Love from the Other Side

by Claire Plaisted

  He chuckled, “The name’s Asmodeus, and I’m from Hell, Sheriff.”

  The Sheriff wasn’t amused. I could tell by the quizzical, yet serious look on his face.

  “Tell me, stranger, just where is Hell? I haven’t heard of it, except for in the bible.”

  The stranger smiled. “It’s everywhere.”

  The Sheriff put his hand out toward me. I handed him my bag, and allowed him to pull me upon the horse.

  Grunting, the Sheriff looked away. “Well, Asmodeus, in these parts, we don’t like other men trying to charm a man’s wife. Miss. Gisela happens to be married.”

  Asmodeus tipped his black cowboy. “Have a good day, ma’am.”

  “You too,” I said with a faint smile.

  He disappeared into the distance as the Sheriff led the horse to my house.

  Once there, he helped me off, and handed my bags to me.

  “Miss. Gisela, I would stay away from strangers. You can never be too careful.”

  “Yes, Sheriff,” I answered. As I proceeded to the door, I stopped. “Sheriff?”

  “Yes?”

  “Did you ever find Elizabeth Horton? I’m worried something may have happened to her.”

  He lowered his eyes. “No, not yet, but we have cause to be concerned there is somebody lurking about the area, preying on married women. So, I advise you to stay indoors as much as possible until we catch this guy.”

  I took a step toward him. “Sheriff, you know that’s impossible, I have things to do, and...”

  He cocked his head and leaned forward. “I know, ma’am, but seeing there are more missing women, we don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  My jaw dropped. “What do you mean more missing women? Who else is missing? How many more are there?”

  “Ma’am, I don’t want you to worry, we will catch this man, but I’m telling you now, stay indoors as much as possible. Take my word to heart.” His gaze shifted to my chest. “By the way, what happened?” He motioned toward his chest. “Where did you get those scars?”

  Oh, yes, the scars. How could I forget them?

  As a reminder, I touched my chest, my finger moving over it. I lied, “I don’t remember. I think I fell or something.”

  His eyes never left mine. “Lying doesn’t become you. When you feel you want to talk, come see me, you know where I am. Nate’s a good man, but he has his faults. I wouldn’t want to see anything happen to you.”

  Just what the hell did that mean? He has his faults?

  “He would never hurt me,” I said.

  Momentary silence, then the Sheriff said, “I don’t believe he would intentionally hurt you, but he’s had a few mishaps before he met you. Nothing serious of course, but things I will never forget. That was, of course, before I was Sheriff.”

  With a nod and a tip of his hat, he rode away, his words fresh on my mind. Not intentionally, he said. But, of course, I would never marry a man who would hurt me.

  Bags in hand, I opened my door and walked inside, heading to the kitchen.

  As I turned, Nate’s bible stared up at me. Was Nate home? He never left home without it.

  “Nate?” I walked through the house, looking around. “Nate? Are you here?” I glanced out the window at the gazebo. “Nate?”

  Nate was nowhere in sight. I was sure he forgot it. How possessive he had been over it? Was there something in there he didn’t want me to see? After all, it was only a bible.

  I walked toward it. It opened, the pages fanning open. I glanced about the room. There was no one here, and there was no wind. How on earth did it open? I was chilled. I ran my hands over my arms and approached it.

  On the pages were words I had never seen, Dark Lord, sacrifice, dagger, and...

  “Ma’am...”

  My heart leapt into my throat. I spun around. The stranger stood in my open doorway, an apple in hand. My hand went to my chest. A laugh escaped my lips.

  “You scared me, sir?”

  “Sorry about that. You left your door open.”

  I was sure I had closed it, but here it stood, open to the stranger. Had the Sheriff been right? Were other women missing? Was this man involved in their disappearance?

  Slowly, I approached the door. “Uh, how can I help you?”

  “You dropped your apple?”

  I gazed down upon it, and laughed. Wasn’t that how the serpent deceived Eve? Oh, what the hell was I thinking? This was a man, not the devil. I glanced up at him and his charming smile.

