Devil's Nightmare (Devil's Nightmare, Book 1)

by Pruneda, Robert

After the sudden tone, I slammed the phone onto the wall-mounted unit’s cradle. Then I picked it up again and dialed Maria’s phone number.

  She answered, her voice raspy.

  “It’s Aaron. I need you to meet me at Saint Hedwig. I think Cody’s in danger.”

  “What? What do you mean he’s in danger? Where are you calling from?”

  “I don’t have time to explain everything, but Robert Smith just murdered his family. He also tried to take me out.”

  “Oh, my God. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, barely. Listen to me. This man worshiped the devil. He also hinted that someone at Saint Hedwig would kill Cody as some sort of sacrifice to Satan.”

  “Aaron, this is serious. Have you told Chief Hernandez?”

  “Yeah, but he’s being a real dick about the whole thing. I don’t know what his problem is. Look, I need you to meet me at the end of the road near the youth home. I’ll tell you more then.”

  “Shouldn’t we tell Mr. Hadley?”

  “Absolutely not. Do not call Hadley. Just meet me there, okay?”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll meet you there.”

  I hung up, and heard sirens in the distance. I turned on several lights in the living room and kitchen and scanned the area until I found what I was looking for: a wooden key rack on the wall next to the front door. There was one set of keys hanging from the rack. I grabbed them, and then gazed at Austin’s body for a moment. I took a deep breath and shook my head before heading out the door.

  The sirens grew louder as I stepped into the BMW. I tossed my gun on the passenger seat, and as soon as I turned on the car, the headlights lit up the garage. There was a laundry basket and several shirts hanging from a clothes rack next to a washer and dryer. I scampered over to the clothes rack, and snatched a maroon shirt… a Texas Aggies shirt. As if worshiping the devil hadn’t been bad enough. Smith had also been an Aggies fan.

  The sirens grew very loud. I could see the flashing strobe lights of the emergency vehicles approaching down the long gravel driveway. I pulled the shirt over my head—as painful as it was—and stepped back into the car. As I backed the BMW out of the garage, two Travis County Sheriff’s Department cruisers skidded to a stop with their sirens wailing.

  I drove around them and glanced at one of the deputies as I passed by. The deputy’s car spun around and sped up behind me with his lights still flashing and siren wailing. I ignored him and continued speeding up the driveway towards the highway.

  “Stop the vehicle,” the deputy said through the loudspeaker.

  I complied, but I kept the engine running.

  “Driver, shut off the engine!” The deputy ordered. I noticed another set of strobe lights flashing and a spot light directed towards me.

  “I don’t have time for this shit,” I complained, and turned off the car.

  I waited impatiently for the two deputies to carefully approach each side of the car with their guns drawn.

  “Show me your hands!” one of the deputies yelled.

  “I’m the one that called this in!” I yelled back. “I’m Dete—”

  “Step out of the car! Slowly!”

  As inconvenient and frustrating as it was, I complied with the deputy’s demands. A blinding light shone in my face, and the deputy stepped closer to me, his gun drawn. “Detective Sanders?”

  “Yes, that’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Now get that light out of my face.”

  The deputy lowered his flashlight and gun and then waved off the other deputy.

  “You know him?”

  “Yeah, we taught a civilian firearms safety class together.” The deputy stepped closer to me and holstered his weapon. “Sergeant Michael Williams,” he said to me. “You remember me?”

  “Um… yeah, I think so.” I didn’t have time for a trip down memory lane. “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but we have a major crime scene back there and I’ve got to head out to investigate a lead.”

  “So, man, what happened?”

  “Sergeant, I really need to go. I have evidence that a kid is in danger. I need to leave now.”

  “I don’t see any exempt plates on this car,” Sergeant Williams said with a thumb jerked towards the BMW. “And I highly doubt this is yours.”

  “You’re right, it’s not. It belongs to Robert Smith.”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you take that car.”

  Two ambulances and one unmarked vehicle turned onto the driveway with emergency lights flashing. The sirens on the ambulances silenced as soon as they rolled onto the driveway. Sergeant Williams waved the ambulances by, and then asked me, “Where are you headed?”

