Cursed Presence

by J. M. LeDuc

  The Cardinal rose from his knees, his heart feeling like it would burst. He looked at the walls of the crypt. Etched into them were symbols. Frantically, he searched for the ones that represented alpha and omega, the beginning and the end.

  When his search turned up nothing, his enthusiasm waned.

  He dropped his head in exasperation. There, on the altar he saw the alpha carved into the marble surface. Using the hem of his robe, he wiped the dust off the altar. At the opposite end, he found the omega.

  The Cardinal spoke Gabriel’s words aloud. “Between the beginning and the end, the key to the mystery will shine bright.”

  Sitting on the altar between the symbols was a candlestick glistening in the glow of the torch. The Cardinal picked it up and searched it carefully. The top of the stick had a jagged edge, reminiscent of a key.

  Excited, he read further.

  “The key to the mystery will shine bright.

  “Stay anchored to your faith,”

  “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the anchor of my faith.”

  On the wall to the left of the altar stood a large wooden cross, similar to the one Jesus was crucified on at Calvary. Positioning himself as if he were on the cross, he eyed the room. Directly in his line of sight was a fresco of a phoenix rising from a grave.

  “And a phoenix will unlock the truth,” he yelled.

  He rushed to the other side of the room and touched the phoenix. Using his fingertips, he traced the fresco. He felt a small groove that lay hidden within the design.

  He blew the dust and debris from the inside of the groove. He saw that the hole resembled the outline of the candlestick. He aligned the jagged edge of the stick to it and pressed.

  The Cardinal took a deep breath and turned the candlestick clockwise. As he did, the phoenix crumbled from the wall, leaving a hole in the limestone. He shined his flashlight and saw something deep inside. With trembling hand, he rolled up his sleeve and reached in to retrieve its contents.

  He was about to run out of arm when he felt an object with his fingertips. He grabbed the item and slowly dragged it out of the hole, being careful not to tear it on the sharp edges of the limestone.

  The Cardinal surveyed his prize. He held an ancient scroll. He knew whatever was written on the scroll was the answer to the mystery. Before leaving, the Cardinal knelt at the altar and said a prayer of thanks.

  CHAPTER 25

  Cardinal Bullini meticulously unwound the scroll on the wide expanse of his desk. The centuries of exposure had degenerated the document, but considering its entombment, it was in good shape.

  The Cardinal removed a small bottle from his bottom desk drawer. The antique spritz bottle contained liquid used to help preserve brittle parchments. He carefully misted and dabbed the entire document. He used a heat lamp to help the drying process.

  The scroll now preserved, the Cardinal copied the writings into a notebook and studied the symbols. Each represented a single or group of letters, he knew immediately that he was looking at an ancient form of the Coptic language. This variant of Coptic was known as Old Coptic and would have been used in the first and second centuries of the Common Era.

  The Cardinal thought about the alphabet’s long and storied history as he performed his tedious work. It dated back to the Hellenistic period of ancient Greece.

  Some experts, including him, believed the language was a combination of ancient Greek and Aramaic.

  The Cardinal was awed as he studied the words before him. He wondered if the author had known Jesus, or perhaps was one of the twelve Apostles. He knew that Old Coptic was used to transcribe religious texts and widely used as Christianity spread into the late third century. It was speculated that Old Coptic was the language spoken between Jesus and Satan during His temptation in the wilderness.

  Once the scroll was copied, the Cardinal translated the writings into English.

  To my brother in Christ, I am both honored and humbled that you have been chosen by Almighty God to read His words. Having just completed the writing of God’s word on the apocalypse, I ask you to bear with my handwriting for I suffer exhaustion. The following are God’s words to you: My son, a time has come when a great evil has descended upon the world. Lucifer, the angel of darkness, believes that the time is right to take hold of My creation the sons and daughters of Adam. Make no mistake, whether he is successful or not, this grave time has been brought on by man’s greed and immorality. It is not to be confused with the ‘end times.’ The Antichrist is not yet among you.

  Those whom The Dark One has breathed his spirit into are numerous and they search for the Enlightened One…

  Cardinal Bullini stopped reading. He could not believe what he was reading. For centuries, men of the cloth, men whom the church considered heretics, had foretold an Enlightened One. The tales told of a man who would battle Satan himself. A man who would speak directly to God, like the great prophets in the Old Testament.

  The Cardinal thought, with great sadness, of a young priest he’d excommunicated. A young man who claimed he had visions of the Enlightenment. He claimed the Enlightenment would be a time when good and evil would clash, a time when evil would likely triumph. It would be a time when the darkness of hell would cover the earth, a time when man’s free will would tilt in favor of Satan and away from God.

  Cardinal Bullini blessed himself and asked God’s forgiveness for not listening to His messenger. Continuing, he read,

  The Enlightened One has not yet been made aware of his purpose. He will come from the line begun by Noah. He will be one of the chosen, who harbors the secret of life.

  Again, Amadeus put down the notepad. “The Ambassador. Brent is the Enlightened One,” he whispered into the quiet of the room.

