"So this was some kind of revenge thing?"
"Revenge is putting it nicely," Juli said.
Rob suddenly felt sick in his gut. "Kelly and Jimmy. He killed them to pay me back for his time in jail." He looked at Mary Jane, who had tears in her eyes, then at Juli, who was already crying. "Who is he?"
"He's one bad dude," Juli said.
"That doesn't help."
Another look passed between the two women, then Mary Jane said, "He's my son."
And Juli said, "And my father."
Rob's heart suddenly felt like a lead cannon ball in his chest. "One bad dude."
Juli nodded.
"But why me? I was only five."
Mary Jane crossed her arms. "You were random. Just some boy. An easy target. In his teen years, Mitchell-that's his name-got involved in toying around with the occult. His father and I knew nothing about it at the time. At twentyone he married Nicole, a sweet gal with a tender heart. Apparently, she knew nothing of his dark side either. Until he started sacrificing small animals in their basement. She came to us and told us about it. She was so scared. We confronted Mitchell and got nowhere. His demeanor had changed dramatically, and he harbored such hatred.
"A month later Nicole was pregnant with Julianne. When Julianne was born, Nicole thought about running. We told her we would help, but she was too afraid. She kept saying he would find her and kill her. We called the police, but there was nothing they could do. There was never any evidence of any wrongdoing." She reached out her hand and took Juli's in hers. "Then the abuse started. Julianne was a little over one. Mitchell would beat Nicole and Julianne. But the physical cruelty was only part of it. The psychological and emotional abuse were so much worse. He drove Nicole mad, and she eventually took her life."
Juli smiled through her tears at Mary Jane. "If it wasn't for my grandmother, I would have been next."
"If it wasn't for your grandfather and me. We took Julianne from Mitchell and hid her," Mary Jane said. "He was so angry. He cursed his father and me, swore to kill us both, and left Mayfield. We didn't see him again until the trial." "So he took me instead."
Mary Jane closed her eyes and nodded. "At the trial he was very arrogant about what his intentions were. He was going to sacrifice you. You were in that cabin alone because he was off gathering his coven. Before they took him out of the courtroom, Mitchell promised to finish what he'd started. That's why your parents moved you north."
Rob looked at Juli. "He's still out there"
"But we're no longer afraid of him."
"Will he come? Here?"
Juli said, "He won't stop coming."
PART SEVEN
To a child, darkness brings fear, but light drives back the darkness and, with it, the fear.
-THE BOOK OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS
Twenty-one
NGER GNAWED AT HIM LIKE AN INFLAMED ULCER. Hatred festered like an open wound. His insides itched and burned until he wanted to just peel back his skin and relieve the rage. He picked up a broken piece of lumber and hit it against the wall, over and over, imagining he was pummeling Shields's head, until the board splintered and broke. Throwing the fractured wood aside, he threw back his head and let out a deep-throated scream.
The underlings hissed and snapped their jaws.
"Cowards!" he yelled, saliva spraying from his mouth. His breathing was labored, and sweat had broken out on his brow and chin. "You let them go."
Again, the horde responded with a chorus of hisses and an occasional scream.
That was good. He wanted them riled. The more incensed they got, the more vicious they would be. And vicious was good. Vicious was exactly what he wanted. The time for games was over. Shields had to die. It would be quick and strong and very painful. He would make him suffer like he'd never suffered before and then snuff out his useless life and toss him to the underlings and let them finish off his carcass. It wouldn't be as satisfying, but his thirst for vengeance would still be satisfied. Like the difference between tepid water and an ice-cold beer.
He turned to the throbbing horde of underlings. "First dark we go to Darlington. Take the town. Take them all. Have your fill. We have no need for them anymore."
One by one, like zoo-kept animals emerging from their cages to bask in the morning sun and curiously inspect their habitat, the citizens of Darlington exited their homes and approached the church parking lot.
