The Tillwater twins were taking a walk on the path that led to Ravens Ravine.
“Those ravens won't be making any noise or stealing our food anymore,” Jonathan said.
Joseph looked down, saw a pretty arrowhead, and snatched it up, hoping Jonathan didn't notice.
“Let me see!”
Joseph opened his hand; the pretty thing was pulsing in colors.
“I want it!”
“No.”
They got into one of their regular fights and, before they knew it, tumbled into Ravens Ravine. A victorious growl resounded throughout the surrounding countryside. Every canine, every wolf began to howl. Blood red-smoke began to stream upward out of the ravine.
Josiah's head shot up from his Bible study. The fourth victim had been taken. How? There should be just one a night. There was one left then, one day, before Thing was released to destroy the Cove and its people.
“God help me and God help them!” he prayed.
Kat, Ken, and Grandma Bricken stopped as they heard the rising chorus of canine voices. Grandma's spirit became very troubled. She was not sure what had happened, but she knew it was something awful. This was a sign of unrest and preceded imminent destruction.
BC had been sitting on the entry hall table. As soon as Grandma Bricken opened the door, he jumped. He landed in Ken's arms. Kat shrieked. Grandma turned the lights on.
“What a sight!” She couldn't help but smile, even knowing that an evil was present in her town and wanting to destroy it.
There sat BC. Curled up and holding tight to Ken's right arm. Looked like a hairy football with claws. And he was not letting go.
“What the he … .” Ken remembered grandma's earlier warning about foul language.
BC's green eyes were as large as saucers, trumped only by the size of his tail, which was returning to its normal size as he relaxed. He cuddled deeper into Ken's arm. Without giving it a thought, Ken encircled BC with the other arm, protecting the very thing that had tried to maim him for life a few hours earlier.
“Give him to me,” Kat said and she reached for BC. He left the safety of Ken's arms for hers. His nose and eyes disappeared into the crook of her arm.
“I've never seen that cat afraid of anything.”
“Did you see that weird, red fog coming from the ravine?” Kat hesitated to mention it.
That got both Ken's and grandma's attention.
“Yes,” they said in unison.
Relieved, she had not been imaging things, “well, I'm still not saying that the ravine legend is real, but the howling, the red fog, and a fearful BC, has me wondering. I feel a need to talk to that Josiah Williams again.”
“I've had a hard time convincing myself that he acted alone,” Ken responded. “If he didn't commit the murders, he sure knows a lot about them. And, how would he—unless he knew who had committed them?”
“Well, the jail is locked up for tonight. But I happen to have a key.” Kat reached into her purse and produced it.
Ken made a grab for it and missed.
“Not without me, FBI guy.”
Not waiting for permission, Kat slid an unhappy BC into her grandma's arms. “You'll be safe with BC.”
“We'll be fine. You do what you need to and do it fast! We have twenty-four hours to find a way to stop this thing.”
Chapter 9
Unwelcome Visitors
Iconoclast stood with his back against the slimy, pea-green wall on the north side of the ravine. His most trusted fighters surrounded him in a semicircle, the growing number of demons stood in larger semicircles around them, spanning the ravine to the slimed walls on the south side. He grinned. Just like all good vultures, they could smell blood and had come from around this puny world to feast on those that had taken it upon themselves to live here.
He spoke to his captains—Gambogian, Caitiff, Venenose, Bruit, Trepaner, and Prevaricator. Atramentous and Profligacy, were absent by his orders. Guarding Plotno and his assembly was their top priority. These eight had been with him in defeat in Josiah Williams’ horrid small town and in near-victory over the village in China. One man of God stood between him and complete conquest at that battle.
“Tomorrow we will feast,” he rumbled, the strength of souls taken carrying that growl high and far.
Those twins had been a surprise and increased his power threefold. They were considered as one, coming from the same egg, so he was able to take two at one time and still not break the laws of the game.