  The Enlightened One is a man after My own heart, but he is still just a man. It will be his choice whether he takes up the sword presented to him and fight The Dark One. You must tell him of this scroll. As you read My words, the seed of choice is being planted in him. He will be made aware in My time, for My timing is perfect.

  The one I speak of has already endured many trials, yet he always emerges true to his faith. With each trial, his love for Me has grown stronger. He is the only one among you who has any chance of defeating evil. I will love him no less if he chooses not to accept this mantle, for to choose to accept, is to leave the life that he knows.

  The responsibility and burden is heavy and he must be willing to carry it for the rest of his worldly existence, however long or short that may be. You, my son, must do two things. First, you are to right the wrong you have committed, and second, you are to aid the Enlightened One with your gifts.”

  My brother, those are all the words I have been given. It is not my place to understand them, but only to write them down and pray that they are in the hands of their intended. Satan will do all he can to discredit God’s word and he will be successful in many of his attempts.

  Stay strong in the love and power of the Messiah,

  John

  Tears streamed down the Cardinal’s face as he contemplated the words he read. As he knelt to pray for guidance, he heard a knock on his office door.

  He rose to his feet. “Come in.”

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, Cardinal, but strange happenings are occurring all over Europe. I feel you should be made aware of them.”

  “What strange happenings, Father Reilly?”

  “There has been a series of ritualistic killings. Each victim was left with some sort of symbol carved into the abdomen. The authorities can’t decipher the symbols, but feel they may represent some sort of ancient lettering.”

  His secretary’s words sent chills down his spine. “Do you have pictures of the symbols?”

  “I have photos of each victim, but I must warn you…they are very graphic.”

  The Cardinal ignored his last comment. “Here, lay
them on the table.” He turned and picked up the scroll and his translations. “Place the photos here in front of me.”

  The Cardinal’s secretary laid each 5 x 8 picture on the table and stepped back while the Cardinal looked at each in turn. Each showed frightening similarities. In addition to the symbols which had been carved into victims’ flesh, all the victims were female and all were naked. The look in their open eyes caused a chill to travel up the Cardinal’s spine. He could not put into words, or clarify, what he was seeing. The victims looked void of…everything. Almost as though they were shells instead of human beings.

  “My Lord, have mercy on them and grant them peace,” he said. “Where did these killings take place, Timothy?”

  Father Reilly pointed to the photos. “The first two were found in Germany two days ago. Since then, twelve more have been found throughout Europe.”

  “Do you mean they weren’t killed by the same person?”

  “The authorities say the times of death make it impossible the killings to have been committed by the same person. The official word is that they are looking for fourteen different murderers, all working together.”

  “Or for the same entity,” the Cardinal mumbled.

  “The same entity?”

  “Yes, like the same organization or cult,” the Cardinal said. “Father Reilly, please hand me a piece of paper.”

  In the chronological order of their deaths, he recorded the symbols, each carved mutilation was an actual Old Coptic word. When he’d finished, he laid his pencil on the desk and studied what he’d written.

  The day of The Dark One has arrived. Let The Enlightened

  One be revealed.

  Cardinal Bullini closed his eyes and repeated the strange-sounding words over and over until he had fully translated them into English. He picked up his pencil and wrote the translation.

  The day of The Dark One has arrived. Let the Enlightened One be revealed.

  As he wrote, his attention shifted to the victims’ eyes. They appear so lifeless. I know they’re dead, but I’ve seen dead people. There is something different about these people.

  His eyes moved from picture to picture. Suddenly, the truth hit him as hard as an uppercut to the jaw. The words that Father Jessup…the young priest he excommunicated… had spoken, flooded his memory.

  “The day is close when The Dark One will be unleashed. His army, an army of demons, will scour the earth looking for the Enlightened One. The longer it takes for the Enlightened One to show himself, the stronger they will become. They will gain their strength by taking the souls of their victims. The purer the soul, the more strength they will gain.”

  Beads of cold sweat poured down the Cardinal’s face, a sweat not brought on by heat or illness, but by fear and truth. The pictures of the victims looked like they did because they were soulless. It was as if the life God had breathed into them at birth had been sucked back out of them.

  Picking up each picture, he tilted it toward the light. As he did, the symbols seemed to change. “Timothy, look at this. Are you seeing the same thing I am?”

  Father Reilly agreed that the symbols changed when the light reflected off of them.

  Again Cardinal Bullini began to write.

  A Cursed Presence Will Shadow The Enlightened One

  And Open The Book Of Sufferings

  Translated, he wrote,

  A Cursed Presence Will Shadow The Enlightened One And Open The Book Of Sufferings.

  Eyes dilated and heart pounding, Cardinal Bullini said, “Father Reilly, please gather these pictures, along with any information you have about the killings. Have everything ready to be faxed to the United States in one hour.”

  “The United States? Why?”

  “Trust my judgment, Timothy. Now please, leave me with this puzzle.”

  “Yes, Cardinal, as you request.”

  The truth was there was no puzzle. Cardinal Bullini had already translated the symbols. What he needed was time to find Father Stephen Jessup.

