Black Rite

by Allen Caraway

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh my God. Don’t tell me that you practice the occult?” All of her stupid Christian beliefs showed in her face. “Oh God no. No, not you, Gary? Not you? I thought you were Catholic, like me?”

  I grinned. I couldn’t help it. “Not any more. Not for a long time. You could say that I discovered the truth, and it’s not Christianity. There’s nothing to fear, y’know. It’s nothing like the church says it is. That’s all bullshit.”

  For a moment she just stared at me with her mouth hanging open as if it was taking a while to sink in, then she began to cry. “Please untie me. I’m scared.”

  “No.”

  “Please, Gary. Please. Let me go?”

  “Shut up!” I raised my hand.

  Robin flinched again, her eyes never leaving mine, and pushed herself away from me, digging her heels into the ground and sliding backwards on her ass.

  “Stay away from me!”

  I lowered my hand, realizing I’d fucked up. If I wasn’t careful she’d start screaming. The cemetery was only a mile from town and I couldn’t risk someone hearing her. Hunkering down, I said, “It’s all right, Robin. Don’t be scared. It’s going to be wonderful, real wonderful. I’m about to perform a miracle and you’re going to help me. We’re going to create life, Robin, and bring back-”

  “No! I said stay away from me! Stay away!”

  She tried to stand up and only succeeded in falling over. I lunged forward and punched Robin in the face, knocking her out, then listened for the sound of voices or a car approaching the cemetery. Robin had screamed the last two words and for a moment I was convinced that someone had heard her.

  No one came.

  I left Robin on the ground and finished my preparations. She was still out when I carried her into the circle and started the ritual.

  That was when the second unexpected thing happened.

  Aritenkhede appeared.

  CHAPTER TEN

  I said the evocation, expecting that it would be the same as last night, yet hoping I was wrong and that Aritenkhede would manifest. Once again the atmosphere changed. I got real anxious and real hot then suddenly freezing cold and I could smell sulfur. The ball of light appeared within the triangle, now a bluish-purple in color, a fierce orange-red light glimmering at the center like a small, bright jewel that grew until the entire ball looked like a piece of glowing molten lava. It continued to grow and began to change shape, turning into a half snake, half human fetus, the glow dimming as black scales covered its body, the fetus slowly uncurling as it developed into an adult form with a torso, arms and a wide flat head, the waist tapering into a long tail. I knew it was Lord Aritenkhede and I have never, NEVER, been so awed, so goddamn excited and so overwhelmed with a kind of exultant fear as I was then. When He was about eight, maybe nine feet in height, He opened His coal black eyes, looked at me and spoke.

  WHY DO YOU SSUMMON ME?

  I could hear Him not only with my ears but also inside my mind, which felt pretty weird. I wasn’t surprised that he asked me why I’d summoned Him even though I’d already said what I wanted yesterday because the grimoire says that, should He choose to materialize, then He will seek verbal confirmation from the mage.

  “Welcome unto this place My King,” I said, after a moment of trying to find my voice. It sounded high and squeaky to me. And scared. Fuck it, I WAS. “I implore Thee, O Grand and Powerful Aritenkhede, Lord of the Underworld, Master of all Spirits, to look kindly upon me, Thy most humble servant, and grant my wish. My-’

  WHY DO YOU HOLD ME FASST WITHIN THISS TRAP? YOU SSAY WELCOME YET YOU SSHOW ME SSUCH CONTEMPT, SSUCH DISSRESSPECT?

  “I mean no disrespect, My King. You are my master and I am your servant. I merely act as advised by my teachers.”

  TEACHERSS?

  “Those who came before, those who trod the left hand path before I did and who left their wisdom behind.”

  FREE ME FROM THISS TRAP AND THEN PERHAPSS WE MAY TALK.

  The grimoire had warned about this. As much as I revere Aritenkhede, there was NO fucking way that I was going to set Him free. It was too dangerous and there was no guarantee that He would keep His word, even to a disciple.

  “That I cannot, My King. I-’

  HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME, BOY! I AM YOUR GOD! FREE ME!

  “My Ki-”

  FREE ME, BOY!

  Again, I was prepared for this, although I’d really not wanted to do what the grimoire had advised should Aritenkhede not cooperate. For one thing, it would make Him seriously pissed.

  “My King, if you will not-”

  FREEE MEE!

