another victim.

  Serge dashed back to the stone. With a single stroke, he cut Alexia’s ropes. Then he helped her down. “Run to Leona and get out of here,” he said. His eyes were almost glowing with fire. “I’ll destroy this thing. We’ll meet back at the—”

  Then the top of his head blew off in a shower of blood and brains.

  Alexia stumbled back.

  As his lifeless body fell to the ground, she looked up. Officer Penfold was holding his rifle. With a hateful sneer, he reloaded it and aimed right at her.

  “Murderer!” she yelled. “I’ll kill you!”

  But she didn’t have to do a thing. Before he even laid his finger on the trigger, Dixie appeared beside him, her gun to his head. Tears of rage were in her eyes.

  “Protect and serve, asshole.” She pulled the trigger, splattering his brains on the nearest tree.

  Then Alexia heard Lord Dooley’s awful croak. It was re-forming and going for another victim. She felt her own rage focus on it. So long as that thing existed, people would keep on dying.

  She kneeled down by Serge’s body and briefly touched his chest. “Goodbye, teacher.” She fastened the rapiers around her hips and stood to face Lord Dooley.

  As God is my witness, I will purge the earth of this… thing!

  Without a word, she drew the weapons. The steel and silver glinted in the moonlight. To her, it was like what the angels would bear, and it matched the furious rush of blood through her veins.

  Lord Dooley turned to her and snarled again. As light reflected from the rapiers, it recoiled. Seeing this, she brought them together and formed a cross. It thundered in pain as the cross-shaped light pattern shone upon it.

  “Who the hell do you think you are?” It glared at her, but this time there was fear in its voice.

  Alexia smirked.

  “My name is Alexia LeBlanc,” she said, getting into a fighting stance. She felt like the hunter cornering its cowering prey. “And I’m the pathetic mortal who’s going to rip your sorry soul into oblivion.”

  The fury within her heart burst forth as she rushed forward, brandishing her weapons at Lord Dooley. Once more, she was so angry she swore. “So repent now, motherfucker!”

  Jumping on the settler’s stone, she flung herself at Lord Dooley. As soon as she was within range, she swung both weapons in a series of arcing blows. With every swing, she envisioned herself cutting its ghostly form.

  It bellowed in pain again. As she landed, she saw that her blows had indeed managed to damage it, producing massive gashes upon its spectral body.

  Then it dove at her, but she jumped to the side and rolled. The entity flooded into the ground, leaving a small puddle of mist that quickly dissipated.

  “Where did it go?” Alexia scanned the glade. Her body ached from exertion, but she forced herself to ignore it. This was a life-and-death struggle, not a fencing bout. There’d be no do-over.

  A moment later, a skeletal arm burst through the ground and grabbed her ankle.

  “Damn it!” She swung at the bones and shattered them.

  Four more erupted forth, then a dozen more, and then two dozen more. As if the earth were water, the bony arms waded toward her, grabbing and scratching. Their bony fingertips were like razors, cutting into her jeans and flesh alike.

  Wincing, she swung at them, breaking each with a single hit. But for every one she destroyed, more would take its place. As she flipped back in hopes of getting away from the clawing hands, she saw the white orb swooping through the air again. It made a few tight circles around the settler’s stone and then vanished.

  The stone! Its strength comes from the stone! Jumping and cartwheeling over the bones, she headed toward the center of the glade and leapt into the air. With a shout, she stabbed both swords in
to the top of the stone.

  Then several things happened at the same time.

  The stone started glowing, radiant etched carvings that looked like pictograms appearing. The grasping bony hands all shattered into dust. And mist gathered from the stone as that horrid croaking sound reverberated across the clearing.

  Alexia skidded back, digging her heels into the ground, and watched as Lord Dooley formed above the stone.

  “I’ve existed since before your ancestors walked this land, mortal. Do you think you can really destroy me?”

  She tightened the grip on her weapons, seething with concentrated fury. “I don’t think anything, Lord Dooley. I know I can destroy you!”

  It roared, cupping its hands above it. The pictograms upon the stone shimmered, and energy poured from them into its hands. Within moments, there was a large rotating sphere of sizzling energy above it, made of hundreds, if not thousands, of faces wailing in agony.

  What… What is that? She gripped the pommels of her rapiers.

  Yet another flash of white caught her eye, and once more, the white orb appeared, flying right around Lord Dooley’s chest. She immediately saw what it was pointing out. Unlike before, this time there was a pale, ghostly, beating heart visible within Lord Dooley’s bony chest.

  That has to be its weak spot!

  Lord Dooley centered the sphere toward her. She sprinted forward, concentrating on its heart. It pushed its hands together, and the sphere exploded into a wide cone of energy that blasted right at her.

  For Mark! For Serge! For everyone!

  Alexia howled as she ran directly into the blast. Her flesh and hair burned from the flare of energy. She felt like she would burst into flames at any moment. But she didn’t falter. The moment she was close, she hurtled into the air. And with a deep breath, she thrust both of the rapiers into Lord Dooley’s heart. “He is my sword! He is my shield! He is my strength! Now begone!”

  The blades tore through its heart, ghostly fluids spilling out as it ruptured. Then, she passed through it and landed in a heap on the other side. For a few seconds, her skin started to bleach and her veins pulsed, but it quickly subsided.

  Lord Dooley arched its back and screeched, “No! How can a mere mortal destroy me! This cannot be!” Bright light poured from every crack in its body. Energy arced from its eyes, mouth, and fingertips. “This cannot be!” Then Lord Dooley exploded, utterly annihilated for all time.