Some of the faces were immediately familiar to Rob. Nana was there, looking like a crane with her long, bony legs and baggy dress. The foursome whom they met before was there: rifle man (minus his rifle this time), the tall guy with the Adam's apple and hook nose, hatchet man, and the short, balding guy. Others streamed from their homes now and made their way down the street. There must have been forty or so, all appearing to be over the age of fifty.
Like geese to water, they were drawn to the gravel parking lot, not a word spoken between them. Every eye was fixed on Rob, Juli, and Mary Jane. When the crowd had gathered and formed a half circle around them, Rob noticed three more familiar faces in the back of the pack. There was Norm Tuckey and Rose and Carl. Rob's eyes met Norm's, and they exchanged a slight nod.
Rob glanced at his watch. It was a little after ten.
The gathered Darlingtonians watched with an eerie expectancy in their eyes.
From the back, Norm spoke up. "We told ya not to come back here." He looked at Mary Jane, then back at Rob.
Rob felt Juli's hand slip into his. Her eyes were wide and concerned. "Tell them," she said.
Swallowing hard, Rob scanned the crowd. A swarm of butterflies took flight in his stomach. Nana was teetering back and forth again, her hands covering the lower half of her mouth. Carl was swaying too, one large hand on Norm's shoulder. "They're coming," Rob said. "Tonight. When darkness falls."
"It's your fault," Norm hollered. Heads turned to look at him. Rose tugged on Norm's arm and said something that Rob couldn't hear.
Juli squeezed Rob's hand.
"You brought this on us. We were makin' it."
"You be quiet, Norm Tuckey." It was Nana, hands clasped at her chin, face twisted in a weird blend of sadness and anger. "We weren't makin' it. We were livin' in fear of the devil, of that vile trinity."
Now it was rifle man's turn. "Oh, shush, Nana. All your talk about the devil and that trinity of yours. I'm-"
"My talk? What have you ever done, Will? How many have we lost? How much blood is on our hands? Do you even know?" She looked around the crowd. Her hands fell to her side. "I say we put an end to it and fight back."
"With what?" a thin, older man with a wild bushy beard said. "We ain't got no weapons save a few rifles and some knives and such. That ain't gonna put up much of a fight."
"Weapons will do no good against this enemy," Mary Jane said. The crowd hushed, and all faces turned to look at her. She paused and blinked slowly. "For twenty-two years I've been your umbilical cord to the outside world. Today it stops. Today you must learn to stand on your own faith and use your light to push back the darkness."
"They'll destroy us," someone yelled out.
Then another, "I ain't ready to die."
"Not like that."
"We need more guns."
"I got a deer rifle," Will said.
"You ain't fired that thing in over twenty years."
"We should lock ourselves in our homes."
The assembly erupted into a cacophony of chatter that sounded like the disjointed muttering one hears when the radio tuner is spun.
Rob said to Juli, "They don't get it."
"Nope. And I thought you had a thick skull."
"They will," Mary Jane said. "But it'll be the hard way."
Juli frowned. "Hard for who?"
Mary Jane didn't say anything.
Mary Jane knelt near the front of the small sanctuary. The place hadn't heard a human heartbeat for over two decades, and a thick coating of undisturbed dust covered everything like the gray skin of a corpse.
Her lips moved silently as she engaged in conversation with her Father, taking to Him the imminent fate of so many.
Since their brief meeting this morning, the townsfolk had spent much of the day bickering, worrying, and scurrying about like mice in a maze. Their faith was as dead and lifeless as this old building. A few of the men had vowed to fight the darklings and walked up and down Main Street toting their weapons. Two, Norm and Will, had rifles; the rest had knives or hatchets, and big Perry Oliver ambled around with a sledgehammer slung over his shoulder. No matter how many times Mary Jane told them weapons of this world were useless against the darklings, they were as deaf as wood to her warnings. Finally, she had given up and retreated here to intercede on their behalf.
It was evening now, and nightfall would be here within the hour. A thin film of perspiration covered Mary Jane's face, and her hands trembled almost imperceptibly. She knew this would be a battle like no other. She also knew victory would be theirs ... but it would come at a price.