  I took a deep breath and said, “Lord Aritenkhede, I command Thee in the Name and by the power and dignity of the Omnipotent and Immortal Lord God of Hosts, Taasipe, to help me upon that which I desire-”

  SSTOP!

  He didn’t so much speak it as roar it. He sounded like a lion. I nearly shit myself, but I kept on going. I wasn’t fucking around with Him. This was too important to me.

  “If Thou choose to disobey me, then in the Name of the sole Creator of Ireasama, Ahsetoish and Khanutor, I do hereby curse and deprive thee of thine office as Lord of Khanutor-”

  SSTOP! NOW!

  “-and shall punish thee in the Name of Taasipe and by the power and dignity of the Seven Names: Kamaniara, Tasennas, Akeskand, Kazceda, Tashaanikha, Maanshtra and Henaktedaksha, by sending thee into the depths of the Bottomless Pit, there to remain unto the-”

  He began to writhe and scream as if in pain. I have never heard anything like it before. It sounded like a thousand souls – human and animal - being tortured. It was fucking unreal, man, fucking AWFUL. I was TERRIFIED, but I had to do it and I was prepared to continue if necessary. However, threatening Him with the holy names did the trick.

  ENOUGH, ENOUGH! SSTOP! I WILL DO ASS YOU ASSK, JUST SSTOP!

  “You agree to do as I command?”

  YESS!

  As I looked at Him, I felt my knees start to go and it was all I could do to stay on my feet. He was PISSED, but I had Him. I told Aritenkhede that I bound Him to remain visible within the triangle and to not depart until I said He could, then I told Him what I wanted.

  There was a long silence and I wondered if I’d made a mistake. Aritenkhede was staring at me and I was on the verge of repeating my request when he glanced at Lizzy’s grave and then said:

  YOU WISSH TO BRING LIFE TO THE BODY THAT LIESS DECAYED BENEATH ME?

  I nodded. “Yes.”

  YOU ASSK A LOT, BOY.

  “But well within your power, My King. This request is very important to me, and her.”

  AND WHAT DO I GET IN RETURN SSHOULD I CHOOSSE TO DO THISS?

  I pointed at Robin, still lying unconscious on the ground. “This beautiful girl, My King. Her blood is your wine.”

  SSHE IS PURE?

  “Yes.”

  FOR WHAT YOU ASSK, IT ISS NOT ENOUGH.

  I stared at him with a feeling of disbelief mixed with dread. I was beginning to lose control. “Huh?”

  YOU ASSK ME TO BRING LIFE TO A BODY THAT HASS LAIN ROTTING BENEATH USS FOR THREE SSCORE AND FIVE HUMAN YEARSS?

  “Yes, My King.”

  AND WITH TYPICAL HUMAN ARROGANCE AND IGNORANCE, YOU ASSSUME THISS ISS EASSY?

  “Well, yes, for you, My King, all things are within-”

  THEY ARE, BUT WHY SSHOULD I TAX MYSSELF FOR SSUCH A SSMALL REWARD? I WILL ACCEPT HER, he nodded at Robin, ASS PART PAYMENT. BUT YOU MUSST ALSSO CALL ME AND SSACRIFICE HER SSISTER IN MY NAME AT THISS TIME ONE DAY FROM NOW.

  “What the fuck? Are you shitting me?!”

  I immediately regretted saying that. It was the wrong thing to say to a God, especially the ruler of the Underworld, but those words spurted out of my mouth before I had a chance to stop them. To my surprise, it didn’t make Him angrier. He just stared at me with a small, wry smile, waiting for my answer.

  Shit. Shit shit shit! As I think
about it now while writing this, I’m getting fucking PISSED. It is exactly what I DON’T need. Now I have to figure out a way to grab Kathryn, Robin’s kid sister, and bring her to the cemetery with just 24 hours to do it? SHIT. I’ve been trying to figure out how ever since I finished the ritual, but I’ve no ideas yet. But it’s not like I have a fucking choice, is it? Aritenkhede has me by the balls.

  Despite my fear, I remember feeling a mixture of anger and frustration swelling up inside me as I looked at Him but I tried to push it back down and keep it out of my voice. One of the most important things to remember when dealing with the Gods is to be sincerely respectful. I was in danger of losing that and if Aritenkhede sensed it, I was fucked. This is a God, I remember telling myself. Killing you would be easy for Him and as far as He’s concerned, it would mean nothing. You’re just a speck of dust to Him.