  “Saint Hedwig Youth Home.”

  “I’ll take you, but you’ll need to leave the BMW here.”

  “Fair enough. I could use some backup anyway.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Devil’s Nightmare

  “Park the car right there,” I said to Sergeant Williams, pointing to the side of the road that led to the Saint Hedwig Youth Home.

  “I thought you said someone was supposed to meet you here.”

  “She’ll be here.” An hour had passed since I’d called Maria, so I wasn’t quite sure if she would actually show up.

  “I may be stating the obvious here, but shouldn’t we call this in? I mean if a kid is in danger—”

  “The chief doesn’t think there’s anything going on here and—”

  “The hell with him. This is the Sheriff Department’s jurisdiction. I’m calling this in.”

  “Wait. Here she comes.”

  A silver Mercedes rolled up next to the deputy’s car. Maria lowered her window and asked, “Are you going to tell me what’s going on now?”

  Sergeant Williams held the police radio in his hand with his thumb poised over the call button.

  “Please, don’t broadcast this,” I said to him. “You call this in, and Chief Hernandez will get wind of it and blow the whole thing. I want to go in and investigate without any interference.”

  “Investigate what?” Maria asked. “You told me that Cody was in danger. What’s going on?”

  I got out of the car and stepped up to the Mercedes. I explained everything. Well, almost everything. I excluded the part about the chimera, but I shared my belief that Robert Smith had infiltrated the youth home with one or more of his cult members.

  “And you think Mr. Hadley is one of them.” I could tell Maria disagreed by the skeptical tone in her voice. “I’ve known Jerry for years. He wouldn’t hurt Cody. He’s not capable of it. He loves every kid in that facility.”

  “Yeah, I’ll bet.”

  “Aaron, I’m serious.”

  “Okay, assuming you’re right, what about that creepy priest?”

  “Look, man,” said Sergeant Williams. “I don’t mean to interrupt your curbside meeting and all, but are we checking this shit out, or what?”

  I waved my hand back at the deputy. “Give me a second.” I told Maria that we needed to get inside without raising any suspicion from the security guard. “Just tell him that we’re here to—”

  “This is bullshit,” Sergeant Williams interrupted. “No rent-a-cop is gonna interfere with a legit investigation. Let me handle it.”

  “Have you ever been to Saint Hedwig before? They don’t let anyone in without an appointment… even cops. I’m surprised they haven’t built a moat around the damn place.”

  “They don’t have the authority to keep us out.”

  “Trust me. We’re not getting in with strong-arming tactics. Not without a warrant.”

  “Who said anything about strong-arming? Just get in the car and let me take care of it. We’ll get in without a problem.” The deputy waited for me to get in the car and then said, “Or I could just radio this in and have an army of deputies here in about twenty minutes. It’s your call.”

  “Fine,” I said, getting back into the cop car. “You’d better not screw this up.”

  “Honestly, man, I don’t understand why we d
on’t just radio this shit in and be done with it. If there’s a legit threat on a child—”

  “Just drive. It’s more complicated than you can imagine.”

  When we arrived, the guard station was empty. The perimeter around the youth home was also dark. No security lights. Sergeant Williams shined his spotlight around and aimed it at the security gates. I couldn’t see any activity past the gates.

  We stepped out of the car, and with our weapons drawn, we eased our way towards the security booth and searched the area, shining our flashlights in every direction. A nearby car door, just outside the gate, suddenly opened. Damn it! I motioned for Maria to get back into her vehicle. She hesitated, but then did as told.

  A light mist cooled the air as I entered the empty booth and pressed the button to activate the iron security gate. A low rumble of thunder accented the creaking gate. The hairs on the back of my neck stood at full attention. My flashlight then flickered and died. I slapped it a couple of times, but couldn’t revive it. I did a quick scan of our surroundings, and then suggested to Sergeant Williams that we get back in the car.

  Small streaks of lightning lit up behind dark clouds forming overhead. As soon as we got inside the patrol car, the detonation of another thunderbolt made the windows vibrate. Maria followed us through the gated entrance and onto the oval driveway in front of the old building. Large rain drops pounded the windshield at a steady pace.

