The Resurrectionist

by Michael Gesellchen

  "You did that for me? For us?"

  "I knew where ever you were you were in great danger. I prayed for protection, read every verse on it I could find. I prayed the darkness wouldn't find you, that you would remain hidden, camouflaged."

  "The mud! In the bog!"

  "What?" Monika asked.

  "Nothing." I said, not wanting to sound crazy.

  "I prayed for Allison's soul. I prayed light and love would find her in the darkness. I prayed she'd invite it in."

  Words didn't come. Where do you begin to thank someone for that. The silhouetted figure in the refuge said he sent a helper. I thought he meant Allison, it was Monika. Monika protected me from the demon's wrath and gave Allison the strength to pull us both out.

  Monika and I made plans to get together when I got home. Monika was animate that she be there for me. I thanked her. My eyes were heavy as I closed them for the night. A peace fell over me.

  “Will.” I was jolted awake by a knock at the door. The voice chilled my bones as I slowly opened my eyes.

  “Justin."

  He took one step towards my bed and stopped. “Hey man, glad to see you.”

  “Me too,” I lied. “What have you been up to?”

  Justin, never one to pass on talking about himself jumped at the chance. “Been working. A lot. With Corbin. You wouldn’t believe some of the cases we’ve worked.”

  “Tell me."

  “We investigated a haunting at the Richmond farmhouse.”

  “Really?" I acted clueless.

  “Yeah, it was insane. Turns out the boy was possessed. Corbin called in a priest and everything. There was a cleansing and exorcism. The whole nine yards! Nasty demon it was too, put up one hell of a fight.”

  “You don’t say.”

  “Yeah man. Priest crapped his pants after one night and ran away like a girl. It was Monika who finally punched that demonic son of a bitch a one way ticket back to hell.”

  I was now sitting up in my bed. “Good for her.” I half-smiled. “Son of a bitch probably had it coming, huh? Funny how that is.” I said.

  “How what is?” Justin replied.

  “You know, how people get what they deserve. Get what’s comin’ to'em.” My tone turned stern. Justin was taken aback.

  “Yeah Will, sure, whatever. You just get some rest now. We’ll see ya around.” Justin turned and walked out the door.

  The town hailed me a hero. Said I was a fighter, a survivor. They were far from the truth. It took getting my ass kicked, and then some, to realize how far from the path I had fallen. Doubt crept in. I was beginning to convince myself that it was all a dream, but I held firm to my new outlook. Love changed me. I was scheduled to begin classes again. How do I go back? Face my peers. It’s not like I could simply say, hey guys, let me tell you a story about hell, and how it’s not worth traveling the path that leads you there. Hell, there were records of my psychiatric treatment on file. One word of that kind of talk and I would be back at St. John’s, on an involuntarily commitment. The only thing on my mind, my only focus, was seeing Dr. Z. I needed answers.

  “Where's Dr. Z.?” I asked Wendy the office assistant.

  “Oh, they didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  "Dr. Z. resigned. Principal Johnson was planning to meet with all of his students individually to talk about it. He must have forgot to talk to you since you’ve been in the hospital. Principal Johnson is out on meetings today Will, but I'll be sure he talks to you first thing in the morning."

  “Where did he go? I really need to speak to him." I said.

  “I’m sorry Will, he didn't say. It's very strange. He only left a letter. Not very professional of him." Wendy must have seen the disdain on my face and felt sympathetic. “Here Will,” she said handing me an envelope. “Dr. Z. left this for you. I wasn’t supposed to give it to you but I will pretend I forgot.”

  Dear William,

  Experience can be difficult. Sometimes we fall. I am sorry your trials had to come at such a young age. I admire your courage. You never gave in, you never gave up. This can never be wrong. The mental disorders have no power over you. You’ve proven that. Having them doesn’t make you wrong. It makes you human. I am with you always.

  All my love,

  Dr. Z.

