Hallowed Horror

by Mark Tufo

  And before long, they had made their way to Peter’s bed, and she lay there beneath him, her body responding to each touch, each kiss on her breasts, stomach and thighs. He lay his cheek atop her flat belly and slid his hands down her sides, all the way down to her knees.

  And he made love to her. And she to him. It lasted nearly an hour, and when they were finished, they both glistened with sweat, lying side by side, fitting together like two pieces of a puzzle.

  Allyson lay on her side, her head tucked into Peter’s neck, her knees sandwiching his left leg, his arm over her shoulder. Only the sounds of their hearts beating and their rapid breathing could be heard. She played with the hair on his chest with her left hand.

  Peter never wanted to leave. He wanted to lock the doors and keep her there with him until the end of time. He felt they were where they were supposed to be.

  “Don’t tell your father tonight,” Peter said.

  “I don’t know yet,” said Allyson, putting her clothes on as Peter watched from the bed. “It depends. If he’s waiting at my house, then I’ll have to.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?”

  She shook her head. “No, I can handle it. I’ve dealt with him for years.” She pulled on her pants and buttoned them. “Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ve got the advantage now.”

  “Call me on my cell if anything goes wrong. Punch it in so you just have to hit redial. Promise me.”

  “I promise. Now get to sleep. You have to pick up Isabel tomorrow. See you at 10:00.”

  Peter jumped out of bed and threw on his robe, and walked her to the car. He watched as her tail lights disappeared from his driveway and onto Pacific Coast Highway.

  *****

  As she expected, her father’s car was parked in front of Allyson’s home when she arrived. This time he wasn’t inside the condo waiting for her. The car door opened and he stepped out, his face stern.

  “You take advantage of me. You knew I was in that meeting tonight.”

  Newland slammed the car door and walked directly toward her, his fists balled tightly.

  “Come inside, father. We have to talk.” She walked away from him toward her door, slid the key in and opened the door.

  He pushed her from behind and she stumbled into the house, barely stopping herself from falling down.

  “Father! Stop it now!”

  “How can I? How is it possible for me to stop teaching you a lesson when you disobey me?”

  “It’s over, father! You have no control over me, and you never have!”

  “Of course I do. I’m your father, and you will do as I say, and when I say it. If I have to sell this damned place and make you move back into my house, then I will.”

  “I paid for this with my own money, so no, you won’t!”

  He moved forward and raised his arm, drawing it back.

  “Stop, father!”

  “Stop being insolent!” he shouted, and slapped her hard across the cheek.

  Her body collapsed to the floor, and her father stood over her.

  And Allyson watched from behind him, having left her body just a split-second before his hand contacted her face.

  “Father,” she said.

  Newland whirled around. “Allyson?”

  “I was hoping you would be here. I have to have a talk with you.”

  “What are you doing? How are you doing that?” He reached down and yanked Allyson’s limp body from the floor and shook her. “Ventriloquism? Playing games with me now, is that it? I won’t have it! Stand up!”

  He drew back his hand to hit her again, and Allyson felt a surge of anger as she had never felt before. She re-entered her body in a flash, her body came to life, and she threw her hands into the air and screamed “Stop!”

  And her father froze. Mid-swing his hand stopped dead. Unmoving. His facial muscles were not frozen, and he moved his eyes back and forth between her face and his frozen arm and body.

  “What’s happening to me?” he mumbled, fear in his voice for perhaps the first time Allyson could remember.

  Allyson lowered her hands and dropped them into a push position, and she moved them forward.

  Her father’s body slid backward across the floor, and she walked behind him as she forced him into the living room, turned him, and dropped her hands, releasing him.

  Newland fell onto the sofa, dumbfounded. Able to move again, he worked his arms and legs, and looked up at her in amazement.

  “Don’t say anything, father. You can no longer hurt me. You never should have been able to, but I didn’t know who I was, didn’t know I had the power to stop you.”

  “Who . . . who you are?” he stuttered.