  “Well, go on, take it, you paid for it.”

  Hesitantly, I touched it, fearful this was a trick.

  “Well, go on, I’m not leaving until you take it.”

  How stupid was I? I was being over paranoid. I snatched it from his hand, and grabbed the door. He needed to go, now.

  “I’m sorry, but you...”

  “Need to leave,” he finished.

  I smiled. “Sorry, folks will gossip, even if we’re just standing here talking. I’m surprised you didn’t obey the Sheriff’s orders. He’s an intimidating man.”

  He leaned against the door. “He doesn’t intimidate me.” He looked me over, his eyes lowering to my chest. “So, what happened there?”

  “Uh, nothing.”

  “That doesn’t look like nothing to me.” With a serious tone, he asked, “Your husband do that to you?”

  I stared at him. Again, I lied, “No.”

  “You’re not a good liar.”

  “Listen, I think you need to leave. People will talk.”

  “You shouldn’t let him do that to you.”

  I grabbed the door and held it, ready to shut it. “You need to go. Nate can be jealous. I don’t think he would like me talking to another man while he’s away.”

  He nodded. “I understand. If you don’t mind me saying, you’re a beautiful woman, much more than Elizabeth Horton.”

  My breath caught in my throat. Elizabeth? What did he know about Elizabeth?

  “Have a good day,” he said, turning away.

  “What do you know about Elizabeth?” I asked.

  He stopped in his tracks. With his back to me, he responded, “That she’s married to Randall, that she went missing, and that she had an affair with your husband.”

  My mouth fell open. First, I was surprised, then anger replaced it. Was this true?

  He took his hat off, and turned toward me. “I didn’t want to be the one to tell you, but, yes, it’s true.” He took a step toward me. “Some of the nights when he said he was at bible study, he was instead with Miss. Elizabeth.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “Because I was there, too.”

  I recoiled. What?

  “There were others, as well. Thirteen men total, including your husband. He was the only man who wouldn’t share his wife. The others would.” He whispered in my ear. “He’s been with many women, but Miss. Elizabeth was special. She had a way about her.”

  Shaking in disbelief, I turned away, looking for the couch to sturdy me. I felt dizzy, faint, ready to hit the floor.

  “May I come in? We can talk about this, if you’d like.”

  “Yes,” I answered, motioning him in. I didn’t care now. Let the townsfolk talk, I needed the truth.

  Fearful of the answer, I asked, “Did he kill Elizabeth?”

  “No, he did not. She died at the hands of her husband.”

  “What!” I faced him. “How do you know this to be true?”

  “Again, I was there.”

  My lip quivered. “So, you shared your wife, too. You took part in this...this, whatever you want to call it!”

  “I’m not married, and no, I did not partake in it.”

  I found a seat on the couch. “I don’t understand. Why would he...I know he loves me?”

  He didn’t say anything. Then, he too, sat beside me.

  Rocking, I fought the urge to run out and find Nate, to kill him, myself. “I’ll kill him, that’s what I’ll do, I’ll kill him.”

&
nbsp; Gently, he touched me. “Do not lower yourself to him. By killing him, you’ll do just that, instead cater to him, show him you love him, but do not lay with him.”

  I glanced up into his green eyes. “Why? Why should I do that, when he’s been cheating on me? Doing whatever it is he’s been doing.”

  I hung my head.

  “Make an apple pie for him. You should have enough, in addition to the one I gave you.”

  His words were menial. Why the hell should I make him an apple pie?

  I glanced at the apple in my hand. No, this was my apple. I took a bite of it. The sweet taste filled my mouth.

  “Because he’s still your husband.”

  I shook my head. How the hell did he...?

  “Read your mind,” he answered.

  I recoiled into the corner of the couch.

  “When’s the last time you been in the cellar?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “You want proof that he’s into something? Go into the cellar.”

  I glanced down at the rug. Hell, no! I hated that place.

  “I’ll take you down there, I’ll comfort you. There’s nothing to be scared of.”

  The rug flung away from the cellar door. Then, the cellar door opened.

  I stared at him. “How did you do that?”