She prayed for the folks of Darlington. They were good people, really. All of them. They were just so enslaved by fear that they knew nothing else. Faith was as foreign to them as escargot or tiramisu.
She prayed for Julianne, that she would have the courage to overcome her own demons, the ones she'd wrestled most of her life. The ones constantly sitting in the back of her mind, reminding her of the nightmare she'd barely escaped but never fully banished. And that she would complete her calling, no matter how difficult it was.
She prayed for Robert, that he would use the gift he'd been given and when the time came that he would do the only right thing, the thing that had to be done, regardless of the outcome. That he would give himself totally to the light, holding nothing back, and do that which he was called to do.
The front double doors creaked opened, and the small sanctuary filled with muted sunlight. Footsteps, light and even, paced down the aisle behind Mary Jane. She knew the rhythm of those steps, the sound of the cadence.
The footsteps stopped behind her. "Come," she said. "Kneel beside me, Julianne."
Julianne obeyed. She'd been a good granddaughter, and Mary Jane prayed she'd been the grandmother the girl had needed and deserved.
"They're not ready," Julianne said. Her voice was flat and sad.
"They don't need to be. This isn't about them." Mary Jane paused and massaged her aching hands. "They'll learn a valuable lesson at a great price, but it isn't about them, not really."
"It's about Rob, our ace in the hole."
"And you." She could feel Julianne's eyes on her.
"Me?"
"There's one more thing you have to do. Your calling."
"The calling thing again."
Mary Jane looked at Julianne and placed a hand on her arm. "You know what it is."
Julianne turned her head away, and Mary Jane felt the girl's arm stiffen. "I can't. He doesn't deserve it."
"Neither did you."
Julianne was silent for a long time. Finally she said, "You're right, of course. Will I be free of this calling thing then? Or at least be able to trade it in for something like kitten rescuing?"
Mary Jane chuckled. "No way. Your calling is yours and yours alone. It's part of who you are."
Julianne put her hand over Mary Jane's and smiled. There were tears in her eyes. "I can do it." Then she stood and retreated up the aisle.
Mary Jane called after her, "Julianne."
Julianne stopped and turned her head. Her slender figure was silhouetted by the light seeping in from the open doors.
"Make sure you mean it."
"The sun's almost gone," Rob said. He was standing in the church lot with Juli, facing the setting sun in the west. It had just dipped below the tops of the trees and was leaving behind streaks of orange and pink. "It's amazing that something so beautiful can be so ominous."
"Like the calm before the big storm," she said.
"The eye of the storm. We've already been through part of it."
"And lived to talk about it."
Rob thought about their earlier encounter with the darklings. If the demon things were still on the hunt after all that, he wondered what good his "gift" would do them this time. Would it only delay the inevitable a little longer? Was the fate of Darlington sealed?
He thought of Jimmy and the hallucination back at the shack. It was so much more vivid than all the others. He had actually held his boy, felt his little shaking body in his arms. Smelled his sweat and tears. Jimmy was there, he swore it, if only for a brief moment. A gaping hole had been left in Rob, an emptiness that would not soon be filled. If ever. He'd lost his reasons for living in Kelly and Jimmy. They were gone, and he was left. Here. Alone.
He looked over at Juli. She'd been a good friend through this nightmare, better than a good friend. Without her he would have lost his sanity for sure. Through the brokenness of his heart, he smiled at her.
"What?"
"Thank you," he said.
"For what?"
"For forcing me to let you come. You did a lot more than tag along."
She faced the woods again. "It's not over yet. But when it is, you have a relationship to mend."
Rob knew she was talking about his relationship with God, the Father he'd ignored for the better part of his life. "I know. I'm ready to do it too." "
Silence fell between them, and after a few moments Juli's hand found Rob's. There was nothing improper about her gesture, and Rob knew that. In fact, he found more than a little comfort in it.
"You ready?" she said.
"Do I have a choice?"
"You always have a choice."