  I ran my fingers through my hair. No thoughts came, just silence of mind. Was Dr. Z. real? This letter, the one I was holding in my hand, certainly it was real. I questioned my sanity. I needed Dr. Z. more than ever and now he was gone. “Keep it together,” I said aloud, keeping my head down and forging on to my next class. Lucky for me, people were more afraid of me than I was of them. When there’s a tragedy, people treat you like a leper. They don’t know how to act. It’s only human nature.

  I sat alone at lunch. Oddly, I didn’t care. I enjoyed the quiet. Time to think, to reflect, to pray. The time was short lived. Justin pulled up a chair next to me. We exchange polite smiles. Justin was the first to break the silence.

  “It’s nice to have you back at school Will. It must be difficult for you.”

  I looked up at him. “It is." My fear wanted to crush him, my faith held me to a higher standard.

  “How ya feeling?” He asked.

  “To be honest, Justin, I’m ok.” The words surprised even me.

  “Ok? How so?”

  “I used to be afraid all the time. I don’t know, I feel different, calmer, less anxious, less angry. It’s difficult to explain.”

  “Well, that’s good I guess. You were in that coma a long time. Maybe something shook loose in your brain. You know, like in the movies when people gain supernatural abilities after being in a coma.” Justin smiled.

  “My brain feels the same, this is something different, beyond the physical.” I sensed Justin was confused and changed the subject. “How are the investigations going?" I asked.

  “Great,” Justin smiled. “It'll be nice to have you back.” Justin got up from the table before I could say no. “See ya, Will.”

  ***

  Monika and I met after school. I was lucky to have her. She kept me grounded, on course. It was hard to kept it all to myself. I didn’t tell her my secrets. I couldn’t face it. The things I was responsible for. Deep inside, I was afraid I’d lose her if she knew the truth. She would most likely accept me for who I was, past and present, that's just who she is. Murder, demonic possession, I wasn’t willing to risk it. I wasn’t sure if she could handle that truth. I wasn’t even able to handle that truth. Not anymore. Not with the love I now had in my soul. It wasn’t much, but enough, enough to burn searing hot remorse each time I remembered.

  “Will, would you be up to coming to Gateway tonight? Corbin and Justin will be there. They're going over some audio from a recent investigation. It might be good for you, you know, to be around people.” Monika said.

  I didn’t reveal my desire to expose Justin. It wasn’t time. I needed proof and to get that I needed his trust. “Sure. I’ll go.” I wanted to watch Justin’s every move.

  We arrived around 8:00 p.m. Corbin and Justin were sitting at the computer, going over file like usual. Justin waved. Corbin didn’t move. He didn’t even acknowledge me. Maybe he felt guilty for thinking Gateway failed a second time. Maybe he knew the truth? His coolness towards me was unnerving.

  “What have you guys been up too since I was, well, out.” I asked.

  “We keep working. We keep investigating.” Justin said. “We are starting a new case in a few days. You should come.”

  "Yeah, I guess."

  "You sure he can handle it?" Corbin said."

  "You sure your little contraption can handle it?" I fired back.

  Monika could sense my discomfort. "Maybe a few more days away would be good. I shouldn't have pushed you. Come on Will, I’ll drive you home. We'll meet you guys for the investigation. Right now I think Will needs to rest."

  I never really felt like a part of the group. Now they felt even further away, except Monika, I still
had Monika. If there was any consolation in all of this it was her.

  Two days had passed. We all arrived early in the evening to set up for the investigation. Corbin opened the trunk to his car and asked us to help him carry equipment.

  “What’s this for?” Justin asked.

  “Just wait. You’ll see. You'll like it,” Corbin smiled.

  I was handed a small monitor and Justin carried a silver rectangular box up to the front door. We rang the bell but there was no answer. Justin spoke first, “let’s just go in. They must not be answering the door.” We entered the owner's home and called out his name. There was no response. Corbin went to the basement. Monika, Justin, and I walked into the study area and saw the owner standing facing the fireplace with his back turned to us. “Hey Mr. Chase,” said Justin. “Sorry to let ourselves in but we figured you didn't hear us. How are you doing?” Mr. Chase didn't respond. Monika and I exchanged confused glances. Justin walked behind Mr. Chase. “Do you mind if we begin setting up our equipment?” Monika turned to look at me and then back at Justin. “Mr. Chase, are you alright?” Justin asked placing his hand upon his shoulder.