  “Okay, My King,” I said. “I will do as you ask.”

  GOOD. He pointed at Robin. NOW COMPLETE THISS TASSK AND GIVE HER TO ME.

  So I continued with the ritual. I grabbed my sacrificial knife from the altar, then Robin, dragged her over to Lizzy’s grave, untied her and took off her clothes - she had to be conscious and naked when I made the sacrifice - then retied her legs and wrists. Then I shoved the ammonia inhalant under her nose. Robin made a face as she came round and started groaning. I remember thinking, gotta be quick before she becomes too conscious of what’s going on and starts struggling. Turns out I wasn’t quick enough. That was okay though. It was actually more fun.

  I flipped Robin onto her front and dragged her to the edge of the grave, then grabbed Robin by the hair and lifted her so that she was kneeling. Then I held her by the neck, put the knife blade against her throat and began reciting the Black Rite of Sacrifice. That was when she began to struggle, squirming like a giant fucking worm and trying to hit me. I shifted my grip, put my hand over her mouth and trapped one of her arms underneath mine. She still had the other one free, though, and she pounded my leg as I continued to recite. There was nothing I could do: I had to keep going. Robin struggled harder and harder, it was amazing how strong she was, and started screaming, the sound muffled by my hand. Even so, I still had to raise my voice until I had completed the recitation and then I quickly drew the knife across her throat. I could feel the blade sink into her flesh, Robin making this loud high-pitched screaming-gurgling sound as I cut her throat open. I could feel and smell her blood, warm, sticky and metallic, spurting over my hand so I quickly leaned her forward so that the jet of blood went into the grave and onto Lizzy’s body, Robin gurgling more than screaming now as the blood drained out. I kept her there until there was no more, then dumped her to one side, went back behind the altar, thanked Aritenkhede, finished the ritual and performed the License to Depart.

  Performing the rite was a major rush and until Aritenkhede manifested I felt like the most powerful being in the universe. I was so wired I almost expected Lizzy to rise right there, but I also know that magick works within its own time frame so it might be a few days before she is resurrected. I CAN’T WAIT. To say that I am excited wouldn’t be enough. The word doesn’t come close to how I feel.

  When I was finished, I looked over at Robin lying face up in the grass. I walked over, bent down and touched her. Robin’s eyes were still open, her skin beginning to grow cold. I stared at her for a long time, then I realized that I had to stop wasting time and start moving. The sun would be up soon and I had to fill in Lizzy’s grave, clear away my things and take em back to the truck, dump Robin’s body, then go home, get some sleep and figure out a way to get Kathryn. Reading this, you might think it sounds crazy that I’m filling in Lizzy’s grave when I’ve just completed a ritual to resurrect her and that I should make it as easy as possible for her to get out, and I would like to, but if someone comes along and sees an open grave, then they’ll think it’s been desecrated, it’ll become a crime scene and the county-mounties will start sniffing around, and I can’t have that. And if they’re still investigating when Lizzy comes back, just imagine the kind of shit storm that’ll create.

  As to Robin, I’d already picked out a spot to dump her, so that saved time, and I managed to get home before there was any traffic on the road, so that was cool. All I have to do now is think, and fast.

  ~

  I wept as I read Gary’s account and at times my eyes were so flooded with tears, I couldn’t see the page. Rage swelled within me like a black swollen river and keeping it under control so that I could continue reading was one of the hardest things I have ever done. Eventually, my self-control crumbled and the river overwhelmed me. I hurled the journal across the room. It bounced off my filing cabinet and landed on the carpet. I wanted to destroy everything in sight. Pick up my PC and throw it against the wall. Turn over the desk. Kick the chair and then throw it through the window. I struggled to stop myself, standing in the middle of the room, trembling as if electricity coursed through my body, feeling impotent because I couldn’t allow myself to vent my rage. It would cost several thousand dollars to replace everything. I vented in the only way that I could: with words.

  ‘MOTHER-FUCKER! CUNT! GARY YOU SICK, TWISTED, EVIL FUCKING CUNT!’

  The last two words came out with such force, I felt my voice give, threaten to go completely if I continued screaming. Breathing hard, pacing back and forth in quick, short steps, I battled my anger, attempted to reign it in, but I couldn’t. I wished Gary were alive so I could ram my fist down his throat. All love and respect for him had vanished. I hated Gary with a vehemence that I have never felt for any other human being.