Iconoclast's energies would be at full peak soon. The twins, now what some would term ghosts, along with John Doe, and Miggie, were among those that joined Iconoclast. Now the obedient slaves all mortals were intended to be. These dead souls would be useful in stirring up the terror and confusion needed to divide and overcome the inhabitants of Ravens Cove.
“To ensure the desolation and so these humans will be given into our hands, I must have one join us, by that mortal's own free will. One who I must wrestle from the Holy One's hands. I must have that fifth victim or we lose.”
He turned to the ghosts. “Go out, visit many. You are the heralds of the destruction to come. When you find the one I speak of, bring the human to me.”
The ghouls did as commanded. They no longer possessed free will. Their days of choice ended when they allowed their souls to be tempted and tricked into service to Iconoclast. Their main desire now, if you could call it a desire, was to have as many souls as possible join them in misery. They screamed and screeched, repeating the sounds made the instant they met their fates. That moment never left their tortured minds. The bloodied, oozing-eyed minions of Iconoclast flew upward in a purple haze, taking the deepening red mist with them, off to the town to wreak terror.
Atramentous had settled again over the door of the Congregational Alliance. His head-shaped fog snapped around until his chin rested on what would be a spine, if he'd had one. The dark chasm of a mouth opened and screeched in reply.
Their release meant that Iconoclast had taken a fourth victim. Soon he would not just cover this door but take the entire church and its loyal patrons. Red saliva dripped off the one concrete thing in this monster, its knife-teeth. He could taste it now.
“Go, my beauties, fly to your destinations. Wreak havoc; set fear in the hearts of these mortals, so much fear that they are stricken and paralyzed. So much easier to take. So much easier to enjoy at leisure, with fear as the tenderizer.”
Cassandra Martin had been forced to stay late at the beauty shop. The Right Reverend Plotno had to be serviced when he wanted to be or her shop would be boycotted. He had left a few minutes ago.
As she closed the door, she felt rather than heard a presence behind her. She stiffened, hand still holding the key in the shop's lock.
“Turn, Cassie, turn. She knew that voice.
“Miggie?” That couldn't be. He was dead, or so the sheriff had said. They must have gotten the victim's identity wrong. She whirled around to see her friend, thought dead and now alive!
She spun into a sight that her mind could not accept. The face was blood red; the eyes were black, seeping purple. She caught her breath but too late. The stench caught in her throat and she began to throw up and couldn't stop.
What had been Miggie began to laugh and howl, watching her drop to her knees in front of him. Throwing up nothing and not being able to stop.
He left her there, knowing it would please his commander that he had thrown this fear into a human. He would go on to see his next longtime friend. He smiled and shot up, black and blood trailing behind him.
Kat and Kenneth had just turned onto Main Street. They walked side by side because he would not let her get ahead of him. What a baby! she thought.
They saw the body in front of the salon at the same time. Ken began to run. Kat froze in place for a moment, shook herself and ran after him. Ken was on his knees, checking Cassandra's neck for a pulse when Kat, breathing hard, caught up. She wished she had not taken such a deep breath because the sten
ch caught in her throat. She turned and dry-heaved.
Kenneth reached into his pocket and brought out a small, round travel jar. “Put some of this under your nose.”
For the first time Kat could remember, she did as she was told, then looked at the jar.
“Cold salve?” she said. She had never felt as grateful for that petroleum-based mentholated ointment as she did now. The smell was still somewhat there; but the menthol overpowered it. She handed the jar back to Kenneth.
“Thanks.”
He took the jar and smiled up at her. Kat caught her breath. She could bask in that smile for the rest of her life and die a happy woman.
“She's alive,” Ken was saying, “sure threw up a lot, though.” He waived the Mentholatum under the woman's nose to try and bring her back. The next best thing to smelling salts, he hoped. At least he'd get an A for creativity if there was such a thing in the FBI.
He shook Cassandra. Her eyes opened, and she screamed.