  “No,” Mr. Chase faintly answered.

  “Yeah," Justin said as Mr. Chase turned to face him, "and it’s only going to get worse.” Mr. Chase dropped to his knees clenching his midsection.

  “What the hell? Did you just punch him in the gut?” I said, staring at Justin. I caught a shimmer of something shiny in his hand. Justin pulled a knife out of Mr. Chase's stomach. Monika and I were paralyzed from shock. Neither of us spoke. Justin tilted his head upward and looked us directly in the eyes.

  “That felt amazing,” he said in a guttural, growling voice.

  “We aren’t speaking to Justin are we?” Monika asked. Justin did not respond, only stared with a blank face.

  “Back away Monika.” I said. "We need to get the hell out of here right now!”

  “Corbin,” she said.

  Mr. Chase laid in a motionless heap on the floor. He wasn't breathing. “We have to leave. We have to leave now!”

  “We can’t leave Corbin!” Monika shouted.

  I lunged for Monika’s arm, pushing a chair in front of Justin and knocking him off balance. “Run!” I screamed. We took off in a sprint, racing outside the front door and bolting down the street. We had driven in Corbin’s car. The keys were still in his pocket.

  “Oh God. Oh God.” Monika repeated over and over.

  “Monika! Just keep running! Don’t look back!” We reached a part of Millersville with bars and restaurants, having run a great distance.

  “I’m so tired." I said.

  “Me too." Monika replied.

  “I think we can stop now. I don’t think Justin even followed us. I just didn’t want to take any chances.” We found a restaurant that was open and went inside.

  “Did you two just get done running a marathon?” The hostess asked. Neither of us responded. “You guys alright? You look like you've seen a ghost.”

  “Something like that.” I said.

  “Here, let me get you some menus and find a table.” The hostess seated us in the corner of the restaurant, away from people. She probably thought we were high on drugs and didn’t want to draw attention to us. I could feel the eyes of the restaurant patrons bearing down on me as we walked by. I thought I could hear a woman laughing but realized it was my own racing thoughts. Stress and anxiety pounded at my body, ready to explode like an angry volcano. Monika and I stared at each other until she finally broke the silence.

  “Damn it Will! What are we going to do?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Neither of us were remotely hungry when our food arrived. We just needed time to think about our next move. Nothing came until Monika received a call on her cell. She held the caller id in front of my face. Monika’s face was pale and distraught. “Should I answer?” she asked. I nodded my approval even though every thought in my mind yelled no. “Hello. Hello.” Monika answered. “Is that you Justin?”

  “Yes."

  “Do you remember us being there?" Monika asked.

  “I remember everything. I couldn’t control it. Oh God!” I could hear Justin’s voice screaming through the phone even though I was standing three feet away. “Oh my God he’s gone!” Justin said. I looked at Monika, feeling my hand shake the same way it always did when I panicked. My legs felt bolted to the floor. Monika looked catatonic. I reached over and grabbed her phone.

  “Justin,” I said. “What do we do now? I think we should call the police.”

  “No Will! I'll be arrested and face murder charges."

  “We have to do something,” I said. “People are going to find out!”

  “Nobody will suspect anything for a while. Please, Will you have to help me.”

  “What do we need to do?” I asked.

  “I am under demonic attack. Get Monika and come back. I need your help to vacate the demon from my soul. Please hurry!” The phone went silent.

  “What do you think Monika?” I said.

  “We have to help him. He’s possessed.”

  “What if it's a trap? What if it’s the demon using Justin to lure us back there?”

  “We have to try Will,” Monika said. “We don’t have a choice. He’s our friend.”

  "I need the bathroom." I excused myself before the contents of my stomach released on the floor. The image of Mr. Chase laying in a heap taunted my mind as we waited outside for the city bus. I looked around the street for any type of distraction. The neon sign of the restaurant glowing above us. The three cars parked on the street. The light misty rain that was beginning to pool on the sidewalk.