  “It’s a gift,” he answered. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I’ve never hurt a woman.”

  For some odd reason, I believed him. I didn’t know why, but I did.

  “Here, let me escort you down there.”

  He stood, taking my hand in his.

  “I can’t. You need to leave,” I said, running for the door. “Please leave.”

  “As you wish,” he answered, approaching the door.

  He stopped and lay his hand upon my cheek. “You are so beautiful. I would love to have a woman like you to come home to, to hold in my arms and make love to. Nate’s a lucky man.”

  “Please leave.”

  With that, he left in silence. I shut the door behind him and stared at the open cellar. Did the man think I was a fool? Nate didn’t have anything down there. He was a liar, quite possibly a murderer. Striking up the courage, I approached the cellar and stared down into the dark abyss. There was nothing down there. There was nothing to be afraid of. Nothing.

  I took a step. The wood creaked beneath my feet. And, another. The step splintered. It was weathered. I knew that. Nate kept saying he was going to fix the stairs down here, but he had not. Another step. The darkness was overwhelming. My heart beat faster. And, another. The cellar was swallowing me up, consuming me. There I stood, afraid to move further. I leaned forward, trying to focus my eyes in on the darkness.

  Something scraped against the floor. I froze. Somebody was down here. Nate? It had to be, after all, his bible was left on the table.

  “Nate?”

  Hesitantly, I took a step. “Nate, love, are you down here?”

  My body trembled. A murmur came from the far corner. Voices? Were Nate and his men down here? Then, it dawned on me. If they were down here, they would have heard everything the stranger had said.

  I turned and headed back up the stairs, my foot catching on a step. I fell, and attempted to get back up when a hand caught me by the ankle.

  “No!” I screamed.

  Hands grabbed at me, pulling me down into the cellar.

  “No! Nate! Please help me!” They pulled me down the stairs, my face bouncing off of the steps. The pain settled into my bones and muscles. “Nate, please help!”

  Then, a hand covered my mouth, and Nate’s sweet voice filled my ears.

  “Shush, shush, love. It’s alright.”

  Tears filled my eyes.

  “I love you, I really do and that’s why I must do this.”

  I fought back, struggling within the grasp of other men. Then, why do this to me?

  From the corner of the room, a dark figure emerged. The stranger’s face came to light. How the hell did he get back in here? I had watched Asmodeus leave. Save me!

  I reached out toward him. Please save me.

  He weaved his way in between the men, taking my hand in his.

  “Sweet, Gisela! I won’t let them hurt you. I won’t let you feel the pain.”

  “Help me, please! Save me, please!”

  Voices filled the air around me. Nate and another man glanced in the direction I was looking.

  “What is she looking at, Nate?”

  “I don’t know,” he answered.

  “Will you forever be my love?” Asmodeus asked.

  He wrapped his hand around mine and kissed my hand.

  “Yes!” I screamed.

  “Will you fill my heart with love? With desire? With everything a man could ever hope for?”

  “Yes!”

  The pain in my face was getting worse. One of the men tried to climb atop me, but I kicked out, striking him and the lit candle.

  “Will you spend eternity with me? Give me eternal devotion?”

  “Yes, please, Asmodeus!” I screamed.

  A flame spread across the floor, rising where the candle lay.

  Nate stopped, glancing around. “What the hell...?”

  “What! What!” Randall yelled, looking around.

  “Put the fire out!” somebody screamed.

  I kicked again, striking another man.

  One of the men stomped the floor where it was on fire. He was soon engulfed in flames. Screaming, he ran through the room.

  “Then, so let it be!”

  Nate screamed, “You’re supposed to help us, Asmodeus! Not her!” He jabbed himself in the chest. “We asked for eternal devotion! Not her! Not Gisela! We’ve sacrificed for you, not her!”

  “Where is our eternal life?” Randall screamed.

  “I am Asmodeus, the king of Demons, the destroyer! You are but the worm!” Asmodeus hissed. He made his appearance known, his physical being appearing before the men. Nate and the others stared up at his demon face, not the face of the man I had seen. His forked tongue flicked the air.