  He sat at his desk and flipped through a rolodex. The Cardinal placed a call to the Archdiocese of Boston and was told that Father Jessup was still preaching and he still had a parish, of sorts. The difference was that his new ‘church’ was an abandoned warehouse in the middle of a rundown part of a city and his parishioners were the impoverished and homeless.

  As Amadeus read the online file, he couldn’t help but see the resemblance to the life that Christ lived and the one that Father Jessup was living. Jesus was shunned by his own people. He, too, preached in the poorest areas to the downtrodden and forgotten.

  And finally, what he had to say was difficult for the establishment to grasp and believe.

  He located Father Jessup’s ‘church’ in Coral Cove, Florida.

  A glimmer of hope shown in the Cardinal’s eyes. I wonder if Coral Cove is near Palm Cove?

  He continued to read. His hope escalated from a glimmer to a shimmering light. Twenty miles of coastal road lay between the two towns. The Cardinal felt that the pieces of the puzzle were coming together just as the Lord intended.

  “Thank you, Jesus.”

  CHAPTER 26

  Chloe woke to the warmth of the early morning sun. She hoped to find Brent sleeping soundly beside her. Instead, she found him in the same place she had the day before. Again, he seemed to be deep in thought. Chloe slipped out of bed, walked behind his chair and massaged his shoulders.

  “A penny for your thoughts,” she said.

  Brent reached up and pulled Chloe’s hands down against his chest, bringing her closer to him.

  “Are you thinking about Charlotte?” she asked.

  “You’d think so, but no, I think I have that one figured out. This is much stranger.”

  Chloe kissed Brent’s neck. “Is it the Butcher?”

  “No, thank God.” Brent continued to stare out at the ocean. “For the past two nights, I’ve been hearing voices in my sleep.”

  “What…kind of voices? What do they say?”

  “It’s just one voice and it had a strange quality to it. It wasn’t like any voice I have ever heard before. It kept repeating the same thing.”

  “What?” Chloe’s voice trailed off, afraid to hear what Brent was about to say. He broke his trance-like stare out at the Pointe and looked at her. “‘The time of the enlightenment is at hand. Your time has come.’”

  “What do you think it means?”

  “I don’t know.” Trying to ease her anxiety, he said, “I think I just have too much on my mind.” He reached up and kissed Chloe’s cheek. “What do you say we forget about all that and make breakfast for everybody?”

  Chloe beamed as the severity of the moment passed. “Sounds good. I definitely don’t want to be late again.”

  Smiling, Brent said, “It was worth it. But you’re right. If we’re late again today, we’ll never hear the end of it.”

  CHAPTER 27

  “I’ll make the bacon and eggs if you make your famous banana pancakes.”

  “I don’t know how famous they are, but that’s a deal,” Chloe said, in the spirit of the moment.

  Within a few minutes, they were moving in what seemed liked choreographed perfection. They were so focused, they didn’t hear Lucille walk in.

  They make quite a pair, she thought. Jake, you would be so proud of your son. He’s everything you thought and hoped he’d be and, so far, everything we were foretold.

  She stood watching Brent and thought back to Joseph’s words to her about Brent’s destiny. Her expression turned to one of concern. I just pray that he’s not asked to make the ultimate sacrifice.

  As she thought about Jake’s and Joseph’s premonitions, her concern and her frown lines deepened…until Chloe started to sing. He couldn’t have chosen a more beautiful wife. She’s the daughter I’ve always wanted.

 
Lucille cleared her throat. “Ahem. You two have a lot of nerve messing up my kitchen.”

  “And good morning to you, too, Lucille,” Brent said. He walked over and gave her a peck on the cheek.

  “Good morning. You look very pretty this morning,” Chloe said, smiling.

  “Buttering me up doesn’t change a thing, my dear,” Lucille winked. “Although it is a beginning,”

  The three laughed as Lucille tied on her apron.

  For the next half hour, everything was as it had been for the past year, before they’d learned of the Butcher’s escape. The three of them, a family, making breakfast and memories.

  “Does this hole in the wall have any coffee?”

  They looked up to see Seven standing in the doorway. Seconds later, Maddie poked her head around him.

  “Don’t blame me. I’ve tried to teach him manners. But you know what they say about old dogs.” She walked past him, and smacked him on the butt. “Bad boy.”

  “Now don’t start something you can’t finish,” he said in a heavy southern drawl.

  “You can take the boy out of the swamp, but you can’t take the swamp out of the boy,” Maddie said.

  “That’s right, missy, and don’t you forget it,” Seven quipped. He wrapped his arms around Maddie’s waist, lifted her off the ground and planted a kiss on her lips.

  “All right, children, there will be time to play later,” Lucille said. “Right now, why don’t all of you pour yourselves a cup of coffee and go into the other room. I’ll finish up here and call you when breakfast is ready.”

  “Oh no you don’t, Lucille, we started this mess, we’ll finish and clean it up. Right, Brent?”

  “I can’t disagree with my wife, Lucille. It’s against the rules.”

  Lucille leaned against the kitchen counter, folded her arms across her chest and tapped her foot.

  “Oh, I know that look.” Brent took Chloe by the hand. “There are exceptions to every rule. Let’s do as we’re told. I really don’t feel like spending the day in time out.”