  “I’m a witch, father.”

  “Oh, for Christ’s sake, Allyson. You’ve learned some parlor trick, and now – “

  Allyson threw her hands up, thrust them at her father, and lifted him four feet off the couch. He hung there, the fear back in his eyes, but he could not speak. Allyson had frozen his vocal cords.

  “Nothing to say, father? It’s because I control you now. The old switcheroo, so to speak. So many years after I became a woman, you still treated me like a child. Like your property. Beating me when I wasn’t submissive. And all the while, I had the power to stop it. I hate that I didn’t know.”

  Then she lowered him back to the couch, and released him. His breath came fast, and suddenly his face went ashen. He clutched his chest and his eyes opened wide.

  “Father? What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t answer. He gasped, then fell over onto his side.

  Allyson didn’t hesitate. It had to be a heart attack. She sat on the sofa and left her body.

  *****

  “Emma, I need you now!”

  Emma shot out of bed, startled out of sleep. “Ally? Is that you? How did you get here? How did you get in?”

  She turned on the light. The room was empty.

  “Emma, get in your car and come to my house now!”

  “What is it? What’s wrong?”

  “It’s my father. He needs you. I think he’s had a heart attack.”

  Emma said, “Do CPR until I get there. I don’t know if I can bring people back from the dead!” Emma spoke no more. She threw on her clothes and tore out of the driveway in her VW. Still dented, but now drivable.

  She was there in 24 minutes.

  Mr. Newland’s face was entirely white, like a sheet of notebook paper, when she opened the front door and saw him on the floor, Allyson pressing on his chest in steady pumps.

  “Move,” she said. Then she lay her hands on him. Feeling she needed more direct contact, she ripped the front of his shirt open and placed her hands, one on top of the other, over his heart. She kneaded him there, left, right, pressing down. Emma’s eyes were closed, and she envisioned the heart in her mind; a perfect heart, all valves clear and functioning, steadily beating.

  And then she felt it. Beneath her hands, the steady thumping of a strong heart in perfect rhythm.

  His eyes opened and he took in a gulp of air.

  When he awoke fully, Emma informed him that his heart was fixed. Better than it was before. The heart murmur he had before was gone. If he didn’t believe her, he could go see his doctor to confirm. Have whatever tests he wanted.

  Allyson told her father the whole story. Emma sat and listened, adding information that Allyson had forgotten. He cried when it was over, and swore that the only reason he was controlling and got so angry when Allyson didn’t obey him was for her protection. When he lost his wife so many years ago, Allyson was his only reminder of that beautiful woman, and he never wanted to lose her.

  Emma shook her head. “I don’t believe it. I think Vickar has a hold on him somehow, too. Isabel would know, but I’m not positive.”

  We don’t have what we need for another cleansing spell, either,” Allyson said. Then she turned to her father.

  “You’ll need to lay low, Father. Until we take care of Vickar. If he is controlling you in some
way, once we’ve eliminated him you’ll be free of your curse.”

  “I’ll arrest him,” he said.

  “For what?” Allyson said. “He’s done nothing outside the law that can be proven. You would be implicated more than him, without a doubt.”

  “The four of you will handle it?”

  Emma nodded. “It is, after all, why we even exist, Mr. Newland.”

  Newland stood. “I feel better than I have in years.” He turned to look at them. “My heart?”

  Emma nodded. “It’s perfect. Probably the heart of a fifteen-year-old.”

  “Jesus, maybe I’ll take up running. Can you do anything about these legs?”

  “Father, there isn’t a menu of items here. She’s a healer, and age is part of life.”

  “I know. But I want to help with this Vickar thing. Think of something I can do.”

  “Promise me my life is my own, Father. You will be a part of it, and I think you know I can take care of myself now.”

  “I know that. I’m sorry you had to show me.”

  He began to cry again.

  “You’re not a bad man, Mr. Newland. But that chapter of your life is over, and you’re going to have to learn how to let Ally go.”