  ‘Gary you fuck,’ I said and strode out of the door.

  ~

  I arrived at Redwood Hill Cemetery twelve minutes later, my truck skidding to a halt in front of the large iron gates. The Kain family plot lay in the modern part of the cemetery, Gary buried next to Mom and Dad, Dad’s parents behind them. I gave their graves a cursory glance then stood in front of Gary’s tall gray headstone, raised my leg and was on the verge of pounding it repeatedly with my boot when I stopped, my foot hanging in the air. A newspaper headline suddenly and vividly appeared in my mind:

  CEMETERY CARETAKER WITNESSES MAN DESECRATING BROTHER’S GRAVE.

  ‘What the hell are you doing, Bruce?’ I said, letting my foot fall to the ground. ‘Get your shit together.’

  I stared at the headstone’s inscription.

  IN LOVING MEMORY OF

  GARY EDWIN KAIN

  BELOVED SON AND BROTHER

  BORN DECEMBER 1, 1978

  DIED SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

  ‘And pedophile murderer,’ I muttered. ‘How could you Gary? How could you?’

  The urge to kick Gary’s headstone remained. I also wanted to jump up and down on his grave. I looked around. This section of the cemetery was deserted. I could hear a gas powered trimmer buzzing away in the old section, but it was far way.

  Still not worth taking the chance, though, I thought. However …

  I looked around again, taking my time, then unzipped my fly and pissed all over Gary’s headstone and the ground under which he lay.

  ‘This is what I think of you, you cock sucking little fuck,’ I said. ‘You’re not my brother any more. Rot in hell.’

  I zipped up, turned and walked across the cemetery to Robin’s grave. I sat beside it for a long time, crying.

  ~

  When I got home, I turned on my PC, opened a browser and searched for news reports about Robin. She had received national coverage, including NBC, CNN and the New York Times. One of the first articles listed in the search results was from the Bronson County Daily News, dated Tuesday, August 18, 2015. Below the headline was a gallery of twenty photographs, including two of Robin, one of her sister and another of two men walking through Redwood Hill Cemetery. A caption below read: Bronson County Sheriff’s Office detectives leave the scene of an apparent murder Tuesday. Det. Newton Grant (front) and Det. Glenn Reed (rear) were called to the scene by a lo
cal resident.

  12 YEAR OLD GIRL FOUND MURDERED

  SISTER STILL MISSING

  By Vince Fontanez, Bronson County Daily News

  Twelve-year-old Robin Chloe Ashmont, reported missing Sunday, was found with her throat apparently cut yesterday evening in woodland behind Redwood Hill Cemetery in Harkinen.

  The pretty, chestnut-haired, brown-eyed girl was last seen by her family at around 9 p.m. Saturday evening when she said goodnight and went upstairs to her room, according to Det. Newton Grant with the Bronson County Sheriff’s Office.

  Robin was reported missing Sunday morning when her parents found her bedroom empty and the bed unslept in. Her battered, bruised and naked body was found by a local resident when out walking her dog. Miss Ashmont had been buried in a shallow grave on the edge of the Four Nations National Forest, approximately five hundred yards from Redwood Hill Cemetery, according to Sherriff’s Office detectives investigating at the scene.

  The Sheriff’s Office had no suspects and knew of no motive Monday night and said that it was indeterminable whether Miss Ashmont had been raped, Grant stated.

  A pathologist examination will be conducted this morning.

  Miss Ashmont had apparently been murdered late Saturday evening, county coroner’s investigators said.

  The local woman, whose name was not released Monday night, phoned the Sheriff’s Office after her dog unearthed Miss Ashmont’s foot.

  State Department of Justice technicians from the department’s Eureka Crime Lab were called up to gather evidence, according to Grant.

  Detectives will continue interviews of neighbors and will try to reconstruct the last hours of the girl’s life, he added.

  Ben Peterson, Principal at Four Nations High School, said that the victim had been popular with both staff and pupils. “This is so, so shocking. Robin was a sweet-natured, hardworking and obedient pupil; quiet and very intelligent.”

  The Sheriff’s Office had intensified its search, now for both girls, late Monday afternoon with news releases and searches near the Ashmonts’ home. One hundred law enforcement officers - Bronson County Sheriff’s deputies and the California Highway Patrol backed by the FBI - joined many volunteers to mount a massive search by helicopter, police cars and on foot.