  “That’s the chief’s truck,” I said more to myself than anything. “What’s he doing here?”

  “So much for not telling your boss,” Williams commented, parking the car next to a black Ford F-150. “Maybe he wised up and decided to check the place out for himself.”

  “Maybe.” I reached for the deputy’s shotgun and asked, “Is this thing fully loaded?”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  “Mind if I borrow it?”

  “No, man. Take it. There’s extra ammo in the glove box.” I grabbed a handful of shells and stuffed them in my pocket.

  “I’m heading upstairs with Miss Jimenez. Do me a favor and make sure nobody leaves the building.”

  “Don’t worry, man. I got it.”

  Sergeant Williams, Maria, and I met at the front door. The wind howled as the storm intensified.

  “Let’s get out of this rain!” Maria yelled. “I’ll find Mr. Hadley and make sure everything is okay.”

  “No, you stay with me!” I yelled back over the simultaneous clasp of thunder and lightning. “We’re going straight to Cody’s room and getting him the hell out of here.”

  “Aaron, we can’t just—”

  “I’m not leaving here without him! We’ll deal with the consequences later, but he’s not staying another night in this place!” I waited for Maria to counter. She frowned in disapproval. “When is the last time the guard left his station unattended?” I asked her.

  “Something’s not right!”

  “Fine,” Maria said, opening the door. Then she gasped and cried out, “Oh, my god!”

  “What?” I rushed inside to see what had startled her, followed by Sergeant Williams. Emergency lights lit the lobby enough for me to see a trail of blood. It led to a nurse lying face down near the double doors to Mr. Hadley’s quarters. Sergeant Williams pressed two fingers on her neck. He turned to us and shook his head.

  We found the body of the security guard on the steps behind the reception desk.

  “What’s the security code to open the bedroom doors?” I asked Maria.

  “Five-two-seven-six, but you also need a security card.”

  “Do you have one?”

  “I’m sorry, no. I left it at the house.”

  “Damn it. You’d think this was a prison, with the level of security at this place.” I got the deputy’s attention and said, “It’s time to call this in.”

  “I’m on it.” Sergeant Williams pressed the call button on the radio affixed to his shoulder. “This is Unit Five-Seven. I have a ten-thirty-five at Saint Hedwig Youth Home. Ten-seventy-eight requested. Multiple ten-fifty-two needed. Over.”

  No response.

  “I repeat: I have a ten-thirty-five at Saint Hedwig Youth Home. Requesting immediate ten-seventy-eight. Copy?” Sergeant Williams looked at me. “I’m not getting through. Something must be interfering with the radio. I’m gonna check the radio in the car.”

  “All right. We’ll see if we can find a security card.”

  “Wait a minute,” Maria said, grabbing my arm. “We may not need one after all. I think there’s a way to control the locks from the main desk.”

  I followed Maria behind the front counter. She screamed and put her hand over her mouth. We found the receptionist on her back, a deep slit etched across her throat. Blood covered Stephanie’s neck and blouse.

  I glanced at Stephanie’s body, being careful not to disturb it, and sat down in front of the computer. “What do I need to do?”

  “Um…” She stared at the corpse.

  “Maria, I need your help.”

  “I… um…” she struggled, stress in her voice. “Maybe you should just let me.”

  I got out of the chair and stepped aside. Maria clicked on the mouse a few times and toggled through a few screens. I scanned the area for any signs of movement, particularly in the shadows.

  “There. I got them,” Maria announced, getting up from the chair. “They’re unlocked now.”

  “All of them?”

  “Yes, all of them.”

  I glanced over Maria’s shoulder towards the front double-doors and picked up the receptionist phone. Of course, it didn’t have a dial tone. I set the handset back onto the cradle.

  “All right,” I said. “Let’s go.”

  I checked the body of the security guard before we continued up the stairs. I recognized him. He was the youngster who’d operated the security booth outside during the graveyard shift. He had blood trickling from his mouth, but I didn’t see any other distinguishable wounds. I checked his pulse and shook my head; the man was dead. As we climbed the stairs towards the bedrooms, Maria pushed past me and opened the first door to the right.