  Allyson patted the cushion next to her, and Newland sat beside her. “Father, did I tell you I’m supposed to be able to see the future?”

  *****

  It was getting late now, and both Allyson and Emma needed sleep. Unfortunately, Allyson’s father wasn’t done asking questions just yet.

  “So when does this all happen?”

  “Tomorrow,” said Allyson. “We hope.”

  “Where?”

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea that you know, Mr. Newland,” Emma said. “For your own safety. I think we’ll be better off keeping it a secret.”

  “What if I follow you?”

  “You could die,” said Allyson. “Please don’t, father. What happens happens, and there’s nothing you can do to change it. I think you know by now this is my destiny, and always has been.”

  Newland looked defeated. He shrugged. “Okay. I promise to stay out of it, but the minute it’s over, you’d better call me and tell me everything. Promise me.”

  “I do. I promise.”

  “Alright, then. I’ll go. Emma, it’s late. Why don’t you stay with Allyson tonight. I’d feel better, and I’m sorry for making you come out here.”

  Hey, your heart is as good as new. I’m a surgeon. This was the easiest surgery I’ve ever done, and the result is perfect. Don’t apologize to me. And yes, I’ll stay.”

  “Thank you, father. I think we’re off to a new chapter in our relationship. And I do love you. But I have to insist that you tell me what happened to my mother. I want to hear the whole story, and tonight, before you go.”

  Over the next half hour, he told his story of the phone call from the sitter, the car in the parking lot, all of it.

  He looked guilty and sad. “I’ve been in law enforcement all my life. I see the worst side of humanity on a daily basis, and I have for so long, I was sure that without a strong hand, I’d lose you, too. I only ever wanted to protect you.”

  “There were other influences you don’t understand, father. I’m certain of it.”

  He stood from the sofa and shook his head. “Maybe. But if I’d been stronger. Kinder. I know I went about protecting you in the wrong way, and for that I’m so sorry. Never again, baby. It’s a new me and a new chapter. I promise.”

  Allyson went to him and hugged him, and he put his arms around her, hugging her as though he didn’t want to let her go. He pulled away and went out the door with a wave.

  Emma looked at her watch. “It’s two in the morning. Bedtime. We’ve got a huge day tomorrow, and even that’s an understatement.”

  “Down the hall, first door on the left. It’s my office, but there’s a comfortable sofa bed in there. Sweet dreams, Em. Thanks for saving my father.”

  “Night, Ally. And you’re welcome.”

  That night, Allyson had a vision.

  Sunlight filtering through trees. Glenn. Murdock Vickar – and screaming.

  She tossed and turned for nearly an hour before sleep finally took her.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  “I’m worried about him,” said Emma, pacing back and forth in the living room. Peter caught her mid-stride and held her by the shoulders.

  “Relax, Em. Nothing we can do but wait.”

  “He knew the time, and he knows where it is. I’m freaking out.”

  Matt stood at the window looking out. “He’s an attorney. Maybe he got hung up with a case or something.”

  Allyson wasn’t speaking. She sat on the couch with her eyes closed. Peter went over to her and sat beside her.

  “You okay, Ally?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Allyson? Answer me, babe.” Peter touched her shoulder, and she opened her eyes.

  “Glenn is with Him now.”

  “Him? Vickar?”

  “Yes. He’s with him in his office.”

  “Jesus!” shouted Peter. “He knew to come here first! What the hell is he trying to do?”

  Matt put up his hands. “Wait a minute, Pete. Maybe he already had a meeting with him, man. Maybe he was keeping the appointment so Vickar didn’t get suspicious.”

  “Bullshit. He would have said something about it last night, and he didn’t. He’s trying to make amends or something, to do it himself.”

  “He’s in danger,” Allyson said.

  “She is Seeing now,” said Isabel. “What she says – what she Sees – is always true.”

  Peter got up and went to where Isabel sat. “Okay, then. Accelerated plan. How are we going to kill him, Isabel? We have to figure that out and go now.”