Kenneth took hold of both her shoulders and squeezed. “You're safe, you're safe.” He cooed as to a small child.
Cassandra's glazed eyes focused on the handsome, dark-haired stranger, and she screamed as loud as she could.
“You're going to kill me. You're going to kill me!” She struggled as Kenneth tried to hold her steady to keep her from rolling in her own vomit.
“Cassie, stop!” Kat screamed.
Cassandra tilted her head backward, recognized Kat, and relaxed.
“Miggie.” She trembled and began to sob.
“Yes, Miggie's dead, Cassie.”
“No. He was here. He called my name. He looked so …” She began to heave again at the memory.
Ken, still holding Cassie's shoulders, watched as Kat dropped to one knee and began smoothing Cassandra's hair.
“Shhh. Take a deep breath and tell me what happened.” He was in wonder at how this young woman had such an effect on this hysterical one.
“It was Miggie, Kat, he came to see me. He looked horrible but his voice was Miggie's. You know I know that voice, Kat.”
Kat nodded her head. She knew the history of Cassie and Miggie.
“They were an item.” She mouthed to Ken over Cassie's head, which Cassandra had turned into Kat's coat as she wept.
“Ouch,” Kenneth mouthed back.
“You believe me, don't you, Kat? Please tell me you believe me!” Cassandra's voice rose, afraid she was going crazy. Afraid Kat would think she was going crazy.
“I believe that you believe it. I know how much you cared for him.” Kat had no idea why Cassie had chosen to love this Miggie, but then, there were many mysteries in the world.
Cassandra looked up at Kat, mascara streaming down her cheeks, mixing with her rose blush and ivory foundation. The combination looked like a bad watercolor.
“It's the truth. God's truth.” Cassandra went silent.
“We need to get her to a hospital.” Both whipped their heads to Ken, surprised to see him.
“No! I'm fine. I just want to get home, get a hot bath and forget this ever happened … if that's possible.”
“I urge you to get a good once over by a doctor.”
Both women looked at him as if that was the stupidest thing they had heard in a while.
“She says she's fine. I believe her. Here, take her keys, go into her shop and get her a glass of water. If she keeps that down, we'll call her roommate, Caroline, to come over and get her. If not, we'll call Doctor Billings and have him come look her over. Agreed?”
Knowing he was outnumbered and would just waste valuable time by arguing, he took the keys.
When Cassandra kept the water down and was sitting up without assistance, Ken admitted defeat. He handed Kat his phone. She looked at him as if he were from another planet when he told her to call Caroline. She had avoided a patronizing tone while she explained that cell phones were rare in Ravens Cove, but she did own one. Not knowing why she had the uncontrollable urge to needle him and being unable to let the opportunity pass, she stated the obvious.
“How hard is it to get ahold of someone?” She spread her arms wide and turned, first toward North Main, then South Main, to emphasize her point. “I mean, how hard is it?”
Ken pointed to the phone. Kat dialed.
Caroline was there in ten minutes, took five to get her sweats on.
“Thanks.” Caroline said as she guided Cassie to the car and took her away.
“I don't know what is going on here, but, one thing I know for sure is that Cassandra would never let anyone see her that way. She is always coiffed and dressed to the nines.”
“A hallucination,” Ken said, not as convincing as he would have liked. In the last twenty-four hours, he had seen enough of the unexplainable to last him a lifetime. Still, hallucination was the most logical answer. Or some horrible joke played on Cassie.
Josiah passed the time by looking out the small jail window, pondering the smoky darkness that was gathering to the south.
“Old man.” A voice, no, two blended voices, came from within his cell. His spirit knew what he would see before he turned.
“In your name, Jesus, hide me in your righteousness. Let this evil have no power over me. You have allowed them to come here. Show me why.” Josiah turned, the straightness of his body, the heat in his eyes belying his age and the heaviness he carried with him always.
“What are your names? In the name of Jesus, I command you, answer.”