  “Let me check the rooms,” I said. “I’m the one with the gun, remember?”

  Maria’s voice trembled. “There’s no one here.” She rushed over to the next door across the hall.

  “Did you hear me? Let me check the rooms.”

  I entered the first room with the shotgun poised in a defensive position.

  Maria ran across the hall to the next door. She then shouted from inside the room, “They’re not here!”

  I opened the door to Cody’s room and called out, “Cody? It’s Aaron. You in there?”

  The wind howled, thunder rolled, and rain slapped against the window. I eased myself inside the room with the shotgun pointed forward. “Cody?”

  Maria ran down the hall and opened more doors. The bedrooms didn’t have security lights installed, so only the occasional flash of lightning lit up the room. It was empty.

  Someone grabbed my shoulder. I spun around and found Maria, worry flooding her face.

  “Damn it. Don’t do that,” I said to her.

  “They’re all gone. I don’t like this, Aaron.”

  I agreed, and headed back into the hallway. “Do you have your phone?”

  Maria reached into her pocket and handed it to me.

  Chief Hernandez answered my call after a couple of rings. “Maria? Where are you?”

  “No, this is Aaron. I’m here at Saint Hedwig.”

  “I’m sorry for not believing you. I didn’t—”

  “Forget it. Where are you?”

  “In the chapel.”

  “Have you seen any of the kids? Or Hadley?”

  “Um… yes, I have.” There was something about his tone I didn’t like.“ We’re heading downstairs. We’ll meet you in the lobby.”

  “Wait, Aaron—”

  I hung up and asked Maria, “Where’s the chapel? I can’t remember.”

  “West wing of the build
ing, downstairs.” Maria grabbed my wrist and asked, “What did he say about the kids?”

  “We need to get to the chapel.”

  “What did he say, Aaron?” she asked again, more urgently.

  “He didn’t say anything. Now let’s go.”

  I handed the phone back to Maria and motioned for her to lead the way. I stopped when we reached the landing of the split-level steps. Sergeant Williams hadn’t returned yet. I glanced over my shoulder and said, “I’m going to go check—”

  The front doors flung open and Maria screamed. Glass shattered, and something slid across the floor, making a loud thump as it hit the reception desk.

  “Stay here!” I ordered.

  “The hell I am!” She stood close, with her shoulder pressed against mine. “You have the gun, remember?”

  “All right, but stay—”

  “You don’t have to tell me. I’m not going anywhere without that gun.”

  I kept my shotgun aimed toward the front doors as we made the slow descent down the steps. When we finally reached the floor, one of the front doors, blown open from the wind, swung back and forth.

  Maria stayed close to me, her fingers brushing against my back, as we stepped around the reception desk. She screamed and stumbled back a few feet. She held her hands over her mouth as we gazed at the decapitated and dismembered corpse of Sergeant Williams. His badge was missing, but his nametag remained pinned to his shirt. Deep gashes exposed his rib cage. The man’s intestines spilled out onto the floor.

  “Get to the chapel and find the chief,” I ordered.

  Maria remained standing a few feet away staring at the bloody remains of the deputy.

  “Now!” I yelled. “Go!”

  The deafening roar and high-pitched bray of the chimera drowned out the sounds of the storm.

  Maria’s face grew pale. “What was that?” she asked, staring at the open doorway.

  “Get to the chapel,” I said, stressing each word clearly. “Hurry!”

  Maria ran across the room toward a corridor to the right and then fell on her rear end. She backpedaled with her hands and feet as the beast from hell crashed through the open doorway, spraying glass and splintered wood in every direction. Maria’s cry was louder than any scream I had ever heard. She shrieked hysterically as the three heads of the beast roared and brayed in unison. The cobra-headed tail remained poised over the body, facing Maria, while the lion, dragon, and ram heads focused on me. The lion furrowed its brow and growled, showing its massive bloodstained yellow teeth. Both the dragon and the ram snorted.