  Isabel had a larger, fabric bag with her today. She pulled back the drawstring and withdrew a long, wood stake. It was approximately twenty-eight inches long and nearly two inches in diameter. It was rough hewn and sharpened to an extremely fine point.

  “You will use a proven method of killing a witch permanently,” she said, holding the stick in the air. “It is a hemlock stake, and it must be plunged into his heart or his brain. The other method is fire, but it is harder to control. But no matter which is used, you must not allow him to utter any words before he dies, either with his mind or with his voice. His mind, as well as his physical body, must be entirely disabled.”

  “Drugs?” Emma asked.

  “As long as they eliminate his ability to have conscious thoughts,” Isabel replied. “He must not have the ability to either think or utter another reincarnating spell. This time he must die forever.”

  Emma got up. “Matt, you want to come with me? I need to go pilfer some meds and a syringe from the hospital. I need something seriously fast-acting, and then one of us has to plug the stuff into his jugular.”

  “We have to wait for Glenn,” Matt said.

  Peter said, “He’s not coming, Matt. Ally told you that. He’s in trouble, and we need to get there now. So Em, go do what you have to and get the drugs. Matt, go with her if you want, and we’ll call you on your cell before we get there. Just hurry.”

  Matt and Emma headed out the door, and Allyson, Isabel and Peter stood alone in her living room.

  “This is it,” said Allyson. “Isabel, I’m not seeing enough. I only see bits and pieces, and just enough to know Glenn’s in trouble. I don’t see how, just that he is. Why is this power so weak?”

  “Because you’ve not used it before, Allyson. You might get stronger, even today. Keep trying. Close your eyes and look to the future, to your future. It will include you all.”

  “We don’t even know where we’re going,” said Peter.

  “Yes, we do. He’s at the Ziggurat Building,” said Allyson.

  “I’ll drive,” said Peter, heading for the door. Isabel hesitated.

  “Isabel? You’re coming, right?”

  “I’m too old to help you.”

 
; “Bullshit. Pardon my language, but without you, we wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are now, wouldn’t be close to the end of this thing. Of course you’re coming, now let’s go.”

  Isabel allowed a small smile to cross her lips, nodded, then followed. “Shotgun,” she said.

  They all laughed as they got in the car.

  Matt waited in the car as Emma went inside to get the supplies they needed to subdue Vickar. He would like to torture the bastard, but just to kill him would have to be enough.

  He wondered what would happen to them now; Isabel had said witches do not age as humans, so how long would they all live without Vickar putting an end to them? He smiled at the thought of himself walking hand-in-hand with Emma when they were 130 years old, looking all of fifty-five or so.

  His thoughts were interrupted when Emma opened the door and quickly got inside.

  “I got into a little trouble there for a minute,” she said, her breath coming fast. “Hey, guess what? I have a bit of the mind-wiping power, too!”

  “No shit? You wiped someone’s mind?”

  “Not all of it, silly. One of my subordinates saw me take the drugs and syringe. Her name is Stephanie, and she’s pretty new.”

  “So what did you do?”

  Emma laughed. “I just looked at her, dead in the eyes, and thought, These are not drugs you saw, they’re a soda and a candy bar.”

  Matt laughed with her. “And what did she do?”

  “She asked me if I was getting the morning munchies. I told her yes, smiled, and here I am.”

  “I really like this. Hope we live long enough to get good at this stuff. I haven’t really done much, aside from leaving my body that time.”

  “Matt, I saw your garden yesterday. You’re doing okay with it.”

  “Oh, that,” he said, blushing. “I was just messing around a bit.”

  Emma’s cell phone rang.

  After she hung up, she said, “Get to the Ziggurat. Now. They’ve already left. The parking lot off La Paz Road.”

  Matt drove.

  When they arrived, they spotted Peter’s Highlander away from the other cars in the parking lot. The three were standing outside the car already, and walked toward Emma’s car when Matt pulled up.