  I screamed, cringing within their arms.

  “Get the dagger, Randall! Get the dagger! We’ll do this one way or another!”

  Randall snagged the dagger off of the table. The fire consumed the floor, spreading throughout the room. Two of the men bolted for the stairs, screaming. The cellar door slammed shut. Then, Randall jumped up on a table to escape the fire. Nate jumped atop mine. Another man screamed, loosening his hold on me.

  “Get this done!” Randall threw the dagger to Nate. “Kill her! Only then, will be given eternal devotion!”

  Nate caught the knife, blade first. He hissed, flipping it over to grab the handle.

  “Shit!” Blood dripped from his hand.

  Two men, barely out of reach of the fire, still held my arms. I screamed, fighting to break free.

  “Nate, please no!” I screamed, my gaze shifting to Asmodeus. “Please save me, Asmodeus! I don’t want to die!”

  Nate positioned the knife above me, ready to thrust it into my chest when I kicked out at the man trying to hold onto my leg. Nate shifted, the knife slipping in his hand. He tried to maintain his hold on it.

  “Please, Nate, don’t kill me,” I begged. “Please.”

  Nate repositioned himself. Flames neared the table.

  “Nate...”

  “Shut up! Shut up!” he screamed.

  Flames rose, threatening to overtake the table. The heat rose, warming it.

  “Asmodeus!” I screamed. “Please! Help!”

  The table cracked beneath me. Then, it gave way, dropping Nate and I to the floor. A sharp pain pierced my chest. I gasped. Nate’s eyes met mine, his eyes wide. Flames shot up, consuming him.

  The pain in my heart lasted a second. Then, Asmodeus reached out to me, taking my hand in his, pulling my spirit from my body, and embracing me within the confines of his arms.

  The table beside me cracked, and then Randall hit the floor, screaming.

  Then
, Asmodeus covered my eyes. “A beauty such as you, shouldn’t need to see this.”

  SHERIFF

  Days drifted into weeks, turning into months, and then years. The house still stood on Raven’s Hill. I glanced about the grounds, walking the front of the house where the gazebo stood. It was there I noticed the engraving in the pillar.

  Asmodeus

  +

  Gisela

  Asmodeus? Yes, that was the stranger Gisela had happened upon. I often wondered how this man’s name came to be on the gazebo.

  I leaned on the pillar, staring at it. The engraving looked recent, almost too recent since Gisela’s death. I touched it, tracing her name. Yes, it was fresh. I glanced back at the house, which was now rumored to be haunted by Gisela and Asmodeus. Though, we had not found the man’s body, some rumors had spread that Gisela had found a new lover, Asmodeus, and that he protected her from Nate, who also haunted the grounds when Gisela and Asmodeus were not around.

  I approached the house, shoving my hands in my pockets. I had a deep ache in my heart for her which had spread over many years. She was a good woman and deserved better than Nathaniel. I only prayed she found somebody better, and maybe Asmodeus was that man.

  GISELA

  I sat before the fire, Nate’s bible in hand when I felt a presence nearby. I turned, my gaze falling upon the Sheriff. Smiling, I stood. I always admired the man and here he was paying me a visit.

  That was mighty sweet of him, yet he looked older, much older. Had that much time gone by?

  I ran to the door, throwing it open. “Good afternoon, Sheriff! How are you?”

  No response, instead, he stood, staring through the window, his long, blonde, braided hair now grey. He wore the same cowboy hat, too. That put a smile on my face.

  “Sheriff, why are you ignoring me? I’m happy to see you.”

  No answer. Then, I ran to him, to hug him, instead, I ran through him, my arms folding in on air. I glanced back at him. My smile faded.

  “Sheriff?” I waved my hand before his face. “Sheriff?”

  Then, arms wrapped around my waist, hugging me. I leaned back into Asmodeus. “What is wrong with him? Why does he not see me?”

  “Gisela, my love, I’ve told you, you’re dead. The living can’t see you. Come, let’s walk down to the river.”

  Driven

  By Elizabeth Horton-Newton