"Then, yes, I think I am."
"You think?"
I won't know for sure until the moment's here."
After a long pause, Rob added, "The people, they're not ready."
"No," Juli said, "they're not. Fear still rules in their heart. But this battle isn't theirs. Thankfully."
A gentle breeze moved across the town of Darlington, as if the forest was sighing, bringing with it the scent of night. Rob turned his face to the air and let the wind comb through his hair. "How will it all end?"
But before Juli could answer, from somewhere deep in the woods, a scream ripped the silence.
Twenty-two
T'S TIME," ROB SAID. HE TURNED TO ROUSE THE PEOPLE of Darlington, but they were already making their way to the church lot. Half of the townsfolk assembled, mostly men except for Rose Tuckey toting a polished butcher knife. Only two had firearms, Norm with his vintage shotgun and Will with his deer rifle; the rest brought shovels, hatchets, knives, pitchforks, and other assorted tools for the home and garden.
Everyone carried an oil lamp or candlestick.
Mary Jane appeared on the front landing of the church. She scanned the crowd of about twenty, a look of sadness clouding her face. Meeting Rob's eyes, she said something through her look, as if she knew something he didn't and was trying to warn him, but he couldn't tell what it was. Then she slowly descended the stairs and stood next to Rose in the rear of the group.
All eyes turned to Rob and Juli. Fear was evident on every face.
Another scream sounded in the distance, then another. The bark of the dogs could be heard too.
The sun was almost gone by now, and the glow of the flames cast a weird orangey light across the gang of untested soldiers. The swollen mango moon was low in the sky, hovering just above the treetops.
"Now I know how George Washington felt," Rob said.
Juli nodded. "An army of farmers and carpenters and cobblers."
A series of screams erupted from the woods, closer than ever. The barking continued almost nonstop. They were near, almost to the tree line.
"Well, ain't ya gonna say anything?" a short, round man, whom Rob had learned earlier was Phil Holiday, said.
Rob looked over the group. Only Carl was younger than fifty. "Nothing to say that hasn't already been said. Your weapons won't do any good against the darklings."
&
nbsp; "I'll be the judge of that," Norm said. He held up his shotgun. "I killed more Viet Cong in 'Nam than any man in my unit."
Rob started to protest when someone yelled, "There they are.
All heads turned toward the tree line on the other side of the meadow. Darkness obscured any clear view, but by the light of the moon a line of darklings stretching at least fifty yards wide stood just inside the woods. The dogs were there too, tugging on the ropes that held them and barking like demons.
Suddenly, a grizzled man in worn coveralls broke from the crowd and rushed Norm. His eyes were wide and wild, the look of a man insane. He lunged for the shotgun and grabbed it with both hands. Norm twisted and cursed and jammed an elbow at the man. "Back off! Let go."
But the man held on. "I ain't gonna die by those things."
The other townspeople watched in silent horror as the tugof-war continued.
Norm kicked at the man. "Let go, Noel. You're crazy."
Noel finally lost his grip, fell back, and landed on his backside. He was breathing heavily and wheezing with each breath.
Norm stood over him like a conquering gladiator, holding his shotgun with both hands. "What's wrong with you?" he shouted. "You nuts?"
Noel spit to the side. "I'd rather blow my own brains out than let those devils have at it."
Across the meadow the throng of darklings throbbed restlessly, hissing and screaming.
"Back off, you hear?" Norm said to Noel. "Ain't no brains gettin' blowed out tonight." Turning away from Noel, Norm hollered, "Now get ready," then moved to the front of the group, shotgun held shoulder high. Will stepped into place next to him.
Juli's hand found Rob's arm and tightened around it. "God be with us," she said.
Then just like that it began. The dogs broke loose from the darklings that held them and tore across the meadow, ears back, tails low, ropes lashing behind them like whips.
"I got 'em," Norm said. He leveled his gun on one of the dogs and squeezed off a shot. The gun bucked, and Norm brought both hands to his face and cursed wildly.
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