The twins had thought that Iconoclast was their lone master. They were shocked when they had no choice but to answer this horrid little mortal.
“In life, we were called Joseph and Jonathan.”
“Your last name in life, what was it?” he demanded. The twins hesitated but could not stop from answering. They felt their power draining as they answered him.
“Tillwater,” they said in unison, their voices merging to make a putrid, dripping sound. It reminded him of the sound of blood being let from a carcass to prepare the meat for packaging.
“How did you meet the demise of your physical bodies? Joseph answer!” he demanded. The twins had less power when not working and speaking together. Joseph felt the drain again. He was in pain. The light surrounding this puny man was blinding his already dead eyes.
“Iconoclast tricked us!” he cried.
“Your own greed tricked you!”
Jonathan stood silent. Unable to talk until commanded to do so. He felt terror; one that he had never felt in life. But the terror that he had inflicted on God's innocent creatures was tearing at his non-existent flesh. He could feel each one that he had killed, the most recent of which was the strongest. He experienced the suffering of the ravens as their internal organs melted and they bled to death. The pain was unbearable. He needed to run but could not.
“Who is this Iconoclast?” Josiah prayed before mentioning the name.
“Our commander. The one whose mission it is to destroy this putrid, horrible little town and its inhabitants. That's who!” Joseph was regaining some strength as he remembered why he had come here.
“That's enough of you now, Joseph Tillwater!”
“Speak, Jonathan. Tell me the names of Iconoclast and his underlings. Name all that you know.”
Jonathan could not stop. They had been ordered not to divulge any names. He would be punished if it got out that he told this human. Jonathan worked to hold his tongue, to divest his thoughts of the names but could not.
He blurted out the names of Iconoclast's most trusted eight.
“That's all I know. I swear!”
“Swear not in front of me. Be gone, go back to your leader and tell him I am here. He knows me. I await the battle.”
The twins flew up through the jail cell and dropped like meteors into the ravine.
Kat unlocked the door to the sheriff's office, the bell's tinny ring much louder in the silent, deserted office. As Ken stepped through behind her, he covered his nose and caught his breath.
“Do you smell th
at?”
“Not really.” Kat tapped the side of her nose, reminding Ken of the menthol treatment minutes earlier.
“Lucky you. This place smells like spoiled meat. Did someone forget to put out the garbage? It'll draw rats, you know.”
“The garbage was emptied earlier. And, the most recent sighting of a rat in Ravens Cove was yesterday.” She turned innocent eyes upward to Kenneth. “And, even BC could only take a chunk out of it, it was so big.” She laughed at her own humor.
Ken glared down into those cat-green eyes. He forced himself to turn away, before he just grabbed this woman and kissed her.
“Katrina Agnes Tovslosky.” They heard her name being called from the back, from the direction of the jail cell.
“Stop doing that! How do you know my name anyway?” Kat's voice trailed behind her as she headed for the cell. Almost no one knew her middle name, especially some stranger to Ravens Cove.
“Agnes?”
Kat turned her glare to Kenneth. “If you ever say that name again, you'll wish BC had finished the job!” She marched forward.
Kenneth fought to control the lopsided grin that played on the left half of his mouth. She hadn't heard the end of it.
Kat was standing in front of the bars, arms akimbo, turning that, “I can melt you by pure will alone,” look onto Josiah. Josiah returned an open and fearless gaze.
Even through the Mentholatum, Kat could smell the stench. It was emanating from the cell. She scrunched her nose.
“That smell is not me, Katrina.” He smiled as she tried to hide the disgust and the thought he was the source. It tickled him instead of offended him.
“I had a visitor … two visitors this evening.”
“They need to see Doc Billings,” was all Kat could come up with.
“Wouldn't help, ma'am. They are far beyond any help we could offer.”
“Who are beyond that help, Mr. Williams?” Ken had walked up and stopped just behind Kat's left shoulder, so close she could feel the warmth of his body. She felt a thrill in her stomach, then disgust with her reaction.
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