  A bus pulled up beside the curb and opened its door. “Are you ok?” I asked turning towards Monika.

  "I don’t know what to think right now. It's too early to process all of this. We need to talk to Justin before making any decisions."

  “I understand.” I said. “I hate to keep bringing this up but we need to be careful. What if it's a trap? What if the demon is trying to trick us? What if he's waiting outside the house to kill us!”

  “We do need to be careful,” agreed Monika. “The demon will be strong. Whenever a demon is successful is spilling the blood of a human they're able to feast, so to speak. Blood carries life and spiritual energy to humans. Blood nourishes the organs of the body and also carries spiritual energy to the cells. Whenever blood is spilled, spiritual energy is released. Since demons cannot survive on their own depraved energy they need to steal it like a vampire. The energy allows them to stay in the astral plane temporarily before being pulled back to hell. It's one of the main reasons demons seek the bloodshed and destruction of human beings. They depend on it for their survival.”

  “What about Corbin?” I asked.

  Monika sighed. “I know. That's why we have to do this now.”

  “You mean, confront the demon possessing Justin at it’s peak.”

  “Yes.” Monika frowned.

  The wheels shrieked when the bus pulled up to the stop two blocks from the Chase residence. Monika squeezed my hand before getting up from her seat.

  “Oh thank God!” Justin came bursting down the outside stairs as we approached the house.

  “Stay back, man!” I said.

  “Please, you gotta help me. A demon. It has control over me. Please!”

  “Let’s just go Monika. I changed my mind. This can’t be good.” I said.

  “Will, can’t you see? We must help him.” Monika smiled kindly at Justin and took his hand, leading him back into the house. It was her nature, so loving, she would rather die than see someone hurting.

  “What did you do with Mr. Chase? Is he still alive?” Monika asked.

  “Yeah, I mean no. I don’t think so. I mean. Oh God!” Justin said.

  “Where is he?” Monika asked.

  “In the basement. I moved his body down to the basement.”

  “What about Corbin? Is he still here?”

  Justin
buried his face into his hands. “I don’t know!”

  Monika turned towards me. “Will, would you please go down to the basement and-"

  “I’m not going down there, no way!” I protested.

  “Will, please, do it for me.”

  My heart pounded with each step down. I lost my footing twice but was able to grab the handrail and keep myself from falling. The basement was dark. I searched for almost ten minutes, nothing. No trail of blood, no body. I ran back upstairs. Monika was in the living room rubbing Justin's back and consoling him.

  “There’s no one there.” I called out.

  “I know.” A voice sounded from behind me. I turned in time to watch Corbin swing a Louisville Slugger down on my head.

  Chapter 24

  “Will, glad you weren’t killed, or put back in a comma, or whatever.” Justin’s voice was smug. I awoke in the basement of the house. I recognized the symbols etched on the wall. The same symbols at Corey's house and the Gateway lab. My head throbbed, I reached up to check for blood. It had dried.

  “Where’s Monika?” I asked.

  “Don’t worry about her. Leave that to me.” Justin said.

  “Corbin? You guys set me up."

  “We need you Will, it’s your lucky day!” I didn’t respond. “You see, Corbin did make Project Gateway come alive, but it needs a someone special, a distinguished operator. That’s where you come in, and your little girlfriend.”

  “Yeah, what’s your motivation?” I asked.

  “It’s simple Will, you’re going to make us rich. There are people, well, I don’t know if I’d really call them people, that will, let’s just say, sell their souls to get what we have. They don’t talk much, in fact, they don’t talk at all. They speak through their eyes."

  “Who are they?” I asked. “Demons? Like yourself.”

  Justin laughed. “Quite the opposite actually, but it really doesn’t matter, see, you’re going to hell, only you won’t be saving anyone, you’ll be freeing them. Gateway works both ways you know.”

  “You sold your soul to the devil.” I said. “And for what?”

  “Business, family business. My uncle brought me in. Taught me the secret recipe. I think you know him." Corbin emerged from behind a stack of file boxes.